One thing I remember the reporters saying when the Berlin wall first fell

Roon

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Mon Nov-09-09 12:52 PM
Original message

One thing I remember the reporters saying when the Berlin wall first fell

tons of former East Germaners flocked to the porn shops in the west. Some declared they had no money, but would very much like to see porn.

If that was my porn shop,I would have made it free for a week after the wall fell.

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Call Me Wesley

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:06 PM
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1. Really? Can't remember this

but wouldn't be surprised. The fun thing is, after Honecker fled, they found a very nice and veeeery large assortment of porn videos at his house. No joke.

Many bought bananas, though. Later it became a joke/slur to identify East Germans, but it was a true fact that you could not buy bananas in the GDR.

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arcadian

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:22 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. Thanks for the tip

I didn't know this about Honecker:

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

After German reunification, Honecker first fled to the Soviet Union but was extradited to Germany by the new Russian government. Back in Germany, he was imprisoned and tried for high treason and crimes committed during the Cold War. In particular, he was indicted for ordering border guards to shoot any person trying to cross the East German border into West Germany or West Berlin. However, during the trial, Honecker became ill with terminal cancer and was subsequently released from prison. He died in exile in Chile about a year and a half later.

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Call Me Wesley

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:37 PM
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4. The worst thing was his voice.

Here's his last speech (in German.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybmNdqJQ2rM

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TheMightyFavog

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:26 PM
Response to Reply #1

3. I heard people say that many East Germans didn't know you had to peel the banana first.

Edited on Mon Nov-09-09 01:27 PM by TheMightyFavog

Is that true? Or was that a popular joke at the time?

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Call Me Wesley

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:40 PM
Response to Reply #3

6. I'd guess this was a stab at them later.

One of the major tabloids in Germany then even had a picture running depicting someone's first banana, which she hold in her hands - only it was a peeled cucumber. The overwhelming love of the wall falling down came soon to a mocking end, unfortunately. Full integration is still not done between (former) East and West Germany.

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joeybee12

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Mon Nov-09-09 01:38 PM
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5. Me? I woulda doubled or tripled the prices!

Let them see what REAL capitalism is like! :evilgrin:

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Orsino

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Mon Nov-09-09 04:38 PM
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7. This is what socialism leads to. Nekkid wimmen.

There may also be a down side.

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