Inside Germany: A racist street name, a 'chips ban' and the fear of change

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might've missed. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

How much about life in Germany can be explained by a deep societal fear of change? This is a question I find myself asking as I consider some of the news items that have grabbed my attention this week.

The most obvious example was a court’s decision to suspend changing the name of a Berlin street – just the day before a ceremony to officially mark the change was due to take place. Campaigners have called the name change in question "an historic step against racism", because they see the root of the previous name as having become a racist term.

Put simply, the court in question ruled there was no legal reason for “particular urgency” on the name change.

Never mind that it was to be the culmination of a debate that has rambled on for at least four years. This was not an abrupt decision by any means, but intended as the final conclusion of a long and hard fought campaign. 

Even more frustrating is the fact that the new street signs have already been made and put up on the street. (The old ones are still there, but crossed out with orange tape.)

The fact that the physical change has already begun shows that the name change is basically inevitable – at this point it feels pretty safe to say it will happen. It’s just a matter of how long the courts will allow various legal squabbles to play out while a central city street is effectively left with two names.

Wouldn’t it have been easier to just dismiss the last minute appeal and let us all move on!?

If that sounds like a whole lot of hubbub over the changing of one particular street name, well that’s exactly the point…

So just imagine how difficult it would be for a German state to consider changing its rules around shop closing hours, or make changes to its school requirements. 

When even seemingly inconsequential changes – like finally saying goodbye to fax machines – are met with so much push-back and delay, it’s really difficult to imagine how the country could ever authentically meet the moment on big issues, like re-positioning the economy to be more forward looking or getting serious about climate change.

That said, change is inevitable and it does happen all the time, even in Germany. Funny enough a couple of recently announced changes are brought to us from the state of Bavaria – a state which is more often seen as Germany’s defender of tradition.

These changes include what's come to be called the “potato chip ban” or “Chips-verbot”. Basically, an update to the state's rules on shop closing times has effectively barred the sale of salty snacks at late night kiosks, or Spätis.

Yes, in case you're wondering, people on the internet do have a lot to say about it. (You can find a couple of funny examples linked in the above article).

Also, at Munich’s Oktoberfest, at least one tent has announced it won't accept cash payments for food and drink this year. The switch to all electronic transactions is intended to make sales faster and easier. 

Shall we take bets on how many years it’ll be before you can use a card to buy, say, a bag of chips at your local Späti?

Finally, in case you missed it, you can read all about what else is changing in Germany next month here.