Kultur 2 Germanic Stare Down

I think the notion of the Germanic Stare Down is quite humorous because in America, people often avoid eye contact whilst going about their daily lives. For example, when in an elevator, people often never say hi and purposefully avoid any eye contact for the sake of seeming less awkward somehow. Just as the article mentions about the prevalence of these German Stare Downs, not everyone in the United States is so unsociable and awkward, however there is enough of this happening around us for it to be prevalent. I have felt something like the Stare Down before, while traveling in Guatemala. Guatemala has a fairly recent history of genocide and corruption among its military, which is in part the fault of the United States. White people are associated with this past, along with the current negative influence of American corporations on the development of the country (especially the native populations). I traveled to many remote parts of Guatemala where white people are feared and generally associated with bad things. I often was being watched everywhere I went in these remote towns. People stared from windows, cars slowed as they drove by, etc. I always felt as if I was being considered a threat. I draw parallels between the Germanic Stare Down and what I experienced in Guatemala because it seems that both are rooted in a tumultuous past.