JimFlat6:
We don't have that attitude in US popular culture. Here even the poorest guy wants a Lambo. People don't throw insults at what other people drive if its something they can't afford themselves.
Well, in Germany, the poorest guy wants a Lambo too. Thats not the problem here. 
Yes, people in the US don't throw insults at what other people drive...they don't speak out loud but they think it. It wasn't different in Germany before people started to air their frustration in a less intimate and more obvious (and hearable) way.
Whats scary is that considering its history, Germany still has a kind of anti social vibe towards those who exceed the lifestyle of the proletariat or their neighbors.. No wonder lots people there believed the blame it all on the Jews crap on their pre '45 Volks radios.
Well, I guess this is something many other countries share. Antisemitism isn't a German invention but unfortunately the Germans were first to "express" it in a very very disturbing and wrong way.
Please don't take this wrong, but I think it was Churchill who said Germans are either at your throat or at your feet.
I don't take it wrong but I also think that Churchill said this in war time and it was understandable. However, nowadays, Germans are different but unfortunately the media has brainwashed them. First the media brainwashed them to something better (accepting foreign cultures, being socially involved, etc.) but now, the media is just trying to use their headlines to sell newspapers, magazines and political tv shows and news. The envy card works pretty well for them.
@Carlos: Conservatives actually think quite similar over here, you would be surprised. This is not communist brainwashing, they really believe it. Apparently you need to be "in line" over here, to make everybody happy. If you are different, then you have a problem. If you are "poor" different, people pity you and want to help. If you are "wealthy" different, people don't understand how and why. This is a very tricky situation which at some point, may blow out of proportion. Also the whole involvement of the church over here in Bavaria is quite disturbing in my opinion. During the last church service I attended (this happens once a year or so with special occasions, I had to be there because of some event involving all kids in the neighborhood), the pastor held a sermon where he reminded people that the rich are getting richer and richer and the poor are getting poorer and poorer. During this sermon, he kind of reminded wealthy people of their responsibilities to part their wealth with the poor and not to spend money on luxury like expensive cars(!) or the latest smartphones(!) or expensive clothing. I'm not kidding here.
Do you think he would have once mentioned envy? Isn't envy a mortal sin?
You see where I'm going here. If even the church, the one which has faced hundreds(!) of child abuse and child molestation in the younger past, starts to support this thinking and mentality, why ain't I surprised at all? Do you know how much church tax I pay? You wouldn't believe it. The church tax is not only deducted from my regular income but also from my capital gains (stocks, etc.). Right now I am considering exiting the church because it just isn't me. I pay a lot of money and all I get is actually a confirmation of how bad of a person I am.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)
(love the smiley)
