User talk:Scooter de

East Germany vs. GDR

In English the GDR is commonly called East Germany, a fact that Wikipedia reflects by making GDR a redirect to the article titled "East Germany". I don't know if you've been changing "East Germany" to "GDR" in other articles on Wikipedia, but if you have then I am asking you to stop. GDR doesn't reflect common usage in English and is not helpful to English-speaking readers or the encyclopedia. Quale (talk) 00:12, 6 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I haven’t changed other articles to GDR. Calling the GDR „East Germany“ is akin to calling the USA „America“. Did Bobby Fischer represent America in the Chess Olympiade? Or did he represent the United States of America? Also, calling the GDR „East Germany“ carries a specific political statement. It denies her existence because some ignorant people in the West didn‘t bother to understand the details. Reminds of the current war in the Ukraine in which the russian powers deny the bare existence of said country.

As an encyclopedia the Wikipedia should be precise. The alternative links from „East Germany“ to „GDR“ give the technical opportunities to lead the user to the correct page. Scooter de (talk) 01:38, 6 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]