Kenmore Undressed

Do Good Fences (Walls) Really Make Good Neighbors? Reflecting On the Berlin Wall

Before I built a wall I’d ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offence.

(from Mending Fence by Robert Frost)

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall which had separated the city of Berlin since 1961. The symbolism and historic impact of this event is of particular interest to me as I visited the then West/East Berlin in May of 1981 as a naive college student from Utah. Whenever I think back on that time, I am reminded of the anxiety I felt being so close to “the enemy.” The wall itself was a veritable canvas of social, political and economic anger and frustration.

Consider the zeitgeist of that time: Ronald Reagan had recently been elected and was extremely unpopular in Europe; the “Cold War” was still a real problem; there existed a palpable hatred between the ideologies of Capitalism and Communism and the Germans themselves were angry and frustrated by the “Berliner Mauer” which had separated many of them from their family and friends who lived only a short distance away. It was some heady stuff. And I was there.

Checkpoint Charlie

One of the most intense experiences of the visit was passing through the iconic Checkpoint Charlie from “free” West Berlin into communist-controlled East Berlin. As we visitors were processed through the checkpoint, it was clear that our hosts (East Germans) were not exactly friendly toward us. Wandering East Berlin for the day was an eye opener. Back in those days we had heard about the long lines in markets for food but actually seeing them was stunning.

I tried to keep an open mind about East Berlin which was, in fact, considered a jewel-in-the-crown of the Communist cities; however, it was obvious that much of the city had fallen into disrepair and neglect (except for the numerous statues of Communist heroes). And then there was the “changing of the guard” which featured an utterly chilling display of “goose-stepping” East German soldiers:

The Meaning of Putting Up a Wall

History is replete with examples of neighbours, countries, enemies, etc. erecting walls to keep people in and out. Often the walls are actual physical structures but sometimes they are symbolic. The real walls are easy to spot. They are almost always oppressive, ugly and intended to be downright nasty:

There are the ancient Great Wall of China and Hadrian’s Wall, both of which were constructed to keep foreign armies out. In an ironic way, they seem to have become nothing more than reminders of a former, less civilised age; however, they are artistic compared to the walls being erected today:

The wall on the left is between the U.S. and Mexico and the wall on the right is being built in Israel to separate the Israelis and Palestinians. We could go on forever about why these walls are necessary or not. This is what makes them so controversial, disturbing and frankly embarrassing. I wonder what poem Robert Frost would pen upon seeing these monstrosities?

In the end, it’s in our human nature to desire security and protection from our enemies. We build walls in order to protect what’s “ours.” Indeed, as with the wall in Israel, it is thought that a great deal of terrorism has stopped because it’s there. Even so, there is a terrible price to pay for such security. Take for example the walls that have been erected between our political parties here in the U.S.. We have resorted to dividing ourselves into Conservatives/Liberals, Red States/Blue States, Southerners/Yankees. As we are witnessing, these distinctions are stifling our ability to move into the 21st Century effectively. It’s healthy for our Democracy to engage in constructive debate; however, we have chosen a path more akin to wall-building rather than negotiation and compromise. Only time will tell if we can move past this self-destructive behaviour.

One of my favourite keepsakes from the trip to East Berlin was a postcard inspired by the Wall. For me it symbolises why we need to keep in mind that there is a huge price to pay for “being right” all the time. It certainly gives us a sense of security and superiority but, in the end, the casualties are often the very things we wanted to preserve in the first place:

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