So over the Christmas holiday I was back home in the UK (I am English) and I decided to buy myself a parka for the winter ahead here in CH.

Now I'll be honest, when I saw that the parka had the German flag on each arm I wavered. But I thought to myself: "It's very small...It's SO common here in the UK and the war was a long time ago...surely it will be ok."

Today, I put the jacket on for the first time. WOW it's warm

Then I got to my office. Instantly my two Swiss colleagues who have, shall we say, an interesting view on just about all other nations, latched onto the fact that I was wearing a jacket with the German flag and that 1) they would NEVER wear it 2) that I would need to be very careful wearing it out in town and that 3) I should consider growing a moutasche and combing my hair over.

I had feared this might happen but didn't really expect it on the first day! I've been here three years and I have seen *some* anti-German behaviour or comment but is it really going to cause hassle walking around the city?

My backpack has a mexican flag. Nobody has said anything to me about it.

i guess you will just look odd, and have no issue unless you stumble across the eventual loudmouth drunk?

I think if you start to worry about what people think wearing a German flag on your arm, you should be worried about your current state of mind.

/twocents

I'm not worrying! I wouldn't have bought it if I was that concerned...I'm more interested in if anyone has a similar experience. It just seems (even though I had a premonition that these particular colleagues would say something) crazy that anyone would make an issue out of it. And a sad reflection on the place I currently live.

nobody will bother you ply don't worry ! people will just assume that you german...(p.s. good chose with the parka-look this winter )

It is sad indeed to see people reacting like that over a flag of a specific country. Some people have a very little mind, not much you can do about it. I would believe it is a minority.

Isn't it?

A friend had a Bayern Munich scarf on and got some comments, mind Basel were playing them that weekend...

There are German flags and German flags. Your colleagues' reaction lead me to believe that the flags in question may refer to a regime, that if mentioned, would be the end of this thread.

In which case I would agree with your colleagues; it' a sensitive subject (still).

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

.

I seriously doubt that

It's more likely similar to the below - then again, it is fashioned after military gear...

It's probably this sort of thing:

If it's the Parker I'm thinking of, then it's simply a small German flag on each arm. They're very common, I used to have one myself. For people to react in such a way is pretty sad. I don't think anyone in their right mind would wear a German-style jacket with swastikas and the such
Alternatively, you could just tell them it's a Belgian flag sewn on the wrong way.

well Swiss are still very sensitive to that part of history and the role they played in.

Plus a lot of "neonazis" wear parkas just like that one, with a small German flag, so I can't blame them if they make that kind of connection, even if I'd phrase it differently.

You can replace it with a Swiss flag, or an accepted cool flag such as Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain or whatever, no joking

Oh wow! I had no idea you could still buy those. Is it one of those olive green parkas? Seem to recall them being popular many years ago. Stalls at Camden Market used to sell them.
The only thing I would be concerned about, is people thinking you have a dodgy sense of fashion

Since my work is close to the hockey stadium, I'm often a little self-concious wearing my Gottéron hat in Bern on match nights.

Then why is the reaction this:

Because ignorant twats always associate Germans with the war.

WOW - Swiss people with a sense of humour!

It's not a German jacket, but a NATO jacket. You can put your colleagues at ease by educating them on NATO - The first NATO secretary general famously quoted that it was to "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down"

Dear God! You are very, very wrong.

If you think your jacket is an ordeal, try going to India, buying this very comfortable shirt, and then never wearing it for fear of getting pelted with rotten tomatoes by ignorant hillbillies.