Culture of Contra

I believe this is what we have in Germany: a culture of opposition. We seem to love opposing and arguing. Maybe it all still hails from the generation for which it was cool to disagree with and oppose the "establishment" (which in those days meant society in general or the government).

According to a much quoted survey (not sure how recent) 80% of Germans are in favour of an immediate halt to nuclear power in Germany. Everyone seems to talk about green, renewable energies. But there is much more disagreement on where to put them. In Brandenburg near Berlin environmentalists themselves protested against the construction of a wind park because the fans might put local birds and bats at risk. In Thuringia the construction of a wind park was even rejected by local government saying "[we] are not having 'windmills' in our picturesque Thuringia Forest." In yet another part of the country the construction of a water plant encountered resistance by the fishing industry.
The power grid providers suffer from very similar problems: Green energies are unpredictable because their yield depends on the forces of nature. To prevent imbalance that would damage the grid power must be redistributed quickly as some generators come online or go offline. This requires a developed infrastructure which Germany still lacks. Unfortunately, efforts to extend it also keep encountering resistance. Grid providers have to fight political battles "for every kilometre" of lines they build. Why? Because communities don't want the masts which support the cables around. I remember when I was young we were taught to hate the above-ground power lines because birds get caught in them and die.
These are just examples but they should go a long way to prove my point. In this country we seem to know very clearly what we don't want. But we are hard-pressed when it comes to a solution. "Nuclear power, no thanks" ("Atomkraft, nein danke"), say the idealistic badges that people have started to decorate their facebook profiles with. I wonder how some of them would react if they had to have a solar panel on their roof and a huge wind generator in their back garden. A lot of people at least seem to think it's a good idea - as long as it happens to somebody else. Because right here or right now would be really inconvenient. "Do it. Yes to green energy. Just not here. Somewhere else would be a lot better." I've even heard some people then come up with the idea that this should be a European effort anyway. Wind parks should be built in Norway where the wind always blows and solar parks in Spain where the sun shines a lot. To me that's the next step of delegating. I wonder what the Spanish would say, or the Norwegians. I'm sure they don't want their mesas covered with solar panels nor their coastlines and fjords cluttered with wind generators either.
"Use less power", I read on one of my contacts' facebook page. That does seem like the ultimate solution - until you implement it. Almost everything uses electricity these days. And our appliances and gadgets are highly energy-efficient, much more so than they used to be. I don't turn on lights or appliances I don't need. Still, I have an electricity bill every month. What else should I do? Not turn on the computer and read a book? Not turn on the light and go to bed early or use a candle? Not use a washing machine and wash clothes by hand? Sound silly? You make a better suggestion! And besides: we have all these creature comforts - mobile phones, computers and Internet access in every household, TV in every household, electric light in every household. People in countries all over the world envy us for this luxury (I've been to Laos, I've seen the difference). Are we to throw all that away?? Laotians would think us barking mad and they'd be damn right about it.
What I wish is that protesters, the government, everyone would think their position through to the ultimate consequence. We are arguing about the future of Germany here, after all. We should stop this short-sighted bickering. If we make a decision on one level, e.g. go green entirely right now, then we need to make adjustments on a different level, e.g. communities need to accept construction of generators and power lines. The faster we want to press a radical decision on the one level the faster decisions also need to be made on the other. This should be obvious to even the most naïve environmentalist that completely abolishing nuclear energy in Germany is a move that will have severe consequences - on our infrastructure, on our environment and maybe even on our way of life.
Personally, I don't see it's necessary. Germany is already one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. People from all over admire us because "Germany is so clean" and for our high standard of living. Why should we give that up? For moral higher ground? To take the role of the precursor (and hope others will follow)? If you can make it happen then do and do it properly but don't blindly forge ahead! We were bloody lucky to have been born in a country where we can talk about giving up luxury and not in a place where our family lives, six or more of them, in a small wooden hut with a noisy, smelly diesel generator out back so that everyone can enjoy a few hours of electric light every evening. Those people don't use much electricity but I'm sure they wish they could. Anyone who needs to feel that close to Mother Earth has a lot of countries to choose from. Germany has always prided itself with high standards, high technology, quality of work and of life. I for one don't want to see this country turn into a banana republic because of some idealistic fools.
Or is it after all the way the song "Rebell" by German punk rock band Die Ärzte goes?

Ich bin dagegen, denn du bist dafür (I am against it, because you are in favour)
Ich bin dagegen, ich bin nicht so wie ihr (I am against it, I am not like you)
Ich bin dagegen, egal worum es geht (I am against it, no matter what it's about)
Ich bin dagegen, weil ihr nichts davon versteht (I am against it, because you don't understand a thing)
Ich bin dagegen, ich sag es noch einmal (I am against it, I say it again)
Ich bin dagegen, warum ist doch egal (I am against it, it doesn't matter why)
[...]

Maybe that is us, after all. Rebels without a cause. The former "country of poets and thinkers" where nowadays people talk too much and think too little. I'm so sick of seeing this country progress that way.