A.Holberg wrote
> Interesting stuff, Johannes. But what is your position? Maybe it helps
some
> folks to learn that after staying in a foreign country for 21 years they
should
> have bothered to learn the language?
Anton,
I think you raised important points, but its important we look at those
issues not in abstract, but but in the concrete socio-political situation of
present day Germany.
> On the other hand we might argue that since there is such a lot of money
in
> Germany (albeit not in the right hands) this country should offer medical
help
> without thinking about the costs. If however the costs are an important
argument
> the point that over 50% of those who don't know the language sufficiently
die
> soon after the transplantation seems to be important. The article does not
say
> what has happened to the ones who had transplantation in the US and did
not
> speak English. If it was proved that the argument of the hospital is not
true
> the discussion ought to begin anew. Up to that point however I would
reject the
> racism-'argument' (not that racism isn't widespread in German society, but
it is
> also used as a cheap argument by by a certain number of foreigners who are
> treated like they are because of their very personal faults), let alone
the
> 'Nazi'-accusation. We should not let devaluate the notion of 'racism' or
> 'enemity towards foreigners'.
Lets look a bit closer at the case: For the sake of the argument lets accept
the Turkish woman its not able to communicate in German at all. (Something I
doubt: She lived in Germany for 21 years, did not starve even raised at
least one daughter, BTW Neuwied is a small town, no Turkish ghetto like in
the inner urban areas of big cities).
I think Lindas argument is convincing here: It would have been quite easy to
find a Turkish speaking nurse given the large Turkish immigration in
Germany. Actually the standard of nursing is very low in Germany (compared
to Anglo-Saxon countries) so nursing is even one of the typical
woman-immigrant professions. There is even an informal numerus-clausus for
immigrants in nursing schools. So the German education system is even
responsible there are not even more nurses from ethnic minorities. So this
should have settled the case.
On a more general political approach I think its should be demanded that
nationalities like the Turks living in Germany should have a atatus as a
recognized ethnic minority. (In its typical hypocritical fashion the German
state has granted this status to the Sorbians, Danes and Friesans living in
Germany, but denies it to those ones when it really matter like the millions
of immigrated foreign workers on the purely formal distinction of indigenous
and immigrated nationality). Those parts of the left who defend the right of
self-determination in every corner of the world should regard the national
question in their own country at least with the same vigour.
But indeed the problem is not language or Turkish speaking nurses, but the
state of the health system in general. Hospitals are understaffed especially
when it comes to nursing. At the same time there are not enough organ
donators, because of an idiotic law that put high hurdles for the donation
of organs. (I dont know whether its a coincidence, that transplants are the
most expensive operations and having a law that hinders the donation of
organs). So at the surface we are experiencing the problem of long waiting
lists for organ transplantations.
Thats a problem everyone living in Germany who has to rely on the public
health system has to face, regardless of nationality. But the approach how
the racist-capitalist society tries to solve (or rather defer it) is typical
and done in other areas as well (most prominently criminality, drug abuse,
education system): the roots of the problem ( unsufficient funding of
hospitals) are not tackled, but instead an artificial discourse around
'language' (actually its about nationality) is constructed. The solution
that is presented basically boils down to 'German First', but since we are
neither Nazis or racists 'language' is put forward. As shown above all the
problems in connection with communication, could have been solved even
within the existing health system. So I think all those ones who see this
case as an example of racism are right.
I posted the original AP report under the sarcastic heading 'Why worry
about Neonazis if you have doctors like this' to show how hypocritical the
current discussion about neonazis in Germany is. Racism is not the problem
of a lunatic fringe, but firmly rooted in the respectable (e.g. heart
surgeons) part of the society.
At least this is recognized but sections of the left, but the anti-racist
struggle will be futile if its not linked to an anti-capitalist strategy,
since the key argument of racism is to make immigrants responsible for
social ills that are caused in the last instance by the capitalist
organisation of society (In our case the subordination of the health system
under the need to maintain profits for the capitalist class at a whole).
> One final note on the language-question: urging immigrants here to learn
> the language of the majority-population does not mean to force
'integration'
> upon them and to make them 'Germans' (in the 'ethnic' sense).
Sorry, but to put the question in an abstract like this does not make sense
at all. First of all it not possible to change the ethnic of a human beeing.
But those racists who are concerned with the purity of German blood are
really on the fringe, now racism is transported over the notion of a
cultural difference, thus the importance of 'language'. In this concept a
Turk who is willing and capable to integrate, first of all master the German
language and denounce his archaic Islamic can become a 'German'. At the same
time modern day cultural racists can distance themselves from old-fashioned
'Blood-and-Soil' racists.
Certainly its always positive to learn more and develop a better
understanding of its own surrunding. But thats not the issue here.
Because of modern day cultural racism language is central area of
confrontation: In fact the rules to get the German citizenship have
recently been made more stricter in this respect. Before it was just
required to be able to communicate in German, now you have to pass a formal
examination. The righ-wing Bavarian state government insisted on even more
stricter rules, their aim was to deny citizenship to as many applicants as
possible.
All those attempts to deny rights to immigrants under the pretext of an
insufficient knowledge of German have to be fought by socialists. At the
same time it their should be no discussion that socialists supports a better
funding for the eduction system. Certainly this includes language classes as
well.
> As a (hopefully)
> revolutionary I want to struggle with the turcophone part of the
working-class
> in Germany 'omuz omuza' (shoulder by shoulder) and build the revolutionary
party
> with Turkish, Greek, Kurdish, etc. comrades, but experience shows that
this is
> very difficult if you don't speak a common language. Of courese nobody can
> expect that German revolutionaries learn all the languages of their
foreign
> comrades. So urging the immigrants to learn German has nothing today with
any
> cultural-chauvinism.
This is an entirely different question: How to maintain the unity of the
revolutionary party in a multi-national state. Just one point here: Its the
duty of the party leadership to do everything possible to allow members from
all nationalities to participate in party life.
Johannes
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