Kultur 2 Kaitlin Baker

            German Kultur Kapitel 2 included what is considered the “status quo” in Germany on everyday interactions.

               The first article talked about the German past time of whining, bitching, and moaning.  According to the article, Germans love to complain and there is no point in trying to stop them. They will find something to complain about no matter the circumstance. The article gave an example of a train. If the train is a few minutes late, they will “smirk and complain about the horrible transportation systems”. If the train is on time they will complain about “the bad food, or the noise”. Furthermore, the article explains that Germans complain about taxes, politics…etc. – and the best thing to do is to smile and nod.

            The second article discussed the German stare down. As someone who hates being stared at, I can imagine how uncomfortable this could prove for an American- especially a Mid-westerner, because we all know mid-westerners will avoid uncomfortable contact at all costs. Especially interesting in the article was the explanation of the stare down. Apparently, due to the un-restful 20^th Century Germany experienced, where everyone kept his or her eyes out for a potentially dangerous person, the habit persisted. As a result, it’s not uncommon to spot a person from an older generation spying.

            The third article, my personal favorite, brought light to German honesty. The article explains that in Germany, “You say what you have to say and that’s that”.  To a German, it makes no sense to lie, when you can just be honest. Yes means yes and no means no. This is quite different from America. In American there are social connotations between every phrase and when one person says one thing, it could mean something totally different. I found myself wishing America were more like Germany in this way. I value the idea of honesty at face value.

            The final article was title “Obsessed with Stats”. In other words, to go to Germany and succeed in conversation, one better be prepared with the statistics of their country. One should know their city population, political system, religions…etc. Don’t be caught clueless in Germany! To know the stats of one’s country, is to know one’s country.

            For the Brennpunkt Kultur, I read about German Immigration to North American from the text book. I learned that approximately 23% of American have a German background. That means that approximately one out of four people in America. That’s a very high statistic! And we all know Germans LOVE statistics ;). The first immigrants settled in Philadalphia in 1683. They created a German community called German town.

            For the second reading, I read about German Universities. In 1810, Berlin University was the elite University of Germany. However, the college educational system was forced to change as the demand for education grew and changed in the 1960s. As a result there are now more Universities, separated based on the focus that particular student wants to approach. For example, just as American has music conservatories, Germany has die Musikhochschule (music school). They also have engineering schools, business and design schools…etc.