It's not about HOW Stasi worked, HOW you were observed and reported.
It's about WHO snitched on you.
Opposite to most racism and abuse, there is no one denying the crimes and its victims.
In a lot of cases, the victims already narrowed down who might have known. Looking into the folders means finally finding out, if it was the neighbours, the mailman, the plumber, the parents (quite unusual), or one of the 5 family friends. In those 30 years after the "Wende", the victim moved away (no contact to neighbours, mailman or plumber), father has died, mother is in a senior home, and 3 of the 5 friends are also out of the picture. The consequence, typically a hold or downgrade in career is also 38 years ago.
So this the standard case:
- no need for proof, people believe you when you just tell them
- a thought of "it doesn't matter almost 40 years later, it won't improve my life"
- and a thought of "either it was omeone I will never see again, or it was someone that I would forgive anyway, but before it would hurt a lot.
Finrafirlame t1_j8n24xw wrote
Reply to comment by Varias279 in Study on former citizens of East Germany sheds light on why people may choose deliberate ignorance by chrisdh79
Your comparision is absolutely incorrect.
It's not about HOW Stasi worked, HOW you were observed and reported.
It's about WHO snitched on you.
Opposite to most racism and abuse, there is no one denying the crimes and its victims.
In a lot of cases, the victims already narrowed down who might have known. Looking into the folders means finally finding out, if it was the neighbours, the mailman, the plumber, the parents (quite unusual), or one of the 5 family friends. In those 30 years after the "Wende", the victim moved away (no contact to neighbours, mailman or plumber), father has died, mother is in a senior home, and 3 of the 5 friends are also out of the picture. The consequence, typically a hold or downgrade in career is also 38 years ago.
So this the standard case:
- no need for proof, people believe you when you just tell them
- a thought of "it doesn't matter almost 40 years later, it won't improve my life"
- and a thought of "either it was omeone I will never see again, or it was someone that I would forgive anyway, but before it would hurt a lot.
And here we are...