It appeared from the stories in the previous chapter that East Germans had learned to be selective about which negative aspects of their lives they preferred to keep to themselves. The only thing that was more or less in the open were people's complaints about the previous material situation. The power of attraction of the western world mainly derived from its material conditions. In East Germans’ eyes, the plentiful West German consumer world was so special that people visited the Intershop despite the fact that this was precisely the place where they knew they were being closely watched by the Stasi. In the GDR, western goods were regarded as little relics, the value of which could not be measured by any objective standard – they were a western fetish. Why did western goods have such value in the GDR? What did they appear to promise?

According to Dutch anthropologist Patricia Spyer, the “extraordinary power” that is often attributed to certain categories of material objects, specifically in socially unstable situations, is linked to the promise that material objects seem to evoke – a promise that proves to be irresistible especially in uncertain times: “[The] promise of fulfillment and ultimate arrival.” Thus, completely out of context, these words may come across as too vague and general an indication, but in my opinion they capture the essence of what the West German consumer world previously seemed to promise in so many East Germans’ eyes.

On the subject of his friends rising above him, Helmut remarked that “one only really became someone in the GDR when leaving the country.” This statement suggests that apparently only beyond the borders of the GDR was it possible to really make something of life. Thus, the ultimate realization of East Germans’ existence was to be found beyond the borders of their own country. In many East Germans’ experience, the fulfillment of their desires was found in the material wealth of the west.