Everything is great here
Stasi prison November 8, 1985
Ever since they've locked me up in solitary confinement during the week I’ve studied their language in more detail than ever before.
Reading the communist party’s central propaganda paper ‘Neues Deutschland’ is a weird exposure to their perfidious twisting of things.
Yesterday’s issue contains an article in preparation of the 11th congress of the Socialist Unity Party headlined ‘The broad handling of mass political contribution’.
East German Communist Newspaper NEUES DEUTSCHLAND (or NEW GERMANY) at the 11th congress of the Socialist Unity Party.
On the brink of the party congress next April people are hopeless and disillusioned.
They spend countless days of unproductive political brain washing in their factories to learn about the party’s goals.
Disobedience of party rule or voicing honest opinions about the state’s shortcomings are punished by demotion and will severely impact people’s developments.
Of course the paper knows nothing of that sort of thing and engages in bloomy lies about a presumed dialogue in society.
Everyone starting any attempt to criticize is put in their place and comments or recommendations are filed for all state leaders to see for a life time.
That includes me way before the Stasi started observing me after my escape attempt 5 years ago.
So, to read some of the official state recommendations for dialogue and improvements is more than a slap in the face.
"A major concern of the ideological work of the district leadership must be, to explain convincingly to all working people that the further course of the international dispute over the question of war or peace, reaction or progress, depends crucially on how it manages the real socialism, its own political, economic and ideological potential to strengthen further and reliably guarantee at all times the defense of its achievements ... increase its political influence and the ability to activate the forces of peace and reason in the world … for this purpose, the personal contribution of all working people to further strengthen the GDR should be increased.”
Reading between the lines I find many expressions from former teachers, bosses and the Stasi interrogators:
“...explain convincingly to all working people…” -> further prevent dialogue and freedom of speech (“Are you against peace in the world?!”)
“...strengthen further and reliably guarantee at all times the defense of its achievements…” -> increase the enforcement of the party’s rule including with repression (“You are a counter revolutionist and we will have ways to put you in your place!”)
“...the personal contribution of all working people to further strengthen the GDR should be increased…” -> refine the brain wash also with new formats (“If you are not with us, you are obviously against us!”)
It gets worse as reality is turned on its back.
Flat-out lying about the way society is held hostage.
The calls to further improve (already excellent) productivity and innovation speak a desperate language though and everybody with eyes and a brain knows why.
Leipzig hosts a huge international trade fair so we can see first hand twice a year how innovation compares.
The extra security around these events is further proof of a failed state in desperation.
Behind the article it becomes visible how the state wants to squeeze the dry lemon.
"Throughout the party work, in trusting conversation with the working people and all citizens, it is always important to start from the basic and irrefutable fact that we now hold for decades consistently to the material and cultural standard of living of the people on the basis of a high rate of development of production and its effectiveness, the scientific and technological progress and the growth of labor productivity and its gradual increase.”
“...in trusting conversation with the working people and all citizens…” -> honesty is discouraged or even penalized
“...irrefutable fact that we now hold for decades consistently to the material and cultural standard of living…” -> we can all see the crumbling infrastructure for years and years
“...high rate of development of production and its effectiveness, the scientific and technological progress and the growth of labor productivity and its gradual increase…” -> this becomes very obvious by the state-acclaimed Trabant two-stroke sedan for instance, that is decades behind global automotive technology and you need to wait for 16 years from order to delivery
The audacity with which the state puts reality into their own fairy tale is mind boggling, shameless and outrageously ignorant.
People have started to laugh about it a long time ago and most jokes being shared are about the party and the state.
As long as you don’t create trouble and keep your mouth shut you might be left alone.
But I know scores of people who don’t want to put up with this anymore.
Many of which are here in this prison and I can’t wait to go back tonight to them.
After another week of studying stupid state sponsored news about this great state.
Background developments during the Stasi prison time that I was not aware of: Exchange between the Ministry of Intra-German affairs and my friends begins.
*Testimony -> Start. This blog entry is part of a linear narrated testimony of the contemporary witness Jens Thieme who was imprisoned 1985-1986 as a political prisoner in various GDR prisons by the GDR Ministry of State Security. Stasi prison, Stasi jail, Stasi detention.