Berlin Blog Question Two

Alone In Berlin

Yesterday nearly 200,000 people crowded around to see Senator Barack Obama speak in Berlin. This, however, is not the first major American-leaning political event staged in Berlin. I speak of John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit, which was "a day they would never have again," to paraphrase John himself. Parallels have already been drawn between the two democrats--seemingly "outsiders" that look toward the future, have personal aspects which are less traditional in politics, and relatively young. The reception in Berlin echoed those comparisons perfectly. Whether in front of the Brandenburg Gate or the Victory Tower, Berliners get involved in our political scene. Which, fortunately enough, led me to the Museum devoted to The Kennedys in Berlin.
It's an odd experience to go into a foreign museum about anything American. Obviously, Americans have our own views on any thing or any one American. For instance, many feel President Kennedy was more symbolic of opportunity and the future of America and tend to ignore some instances that show otherwise. To begin, I should saw that John Kennedy is not one of my favorite presidents, because two foreign affairs' missteps. The botched Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis stand out in my mind of leaving the American ideals behind. So, in an attempt to reconcile my doubts and to learn more, I planned eagerly my day alone in a foreign city.
Obviously I couldn't have the day I planned, because that would have worked out far too easily to be part of my life. So, after being so concerned about the train stops, I neglected the signs and allowed myself to wander around in my mind. I ended up one train stop too far, which usually isn't a huge deal. However, I ended in the King Transportation Stop that had every bus, train, and taxi in Berlin. There were too many German maps, routes, platforms, stories, and people that I almost immediately resigned to living there. I decided after twenty minutes of reading signs that I most assuredly did not want to live by that Burger King and somehow plunged out an exit. Like a sign, I see the Reichstag and head towards that. After my futile cursing and attempts of crossing busy streets, I finally found the museum.
Inside the museum was fairly basic. There was not a lot of information that most Americans did not already know. Along the walls were photographs, magazine covers, articles, and campaign slogans that held the very recognizable Kennedys (not just John). I think I actually learned more about Robert Kennedy than John. My biggest disappointment was it lacked the assassination or its aftermath. While they mentioned conspiracies, it was probably shorter than four sentences. I should not have been surprised, but throughout the entire exhibit, attention was on the fact the Kennedys staged so many events to seem more personable. They took advantage of new media, especially television, and became near-celebrities. Reading the little signs, everything recognizable (John Jr.'s salute at the funeral, John Jr. and Caroline playing in the Oval Office) was staged. There is just a plastic feeling in knowing those moments were not one-hundred percent natural.
People, in general, want to believe. There is a pushing desiring that hopes for the best, the easiest, integrity, intelligence, et cetera in the world. Berliners showed their willingness to believe in June 1963 and reaffirmed that again this week. I think what drew me to that museum was not the fact it was about an American president I do not really know about, but rather the news media back home, various articles discussing President Kennedy's and presumptive democratic presidential nominee Obama's similarities, and an energizing hope that has infected my friends, people abroad, and over eighteen million people in America. No one, sadly, will ever know the impact President Kennedy could have had globally; but in his short term, he had those two aforementioned mishaps internationally. Those past tarnishes prevent me from being completely infected, although today, like on February 15 this year, standing in Kolf and waiting to hear, I do want to believe.