Ein Amerikaner in Berlin

Andrew J. Bacevich in Commonweal über seine Wohnung am Wannsee und über Berliner Geschichte und Gegenwart:

"Meanwhile, daily life in Berlin contains the occasional whiff of nihilism. Graffiti plasters virtually every square inch of public space. There is not enough work. The ennui among young Germans is such that couples cannot be bothered to procreate in numbers sufficient to sustain the population. Except as tourist attractions, churches stand all but empty. In the nearby parish where we attend 10:00 Mass each Sunday, worshipers number perhaps three dozen, almost all of them elderly. As if preparing the congregation for Germany?s full-fledged transition to post-Christianity, during Communion the organist plays pop tunes, in recent weeks 'Hey, Jude' and 'Killing Me Softly.' "