The 68ers In Germany are increasingly cast as a generation that has overstayed its welcome. Rebels who once coined the slogan “Trau keinem über 30” (Don't trust anyone over 30) must now face the inconvenient truth of their own aging. With the depiction of their increasing infirmity (of body if not of mind) comes a general disassociation with their former ideals and radical political agenda. The revolution has not taken place, certainly not in the way they had imagined. What was once perceived as dangerous and strangely attractive to broad sections of German youth has become, at least in media representations, a bit embarrassing, distinctly old-fashioned, and, in spite of occasional sympathetic portrayals, almost inexplicable to later generations.

A good example of how this perception is constructed is the cover of Der Spiegel 44/2007 with the headline “Gnade für die 68er” (Mercy/ Clemency for the 68ers). It shows two aging hippies, smiling inanely, with the paraphernalia we associate with the late sixties: afghan coat, John Lennon eyeglasses, “Make Love Not War” badges, joint in hand, megaphone, sitar, and posters of Che Guevara, Mao, Marx, Lenin and Ho Chi Minh. The pair resemble former communard Rainer Langhans and rock singer Janis Joplin, but it is clear that they are meant to represent all 68ers. Above them is a banner with the words “Es war nicht alles schlecht” (It wasn't all bad; emphasis in the original). The title of the feature story itself, “Bürgerlich bis in die Knochen” (Bourgeois to the Core), gives the impression that Der Spiegel has joined its conservative competitors in ridiculing the 68ers. This is not the case, however: the article itself is an excerpt from the book I can't get no: 68er treffen sich wieder und rechnen ab by WDR journalist Irmela Hannover and Spiegel editorial director Cordt Schnibben. The introduction makes clear that the political and cultural climate has changed in 2007, with high-profile figures like former Tagesschau anchor Eva Herman and Bild editor in chief Kai Diekmann roundly declaring that the 68ers are responsible for everything that is wrong with Germany. To counter these attacks, Hannover and Schnibben had invited sixteen former 68ers for a weekend to discuss whether their Aufbruch (departure, setting out) still meant anything to them.