15 Things Americans Don't Understand About Germans
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
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0:00 Intro
0:54 One
2:10 Two
3:58 Three
5:33 Four
7:01 Five
7:50 Six
8:50 Seven
9:51 Eight
11:20 Nine
12:22 Ten
13:23 Eleven
14:36 Twelve
15:30 Thirteen
16:47 Fourteen
18:19 Fifteen
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A car has not to be cool, it has to be „praktisch“.
Exactly, and it still comes asa major shock that most German apartments do not come with a kitchen. You have to bring/buy your own. And when you move out, you take it with you!
I'm sorry, but ... cars have to be affordable !
Germans think, they have to be ashamed of having killed 2/3 of the worlds people. They are being told to. In fact, I think Americans did. Sorry.
Yeah, I have a truck right now. But it is super impractical. SUVs are just overgrown hatchbacks #provemewrong
Ne, es muss SCHNELL sein.
About nudity:
Not every German is comfortable with being nude.
But most German are comfortable with others being nude.
On the other hand, many Americans seem to be uncomfortable with both.
In the US: Woman on the beach in a bikini= ok
Woman in a coffe stand in a bikini= outrage.
@@scottlowell493 Just common sense.
@@scottlowell493 In the US: Woman on the beach in a bikini= ok
Woman in a coffe stand in a bikini= X-rated.
@@henrischutte1968 yes, I remember the rage in Washington state. Right-wingers were all in a rage that it was "Indecent". Yet- a couple miles away on the beach... bikins everywhere.
Because most Americans judge others and so we are thinking the same thing that others might be judging us because we were judging them 🤣, which is also another factor of why we don’t like to see people staring at us.
Funny that you mention the smoking-issue. It’s funny because the situation has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so. Before that, we used to smoke inside the restaurant, on the train, in the office and even in school 😂
was thinking the same 😅
hell, yeah, america was THE country of smoking cowboys, right? In europe people started to smoke cigarettes in the 50s because you americans came to our rescue and it was considered the top of cool, rebellion, and, later, distinguishement
Wondering how NALF would react to visiting France then 😄
@@hetedeleambacht6608 tobacco was popularized in Europe since the early colonial era so that's definitely untrue.
As for the hatchback issue. We once rented a Scoda Oktavia for a family vacation. All the luggage easily fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, something was wrong with the car, so we have changed halfway that car. We got an update and tried to get our luggage into one of the SUVs, unfortunately it did not fit into any at the end we took another Sooda Octavia.
In addition, in Germany we have a lot of beautiful old towns partly from the Middle Ages. The streets are narrow and the parking spaces even narrower. So we try to find a compromise between the largest possible interior space and the possibility to find a parking space.
the “privacy paradox” is a paradox only if you don’t realize that you use the word “privacy” for two completely different things. Germans are protective of their data privacy. Not so much of the “privacy” of their private parts. I don’t think they see any connection between these two things.
Paying for bathrooms can be annoying, but it’s a fact that “clean bathrooms aren’t free.” Someone makes them clean and deserves to be paid.
Not sure if you're in the United States or not. But we had an issue a couple years ago where a non customer wanted to use a bathroom in Starbucks for free. And the employee wouldn't let him. This was nationwide news and the entire star bucks chain shut down on a Wednesday to train it's people to let folks use the bathroom. I think a pay toilet would be a good solution.
Actually that somebody would be paid, but every customer would pay that extra fee on top of their order. If they use the bathroom or not. Often in Germany it‘s not mandatory to pay but the cleaning ladys look like they ask this money as kind of respect. Its also a tip (and sometimes if its written its a fee), but that lady earns atleast 12€/hour without this tip as 12€ is the minimum wage now
Then there is also "Sanifair". You pay 70 cents to use the toilet at the gas station but are also issued a 50 cent coupon that you can spend in their shop. So customers pay less than people just wanting to take a dump.
@@c1a2t3a4p5i6l7l8a9r I've seen restaurants or cafés in Germany which let walk-ins use the restroom for 50 cent or so. Which seems perfectly fair to me.
It must be rather frustrating to be a Starbucks manager and have to be constantly prepared to defend yourself for your branch *not* being a free comfy sitting area, or public toilet.
Perfectly german thinking .
I love it
Point 4, cars:
Sorry, but hatchback cars just make sense!
They often have as much space as an SUV, but only require as much gas as a sedan (which is also an environmental discussion).
And from the looks: you always prefer what you are used to.
The Parkhäuser are a factor, I think.
Some of us understand, I had an 86 CRX si, which was an outstanding car. Problem is for many years Americans were ruined for hatchbacks by having crap like the escort, chevette, and others forced on us.
bin Deutscher und finde auch dass Fließheck autos sau scheiße aussehen. Stufenheck Limousinen sind so viel ästhetischer
that’s just true.
A 5 seat hatchback holds exactly as many people as a 5 seat SUV. And 5 seats is the usual in germany. Everything below is considered a small car and everything above is considered to be on the larger side.
The point you made with the German "privacy paradox" is very interesting when you look at it on the level of language, and why an American might be confused about that aspect of German culture.
In German there are two words for "sphere of privacy": "Privatsphäre" (sphere of privacy) and "Intimsphäre" (sphere of intimacy).
"Privatsphäre" discribes the factual information about a Person that one might not want to share: material possessions, salary, profession, address, browser history, etc.
"Intimsphäre" describes the sexual and emotional aspects of a human being, for example how much one wants to reveal of his body to others, one's sexual preferences, the emotional opinion about someone else and so on.
So every person and culture handles those two aspects differently, but granted, there is a lot of overlap between those two concepts. I think the easiest way to distinguish whether something is intimate or private is when you ask yourself if you don't want to share something with someone else because you feel uncomfortable about him knowing it as a person, if so then it's a matter intimacy, or if you don't want to share something with someone you will never know, like some government or company employee, or an unfeeling algorithm, because they could use your data in various ways you don't want, then it's a matter of privacy.
EDIT: I just thought about something funny that illustrates the difference between those words further:
"Privatbereich", which literally translates to "private area", means "private space", so a piece of land or living quarter you own and that aren't open to the public.
"Intimbereich" on the contrary, which literally translates to "intimate area", means, and you guessed it, "private parts", which coincidentally also beautifully illustrates the difference between the English and German concepts of "privacy" and "intimacy".
A great explanation, gut gemacht ❤
@@kailars Thanks, I just hope that I could bring something new to the table and I am glad that people are reading my post
I think it's all about control. When you are nude in the sauna you can control who sees you like this and if you're no longer happy with it you can stop to do so. Instead you can not at all control what google or facebook does with your data once they have it.
It also has to do with the fact that they realized how awful the Stasi were and don't want anything near that level of privacy invasion and knowledge into their personal lives to happen ever again.
Very well put! Danke.
The privacy paradox is not really that complicated. It basically comes down to consent. If I am naked in the sauna, I chose to. If someone comes up to me in the street and take a picture of me, I did not choose to be photographed. Not everyone likes to go to the sauna and not everyone cares if his personal information are leaked on the internet.
Why do you think consent should be required to film someone in public? It could be creepy, but is it moral to legally punish you for simply filming you in public?
@@aidanaldrich7795it actually is haha it's the "Recht am eigenen Bild". For example you can't just take portraits pics of strangers without them given some sort of consent (smiling or posing is enough)
It doesn't matter if the person is just in the background and clearly not the intention of the picture. Same goes for bigger groups of people or events.
And that's just to take the pic, to post it on social media or any form of publication you need consent aswell
If you want to install a security camera at your home you need a sign that warns people they'll get filmed
Mostly noone cares but if you're asked to delete it, you have to
@@jonas2998ify Taking a photo of someone isn't an aggression that requires consent
We don’t need flags, we need foreign reactors to say that we are a great nation. That’s why so many Germans watch this reaction videos. Also to recognize that we are doing great. You are our flag 😁🇩🇪
Omgoodness yes! That’s what it is!!! Fiesta Hossa, you have answered the riddle we‘ve all been wondering about. Thank you!
Actually so true, it always feels like 90% of People watching videos from foreigners talking about germany are germans xD
@@Max-qc2py yes! I‘ve been intrigued by this, and very touched!
@@Max-qc2py 😅👍🏻
@@LaureninGermany 😅 glad that I could help 😋
As a German I was in NY a while back. Was looking for a place. Apple Maps was a bit confusing as there where 2 similar named places but in different areas. So I asked someone in the street where it is. The person told me, it turned out to be 10 blocks away. I said thanks and startet to walk.With real concern in the voice the person called after me: "You can't walk, it's too far. Take a cab!".
I walked it in like 25 minutes.
When I arrived, the person I had my appointment with at that place asked me if I came with a cab or an Uber and I said: "I walked, took me 25 minutes". I got this stare and "You can take an Uber you know. It's easy: Shall I show you how to call one?"
Nimm den Fußbus.
Wow, did it change so much? Bc when I lived in New York in the 90s everybody walked... I guess I used that Cab only twice at night and never the underground
Vielleicht sind die alle einfach nur faul. Das Wandern und Spazieren gehen liegt uns im Blut😂
@@eaglepubg1428 Ich glaube nicht, das es sowas wie "XY liegt Volk ZX im Blut" gibt. das ist alles kulturell, anerzogen. Und da die USA ein grosses land ist, gibt es da auch faktische mehr Distanzen die man nicht zu Fuss zurücklegen kann.
Und da gewöhnt man sich vielleicht dran.
He did the right thing! Do you know how many people are dying from excess walking,in the USA, every year? 😂😂😂
on the nudity - privacy thing: nude places are places you go voluntarily, everyone is nude, you are often shielded from people looking in and it's understood as a photo-free zone. the privacy concerns we have are about invasion of privacy by making photos of people in public places who did not consent or worse on their property without their consent.
I also think it stems from our history. Because Germans experienced things like the Stasi or Gestapo what made them so protective about their privacy .
exactly, i thought it was related to that , im belgian but interested in these things as well.....my grandmother was german but became belgian when she moved@@marieost5391
I like the fact that nakedness is not so oversexualized in Germany, which is why Saunas are so generally accepted. There people just wanna chill and relax :)
That is why I feel very unconformtable with stranger on nudity beach or sauna with a lot of regugees from south and east. There are starring so nasty at the breasts like they think about raping.
You are true about the difference between naturally naked and sexualized nudity.
Refering to the privacy paradox: I think, or at least for me as a German, it's all about control. If you decide to go full naked in to a sauna it's your decision, you can always put something on, or stop going to the sauna. But Internet... that's a scary thing. Once something about your life is only it stays for ever and you have no control how it spreads. You feel powerless. So internet or recording in public is really sensitive.
I try to leave no footprints in the web from my private life and it's hell of a work, bc every service, every store or app wants to collect as much information about you as possible. It's so hard to keep it all together, to monitor your data in the web, that we're more careful what we put up.
If it's not online, you're in control.
Meine Meinung, wie sieht's der Rest?
Yeah, also getting naked if everyone else is too, and its natural, isn't as bad... everyone is ion the same page or 'level' so to say. Getting naked as the only person in the room, or in an American Sauna would be completely different, because then suddenly you might feel more vulnerable and exposed.
I do agree.
In the context of privacy 2 further remarks:
-us law is very hung up on ownership, so privacy gets understood as owning (& possibly selling) data about people.
- EU privacy law does NOT have a concept of owning data about a person (data subject)
it talks about control and processing of data (see previous poster) conceptually GDPR belongs to the family of human rights laws, which are protected by the equivalent of constitutional level law (EMRK).
That was a conscious design choice, that for the most part data identifying persons individually CAN'T be sold
Yeah, I mean you are anonymous in the sauna, but you are *you* if someone finds out via google street view where you live. I don't want people I don't know find out stuff about me. I don't want some people I KNOW to find out some things about me 😂
Jo meine Meinung auch ✌️✌️
I think Germans are alerted if an institution collects and processes too much personal data because of the horrible experiences in the past with secret services like in the Nazi-Regime and in the Communist Regime in East Germany. There is a difference between being nude and looked at your body and the ability of an institution to predict all aspects of your life, your personality and your behavior. Also it is not true that every German is comfortable with being nude in public. Being nude in public is not legal in general but only in very specific areas, as e.g. "nude beaches". For some people being nude in the nature is part of their lifestyle and their culture and therefore there are specific areas (with "warning signs" around them) where they can freely life and express this.
The privacy "paradox" you have is because you have confused "modesty" with "privacy." Wanting to keep your personal data hidden online is about "privacy." Not being bothered about nudity in certain circumstances is about a different sense of (or lack of) "modesty." The two are not synonymous.
I'm just gonna leave this at 69 likes
@@Nekr0 Exactly my thoughts
Stimmt.
8:20 is so funny to me, I'm 27 and I dread paying with my card not because of privacy but, just because it's so easy to swipe a card for unnecessary purchases, but it kinda hurts pulling out 100 bucks from your wallet and handing it over. So it's like a "I'm trying to be mindful of my spending" kinda thing.
I once advised a German friend to be careful with saying f*ck, an English word he used very frequently. I tried to explain that it's usually not a word you would use in business, or around your grandmother. He was shocked: "But I hear it used constantly in every American movie!" Our media give the impression that "explicit language" is the norm, not offensive.
Yeah thats totally true, here its more an equivalent to "damn"😆
Also in Germany swearing in a foreign language does not give the context of what the word means. Saying Bljat' or fuck in public is not a problem, do it in front of a friend's russian or american grandma and you'll be thrown out of the house.
And we Germans tend to swear quite a lot and to not give much of a fuck if somebody might be slightly offended by hearing it.
@@dunn0runfortunately. I really hate all that swearing and find it often very offending.
There are well educated people and not so well educated guys.
@@MiaMerkur Funny how there's been research done that shows people who swear more have a larger vocabulary 😂 You don't have to swear or like it when others do, but people with higher education are usually a bit more relaxed about it.
I am a German living in America and enjoying these videos. Regarding swearing: Germans also swear freely in German and profanity is never bleeped out on TV etc.
which is FAB. The continuos, nerve-wracking beeping on American programs is UNSFUFFERABLE
The beeping from american TV is ridiculous. Everyone knows that they are swearing, but it makes it seem like it is something bad when it is scientifically proven that swearing helps to mitigate stress
you seem to have a lot of stress then...!!@@beerenmusli8220
Any understanding of European cars must start by looking at the fuel prices - that, and the narrow streets in most European cities. The hatchback is a pragmatic, compact choice, it's not about style. You can fold down the rear seats and have a two-seater with a great, big cargo space.
The hatchback is basically the Allwetterjacke of cars. You don't have it because it's the most stylish or the best option for a specific job, but rather because it can be adapted to fit most common scenarios.
Don't want to argue about car aesthetics or pacticality with people that are still driving pickups 🤣.
I remember staying at a hostel in Canada years ago. I went to the sauna and found out that people wore their bathing suits in the sauna. I was shocked and retreated because I was naked under my robe 😂
It deemed me very uncomfortable to wear a bathing suit in a sauna …
The privacy paradox: One is being ashamed of your body, which you should never be. Also, at least in Germany, being nude does not imply being sexual. The other is being able to be tracked down by a Stasi-like organisation. The two seem vastly different to me :)
Yes, prudity and privacy does not have much in common.
You have to remember many/most Americans are fat and should be ashamed of their body. LOL
Number Nine:
There actually is a law in Germany, that says in any restaurant or bar the cheapest drink can't be alcoholic. It can have the same price as water or cola, though.
Also if you ask specifically for tap water, you don't need to pay for this.
1 euro syrup for children beats this system...
then 2.20 euro for the cheepest 0.5l beer and 2.80 for a stupid water from the french alps
can be seen everywhere
Yes. There must be ONE alc free drink be cheaper than beer. one. And in US and other countries a free glas of water comes with everything you order. I experienced this in greece.
@@ibenbentalal9291 Lots of adults don't drink alcohol because of health reasons, medications, they are driving home, religious beliefs, they are on their lunch breaks from work and not allowed to return to work with alcohol in them or are recovering alcoholics.
@@hansberger4939 yes one alc free drink must cheaper than beer and most time this is a glas of milk
"The Privacy Paradoxon" would be the same in America, but just the other way around.
In the end nudity is something you decide to do. Like beach or sauna. Nobody tries to force you to go nude to a beach, there are specific areas. If you go to the web everyone tries to steal your data, you have no real choice here.
I wouldn't even consider this voluntary nudity as related to privacy in the first place. Privacy is more about what you _have_ to reveal to others, not what you can.
Indeed. It´s what you activly want to share with the public. Just imagine the next step of Google Street View... Google House View. Do you mind us breaking down your door to have a shot of your hallway to put on display for the whole world to see? You do? But why? Do you have something to hide? It simply is none of your effing business, that´s why. You could consider it the informational castle doctrine... ;)
and considering "cool" sedans or fullsize trucks... one makes you look as if you need a nurse to enter and leave your car while the other makes people in germany think you might try to compensate for lack of size in some other department. not to mention that it´s a pain in the a** to find a parking spot for one of those. Try parking a F150 or something similar downtown somewhere and let people know how it went! 😉
Yeah I wanted to comment the same thing. Coming from east germany, this was taken to the extrem with nude beaches, but everyone being paranoid about the Stasi. The consequences of be seen nude is somewhat limited, but being framed for not sharing the common opinion could have had dire consequences. Third reich same thing.
Exactly, no one will find out where i live and what i read and watch by seing me nude in a sauna lmao
It's also a matter of power disparity. If you go to a sauna or nude beach, the premise is that everybody is equal (and usually also no pictures are taken of other people). If, however, you have google coming to your street photographing your back yard (especially without consent), this feels much more like an issue. (Also, not every German is comfortable with going nude in the sauna)
privacy paradox: As a German, It's mostly about that we don't care much about things only a few people IRL can witness with you together, but we simply don't want it to be accessable to everyone on the Planet. If that helps understanding? It's how I see it
I´m german and i like ur videos but when u said "germany such a tecnologicly developed country" i (a more out of the big city living guy) kinda gulped xD
American here, and I think the hatchback is the absolutely best car model! You can haul a lot, without having to climb into a giant truck. My first car was a VW Rabbit, and my current is a Subaru Impreza Hatchback.
Also German Hatchbacks can pack a real punch. We drove an Audi A6 at some point and that car handled like a sportscar and pulled off like a rocket. At the same time you could stuff half of your house in it. They are often underestimated.
@@104thironmike4 put a hook on it and you can pull a remorque or a caravan, it's an amazing vehicle!! :)
@@dwelfusius yup.
Loved my 2003 protege hatchback I drove. I hauled an entire backyard table with 4 chairs in it. Now I can't do anything with my Honda Civic. I wished I never sold my car when I did. I actually cried for three days😢 . You brought back memories. I think if I ever buy another car, it will be a hatchback
The trafic light thing:
German roads aren't usually gridlike, therefore a lot of junctions aren't 90° 4 way crossings. If the trafic lights were on the other side of the Road you probably would often confuse, which light is for which lane
also the pedestrians and bikes!!!
*but* to be fair, they are sometimes positioned really *nice* so you can see nothing when you are upfront.
There are advantages and disadvantages for both options, that's why in Israel we have both of them 🙂
@@AL5520 😁...I just came back from Hungary, where in some places the solution is still to have neither 😆
Also it forces you to wait in front the intersection. If you can't see the traffic lights you are to close.
Since I didn't see this mentioned yet: The German (or partly European) love for hatchbacks is not only because of practicality and price, but also strongly influenced by the first VW Golf, which was insanely successfull, and it's successors. That very much imprinted the visual style of "what is a good, middle-class car" and it's success influenced other car makers to build similiar cars, amplifying the effect. Since these cars were affordable but had relatively good performance (less mass means better acceleration and handling), they also became a staple of car enthusiasts, who would tweak their cars, thus making them cool.
I like that theory! The VW Golf was and is a good middle class car, because its affordable, has enough horsepower to handle an incline, it has a lot of space to transport furniture and other stuff, but the point of young peaople is, you can customize your car pretty cool with "little money"
I drove the Golf 4 and 5 in the past and in my opinion its one of the best cars in that budget :)
You forgot about the love for the WRC too. front wheel drive hot hatches like the Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault 5 Turbo, Mini Cooper (not the BMW one), Ford Sierra (then Escort) Cosworth. Small (relatively) cheap cars that you can hoon around in and race on weekends if you wanted. Must be a European love for standing next to muddy road in pouring rain while drivers throw buckets of grit at you every minute as they drive past.
I wonder if the most lusted after car in Europe is a martini livery Lancia Delta?
@@edmundscycles1 I was never into motorsports in general nor rally racing in particular, but I haven't observed WRC as being a big thing here, so I can't really say much to that. From my German POV, F1 racing was the most prominent motorsports discipline in the last few decades, especially in the 90s, when Michael Schumacher was active. Don't know about the 60s / 70s though...
@@Bitfire31337 used to love watching the DTM racing too.
So may be the question would be, why was the VW Golf successful in the first place, that way we shall know what the love for hatchbacks is about.
native german here. in my opinion the biggest advantage of the three educational pathways after elementary school is that kids who have a higher aptitude in crafting than in academics aren’t made to feel like failures, or “stupid” when they attend hauptschule. personally, i think that the american high school system is savagely barbaric to any kids who don’t fit a “norm”. the idea of school lunch and its social implications (“you can’t sit with us at the popular table!”), basically turning what should be a break into a fierce popularity contest, especially for adolescents yet unsure about their own identity and with little self-esteem, gives me the creeps. 😳
I get where you're coming from, but I think that might be a generational difference? - Saying that because not long ago I had someone mention that same thing to me as someone in their 50's versus me in my late 20's. Because I'm pretty sure that we (I went to Realschule) did make fun of the Hauptschul' kids that were in a school building just a few meters down the street for being "stupid". That said, we also made fun of the Gymnasium not far away for the kids there being "nerds".
@@Rougelesss It has changed a lot. Hauptschule now is a lot like Sonderschule back then, without the advantages of Sonderschule (like teachers who are trained to handle special needs kids), if Hauptschule exists at all. In a lot of states it has been mixed together with Realschule, actually de-valuing Realschule, because a lot of parents now want their children to either go to Gymnasium or Gesamtschule, which puts a lot of pressure on those kids. I am personally not a fan of Gesamtschule (I went to trade school for students with Abitur with a few classmates from Gesamtschule and let's just say I ended up as one of the top students there without putting any efford in, during one test in English I was so bored that I wrote a poem on the backside of the test sheet after I was done around 15 minutes into the school hour, the poem was This Be The Verse by Phillip Larkin: "They fu** you up, your mum and dad...").
We actually had something similar at my school in America to the German system. There was "gifted" classes, intermediate, and general classes. You'd get placed in gifted classes from an early age based on standardized test scores. I was placed in gifted classes around 3rd grade from what I remember. Every public high school in my county (about 20ish schools) was setup like that as I remember.
Not sure if they still do things that way (this was about 10 years ago).
@@StarNBars94 I think, there used to be a similar thing like that within previous Gesamtschule, if I'm not misremembering - which I might be because I didn't go to that schooltype. But I think they also had something similar to "gifted" classes, that would allow you to achieve a higher graduation. - But that was also like 10 years ago, so no idea if that's still a thing.
@@StarNBars94 That's pretty much like the German Gesamtschule. The regular schools in Germany really are three different school branches, not one school with multiple different classes for different levels. These schools generally aren't even in the same places.
11:43 Not true. By law, the cheapest drink on the menu needs to be non-alcoholic. And a new EU law recommends that restaurants provide plain tap water for free, so it is on the horizon for that to become reality. You can always ask for it, though.
Der Apfelsaft Paragraph.
@@peterschutzek325 Meistens war es Milch, so Alibimäßig, weil die wussten das bestellt niemand. Aber dann kam man ihnen wohl drauf😂
Yeah but that doesnt mean water has to be cheaper than beer. Just that there has to be a non-alcoholic option on the menu that is cheaper than alcoholic ones.
@@SCX2k Softdrinks will have actual cost associated, so it is going to be water usually.
Anyway, caterers usually don't try to be assholes, and accommodate the wishes of their patrons. Everyone here, including NALF, makes it sound like they try to give their guests beer against their own wish, set arbitrary prices and try to circumvent laws. That is not how restaurants operate here in Germany.
In Austria we call it Jugendgetränk. Sometimes it's so easily identifiable (or even spelled out) on the menu that you can just order it by its legal term.
The thing with the compact class of cars, which most hatch-backs belong to, is that they are simply more practical in european cities.
The cities and villages are in general a lot smaller and "wrinkly" as compared to their american equivalent. A compact car with a short wheelbase makse just more sense. And with the hatch-back design you gain room for passengers and a bigger trunk.
Furthermore the reason, why also young people consider hatch-backs "cool" is, that manufacturers offer more sporty version of those cars, dating all the way back to the first VW Golf GTI from 1976.
In the UK car journalist scene, the term "Hot-Hatch" emerged, referring to high performance hatch-back cars, that offer a lot of power and driving fun compared to a relatively low price (compared to the sporty version of german sedans or actual sport cars).
A few examples would be: Golf GTI, Audi S/RS3, Clio RS, Megane RS, Focus RS, Lancia Delta Integrale, Peugeot 205 Gti + the Japanese wildcard Honda Civic Type R.
And in fact a lot of euro hot-hatches, that were not offered in the US, are highly admired by amarican car enthusiasts.
Sincerely, a german car enthusiast :)
Stop, stop, stop, I think that we, Europeans, must for once stop apologizing our terrible taste in car designs by design of towns and cities. Especially when we already have enough new car-ready developments and old towns are getting car-unfriendly (but same can be said about EU as whole for some time) or even ban cars. Thus there is no reason to take them in account anymore. There always is some point where we have to stop backward compatibility ;)
@@MrToradragon First of all "taste" in design is totally subjective. So not really an argument :D
Secondly, you may be right, that modernization paved the way for bigger sized cars, nevertheless it is still a fact, that the development of the car market in Europe post war showed small and compact cars on top.
Of course this development was not only driven by the European city design, but a underlying factor nonetheless.
And as I mentioned in my original comment, European hot-hatches had a significant impact on European car culture, and as the american markets did not get most of these cars, they never considered Hatch-backs aka compact cars as cool or desirable.
I'm a US American, and my first car after years of carless [Autolosigkeit] living abroad was a Saturn hatchback. This was in the late 1980's, and the purchase was based on gas mileage, and utility, it was not based on style, coolness or being Freudianly* oversized. I wish I still had the hatchback as there were occasions when it would be more useful than my current 4-door Toyota! I admit to being a practical Yankee New Englander rather than a typical American. Sind Funktionalität, Effizienz und Kosten nicht das Wichtigste? Am I more German than American in my thinking? Well that's Yankee** New England for you!
*With apologies to Dr. Sigmund Freud for any misunderstanding. Mit Entschuldigung an Doktor Professor Sigmund Freud für jedes Missverständnis.
**Um es klar zu sagen, Yankee sollte wirklich nur für die Sechs-Staaten-Region Neuenglands gelten, wie im 19. Jahrhundert, nicht für alle nördlichen Staaten und nicht für alle US-Amerikaner. Für uns ist es eine Frage des Stolzes auf unsere Geschichte, aber leider nicht für andere.
@@friedichii The taste was partly a joke, but I always feel like I am missing a tail or something when I have to ride in one.
First we should split the post war market on western and eastern, but I still would say that main driving force behind "small eurocars" was very different situation in economy of Europe and USA. USA had the resources, the steel, the water, the coal and oil, while infrastructure of Europe was mostly left in ruins and beside coal without any significant oil deposits or places like Niagara falls (All the interconnections to NORDEL are quite recent things). Even thou I have never made this comparison, I would guess that up to WWII car sizes were almost identical.
Sure, there might be few "hot-hatches" but I would still say that compared to already mentioned Japanese cars, not to mention American muscle cars like Mustang, Charger, Challenger, etc. they look quite dull.
My second car was a Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk II (my first was a custard yellow VW Beetle), and I loved that sporty little thing. I'm in the UK and had years of driving BMWs, everything from 3 series Coupé to 7 series, my current one being a large BMW SUV that doesn't even fit in regular parking spaces. I miss that Golf, and actually would enjoy having it again. I would happily swap my company SUV for a hatchback.
German here and I love the "closed on sunday" thing, even though I've heard so many complaints about it from people, who come here for the first time. It's just one day of the week, so it's not a big deal. It's a nice feeling to know, that the whole country is off that day and everyone just taking a break and spending time with friends or family.
It's especially great for the cashiers though
Heheehe, I was disturbed by this culture at first but later adjusted and I love it now, i like the fact you are forced to relax and chill because the pressures of the world are real and everyone needs a time like this. Well the cashiers do surely enjoy this but it has an easy fix, we could just find a weekend team alone, that way the flow continues, but then there would be no one to buy, hahahaha 🤣🤣
The 3-Path school system actually isn't as harsh in my opinion. Because even if the kids develop and understand things a little later, they are able to move up depending on their grades. Speaking from personal experience: I was held back in 9th grade at the gymnasium level because of some psychological issues. Decided to just go to the Realschule to finish grades 9 and 10 (because after grade 10 you get a diploma that lets you do basically most apprenticeships and smaller jobs). After not knowing what to do right after school, I decided to just go back to the gymnasium and now have a diploma I can use to go to university.
the hatchback appeal is not a german "thing" but European as a whole .... here in spain LOTS of cars are hatchback ...
Because they are practical and good to drive. Sedans are for old people…
@@erebostd not to forget: they are fuel efficient. just imagine our price in europe to fill up a 3,6L V6 camaro or pay insurance and tax for the 355 HP model ....
Exactly! also in portugal! most of the cars are like that.. In europe people will see always the same car brands.. and the same models.. lolol so...
that's what I don't understand about Americans: they are afraid of nudity, but for $35 you can get the whole background check including political affiliation, gun license, addresses, relatives, etc.
It's worse. It's totally normal that when asking for a date or just want to visit for the first time they'll ask your name birth date to run background checks. Garbo has become huge and widely used. Dating in Europe is much more relaxed.
Also: People getting crime statistics before visiting you and declining telling "your neighborhood is too dangerous for us".
It's more complicated than that. Skinny-dipping is far more popular in the US than people often times realize. There's often times also no specific law on the books that bans nudity in public, that usually comes under obscenity laws or other catch all ordinances.
Apples & Oranges.
@@PascalGienger And people think its on the same level, being nude or having all of your information online lol XD As if someone is going to steal someone from you just by seeing you naked :'D
@Bernie Gores He compared it in the video
I still remember going to L.A. My first time in the USA. I asked the hotel clerk if there's a restaurant that we could walk to. He was shocked and said: "Nobody walks here" :D
Lucky for you that you haven't been in Germany like 20 years ago, when smoking inside restaurants was legal and extremely common.
I hated it and i'm so happy they now need to be in a separate room or outside. Huge improvement from my perspective.
I would never have thought of associating the general respect for privacy with the willingness to show oneself naked to others. For me, these are two completely different things. Privacy is about having a protected private area, which among other things also gives security against being monitored and spied on. When I go to the sauna, it's not just my voluntary decision, but it's a controlled situation where everyone else present is in the same situation as me. Apart from that, nudity reveals little about me as a person, my life, my opinions, etc., so it is far less "dangerous".
Culturally, in Germany nudity is considered something natural and elemental. Privacy is something completely different. Only when nudity is considered a bad or an unnatural thing, people feel the urge to keep it private.
American Protestants (the largest group) and American Catholics don't Find nudity as natural..Maybe passed down from the early Puritans. Being naked will get you arrested. It's kind of perverted to Americans.
@@olivervandebeer7492 Interesting, but there still is this totally over-sexualized media and culture, and they don't seem to have such a problem consuming those, or watching p*rn and making a lot of funny references about it - despite all its trafficking and human-rights problems (even if just on a 'vacation trip to Vegas' or whatever). A Perversion-Paradox.
American puritanism is a disease
Yes. Thats it. We dont know what it has to do with privacy, when we go to the sauna. as long as nobody is forced to go there. And we europeans have a cultuer of nudity from the 19 th century on. It means being free and natural.
And the states are founded by prudish sekts that where that prudish that they couldnt be happy in europe.
In american movies a couple has sex, nude. But the next morning, when they wake up, they are already wearing underwear. Weird.
In the US you get free water and free refills in a restaurant but at the same time you have to tip because the waiters are getting paid next to nothing. In Germany a big part of a restaurants earnings are coming from the beverages and they are in turn used, to pay living wages.
It's absolutely common to tip a waiter in Germany as well. I would even say it's expected to get 5 - 10% tip. Giving no tip is considered impolite and rude.
Tap water is for free but you have to say you want tap water (Leitungswasser). Water you can order from the menu at restaurants is very often bottled water and already quite expensive for the owner to buy, so of course they will charge you for that the same way, they charge you for a coke or a beer.
Also here in Germany the tap water is very good because the standards are really high.
But if you want a specific brand or carbonated water, you have to pay for that.
@@Gitarrendave8 > Giving no tip is considered impolite and rude.
No, not everywhere. You can tip if you want to but no one will look down on you. It's not like the US at all.
@@Fragenzeichenplatte I've worked in gastronomy for almost a decade. And I can assure you. Waiters are always expecting a tip. I've talked to dozens of waiters from different restaurants on this topic and they all say the same thing. It's frustrating, when you work your ass of and do everything you can to make the guests happy and then get no tip at all. Of course by law you don't have to tip a waiter just as you don't have to say hello, goodbye, please and thank you. But don't be surprised if people will find that rude and unpolite. Sorry to break this to you.
@@Gitarrendave8 > I've worked in gastronomy for almost a decade. And I can assure you. Waiters are always expecting a tip.
And how would people know what you think? No one can read minds and you cannot blame others for your own unspoken expectations. There is no tipping culture in Germany and people are NOT rude to you if they don't tip.
> But don't be surprised if people will find that rude and unpolite. Sorry to break this to you.
If you're acting like this around your customers then don't expect them to tip. Sorry to break this to you.
I don't care what you find rude. Again, sorry to break this to you.
But on the other hand, I don't expect you to work your ass off for me. I don't want people to struggle and overwork themselves I just want you to bring me my food, nothing else. I am ALWAYS friendly with service personnel but if I get called rude for not tipping then I will be even LESS likely to tip.
@@Fragenzeichenplatte Ich hab wie gesagt fast 10 Jahre in der Gastro gearbeitet und kenne die Branche. Würde mich mal interessieren, woher du deine Expertise ziehst.
Ich hab dir erklärt, dass ich mit vielen anderen aus der Gastronomie darüber gesprochen habe. Ich gehe bei der Sache also nicht nur von mir aus. Mein Wissen zu dem Thema stammt von zig verschieden Chefs und Kellnern aus der Branche.
Ob du persönlich Trinkgeld oder keines gibst und was du darüber denkst geht mir persönlich am ***** vorbei. Du kannst machen, was du willst. Und natürlich würde auch kein Kellner zu nem Gast im Lokal direkt sagen, dass es unhöflich ist, kein Trinkgeld zu geben oder sich beschweren, wenn er/sie keines bekommt. Und ich würde auch jedem Kellner was erzählen, wenn er den Gast wegen sowas anmotzt. Das geht nämlich gar nicht und ist unprofessionell. Und wenn der Service schlecht war, dann finde ich es auch durchaus gerechtfertigt, kein Trinkgeld zu geben.
Trotzdem ändert es aber nichts an der Tatsache, dass es in Deutschland sehr wohl üblich ist, ein Trinkgeld zu geben und dass es die Kellner echt nervt und sie es als unhöflich erachten, wenn sie keines bekommen. Besonders, wenn sie ihren Job gut machen.
Wenn du mir nicht glaubst, reicht 2 min googlen oder du fragst einfach mal Jemand anderes aus der Branche. Da wirst du ganz schnell herausfinden, dass 5-10% in Deutschland absolut üblich und Sitte sind.
Dass du nur willst, dass man dir dein Essen bringt, mag vielleicht für dich so sein, auch wenn ich es nicht glaube.
Die Gäste, die ich kenne wollen an der Tür begrüßt und zum Tisch gebracht werden, Karten gebracht bekommen, die Bestellung aufgeben, manchmal vorher auch zu den Speisen beraten werden, Essen und Getränke gebracht bekommen, in regelmäßigen Abständen gefragt werden ob alles recht ist, zwischendrin den Tisch abgeräumt bekommen und gegebenfalls weitere Speisen oder Getränke wie Kaffee und Dessert bestellen und am Ende zügig abkassiert werden. Das alles mit möglichst wenig Wartezeiten dazwischen. Mit anderen Worten: Sie wollen bedient werden. Deswegen "Kellner" oder auch "Bedienung".
Aber wenn du meinst es besser zu wissen.. Du kannst aus meiner Antwort herausziehen, was du willst.
Das war auf jeden Fall mein letzter Post zu dem Thema.
Einen schönen Tag noch.
About the flag thing, as a German, yes, you rarely see our flag here. But I think that also goes for quite a few other countries in Europe. It's actually America that is excessive with their flag waving. I don't know many other countries that do that. And visiting other countries, I don't see it happening either.
And staring? I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never been stared at in Germany. We also have the cultural rule that staring is impolite, it's not like that's not a thing here. XD And we don't go around staring at each other. Germans tend to mind their own business in my experience.
These are just his own experiences, you do not necessarily need to agree with him.
You're probably just used to what many foreigners consider staring.
My American husband had to tell me in the beginning, after we moved to America, not to stare. I guess Germans don't realize it. Well, now I do 😅
Regarding the profanity aspect: while it is true that there is some kind of detachment when it is not your language, we Germans also do the same thing in German. No one makes a big deal out of using profanity, unless the circumstance is inappropriate (meaning you're in a professional setting like the workplace, court/police or dealing with one of the Ämter etc.). Also, while people do tend to try not to teach children (as in little children) "bad words" and when a small child will go around yelling really bad swear words at people, the responsible adults will tell the child that "we don't say words like that", it is generally accepted as just a normal fact of life that everybody, including childrem, swear.
That's also the reason why swear words in Germany generally also don't affect the age rating of a piece of media, on the contrary there is a very popular children's book and movie franchise in Germany called "Die Wilden Kerle" which is FAMOUS for it's prevalent and very innovative swearing, there's even a list of swear words that are made up by this franchise. And yes, it is very much considered children's media.
Matter of fact, it even happens from time to time that the German dubs of American children's shows, which do not include any swear words, have (usually mild, not incredibly offensive) swear words actually ADDED in. One example that immediately comes to my mind is for example in Spongebob Squarepants, the German version of the song F.U.N. includes the word "Scheiß' " which is a shortening of "Scheiße" which is obviously German for "shit".
Six: paying in cash:
I think privacy is a reason but not an important one. It is scientifically proven that you spent less money by paying in cash as you can literally see the money flow. I am glad that it is inconvenient spending money and therefore more difficult to get into dept and/or save more money. Also americans see having dept as the norm because of their student loans or credit card score system. But here having dept is seen as sth negative or only acceptable in certain instances like building or buying a house. Guilt and dept are literally the same word 'Schulden' in german.
Feli and Josh did an episode on their podcast Understanding train station about the differences in money and finance.
Wunderbar zusammengefasst, danke 😁
if u do onlinebanking, u dont need cash. i hate cash because i want to have everything at one place and thats my bank account, so i know where i stand. cash is so unnecessary
@@MyvIsLove2 I´m with you on this point. ^^
I also don´t like to carry half a kilo of coins everywhere with me.
My wallet is very small, because I have just my important cards in it. And I love it that way.
I also never have to worry about not having enough money with me. (of course, there has to be some money on the account for such leisure thinking)
There is also scientific proof, that germany is one of the biggest money washing countries, because it is so easy here to make illegal stuff without the government noticing it.
illegal work? no problem.
buying drugs? no problem
slavery? no problem
selling stolen items? no problem
selling stolen expensive cars? no problem
there should be a limit (like maximum 200€ in cash) for paying.
@@MyvIsLove2 Until you have a power outage or a software glitch.
About the traffic light situation: I recently got to know the reasoning behind it. When the traffic lights first came to be, they ran a number of tests on where to put them in the intersection, apparently, they even experimented on putting them smack in the middle of the intersection. But they found that only putting them on the close side guaranteed that cars would not roll too far into the intersection and therefore hinder pedestrians and bicycles from crossing. Which I heard is a common issue in the US, just not as known because there are so few pedestrians and bikes.
If you have issues with looking up: just stop a little bit earlier 😉
Danke für die Erklärung! Ich hab mich das schon oft gefragt, weil ich die amerikanischen Ampelkreuzungen auch "komfortabler" finde. Aber das macht absolut Sinn.
Nur was das frühere Stehenbleiben angeht: Bitte nicht! 😅 Gerade Linksabbiegerampeln reagieren sonst nicht, weil der Kontakt in der Straße fehlt.
Andere Situation aber ähnlich ärgerlich: Wenn bei Durchfahrt einer grünen Ampel zu viel Abstand gehalten wird, schaltet sie früher um und die folgenden Autos kommen nicht mehr durch.
Danke für die Erklärung. Ich bevorzuge dennoch das amerikanische Modell
OUCH!
@ Christian Richert: Excellent comment, thank you for clearing it up. Perhaps it is the better choice if you have alot of pedestrians involved in traffic.
@@alexanderantoninsommerkamp4714 tja wenn alle mal in der Lage wären an einer weißen linie anzuhalten, wäre das kein Problem. Aber wenn ich mich im Straßenverkehr umschaue ist die Ausbeute nicht gut genug dafür...
Hey NALF,
I think it’s the first time in my life I sit down in the evening and react to a video, but you seem a cool guy and I appreciate every American abroad. I also have a personal interest in culturally based behaviors and their differences and stories. I liked your video and wanted to give you some background info on where these things are rooted. So here we go…
Privacy, In particular online privacy.
First, when you live in a tighter space you desire a necessarily smaller but firm privacy space. The online privacy mania in Germany is also rooted in the deep fear of institutions. When the mood flipped in early Nazi Germany, most people were taken hostage by the regime like the Russians are today by theirs. This resulted in the desire to leave a low footprint to pinpoint you and your views.
German culture is in general more risk aware and fearful. This is a result of more than 2000 years of being the main battleground in Europe. With its central position, each and every Army in Europe went at some point from east to west or north to south and vice versa. Armies passing by means, rape, theft, fire, and loss for the normal folks. Countries that lay within natural borders like France, Italy, Spain, and the US do not have this intrinsic fear to be run over by someone.
The Hatchback, Yea, is a thing. With such small spaces and denser traffic, smaller means more freedom. You can easer squeeze it somewhere. German inner cities are so restricted, that you sometimes feel like a prisoner in your own car, not able to stop and exit.
So, smaller and more dynamic looking is sexier for us. We also like sedans ..:)
The Sunday comes from a strong catholic tradition to rest and celebrate, beginning with wine in the church in the morning ;) . America is protestant, which is in itself a more prudent and work-focused culture.
Credit cards are indeed not a thing for three reasons. One is the footprint mentioned above. The other is while there was only ONE dollar in the last 100 years, there were 9 different currencies in Germany. Often with robust, or no change values for common folks. Therefore the desire to have it on you in cash. You know what you got.
The third has to do with the above-mentioned risk awareness, this time towards financial management and the fear of getting in dept. While debt is common in the US, people here try to avoid it. Credit cards easily let you lose track of what you spend.
Personal space has to do with more space in general in the US. This results in bigger personal space, further talking distance, and a louder speaking voice.
No flags are also a result of the Nazi times. It is a mix of shame and fear of where nationalism can lead. Germans live their pride a lot over the stuff they make.
Yeah, the water thing sucks. Period.
Keep asking for tab water, we need to change that.
Walking and cycling rocks indeed. You can reach most things on foot because at that time the cities were built. Rebuilt cities after the war are more designed around cars, like Berlin.
Traffic lights have their root in the German empire, which was tightly organized and very rule-based, sometimes to a silly extent. It puts following the rule and trust in the organization behind the above making your own assessment of the traffic situation.
No Idea where the staring comes from, but tight eye contact among men and women is common in all Scandinavian cultures. Could have a Germanic root, but this is just an assumption.
No need to be surprised about the Cigarettes. Germany is just behind the US. There were times like this in the US too until the late 90s. It is rather a regulation thing.
I’m in Germany right now and the paying for use of public toilets really gets me. It’s a basic human need and frankly they’re no cleaner where one pays as opposed to where you don’t have to pay.
As an European who lived in two different European countries, I am not shocked by closed shops. I never lived in Germany but I visited, but to me closed shops are normal and 24/7 open shops are rare and shocking
Oh thank heaven for Seven-11!!
Shocking, not convenient?
It is shocking!
About that "privacy"-paradox: there is a difference in being looked at your body and being able to be tracked and to be predicted in everything you want and you do😂 that is a completely other "privacy"
You are right.. I am confused by the confusion :))
Also, when you want to show your body you have self-control over that. If all your data are tracked on the internet however, that is a total loss of control that is scary to many Germans. It's just two very separate things in my opinion.
@@purplebox433 me too
Absolutely true and looking back at our German history totaly understandable. Hitler and the Stasi, we simply don't like beeing out of control, like for example data on the internet.
Exactly, it's about the being traceable aspect.
I just laughed so hard when you talked about the traffic lights! The first time I encountered a traffic light here in the US I stopped in the middle of the intersection.... and what is up with 4-way stop signs on straight roads where one clearly should have the right away? After 20 years here in the US, I still cannot get used to that.
They don't have the "Vorfahrtsschild".
You know: the diamond/rhombus shaped sign that looks like a fried egg?
Also yield signs are not that common, as well as the Right before Left rule.
Since they lack these concepts in their traffic rules, they have a simple solution which sucks:
Stop regardless of traffic and the first one who stopped, has the right of way.
Since US americans have a huge ego, they have to race the other person approaching the 4 way stop to be the first one stopping at the intersection so they can drive away first.
I am not fond of the 4 way stop.
Good one thanks
I am now 68 years old, have lived in the US all my life, although I have vacationed in Germany a couple of times, but many of these items are time/age related. For instance in the 70's when I first had jobs, smoking occurred everywhere, on the street, on public transportation, in the office, etc. After years of no-smoking campaigns it is different. When I was young, up to my teens, pay toilets were normal here in the US, there was frequently either an attendant or a coin operated latch on the toilet door. Then they just disappeared. As a young person walking was way more common, my mother used to say we all had car-seat-behinds. Also, until the last 30 years traffic lights were on the near side of intersections with no overhead component. Prior to the 70's all transactions were in cash. Working my way through college in a store we at first had paper credit cards with just printed numbers, and they were somewhat unusual, things were probably 60% cash and 40% personal checks. So many of these things are modern American culture, not 'pure' American culture.
You mention checks ... good that you do, because while I agree that many Germans (fewer and fewer) have a "disturbed" relationships to cashless payments in stores / at the POS, Americans still use checks and have a "disturbed" relationship to electronic payment for bills and the like, where Germany has moved away from checks to credit transfers and direct debits 30 years ago.
I agree. When people don’t know the history of these activities in the US, they think other countries are odd and inexplicable. But they’re not to us oldsters.
So true, I'm 66 yrs. young, and I remember how everything was closed on Sundays, people smoked everywhere including their homes (with kids), cars are bigger here because of bigger spaces and so on. But it's interesting to hear from someone as young as this guy who doesn't remember,lol. Cheers
So you are saying Germany will maybe hopefully eventually catch up?
@@alexmorcos Oh gods, please no. Can we please stay this backwater place where we walk distances more than ten yards, inner cities are designed with pedestrians' comfort and safety in mind, and you can cycle (more or less) safely?
Cracking down on smoking public sounds great, though.
When I was Navy, I was stationed in Naples, Italy. At one of the local restaurants, there was a German waiter who married into the family that owned the restaurant. He was assigned to serve the Americans since he spoke the best English. He always made sure when we asked for water if we wanted the mineral water or the still (tap) water since that's a big difference in Europe.
both contain minerals, "Mineralwasser" is usually seen as fizzy water but its a generel term for water (fizzy or non fizzy)
Still water doesn’t have to be tap water and restaurants usually don’t sell you tap water.
Though here in Germany I think you can actually get free tap water if you insist.
@@D4BASCHT some give still water for free but not every restaurant
@@ABT.2023 everyone has to its required by the law
@@rey6708 ist es? Dachte die haben das abgeschafft
Thank you for your videos! And than you guys for your comments and real stories. It a wonderful way to learn about cultural differences, and a fun too.
Great videos - I learned a lot about my country by watching the impression foreigners get when experiencing our culture...
My take on trafficlights: In the US 99% of the crossroads are like this: "+", while in Europe there is a good amount of crossroads that look more like this: "*". If you had the traffic lights at such a crossroads on the opposite side, that would lead to great confusion.
The correct solution is for Germans to drive cars less. Think how much the environment would benefit.
Britain manages to have lights on both sides just fine, without confusion. It's one of the two most annoying things about driving in Germany.
@@jbaidley Don't tell me what the other annoying thing is. Let my mind run wild with the possibilities. ;)
Talking about explicit language in music: It makes sense that, with English as a secondary language explicit songs are not recognized as such. But ever heard of KIZ? It’s basically their stick. Swearing and offensive lyrics. And some of their songs are regularly played on radio shows.
For us Germans it is sometimes weird to listen to the American radio version of some songs. Because the explicit part is either cut out, silent or weirdly changed and it doesn’t make sense anymore. But that probably only counts for those of us speaking more or less fluent English.
i read a comment saying: "movies and music tell something about their culture, here its much less frowned upon to swear as is in the states, so they use words like frick and heck...wich basically means the same and every one knows it, so it is literally the same but they feel like its babayproof. whats really strange here is, this are the same people who are totally fine with having murders on screen with all its blood and cruelty, handing weapons to children and having regular school shootings, but are more afraid of a potential f bomb."
it is strange for us, because its not our culture and for them ours is shocking. because they are not used to hear and use swears in day to day talks.
KIZ für immer
kiz ist nice aber ruffiction ist liebe
And it's stupid since Americans swear a couple times in every single sentence. But as soon as it's anything official or a movie Americans act like these words don't exist and are a death sentence if used
KEINE SCHWÄNZE SONDERN BAUMSTÄMME 🎶yeah german music gets vulgar af. and even if they aren't swearing, the content can still be explicit as hell. like something like Rammstein, as mainstream as they are, wouldn't fly in english in the USA xD
Nice video :) Interesting to hear other people's perspectives
From the deepest of my heart, I completely agree with you about that hatchback thingy. "Dorky" goes very well with it.
The movie titles sometimes have to change because the US title is already copyrighted in the EU.
That was for example the case with Moana (Vaiana in German). Moana is the European trademarked name of an Italian porn Star (for obvious reasons that miraculously didn't upset anyone in the US). Vaiana vaguely resembles Hawaii, so they went with that.
But sometimes this seems to be applied without any tactfulness. Take the same pattern in literature, for example the (quite popular ~10y ago) novel Freedom is translated into "Darknet". WHY? Maybe just because it sounded cool along with some press narrative at that time? Sorry, that sounds just dumb.
"Freiheit" hätte da auch gut gepasst.
@@DuRoehre90210 Vielleicht gibt es ja schon ein deutsches Buch, was so heißt.
Germans don't like single word titles that could be too quizzical. Quite often also the original title is completed by some explanatory appendix. (The Grey - Unter Wölfen)
@@grimp53 The Grey just wouldn't sound good in German (Das Grau? Die Grauen?). In English, it gives me mysterious vibes, in German it sounds like a political party for old people. Come to think of it, maybe they have a trademark on that name?
@@DuRoehre90210 German title of "Batman Beyond" is "Batman of the future".... Yep
I use "real" cash because I can see and feel how much I am spending it. Most people fall for the debt trap, because they are spending more money with their credit cards than actually have a money reserve. When you use a credit card you see a number on a screen. That's it. But when you pay with cash you see how much it is in reality.
Maybe Germans use cash so much because they're worried about it losing its value and want to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
I think in the US, people are more worried about getting robbed. You can cancel a credit or debit card, cash is lost.
@@tjk3430 I thought that's what guns are for...
while that is a proven thing I also believe that as an adult, one is responsible to keep an eye on their bank account. that is why people paying by card don't just go broke completely every time they buy things - most have an idea how much money they can spend.
Seeing numbers on a screen does more for me than spending it physically. When I spend cash, it's just gone, and I have no real gauge for how much I spent right away without having to calculate. With card payments, you see every little transaction in one place and have a grasp of what you're spending. I don't use credit cards, however, just my debit card.
I love your videos keep up with the good work🙌👏
This is the funniest video I’ve ever watched, thanks
As German i rly don't understand what being naked has to do with privacy xD no one makes photos or records it so for me i don't understand how u can compare that xD i require 100% privacy but being naked in a sauna has nothing to do with that for me xD
In my mind there is a big difference between privacy and prudity. I do care about my privacy, but I don't consider myself prude. No paradox at all.
I really thought the same. For me that are both 2 different things.
Yeah. If you know my phone number, you can do a lot of inconvenient/nasty stuff with that. If you know what my wang looks like... great. But what the hell can you do with that?
also, saunas usually dont have a big window for people from outside to look at you.
i mean, i dont know for sure, i never was in one, but like.. thats not really the way they are built. and *that* most certainly would not be very private
exactly, going to a sauna is your personal choice. a zillion companies from around the globe taking your personal data in the background (in the US without asking for your consent) while visiting a web page is not.
Worse cars are cars with trunks, what you call a sedan. They have this bar for the trunk cover, you cannot get a fridge or a TV set or a lawn mower or a bicycle into the car, although there is sufficient space - but the opening is too small. It's made for bags only.
Yes, it's why I only have what we call in France 5 doors cars. ( 2CV, 205 SR, 405, Matiz, and now a Grand Modus, so easy to carry a wash machine, even go Ikea shopping .
@@brigittelacour5055 Right, I always laugh at some youngsters coming with a sedan to IKEA shopping. Then realizing that they can get a trailer rented from IKEA cheaply... but nooo, their sedan doesn't even have a towing hitch for it.
hi nalf i love your vids and how you show us your daily life in germany explain the drawbacks and differences to the us the only bad thing is that you sometimes talk abbout sometthing and generellize it and i feel that is sometimes just a regional thing or a part of germany thx for the good content thoug
Fuel efficiency 🤷🏻♀️
Gets me everywhere and the upkeep is fine.
The privacy thing is actually pretty simple:
Nudity in public is non-permanent, it's kinda the "what happens here stays here and most importantly in this moment" idea, therefore it's regarded with a certain amount of relaxation. Stuff on the internet on the other hand stays there forever, so it's regulated heavily.
In this day and age, your "in this moment" nudity may stay on the internet forever.
@@jooohan nope... no normal sauna user would ever take his phone into a sauna or record anything there. and even if this would happen, the person who got recorded will never know cause it was hidden.
@@taaleah269 Just pointing out that there was no mention of sauna etiquette before you chimed in. Naked sunbathing/swimming on a beach, lots of phones out there. But yeah, normal people don't take pictures of random naked people around them, let alone post them online.
I find that real time vs internet nudity dichotomy quite odd...not judging, though.
@@jooohan it got mentioned in the video this comment section belongs to ;)
@@taaleah269 Fair enough. I meant this particular discussion with the OP. That being said, the sauna is, apparently, a microcosm of its own but German nudists in general are quite legendary. That's an open range for you, not close quarters like sauna style. Anyway...I don't think the nudists care much about what "the rest of the world" thinks about them.
My biggest gripe with card payments is how easy it is to lose track of your spending. When I was a teenager I started to develope extremely unhealthy eating habits, mostly due to depression, and I'm glad I have this time behind me. Of course defeating this depression was hard but the most helpful to combat the addiction, but it was also in part due to starting to pay cash, especially when buying groceries. It's just a different feeling when you have to fork out dozens of Euros everytime you buy snacks, especially when you have to get money at the ATM regularly even though you always get quite big sums. When before I would just swipe my card and forget about it, while now I would actually have to budget, especially when my cash is running low. It showed me that just because I could afford it doesn't mean it's good to spend all that money.
Well, regarding that - I live in the UK and cash is widely not even accepted anymore... The moment I pay fir something I get ti see my bank account immediately if I want - so now I know even better hiw my spending is. Sure, that was different still ten yrs ago, but actually it's now the contrary
Thanks for naming the chapters one, two, three, ...
Didn't want to know where to skip to anyway
8:52 you’re absolutely right. Now that I think about it I should start saying ‚excuse me‘ more often 🙊
4:07 The one thing is privacy the other one is prudery. Don't mix it up. 😉
In Austria there's a law about the "Jugendgetränk". In the menu there must be at least one nonalcoholic drink that is cheaper than the cheapest alcoholic drink.
Meanwhile in Czechia: "No, I don't think this is possible."
Same in Germany.
“Apfelsaft-Paragraph”
Spain: Hah...1 litre of beer for 1 euro and 2 litres of village-made Spanish wine for 3 euros, take it or leave it.
Water is allways cheaper than beer in german. There is a law.
@@deus5529 Nie gehört.. aber klingt Sinnvoll
Nailed it!
I actually was grateful about the fact they walked more. Almost everything we do in Germany involves walking as well as the rest of Europe that I have traveled so far.
the pride thing: dude i dont need a flag when almost everywhere in the world "Made in Germany" is regarded as a mark of quality.
@Total Social Reject we dont talk about those
100% true. World War made in Germany is a guarantee of best quality. It's amazing how companies build on human tragedies are highly respected among the world.
@@Delzra ahahahah
@Total Social Reject Remember what it took to stop Germany when we were really really serious about this shit? Lets not make this a challenge. =P
@@gazz3867 To be fair, Adolf was kinda making armament and training troops for about 6 years before it all began. Meanwhile, other European nations thought they were living in a time of peace so they prepared jackshit. Had you given France and Britain the same amount of time to prepare themselves, Germany would have been crushed at the very begining. Everyone was caught off guard, really...nobody knew or thought there would be another war so they prepared nothing, they did things as they went along.
Edit: Discard France...those guys had a formidable army but a cowardly leader.
Regarding the movie titles: In Germany, it's legally not possible for two works to share the same name, that's why they change so many movie titles and sometimes add a sentence into the title to distinguish the movie from another one that has the same name. It's just not allowed to have the exact same title if another work already has it.
And when there's no other work with the same name, they sometimes change it for cultural or linguistic reason. The example you gave might actually be one of those instances. Even though many Germans speak English, there's still a big percentage that don't speak it well, maybe even just a few words or not at all. Taken is a word that only those with a relatively intermediate grasp of the language will understand in this context, so they might've decided to change it to something else that more Germanys, even when they don't speek English, will understand. 96 Hours will be understood by most, since the English word hour is close to the latin "hora", which is used as an abbreviation for hour in German.
It happens in other languages as well. For example, the movie that we would call 'Spirited Away' in English is actually a shortened version of the original Japanese title 'Sen and Chihiro's Spirited Away'.
@@mychannel9709 Then there's German, where it's called Chihiro's Journey to Magic Land (Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland)
Could even be that enough Germans would read Taken as "genehmt", either when translated or from the English. Which is used just as often in a positive sense as the negative (at least in my non-native experience). Maybe it was just better to change the title to something less ambiguous
@@NeverMakingVideos But then why not use 96 Stunden instead of the English 96 hours.
You live in Schwabische Hall , I lived in Tubingen (I am also American ) ! How can you imagine red lights hanging in the middle of an intersection with wires going from one pole to another ; without deterioating the beauty of these 7th century towns ? I agree with most of the other comments !
as a Polish person I always found hatchbacks quite cool (visually)
maybe not super sporty, a little bit more on the comfortable side, but still good visually with different edges, curves and angles
American cars I always imagined as big and blocky (also cool btw)
the only car I'd see as goofy would the the Japanese kei-car type
There is huge difference between privacy and prudery. We love Station Wagons. If we can't afford them (or thing they are to big and expensive) we buy a hatchback. Sedans are considered as impractical, what they are. Looking cool is for most germans not that important.
@L W Bitte nicht als Angriff verstehen! Aber: SUVs bieten viel Platz? Seit wann? Für ein durchschnittliches Modell (Tiguan, Q5, Crossland, Grandland, X1, X3 usw.) dieser rollenden Minderwertigkeitskompensationen, sind Laderaum und Platzangebot absolut mickrig im Verhältnis zur Fahrzeuggröße. Bin erschrocken, als ich den "Kofferraum" im Q5 meines Onkels das erste Mal gesehen habe. Auf dem Fahrersitz fühlte ich mich extrem eingeengt. Hatte zu der Zeit einen 3er BMW E91. Der ist schon sehr sportlich geschnitten für den Fahrer und mit Sicherheit kein Raumwunder. Aber der Q5 war mir echt ne Nummer zu klein in allen Belangen außer den Außenmaßen. Dann lieber Passat, Insignia, Mazda 6 oder Ford Mondeo als Kombi, wenn es einem um Platz und Laderaum geht. Beim Rest stimme ich dir uneingeschränkt zu. Auf jeden Fall: Schönen Tag, Abend oder eine gute Nacht!
Wahre sache
@Der Typ Although in Germany most BMWs and Mercedes' cars are either hatchbacks or station wagons like the import brands. They also aren't really seen as a luxury brand unless it's one of the more high-end, sporty models. In the US, the Mercedes and BMW cars on the market are typically sedans or coupes, and tend to be the more powerful and high-end models.
@@Donnerfink Das liegt daran, dass ein Großteil der Länge von SUVs in die wahnsinnig überdimensionierten Motorhauben fließt.
Everyone knows Germans dont care about being cool! LOL Congrats, you arent cool! good job!
How can water NOT cost money? I mean when you buy water in a restaurant it's not the chlorine bomb one gets in the States, but pure, healthy mineral water full of, err, minerals. Also water does not taste the same, that's why each mineral water belongs or is a brand. In every average Supermarket you have a variety of about 20-30 different waters, sometimes much much more. At our "Drinks Market" around the corner I counted 48 different Mineral Waters and 57 different beers. Pick one ... ;-) OH: I recounted the waters, the shop has 61!!! 4 from France, 2 from Italy and 55 from Germany.
that is definitelly not the reason there are brands. thats just marketing. im not saying that water always tastes the same. bu that has *nothing* to do with it. its called money making. and you are supposed to *think* that thats the reason.
@@zero.Identity Every mineral water comes from its very own source, Rosbacher from a village called Rosbach, Hassia from a town called Bad Vilbel, Selters from , oh yeah, a town called Selters, and so on. That is the only reason why the waters are labeld. Like beer from each brewery has a different name and label.. And yes, we need to earn money, of course, who doesn't?
@@Walldorf-City-Limits no shit sherlock? they dont pump all the water for all the brands out of the same lake? wow.
that still doesnt mean that the reason there are brands, is that water can taste different.
cuz hell nah, thats not the reason xD
Kranenwasser ist beste. :D
Chlorine bomb, Sewage bomb, Toilet water bomb, it's all a matter of what state you are in. I just visited 11 US states in the last 2 months. If you're German and have bad luck, you end up in some of those states where it is awful. If you go further, you find states with good water.
Hey Nalf, your video is one year old but I really appreciate your efford taken. I was working ten years as freelancing genealogist and from 2017 on also in the US on several occations. My clients always used to ask me what is 'different' about Germany and so I made a lot of thoughts in the direction your video goes.
1. The movie titles. Actually, nobody asked me about that (because nearly nobody of 'my' Americans had been to Germany) but I was wondering myself and I really don't know. It seems to me like a really bad habit, because if you go to the Netherlands or to Italy you won't find it there. Might be because we have - for Europe- such a big market and they try to serve it. I wish they wouldn't do that.
2. Our school system is like 120 years old and it was build to serve the needs of the "Kaiserreich" (the German Empire). While it makes sense to see whether a child has more abilities in the crafts and educate children to become a "Beamter" (clerk) after all the time the educational reserach made progress. Nearly half of my family are teachers and educating teachers, and I was teaching my self at university so I believe I have some knowledge about learning biology, pedagogy and didactics.
Educational research since the 1960s shows relatively clearly what children and schools need. For example, more staff, a better response to the needs of children. According to this, for example, the 'sorting' of children at the age of 9 is rather harmful, because many children are only at the same developmental level to some extent when they enter puberty, so that one could only then look at where their abilities lie. There are many examples that show that our school system is contrary to our actual, human learning abilities. But then everyday practical aspirations play a role, or simply political ideology. There are also studies that show that e.g. the conservative parties have a greater interest in maintaining the tripartite school system (a CDU member once told me that he didn't want his children to go to grammar school with 'others' - aka underclassmen - because that would destroy his child's educational opportunities), while e.g. federal states that were governed for a long time by the SPD or the Left (Thuringia, for example) do not separate children until the 6th grade. While you described quite well why I think our education system is good on the one hand (promoting careers in the trades), there is strong criticism that it cements inequality of opportunity (we are regularly criticized by the UN for this).
My personal experience is that in the last 20 years there have been such cuts in personnel that kindergartens and schools can only operate patchwork. And because they don't have the time to apply pedagogical and didactic principles in the classroom, especially in the upper grades, everyone teaches as they themselves have learned. This means frontal teaching, as it was held before 1960, which in turn means that one must already have a very good teacher or school management, that all the scientific achievements of the last 50 years are also applied to the education of children.
3. Privacy. Yes. *sigh* I was in Salt Lake City at RootsTech in 2017, which was pretty impressive. I learned a lot about setting up a business in the US then, because they had extra classes on exactly that topic. I loved how much easier it seems to be to finance a startup in the US. The Roots Tech is about Geneology and back then they introduced many startups dealing with exactly that topic. One company stood out for me because they sold the 'whole package' to their clients with getting the opportunity to set up a family tree, to implement pictures and also texts, where one could write down why a person died and whether they had a known illness or a genetic defect. This! This is the difference for me between Germans and Americans. I met so many clients that would fill out the blanks gladly without having one thought about what a company would do with all the information. Big data is nice but not with the experiance we as a country had with the Nürnberger Gesetze during the Third Reich when people were sorted out and brought to death because of an entry in the "Familienbuch" the Nazis invented for every person in Germany back then. And the "Familienbuch" was sold to them as "hey, nice to have it because of Geneology". So, we love to have the choice and that is why we go out into a Sauna and are fine with nudity. Because at this point we have a choice about what we are doing. But we hate it when an institution makes us to leave our data and we later learn they cashed in or - more sinister - used it against us at one point. I know, there are laws in the US but I would be so, so carefull with what I give away!
4. For the cars - I never thought about that. But what I love about our car is that it is so streamlined that when I roll down a hill I don't need to accelerate because my car just rolls and rolls and rolls. ;)
5. Hihi, yes, the opening times. I believe it makes sense if you have unions and politics that take care that as an employee you are having some rights. Like, having free time on the weekend with your family at home. Might be a simple answer, but I find it important. :)
6. I believe the 'paying cash' thing has also to do with my answer to your third point. I myself hate it to give away the full control of my income and cash gives me the feeling of having control. I can't imagin a world where we all are only paying via credit cards. It would give away too much control over my everydays life to a bank or a state - for my taste. That is why I love my cash. :)
7. Haha, yes, I have this problem too. It is not only Americans who are wondering why some people can't keep their distance in a grocery store! And I don't know either.
8. I believe that this - again - goes back to our experiances during and after the Third Reich. I am actually quite proud of my country but I don't need to show it all the time and while I was a teen only people with a strong leaning to the right wing of politics (at least in my sourroundings) put the flag up - and that was nothing I would like to be identified with. I believe the perception changed during the 2006 soccer world championship held in Germany. After that it became somehow more relaxed to be proud of our country and showing it off by showing the flag. On the other hand, it is really like I don't need the flag to be proud of my country and I actually don't like the colors much. Maybe here I am too much of a woman. XD From an optical standpoint I love the EU- colors, the flag of Argentinia or Brasil and the Canadian flag...
The 5th. The closing times you explained quite good. However after lifting 8 years in london where shops are open 7 days the week but not 24/7. I don't want to miss it anymore because you want to cook Sunday something and you miss a ingredient. No problem I go tonthe shop and get it or like in Germany f.... I forgot it and can't get it because everything is closed. I like this more to get things I need 24/7
Canadian here who loves a lot of outdoor activities in all seasons. Nothing beats a hatchback: Lower to the ground than trucks or SUVs, so that handling is much better and fun to drive, easier to load and unload skis, kayaks, etc. Sedans not ideal for equipment. It's so much easier to get the snow off the roof, park in smaller places. We think hatchbacks are cool.
You mentioned the Sunday closures. You're probably too young to remember this, but in the US there used to be Blue Laws. This prevented the sale of many, if not most, items on consecutive weekend days. Most businesses were open on Saturday and closed on Sunday. A few businesses closed on Saturday to be open on Sunday (depends on which day your Sabbath fell).
I lived in Austin, Texas, back in the early to mid-1980s. During the Christmas selling season one year (1983 or 1984, I can't remember which) Target as well as others decided to defy the Blue Laws and stay open seven days a week. I remember Target because they were featured in a local TV news story about the subject. At the time fines for violating the Blue Law was $50/day. Well, for big department stores this was a no-brainer, just cost of doing business.
Texas repealed the Blue Laws in 1985. It was just a part of the secularization of society. The US has become very secular as has much of the world including Germany. Everyone I see who hosts a TH-cam show, if they even mention it, describe themselves non-religious. I am from the other perspective.
When I look at these huge, beautiful cathedrals and churches which dominate the city centers in most German towns and in other counties including the US and find that so few people appreciate that, it makes me sad. It speaks to a time when people generally thought religion was very important in their lives to today when attitudes have totally reversed. Were they right then, or, are we right today?
Most Germans may be secular, but thankfully they still recognize the need for us to take a day off from work and just relax. Remember, even though you may have the day off and want to go shopping or to some entertainment venue, by doing so, you are requiring someone else to work. So in Germany everyone gets time for themselves.
You confuse secularization and hypersconsuming (Dr Juliet Schor). Secularization opens to a more rational society, it is not the case with The USA, especially with Texas.
The overall energy on a Sunday when the shops are closed is so different. It feels very relaxing,
no rushing about, no errands to be accomplished, but a beautiful quietness. It invites you to find more peace
in yourself, time for family and friends, your pet, a book, being creative or anything you like on a slower pace, without the
constant distraction of hectic shopping. You find a chance to easier balance out on a soul level when
given the opportunity to focus your attention entirely away from noise and business for at least one day.
Yes when we moved to Bergen county in NJ they had blue laws and the malls were closed and although a pain at first its a good practice Be good to go back to that today give employees a break whether you are religious or not, Americans are also overworked maybe that's why so many are dissatisfied with their jobs / The German or French vacation model should be adopted here.
Car dealerships are still closed on Sundays in Illinois by law.
One of my parent‘s favorite stories of their honeymoon in the US West was of the Grand Canon and when my Dad tried to purchase a few beers in a gas station in Utah, on a Sunday, 1978.
I mean, for a German, it‘s only gas stations that are open on Sundays so they didn‘t know any better, but to hear my Dad rage about the clerk that wouldn‘t sell him the few beers (from a German perspective not much more than diluted horse piss), really___sorry__you would think it was a personal slight!
@ Mike Gabbert
Regarding all those beautiful churches….we visit them, we look at them in a historical context and growing up wherever my family spent their summer vacation in France we got a day of beach and a day of culture, which meant mostly looking at churches….both my parent‘s were raised catholic, but me as well as my Dad have turned agnostic and thus this was more an appreciation of the people‘s art and appreciation of their belief….than the recognition of a holy Roman Catholic Church…after one too many violated choir boys one has to draw their own conclusions about holiness and the holy purpose of the church, just saying.
But the achievements, however secular society in Germany may get, will not be forgotten….it is one thing a German may be unabashedly proud of
Three: As people already said in the comments the privacy paradox, is not a paradox. I just about have full control over your privat data and with how much people you want to share it.
Four: A car has not to be cool, it has to be „praktisch“. Much more storage space for hatchbacks. Kombis often help to handle long vacation trips with big family or moving furnitures. SUV is a step backwards.
Five: In some states shopes are open until 10pm, but normally its 8pm and currently for smaller specialized shops there is even a trend to close earlier because of the lack of customers in inner cities. Its just pure cost-benefit calculation.
Twelve: You are right!
Staring. Eye contact is a common way to connect and to communicate I'm listening, you get my (full) attention. I remember my parents told me to look into theyr eyes when they where speaking to me. Point of view from a German.
I like reaction videos on the country i life in. Then i can see what I'm taking for granted and what's actually nice of our culture.... (Or what is our culture at all) I'm so used to most of it. I used to travel and i peeked into other cultures a bit but the lack or even a bit of a taboo when it comes to patriotism makes it hard to notice culture that could be celebrated. At least in my family there haven't been a culture of celebrating our ancestors or family rituals like Sunday stroll or Sunday cake and coffee time. I guess I'm Reaching out and learning something about Germany here 😁
Thank you for offering another perspective ☺️
There's a difference between looking at someone's eyes when talking and staring without saying a word. It's rude to stare.
I dont get why people want to get EVERYTHING daily.
You don't need to buy food every day or anything else.
if something is opened 24/7 or 7 days a week then the workers are really exploited by their company.
Ssssh! The billionaire exploiters will find you and send a drone to your house
@@robletterly6679 they cant. google tried using drones and they are moving away from it because birds keep attacking the drones
@@zero.Identity I never underestimate the pettiness of the 1%
@@robletterly6679 they are quiet loud though. i think they would just buy some of your data from google or something.
Hm, the privacy paradox are some completely different things for me: I dont care very much if someone sees me naked in sauna (as long as nobody takes pictures 😉). But my data protection is a completely different thing. I dont want to be spied on by anyone about my hobbies, my doings, my opinions, my property, my possessions or finances. The marketing thing doesnt disturb me that much, but the possibility that someone related to the political or financial system of my country - Germany - or another country disturbs me and frightens me very much... especially with the war going on in Europe...
yeah im from germany too and i think it has a lot to do with control as you can decide wether you want to visit a sauna or a nude beach but google wont call you to ask if they could publish your car or face so our law forces them to be very carefull and respectfull of that.
I feel it's also about WHO has the information. Some random person in the sauna that only has am image in their head or a multimillion company that have really personal information they could sell to anyone...
@@tinopflugl9212 Du sagst es - die "Kontrolle" zu haben ist letztendlich das Entscheidende.
I think it might also have something to do with our history. We've been through two brutal police states in the last century. First the Nazis with the Gestapo, where every word you said could have severe repercussions, including torture and execution. And then half of Germany suffered under the Soviets and the Stasi, who were basically the Gestapo but more paranoid and with better spying technology.
Basically we have a deeply ingrained fear that our personal data can and will be used against us. Anything that can be traced back to us personally is perceived as a potential security risk, because we have all heard our grandparents or even parents stories. And those stories always ended very badly.
Supermarket behavior (I got startled a few times) and traffic lights are a big annoyance for me too after 27 years of living in the states. You could add the 'No right turn' on a red light
As a german I must say that I absolutely loathe the grocery store situation when people don't keep enough distance.
Things I don't understand about Americans as an Austrian: "Everything is closed on Sundays, oh no!"
But No: not "everything" is closed on Sundays. Museums, Zoos, family parks, cultural facilities, a lot of cafes and restaurants etc. are still open, it's just most shops, but shops or shopping is not "everything"
I totally agree with the first two points, they are somewhat stupid and don't make much sense (and most of my friends would agree). The personal bubble stuff seems great, because I am a person who actually would appreciate a bit more space between other people sometimes.
Tab-water not being free in Germany actually (as in you don't even get tab-water at the restaurant for free?) surprises me, because only yesterday at a restaurant we got a can of tab-water additionally to our drinks without asking and it just seems normal? And there are water wells?/dispersers in the city with free and fresh drinking water.
Playing explicit English songs really is not seen as a problem, people often even don't notice the language, lol. I grew up with a lot of such songs without knowing the meaning until my English got better and I managed to catch the words but then the songs are so ingrained that you just don't really 'integrate' that in your mind. Kind of stupid if you think about it. But yeah, I think you are right these words probably don't impact me as much if they are in English. At least I didn't get 'brainwashed' since a young kid, hearing and understanding such songs. Because nobody can tell me this does not influence toddlers or kids, even if they might not be played at big family events, but media and pop-culture are prevalent nonetheless and even with beeped out words (lol, weird) people do get the general gist of things.
Beeping out 'dirty' words is another weird American thing (as if the word itself is dirty and evil, but the meaning it conveys is all fine no need to think about it, be hateful but use a beep around "you f*BEEP n*bEEp*" AND all is good - the beeps also sound so unnerving and aggressive). Could all this be one reason why some US American males come off as so extremely aggressive, sexist and racist and angry? No offense, not everyone of course, but yeah. There is this certain type.
I do like that US Americans don't smoke and smoking is not as prevalent there. That seems great.
The bleeping out of foul language does not contribute to anything but class, civility and human decency. something that many people hate these days. Its difficult to understand what you mean by extremely aggressive, sexist and the other crap you said, but i assume because many European men have been so domesticated, and made soft, that masculinity probably comes across as toxic and angry. its not, its simply that european men have become weaker and more feminized. LOL
@Total Social Reject German media censors anything remotely Nazi-related? Germans don't deal with their history? Have you been to Germany at all or know their school curriculum concerning the second world-war? Are you living on a different planet?
And 'finding something weird' is not the same as 'not understanding'. If you think my argumentation concerning the effectiveness of beeping bad words out (but still cursing ALL the time lol) lacks you just could rationally reason your thoughts on why you disagree, instead of throwing unfounded insults.
Is this too much to ask?
It's "tap water" not "tab-water." Just fyi.
A real GERMAN is supposed to be conservative warrior masculine, liberals have ruined Germany and Scandinavia
Church is also open on sunday
About the traffic lights, since I've just came home from a longer trip in the US with a lot of driving there. There is one simple reason why having the traffic light close to you is just a lot better: I've had it multiple times in the us that is was driving behind something like a dump truck, and when going into a crossroad behind him with the traffic lights on the other side you have absolutely NO CHANCE of seeing them, so you have no idea if they are still bright and green, already yellow, or f the guy in front of you already crossed on red and you are even following behind him. The angles are just so much better if it is close to you and also that way it shines into your car so you can basically look anywhere and still have it at the corner of your eye, whereas if it is on the other side of the crossroad you have to look at it to read it.
With close traffic lights you sometimes can’t even see if they turn green because you’re standing right next and not before your car. Some try to be clever and keep more distance but some traffic lights have a sensor and they won’t be able to detect your car.
@@loisen Well sure. Though it´s still much safer to not see, whether you can start moving, then not being able to see, whether you need to stop. In the first case at worst you will miss the green light and have to wait for the next one while people behind you honk at you. On the other hand in the second case the most likely result is getting hit by another car...
I found driving in the US pretty nerve-wrecking: I didn't know where to stop exactly?! And I found it hard to orientate myself.
I got a ticket for running a red light because of this very reason. There was a dump truck that ran a red light and then, of course, I didn't see it until I was almost in the middle of the intersection. 😡🤬😠😤
I was driving behind a semi going through the intersection. I couldn't see the traffic light. As it turned out, the semi went through on the yellow and I went through on the red. A Policeman stopped me for running the red light. I explained to him that I didn't see the traffic light because of the semi. The Policeman told me that if I couldn't see the traffic light before entering the intersection, I was following too close. He let me off with a warning. I started following further away, but that seemed quite a distance.
Years later, I saw a sign on the back of a semi that said, "If you can't see my outside mirror, I can't see you." Another variation I saw was, "If you can't see my mirror, you're following too close." The signs gave me an education. I backed off until I could see the mirror. I discovered if I used that as a scale I could see the traffic lights way before the intersection.
The privacy paradox: being nude at the beach has also a historical background. It was a typical practice but was forbidden by the GDR (east German) regime which then resulted in a protest where more and more parts at the beach were specifically used for the FKK. Over the years the government fell to their citizen’s own rules. My family is from the former GDR and I live in the old parts and here it is still very common for this free body culture.
15:34 i dont mind staring in general, but here in Hamburg people often check you out with a stare like scan all of yours with no not even any tiny signal of positive intention. Sometimes I friendly say hello or Guten Tag to them as I am getting nervous from wondering, what the matter is and then they are surprised or shocked an even then dont answer but just turn away haha. And sometimes even - when I m having a tense day or a bad mood I would like to yell at them, can u at least say Guten Tag or nod your head as to great me SINCE our eyes have clearly met and locked in contact or since my eyes have just caught yours staring at me?!!
You're on to something when you partially defend the education system: in Germany, being a skilled craftsman was always a ticket to, or a way to stay in, the economic middle class. There was never a stigma in not being a university graduate. Many people with technical qualifications out-earn so-called Akademiker (they do in the US, too). America would do well to rediscover its respect for people who do skilled work with their hands, as this is absolutely critical for a functioning industrial economy. I always like to say that a gender studies professor will at some point need the services of a plumber, mechanic, or heating technician, but the plumber will probably never need a gender studies professor.
@Test Io, that's largely dying out here in Austria. A university degree used to be both a sign of and a ticket into the elite, and you needed one to make it into the higher ranks of any governent office. Then it became more and more affordable to the middle class, plus there were government funds provided for anyone from an agricultural background, so attending the universities became more commonplace. In my opinion, way too many youngsters are shoved in that direction.
As things stand now, skilled workers will outearn almost all university graduates if you look at life earnings. As they should, because often they contribute much more to the economy.
Unfortunately, we're developing the same problem here in Germany for atleast a decade or two, too. Parents thinking "Your child needs to have it better than you" and forcing them to learn as much as they can to go to the gymnasium and then to University, which leads to Hauptschule and even Realschule losing its worth and quality. We develop the same problem as the US here, craftsmen and other middle class jobs (who are essential for a working society) are slowly dying out.
It is true that craftsmanship should be valued. However, the education system is wildly unjust and responsible for the fact that your degree still depends a lot of the social class and income of your parents. That is unfair to any kid. They should be able to learn and devleop and choose for themselves what they want to work. But many aren't given the opportunity.
dunno about apprenticeships having meaning. yeah, in modern companies and explicit trade jobs, but for stuff at a desk?
now this is just my personal experience, but my last employer was like this:
- pay based on university education, whether it was actually relevant or not
- IT department does not let non uni graduates do certain tasks
- people looked down on me for not going to uni
- my manager said things like "don't overwhelm her she's just an IT specialist"
- my main task was scanning license information from the 90s for three months
I worked tech support for 5 years before that at a company whose tech support they actually rely on and yet that missing piece of paper was more relevant than any of my actual skills and experience. when they had issues with the products I was an expert on, you know what they did? refuse to ask me. I wasn't good enough because I did my exams at the IHK. ugh. I only got that job with the contractual obligation that I would get a degree within the next three years.
anyway I quit because they were blatantly antisemitic bigots and now the company is about to die because they work with russian oil :) not too sad for them, aside from the dude who asked me why I left and was like "yep I agree". I hope he'll be ok.
I work from home for a british-american company now. nobody gave two shits about uni, they looked at my resume, saw I had the required experience and trust me to do my job now, two months in I do the same tasks as everyone else (for more gross pay haha)
@@FroschKrone oh god this is so true. a "lower class" kid has to fight tooth and nail to get anywhere. people don't care if they could excel at practical work, they aren't getting their abitur so obviously they're worthless.
and if teens decide to go into a trade anyway, they'll be treated like shit because "Lehrjahre sind keine Herrenjahre haha, jetzt aber mal im Ernst, der Fachkräftemangel macht uns fertig, Kevin halt die Fresse und mach Kaffee"
The thing with the beer and water point is, in germany you can drink from every fountain and tap if its not labeld as undrinkable (wich is kinda rare) so water is free and readily available
at so far
And it's actually not true that you can find beer that is cheaper than water. There is a law in Germany that says, that there has to be at least one non-alcoholic drink that is as cheap as the cheapest alcoholic drink (or cheaper in many cases). So most of the time water is the cheapest thing you can order to drink in Germany.
at france most restaurants there they give waater for free but th-cam.com/video/zjHWGO5i78E/w-d-xo.html Auf dem Trockenen - Wie Großkonzerne unsere Wasserressourcen ausbeuten | Doku HD Reupload | ARTE f.e.
Not all restaurants are willing to give you a glass of tap water for free though.
tap water is harmful in germany and the us, drink water tested for pfas, medicine, hormones, pesticides, nitrate, polyester fibres. (yes, you find this all in the usual german tap water)
Interessant 🤔
Talking about the change of movie titles and I was thinking about Taken/96 hours instantly and then bringing exactly that example 👍
German pride is a very difficult topic:
On the one hand, what you are saying is very true; we don't really show, or "fly" our flag that much (except for world cups) but therefore regional pride is immeasurable. As I feel it for myself, whenever I hear my city's name, I am so proud that I live here and nowhere else. Especially with the big cities/areas like Hamburg, Berlin, Munich or the Ruhr-Rhine area where all regions have different "cultural sights" and their own way of being, we want to hear others talking about it, share their experiences and thoughts about it and generally just get attention pulled towards it because it makes us feel good! (I don't know if it is for others that way too)
What is also interesting to observe is the German reaction to online content. Whenever a short video like a TikTok, or something comparable, focuses on or even only contains anything about Germany, people immediately start commenting things like "Diese Kommentarsektion ist jetzt Deutsches Staatseigentum", which basically means that they/we have taken over the comment section.
I think it is so amazing to see and interpret this. We can't, but also don't really want to show pride, but we feel it and the fact that I, as a native German, am watching a lot of videos about Germany itself shows that I am proud of my country and that I care for it. At least that's what I think about it.
That's an excellent and informative comment.
Eh, I mean we kind of want to hear feedback from Germans in the comments section though, the foreigner perspective is already in the video
Diese Kommentarsektion ist jetzt Deutsches Staatseigentum - musste sein xD
Oder wie ich es öfter sehe: Ein Land, ein Reich, ein Kommentarbereicj
@@aramentum200 Ja, das fand ich auch etwas seltsam...
School: What perhaps should have been mentioned is the system of apprenticeship. This is a quite formalized program to learn a trade from ground up, typically 3 years and not exclusive to manual professions like mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, etc. but also to careers in financial institutions, the judicial system, medicine and others. Once graduating from such program one can continue to become a "master" which opens even more doors.
Privacy: I think nudity in the German mindset is not seen under within the tent of "privacy" but simply something natural. We all in principle know how we look without clothes on. By contrast our interpretation of privacy is more related to safety, security of personal data and freedom.
Flag: Better look at nationalism here and yes, I think you explained it well. Our history plays a big part. And one should also understand that unlike the US (slavery, extermination of Native Americans), the Japanese (rape of Nanking), the French (Algeria), British (Aboriginals, Zulu, Boers) we tried and try to deal with it, educate and understand so it will never happen again. I tried to make sense of this by saying I am not "proud" of where my country comes from but am proud of what she has become.
To add to that:
Nudity: FKK (freie Körperkultur) has a long history starting around the time when the industrialization showed it's ugly side, people working 12 hours, much more workers than jobs, really bad conditions -> a broad desire for freedom and connection with nature forms. For a curiousity from that time look up Kokovorismus - and if you like history look up the podcast Geschichten aus der Geschichte (it's GAG141), it's a great ~30ish minute show with a different, random topic each day.
Privacy: The actual kind. Information is power. Basically that is all you need to know. Whether you consider the Stasi or the Gestapo or just an overzealous person in your extended circle, the less they know and can get to know about you, the better it is.
I like their education system especially promoting skilled trade workers, but not sure that would work in USA now. We are so impatient, but maybe in the future as we lose more of these professional people. The greatest advantage is that most of them would graduate with certification and apprenticeship experience.
@@nutrylzone367
I agree and would add another factor. I live in the US for more than 30 years now and I found that manual labor is not respected in this country. Who has not heard the butt-crack jokes about plumbers. And although very few people understand complex electrical systems, electricians are also not respected.
Unless one has at least a Bachelors degree one is considered a failure in the US, and increasingly the hurdle to social acceptance is a Master's.
Re: Extermination of American Indians, there are now more Native Americans in the territory of today's US than there were at the time of European first contact. So genocide is another area where we're nowhere near as efficient as the Germans. ;-)
@@peterhomann2140 I have worked with people in office with an academic degree and with an apprentice degree and I have had way better experiences with the ones who do not have academic degrees. Most of the people I came across with an academic degree often lack social skills, they were not really able to communicate simple task to a group of people. Yes, they know their stuff but they were terrible at communication. People with an academic degreee, especially younger people, often have this false sense of entitlement and think more of themselves when having such degree. Like I have already stated, this is just my personal experience over the years working in different companies.
You make some very interesting points i can fully understand. The explicit language is funny though, because most of the curse words nowadays we learned from US culture. But my peruvian gilrfriend always tells me "watch your language", too. Its just too common for us. But like a lot of things, it seems aggressive , but we dont mean it that way.
Good video, but at least half of the topics apply to most of the European countries, not only Germany. The cash payment is pretty typical and the scholl system has been recently changed to a 2-line-system.