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| Karl the Great! |
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| Sam the miserable! |
Before getting into details let me define the difference between a communist and a capitalist.
A communist is someone who has nothing and wants to share it with everybody!
A capitalist is someone who has everything and doesn't want to share it with anybody!
We were introduced to Karl Marx's doctrine as expounded in 'Das Kapital' and learned that the capitalist way was to exploit the workers to the max and line the pockets of the already rich upper class. 'Money shits on money and poor bastards remain poor and get shat upon!'
Now that we've established the background, let's get on with the history lesson.
History is in the eye of the beholder! One can make events in the past fit any doctrine, persuasion or ideological persuasion one wants.
This is the tale of education authorities confusing the heck out of a thirteen year old.
First an explanation of school years / terms in East and West Germany in the fifties. The two sides could not possibly have the same terms / years - that would look like collaboration. Thus, in East Germany the school year started at the beginning of September and ended late June / early July the next year. It had been like that in Germany for time immemorial! It was also practical since the school year ended at the start of the big summer break and resumed after a descent break.
In West Germany the school year started early April (April Fools Day) and ended about Mid-March - not very practical but it did work, somehow.
Until the middle of 1956 I lived in East Germany, thus having the privilege of finishing year 7 in that glorious 'workers paradise' - for more details please follow this link: www.popomike.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/switching-sides-becoming-refugee.html. My mum and I (well mum dragged me along) 'defected' to West-Berlin in July 1956, just in time to celebrate my 13th birthday in the 'Free World'. Thus I had to attend school in the West from early September, meaning they were just over a third through year seven. That is where major confusion and uncertainty descended upon me! I'm not quite sure whether I ever recovered from that - maybe I've suffered post-traumatic- stress ever since. By the way, that term did not exist in those days, one just got on with life.
Anyway, on with the story. Doing year seven in East Germany in 1955/56 we 'learned' in history class about the industrial revolution, i.e. the 19th century. Quite interesting it was, the capitalists in the ascendancy (neatly replacing the old feudalists) and the workers (mostly displaced farmers or farm hands) working in the sweat-shops being exploited by the factory owners. Practises like having grocery shops on the factory premises where workers could buy their necessities on 'credit' - that credit being deducted from next weeks pay. The poor souls were forever in debt to their employers (masters). Most bigger factories even supplied 'subsidised' housing that was also deducted from each week's pay.
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| The Epic Battle - Com vs Cap |
That was the way of the world and would not change till the Russian revolution happened in 1917, which created the first 'Workers Paradise' on earth.
Along the way I had done three years of studying the Russian language and also learned a lot about evolution, the absence of God and the greatness of Lenin and Stalin. At that stage I was not too certain whether there was a great difference between God, Lenin and Stalin. All three of them seemed to be mean buggers hell bent on destroying people that did not tow the line - Hell and Gulags come to mind here! To many Gulag inmates it seemed to be Hell on Earth and it was!
In the West history was taught with a slightly different slant - the industrial revolution, through the magnamity of the factory owners, freed the poor workers from the hard slog on the land. Things and tasks were gradually being automated or mechanically assisted to save their backs, have regular working hours (like 12 hour days - 6 days a week), get regular pay (a pittance if that) and being looked after like they were family. Funny notion of family, if one got sick or crippled one was out of there with no support or help - in my book family means looking after each other come what may.
Well, the upshot of it was that I didn't last long at school. Not only did the whole caper of who did what to whom and for whose benefit totally confuse me, but add to that the quaint notion in West German schools to teach children religion. One had the option of going to either Catholic or Lutheran classes twice a week for one hour - or have that hour off to do whatever heathens do. That was just my ticket, unless it was a miserably cold and wet day. Being good Christians they allowed you to sit in class as long as you kept your mouth shut, a difficult but not unachievable feat for me.
Thus I decided to pursue my own education in the privacy of our home, becoming a rather frequent visitor to the local library. Apart from reading a lot of ancient Greek literature I soon became side-tracked by discovering travel tales from far-away lands. It gave me itchy feet to say the least. I got curious, wanting to experience how other people lived, what they thought and how their society/culture worked.
I soon realised that I needed to earn some money to achieve that dream. To continue with the capitalist paradigm it was necessary to earn money, to earn money one had to work - but at what? A well payed job would be good! My mother agreed I could leave school, provided I had a job. With the help of our neighbour she secured an apprenticeship at a nearby factory for me, training to be a high-pressure pipeline plumber of all things. Sounded outlandish and fancy enough for me, so off I went. The disappointment was almost instantaneous and devastating. I spent two months of stupefying work, filing a lump of iron into a perfect cube - well that was the task anyway BUT I never grasped the concept! I asked my training instructor one day what would happen to that 'perfect' cube, if I ever achieved to it which was highly dubious. His frank reply was: "we throw it in the bin when you have done it"! I mulled that one over for a few seconds and said: "I'm out of here".
What next? There had to be something that captured my imagination and thirst for travel. In the end it wasn't that hard - do a boat building apprenticeship, build my own boat and sail off into the sunset. Luckily, I was able to secure an apprenticeship with a local boat builder. We were getting into very late spring, great weather and what seemed lovely people to work with. Well, well, well - Borsig revisited as it turned out. My main job was to fetch second breakfast (around 9:30 AM) and lunch for the tradesmen. I was also detailed to cut endless rows of wooden plugs to hide the screw and nail holes in the outer planking and decking. Then came the piece de-resistance: climb into the sharp end of the boat with a small piece of sandpaper and smooth the wood perfectly ready for varnishing - it took ages without any visible progress or achievement. Again, it didn't exactly ignite my imagination, I lasted just under three months.
What next? Find something that is exhilarating, interesting and full of new experiences! So, what did I choose? An apprenticeship as a hardware shop assistant! Sounds very dull, but it was one of the best experiences of my life. The shop apprenticed to was a small family owned business. Dad, daughter and grandson. Unfortunately, or fortunately as you might view it, Dad curled up his toes and died about three months after my arrival. Don't think I had anything to do with it, but you never know.
Low and behold it was another lesson in 'capitalism' - a nearby business man made a bid for the shop, eventually being successful. I was transferred to the new owners original (main) shop, which resulted in receiving the best tutoring and mentoring I ever had. The shop was called 'Schrauben-Dorow' and its motto was: 'If we don't have the screw you need or want it doesn't exist'! Very corny when you think of it. Remember, it was the early sixties - people had 'old' machinery and needed bolts and screws. We would make bolts and screws at weekends to meet their needs. I used to work seven days a week, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. It was so interesting and educational - making stands for solar umbrellas, cutting and threading screws and bolts, plus nuts as required. It was work that captured my imagination! Like getting my own 'cash register' - a drawer under the counter with a few compartments in it. I had to balance the 'till' every night and account for any shortcomings or surpluses if they occurred. There was no punishment for either, just questions, educational one at that, why that had happened. Stood me in good steed for decades to come.
Once I finished my apprenticeship I left the shop and started a new job at a boat parts and accessories supplier (here we go again with boats and ships). It didn't ' last too long - three months in fact till I went off to pursue the love of my life then.
Not much of a conclusion to the conundrum of Communist vs Capitalist = the Jury is still out and we might never know the final verdict - who is right or wrong? Fidel Castro died recently - was he good or bad? You be the judge -be an individual and make up your own mind!
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| Start them young - they will die earlier |
Well, the upshot of it was that I didn't last long at school. Not only did the whole caper of who did what to whom and for whose benefit totally confuse me, but add to that the quaint notion in West German schools to teach children religion. One had the option of going to either Catholic or Lutheran classes twice a week for one hour - or have that hour off to do whatever heathens do. That was just my ticket, unless it was a miserably cold and wet day. Being good Christians they allowed you to sit in class as long as you kept your mouth shut, a difficult but not unachievable feat for me.
Thus I decided to pursue my own education in the privacy of our home, becoming a rather frequent visitor to the local library. Apart from reading a lot of ancient Greek literature I soon became side-tracked by discovering travel tales from far-away lands. It gave me itchy feet to say the least. I got curious, wanting to experience how other people lived, what they thought and how their society/culture worked.
 |
| The Halls of Apprentice Torture |
What next? There had to be something that captured my imagination and thirst for travel. In the end it wasn't that hard - do a boat building apprenticeship, build my own boat and sail off into the sunset. Luckily, I was able to secure an apprenticeship with a local boat builder. We were getting into very late spring, great weather and what seemed lovely people to work with. Well, well, well - Borsig revisited as it turned out. My main job was to fetch second breakfast (around 9:30 AM) and lunch for the tradesmen. I was also detailed to cut endless rows of wooden plugs to hide the screw and nail holes in the outer planking and decking. Then came the piece de-resistance: climb into the sharp end of the boat with a small piece of sandpaper and smooth the wood perfectly ready for varnishing - it took ages without any visible progress or achievement. Again, it didn't exactly ignite my imagination, I lasted just under three months.What next? Find something that is exhilarating, interesting and full of new experiences! So, what did I choose? An apprenticeship as a hardware shop assistant! Sounds very dull, but it was one of the best experiences of my life. The shop apprenticed to was a small family owned business. Dad, daughter and grandson. Unfortunately, or fortunately as you might view it, Dad curled up his toes and died about three months after my arrival. Don't think I had anything to do with it, but you never know.
Low and behold it was another lesson in 'capitalism' - a nearby business man made a bid for the shop, eventually being successful. I was transferred to the new owners original (main) shop, which resulted in receiving the best tutoring and mentoring I ever had. The shop was called 'Schrauben-Dorow' and its motto was: 'If we don't have the screw you need or want it doesn't exist'! Very corny when you think of it. Remember, it was the early sixties - people had 'old' machinery and needed bolts and screws. We would make bolts and screws at weekends to meet their needs. I used to work seven days a week, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. It was so interesting and educational - making stands for solar umbrellas, cutting and threading screws and bolts, plus nuts as required. It was work that captured my imagination! Like getting my own 'cash register' - a drawer under the counter with a few compartments in it. I had to balance the 'till' every night and account for any shortcomings or surpluses if they occurred. There was no punishment for either, just questions, educational one at that, why that had happened. Stood me in good steed for decades to come.
Once I finished my apprenticeship I left the shop and started a new job at a boat parts and accessories supplier (here we go again with boats and ships). It didn't ' last too long - three months in fact till I went off to pursue the love of my life then.
Not much of a conclusion to the conundrum of Communist vs Capitalist = the Jury is still out and we might never know the final verdict - who is right or wrong? Fidel Castro died recently - was he good or bad? You be the judge -be an individual and make up your own mind!
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