Ostalgie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostalgie

There's a culture "fad" going on in East Germany (and to some extent, in the West as well I believe) of having fashion, commodities, etc. be nostalgic of the GDR. Evidently this was also the case for a while in the former Yugoslavia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugo-nostalgia) but eventually faded out. But I think we can all agree that the breakup of Yugoslavia is a little different than the dissolution of the GDR.

Do you think that this is just a fashion trend? A smiliar USSR "fashion" has appeared in Russia as well. But I know that most Russians want the USSR back, and I believe that a large number of East Germans want the GDR back. So do you think that these nostalgic "fashion"s or fads are just that, fashions or fads, or do you think they represent and actual longing to return to their Socialist States?

I think that given the high number of people in both cases who actually want a return to their former Socialist States (for whatever reasons) is itself a demonstration of how the two are likely at least correlated.

Edit: Further reading: (yes basically from a google search)
http://www.wordspy.com/words/ostalgia.asp

Also films like Good Bye Lenin! are examples of Ostalgie.

Sure they want it back, at least most of those who are old enough to remember the good old days.

A common saying in Germany is "In der DDR gab es keine Bananen, aber dafür musste niemand hungern", which means "there were no bananas in the GDR, but nobody had to starve". In the former territory of the GDR, people are plagued by unemployment and poverty, and there are lots of Nazis ruining the landscape as well, so of course they miss the times where they didn't have to put up with such stuff.

Regarding Ostalgie, I recall an article by a German journalist (former DDR citizen) who said that since 1989, West Germans have largely dominated the image of DDR in German and world culture. The fact that any mention of DDR triggers a knee-jerk association with the Stasi is endemic of how West German propaganda has prevailed in people's imagination.

I imagine for most former East Germans, especially those discarded by German capitalism, this angers them to no end, as this image essentially dehumanizes and writes off their pre-1989 existence; Consequently, I can see why Ostalgie is as visible as it is today, and will probably be sustained for some time, albeit not as much as USSR nostalgia.