5 ms·

One other funny detail is that most of the Stasi file was handwritten notes in pencil. The vast majority of it was crap. It seems that a lot of her associates w

One other funny detail is that most of the Stasi file was handwritten notes in pencil. The vast majority of it was crap. It seems that a lot of her associates were obligated to report on her to the Stasi, but either couldn't or didn't want to give any details that would be harmful to anyone. Much of it was along the lines of "[fellow student] says [subject] was disinclined to denounce rent-control as a counter-revolutionary ploy during a late-night discussion with [other student]." or "[room mate] overheard [subject] calling her family in the US, and did not hear any overt discussion of politics."

hutzlibu 5y ago
The Stasi was, especially in the end, exponentional invasive. Meaning they approached allmost anyone in any slightly important position and put pressure on them, to work with them to report on their collegues. (In the end, there were 90 000 of them, with a population of only 16 million). "you help us (and socialism) and we help your career - or you decline and good luck with your career, or the carrer of your partner. Your children ..." The results were mainly those worthless reports. But if you were on the hook once - they could pressure you into more, if they really were interested in your peers and not just routine surveillance of everyone. But could you live with knowing you send one to prison for telling a bad joke about the government? So many still declined, to work with them and suffered the consequences. In either case, the massive surveillance was well known, it was assumed that everything you say loudly - got recorded. Deep chilling effect.
- pvg 5y ago
  you send one to prison for telling a bad joke about the government? For the most part, that sort of thing did not send people to prison. They'd have run out of prisons.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - emteycz 5y ago
    This is inaccurate. They let it go a lot, but they used it happily the minute you got on their wrong side, and it absolutely was enough.
- TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
  For an amazing movie (not documentary) about the Stasi, watch "The Lives of Others". It is chilling because you see this institution and how it effects people through the eyes of one of the people responsible for doing the spying. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others
  - i67vw3 5y ago
    I watched the movie few months/years back. Pretty good and interesting film.
  - nicbou 5y ago
    This is not just on topic. It's genuinely one of the best German movies.
    - hutzlibu 5y ago
      I very much agree. One of my favourite DDR joke from the movie: "Erich Honecker gets up in the morning, goes to the window and says: Good morning dear sun! The sun replies: Good morning dear Erich. At noon, Erich says: Good day dear sun! A good day to you, dear Erich. In the evening before sunset Erich wants to greet the sun again: Good night dear sun. ... no reply Again: Good night dear sun! still no reply. But dear sun, what is wrong, why are you not answering anymore? The sun: "screw you, I am in the west now." A reference to the people, who managed to escape into the west and no longer had to fake friendliness with the system. And the way the joke is told in the movie and the reactions towards it, are also telling a lot of the spirit of the time.

hutzlibu 5y ago

The Stasi was, especially in the end, exponentional invasive. Meaning they approached allmost anyone in any slightly important position and put pressure on them, to work with them to report on their collegues. (In the end, there were 90 000 of them, with a population of only 16 million). "you help us (and socialism) and we help your career - or you decline and good luck with your career, or the carrer of your partner. Your children ..." The results were mainly those worthless reports. But if you were on the hook once - they could pressure you into more, if they really were interested in your peers and not just routine surveillance of everyone. But could you live with knowing you send one to prison for telling a bad joke about the government? So many still declined, to work with them and suffered the consequences. In either case, the massive surveillance was well known, it was assumed that everything you say loudly - got recorded. Deep chilling effect.

pvg 5y ago
you send one to prison for telling a bad joke about the government? For the most part, that sort of thing did not send people to prison. They'd have run out of prisons.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- emteycz 5y ago
  This is inaccurate. They let it go a lot, but they used it happily the minute you got on their wrong side, and it absolutely was enough.
TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
For an amazing movie (not documentary) about the Stasi, watch "The Lives of Others". It is chilling because you see this institution and how it effects people through the eyes of one of the people responsible for doing the spying. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others
- i67vw3 5y ago
  I watched the movie few months/years back. Pretty good and interesting film.
- nicbou 5y ago
  This is not just on topic. It's genuinely one of the best German movies.
  - hutzlibu 5y ago
    I very much agree. One of my favourite DDR joke from the movie: "Erich Honecker gets up in the morning, goes to the window and says: Good morning dear sun! The sun replies: Good morning dear Erich. At noon, Erich says: Good day dear sun! A good day to you, dear Erich. In the evening before sunset Erich wants to greet the sun again: Good night dear sun. ... no reply Again: Good night dear sun! still no reply. But dear sun, what is wrong, why are you not answering anymore? The sun: "screw you, I am in the west now." A reference to the people, who managed to escape into the west and no longer had to fake friendliness with the system. And the way the joke is told in the movie and the reactions towards it, are also telling a lot of the spirit of the time.