If you have German ancestors, how could or should they feel about it?

[Red Gold]

I feel OK with my ancestors

 

[FireDragon76]

It doesn't bother me at all. Most Americans have a varied ethnic makeup. I wasn't raised in the most germanophile household anyways. We had a few traditions, mostly old recipes, but mostly it's not a significant part of our identity. All my "German" great grandparents had been German-American pietists (mostly Evangelical Brethren) eager to assimilate into the American mainstream.

Genetically, I am actually more Irish than German. Something my family never talked about growing up, but I learned through 23andMe that my ancestors likely came from Ireland in the famine in the 19th century, and were most likely at least nominally Catholic.

 

[Red Gold]

It doesn't bother me at all. Most Americans have a varied ethnic makeup. I wasn't raised in the most germanophile household anyways. We had a few traditions, mostly old recipes, but mostly it's not a significant part of our identity. All my "German" great grandparents had been German-American pietists (mostly Evangelical Brethren) eager to assimilate into the American mainstream.

Genetically, I am actually more Irish than German. Something my family never talked about growing up, but I learned through 23andMe that my ancestors likely came from Ireland in the famine in the 19th century, and were most likely at least nominally Catholic.

Good!

 

[keith99]

Talking of Germany in general:

There is a trend, also within Germany, to reduce all of Germany and the Germans to the years 1933 to 1945.
Just as if there never ever was anything before or after.

No Luther, no Gutenberg, no Goethe, no Benz or Daimler, no Hertz, no Röntgen, no Eichendorff, no Mozart, no Bach or Beethoven etc etc
Only Hitler and Göring and Göbbels etc etc .....

No von Stauffenberg, No Bonhoeffer, No Hans Oster or Hans Scholl, No Martin Neimoller!

Of course only one of them saw the end of 1945.