The Biggest Myth About Germany
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
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I think what Germans see as humour is not seen as humour everywhere. My uncle was on a plane from America to Germany in 1995. Next to him was an old american couple who were planning a tour through Europe. Germany had been their first destination and so they took out an old map of Germany (with the pre-World War I borders) and asked my uncle if he could draw the war zones in Germany for them. My uncle said that there would not be a war in Germany. However, the old couple did not want to believe that and insisted that my uncle help them to avoid the war zones in Germany. Thereupon my uncle took the pen in his hand and declared half of Germany a war zone. He used various clichés and claimed that in Schwabenland there were cannibals that should be avoided and that in East Germany tourists are only allowed to take photos at certain times of the day if they don't want to be arrested. Well, the couple decided not to leave Frankfurt airport at all and to take the next flight to Italy.
I’m howling, that’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long while. 😂😂
Man muss aus jeder Situation das beste machen - und Dein Onkel hat auf jeden Fall, zu 100% das beste aus dieser Situation gemacht. Genau mein Humor.
Viel zu geil 😂
Thanks, I needed that! I'm peeing my pants laughing! 🤣
Oh man, he missed the opportunity to ruin all of Europe for them? What a shame! No, seriously, great idea to prank some idiots!
I recommend a Laugenbrötchen. Same Dough as a Bretzel but in Breadrollform. Easier to put Butter on
So lecker!
Or Laugenstange, you can eat it like a baguette sandwich
Laugenecke oder Laugencroissant
Yes, Laugenbrötchen👍
@@kornar Jaaaaa!
The explanation is quite simple: we have a secret law that forbids revealing to foreigners that we actually have a sense of humor. This law is part of our sense of humor - but it doesn't translate to U.S. citizens. The British, however, get it and support us in that effort by also telling everyone everywhere that they have a sense of humor, but we don't.
Which in itself is a sarcastic joke.
That´s the reason we tell all Americans Journalists we love David Hasselhoff. In fact we hate his voice, but we are grateful that he teared down the Berlin wall. Thank you David.
Ja, dass stimpt! Witzich!
As an American journalist with an MA jn History married to a German citizen (gotta be specific!) I'd say much of that attitude comes from the fact that most American's familial experience of Germany dates back to the post-war years when so many US troops were stationed there. Not like Germans had much to laugh about at that point. They were literally shocked and traumatized. And then there's the ability to play the straight man so well when they're cracking a joke! But anyone who's spent a day with mein Mann knows just how much of a sense of humor Germans have!
"This is Europe, you can take your pants off in the park."
Perfect.
I mean to be fair I laughed at the exageration then considered how I would react seeing a guy without shirts and pants in the park and honestly: as long as he wasn't full nude my first thought would propably be 'Wow isn't he cold?' 😅
This is always so funny for me, because in my British English, pants means underwear, not trousers…! 😂
@@DarkHarlequin I wouldn’t care about full nudity at all, as long as he‘s not …. „excited“ to be nude.
But I would think „this had got to be cold“ as well. I mean, I think so when I see people walking around in shorts and t-Shirts when it’s less than 20°C.
😂
It's really hard to say why that stereotype exists but I've had a theory for some time now. I've talked to a lot of people that lived in the states and they basically had the same thing to say. Once Americans hear that you're German they'll joke about Hitler or the Nazis and that's not a laughing matter for us, not at all. I would say that we're generally not the best at laughing about ourselves (even if it's not Hitler related) but making fun of a German with that topic attached to it will only get you one reaction from anyone of us. I have the feeling that a lot of people outside of Germany don't have a clue how we're dealing with our past. The people are so used to these kind of jokes, you hear them all the time from all sides, they just have no understanding of how much of an insult that is to us Germans. So you meet a German, make your little joke, the German is pissed and you assume that he or she has no sense of humor. That's my theory.
@dawurfmaul. True.👍👍
i would say we are mosly more anoyed or bored if an american makes hitlerjokes, because there typically lame jokes. i agree with the rest
Same happens to me here in Spain. It's either this or they think it's funny to say "Kartoffel". Obviously after several similar jokes you get annoyed. 🤷♀️
Really? I make Nazi jokes all the time with my american, french and italian coworkers, it is a way to bond, we all think that time, crimes and nazis were awful, terrible and disgusting so making fun about this means we are over it. We accept it as at least part of my ancestry in a way, but i m not one of them, i learned from the tradegy of the past and i can now laugh about jokes about this, even when my grand parents told me horrific stories they lived through. It is a way to cope, a way to get over it, i m not bound by my countries past, i dont war any guilt for the crimes comitted before i was even born and my coworkers dont either. We are here now even when our ancestors might have been enemies and maybe even tried to kill each other. We are here now in a better world and generations later we can laugh together.
@@DRouwnt you have your point. Obviously it's history and we did not commit those crimes.
In my opinion it's just not funny what happened back then. And it will never be.. and I don't think it's funny to be connected with this even if it's a joke.🤷♀️
When my mother (a German “war bride”) and her younger sister would get together there was always much laughter and they were so very much fun. With both my aunt and uncle, you can hear the smiles in their voices on the phone. Sunday morning breakfasts in Germany with my mother’s family (where I partially grew up and where my father was often stationed before retirement) was filled with laughing and funny stories. As someone above mentioned, the subject of Hitler and the Nazi party is never a source of humor. When I asked my mother to speak to my students about her experiences growing up in WWII Germany, she declined referencing her shame of what her country did. Even when I explained that she was only a child, she was never able to rid herself of that feeling.
I guess so, but your sample tells, they are humorous among themselves, with friends and family.
What they not do, is entertaining strangers with humour, trying to cheer somebody up or so. This showbusiness gen is kind of missing.
@@holger_p This is definitely not true!
@@mariannebraun8206 it's my Observation. Stand up comedy didn' exist in germany, maybe until 1990. Sheerleading or chearing, extroverted excitement is not so often happening. And if nobody starts, nobody joins in or copies it.
@@holger_p And there is nothing bad about it. Why should all cultures be a copy of each other? Different cultures communicate differently and I find that very interessting.
Just a little hint how to eat the Brezel with butter: normally you just take a bite, than put a piece of butter on top of the Brezel and than take that bite. You don't cut it in half. In the same way you eat Croissants.
But why can you buy " ready " Butterbrezels at the bakeries ?
@@margots.597 because they are the ideal snack to go. If take your time to take a seat you cam do it your self sometimes
@@margots.597 Take a warm Butterbrezel and than put creamy Butter on top of it ---- a dream. But don't count the calories.
@@erdmuthehoppe7248 Kalorien ? Die sind beschäftigt . Die nähen nachts meine Kleider enger ......😎😅
@@margots.597 Die machen bei mir Überstunden.
No matter whats the subject of a Nalf video, it is always a pleasure to watch, because the cinematography and the whole execution are so well done. Love it 😃
Yes, well done Nalf. You truly love Germany. It’s so good to see through the production. Cheers kudos much success
I think a good portion of media internationally that shows germans is world war documentaries and movies or science based. Which both are automatically serious in nature. The germany comedy or other life styles are not "exported" as much. I think WW2 movies is also a big thing suporting to think that germans shout and the language is rough
We like sarcasm and cynicism ... a lot. The more serious the delivery the better. That can easily look like there is no humor, especially when it comes to a joke battle where after hearing a 'obvious' joke in all sincerity and not laughing (cause thats the rules!) you have to counter with something even more outlandish .. but also as seriously delivered as possible.
Also: many of us like our jokes not to be 'on the nose' too much, a good joke is recognized by its content, not obvious it is told. But thats not universally that way, many germans do like comedians that throw obvious punchlines after punchlines.
That and that we like to use our language a lot for the contents of the joke, words with more than one meaning or phrases that can be (usually not gramatically correct but commonly used somehow or -where) understood in different ways.
Simple example for the language bit: (yes i know such things exist in other languages too but they are pretty common in german)
"What did you do? You should have driven around that group of cyclists, not drive them over!"
"Was hast du getan? Du solltest die Gruppe von Radfahrern *umfahren*, nicht sie *umfahren*!"
As a swabian girl, let me tell you how this Butterbrezel-thing works: spread as much butter on your Brezel as you like but save a little to dip the crispy Brezel-arms in when eaten the big part
Someone speaking facts
"Mit Sonne im Märzen ist nicht zu scherzen!"
It's ALL SO WELL SHOT! 😂 I'm always mesmerized by your videos. They're never mundane. The little under-the-bridge drone footage, the dutch tilt on a question, the split screen in the café. So. 👏 Dang. 👏 Good. 👏
Thank you so much for noticing, Lucas. I appreciate this comment so much.
Lucas Maybe you would consider becoming a patron, since we have started a Movie Club on Nalf's Patreon channel. We select movies to watch and discuss. I bet you'd add a lot to the discussion. The mention of a Dutch tilt convinced me of that. ;)
@@mojojim6458 Sure, I'll have a look! :) I've never dabbled in patreon before.
Fun Fact: The Dutch angle is actually a "Deutsch angle" that was inspired by early German cinema. How fitting for this channel ;)
ruclips.net/video/SHYfsYQDr6M/видео.html
@@LucasBenderChannel Thanks for considering joining.
The „myth“ ,I think, stems 100% from Hollywood movies after WW II. „Jawoll, mein Führer“ is what has been fed to Americans for decades ;)
Aside from that, we Germans have a very different sense of humor. After 25 years in the US, I‘m stll flabbergasted, how often American, friends don‘t get irony or sarcasm ;)
All in all I‘d say , while the British are the best, we Germans are second ;)
US humor very often sounds childish ,or as we like to say „Fritzle-Witze“ Niveau :)
American humour comes off as if it is wanted too badly. Like they would be making sure that everyone definitely got it :D I think it is more "direct" indeed, when in difference we are more subtle and seem very serious when being sarcastic. Maybe people in the U.S. think we're actually meaning everything we're saying? I don't know :D
In our six or seven months living here in Germany, I have found my German friends to be quite funny. Maybe it helps that I have a very dry sense of humor (I don't enjoy "typical" American comedy as much). But I think part of the problem is what gets lost in translation. I've definitely missed some jokes by not knowing enough German!
German humor is very diverse. We had Loriot and Heinz Erhardt who both were "word smiths", both highly intelligent and literate, whose wordplays are still famous and revered today, we have Didi and Otto, who are both masters of the _(by all means intelligent)_ nonsense, we have _(and had)_ the political cabaretists _(Pispers, Priol, Malmsheimer, Hildebrandt, etc),_ who are able to transmit the most difficult political issues in ways, that the averagely educated spectator can follow along.
Germany has so many great humorists.
I think, part of "the problem" is: to understand German humor, one has to have a certain level of intelligence and/or education.
And, of course, a certain knowledge about German culture, politics and society.
Oh, and the vocabulary, because so many good German jokes are actual puns.
Without the proper knowledge of the German vocabulary and its different meanings, you are lost.
Today...we have Barth and Tall and Lobrecht. _Sigh._ German culture is doomed.
Nah, kidding. Well, a little.
After all - we had Asmussen, Bach and Dall in the past already - and still managed to survive.
So there is still hope. 😉😄
Dirk or J.S. Bach?
Der Humor trägt im Frühling Gelb, im Sommer Rot, im Herbst Braun und im Winter schwarze Farbe...
Wenn er schwarz wird, kommt das Ende. Ist er rot, geht's dem Land noch zu gut.
In D ist er z Z braun gefärbt...idio-logisch...
As a German who was living abroad, I had real problems with this whole "Germans have no humour" stereotype because whenever I made a joke people took it 100% seriously and that sometimes upset people.
I am an American with German/American grandparents. I can say for a fact that Germans are funny if you are attuned to their style of humor. I find American "humor" to be predictable, brash and not very funny, whereas German humor is drier, more subtle and more sophisticated. It may require inside knowledge of the subject, and the humor may be lost on a non-German who is not accustomed to looking for irony that may not be blatant.
Grandmother was carefree, quick to smile and laugh. Everyone new her as Inge. She was loved by everyone in the neighborhood. Grandfather on the other hand, was known to all as Mr. Brandstetter. He was a bit feared by most, he was considered very stern and was probably seen as a "stereotypical humorless German". A keen observer however, would have noted the twinkle in his eye and would have perceived that his dry demeanor was just part of the show. Among family he was an ardent prankster, but that side of him was not for the general public to see.
German humor is real, it's just not for everyone.
Genau so ist es!
Jeez, that's how I walk all the time.😐 I worked with a woman from Germany in a hotel in a national park in California. "Birgit" had a sense of humor, but it was very dry and when she did say something funny it was really funny because she was so serious most of the time. She was definitely more reserved than the other folks at the front desk. That said there was an older German couple who ran the gift shop (we had a number of international employees) and they were very friendly and outgoing.
Hazel Brugger is a perfect example of dry german humor
But strictly speaking she is Swiss. :-)
And some of her best jokes only work in a Swiss context.
When I see American comedy and compare it to German comedy, I can imagine why Americans don't understand German humor and therefore believe Germans don't have any. It's simply to complicated to them. American humor is basal, very obvious and slab-built. German humor tends to be more around the corner, more bushwacky, more behind the lines.
True! US-American humor is very often delivered with obvious hints, that you are to laugh at the jokes, even by professionals like Colbert or Maher. On the other hand: any German can deliver jokes with a straight face, only keeping a sharp eye on the listener to see if the point is understood - like: kapierst du? It's the funnier the less the listener understands of it!
And then there are Heimat-filme! They don't count as real humor in Germany. They count as "albern" - ridiculous.
Germany is now eagerly anticipating Mikey’s standup comedy routine (once the soft toys/stuffed animals gives their glowing testimonials) ! 😉🥳😎
I haven't researched this, and my history program in university I attended about 20 years ago. But here is what I think: The idea of humorless Germans comes from Old Prussia, especially from the reign of Frederick the Great.He ruled in the era of Enlightenment. His rule was characterized by pragmaticism, no-nonsense, and a disdain for any kind of debauchery. But he did enjoy playing music. He was a serious man ruling a poor country in serious trouble. (Seven Years War, for example). He inherited a focus on strong military from his Father, the Soldier King (Soldatenkönig), but in contrast to his father, his focus on military and discipline and industriousness seemed to come out of the necessities of the situation. His father was just fascinated by the idea of very tall imposing soldiers. (Lange Kerls). Ascribed characteristics of Prussians and subsequently Germans, have been industriousness, seriousness, militarism ever since Frederick the Great.
and Lange Kerls.
Frederick loved himself some Lange Kerls...
Funny & good observation
I believe it's lost in translation and style of comedy. Americans are very loud and in your face. Germans are like the Brits were it's very tongue-in-cheek and very wrapped around dialog.
I think British and German humor isn't THAT much different. Both ADD a special, local layer to the humor but there is def. common ground. It's no coincidence that British comedy is highly successful in Germany and Germans adapt a lot of British entertainment. I always felt like Germans and Brits are in some kind of hate/love relationship. We can't live with them but we can't live without them either.
Growing up in the Netherlands I could watch both German and British television and I'm afraid Germans don't do comedy very well, which is of course just a single craft and tradition. The Brits can also get giggly about everything related to the naughty bits, toilets and bodily functions which is simply not funny to non puritans, that's actually no credit to their sense of humour.
Germans are also a bit reserved and have very formal and hierachical professional relations, that's not inviting to joke around. The British can fit some of their understatments and subtle irony in. In international exchange the linguistical humour of the Germans often get lost, and they are more inhibited on the international stereotypes than other Europeans, while sarcasm does a lot better when people know eachother very well.
So I think it's fair to say that German humour is less on the surface and doesn't always come out right away, but I never had the impression Germans have less sense of humour.
You're right, German comedy is shit. But the reason for this is that we consider comedy as the lowest form of humor. German humor is more in sarcasm and political cabaret. That is when we shine.
@@nieselpriem It's also a matter of British people, who don't speak a word of German of course, claiming Germans have no sense of humour because they don't hear them joke in English. They don't even realize people tend to be less funny in a foreign language.
In high school we had "Otto, der Film" in German class, that was really funny but also seen as quite untypical for German comedy.
i once saw Jerry Lewis (in an interview for german tv) explaining the problems of americans to be funny in germany, and for "american humor" he twisted his legs to form an X, tilted the feet to walk on the side of the feet, dropped his jacket halfway down from his shouldrrs, made a stupid face, and then walked around like that, declaring "look how funny i am", and everybody loughed because they thought that that would really be funny. a german probably would laugh too, out of embarassement, just what we call "fremdschämen".
if someone who likes THAT kind of humor now comes to germany, he will see the myth confirmed, that germans don't have THAT humor.
imho, jerry lewis did one really funny sketch: "the typewriter song". and i believe that the classics (Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, etc) are liked too, but not what most americans seem to like and find funny now. compare all that "american humor" with Heinz Erhardt, Loriot, and even Otto, and you should easily see the difference, but also what is considered "good humor" in germany. it's debatable whether the newer "comedians" are really funny, or tend towards the more primitive jokes ...
ps: besides possible problems with copyright (even when only reciting some Erhardt-poems), Nalf watching and reacting to Wilhelm Busch, Heinz Erhardt (eg "Die Made") or Loriot ("Adventsgedicht" or "Weihnachten bei Hoppenstedts", videos available on youtube) might be quite interesting, and some nice language training :-)
Heinz Erhardt and Loriot! Great suggestions!
No one would consider Jerry Lewis as an accomplished comedian. He was a clown.
Jerry Lewis was a clown and buffoon.
Germans have a great sense of humor. Very dry and sarcastic, the problem for foreigners is that the germans look dead serious while joking, which of course is part of the humor. But that makes it incredibly difficult for foreigners to recognize when they're joking.
German Humor is like the "fun" in funeral. It is there in plain sight but some just don't see it.
Let me educate many of you. Which language is closest to German? The answer is English. I have managed to learn to speak a little German and my wife speaks French "comme une Parisienne". But when I try and Use my German in Germany, they all speak English and answer my questions in English - and they do speak it better than my German, politely but proudly
Thanks for promoting that comedian.
He's hilarious indeed.
This is Europe - you can take your pants off in the park 😅
I do believe, the "German lack of humor" is a misconception: Humor and jokes are regarded rather a private matter in Germany - one would do between friends and not in conversation with strangers. The last could have seen as weird or akward. For American or Brits it could be a more public matter - the same way you would rather engaged in small talk with strangers. In the anglosaxon world even scientific speeches often start with some joke ... which could be considered as not appropriate in Germany. So if a German meets an American for the first time he or she is not very likely to start a conversation with a joke. Most people you will meet on travels or other tourists will be strangers - which leeds to the impression of not joking around.
Maybe, subconsciously the topic has something to do with Nalf's last video: the German love for privacy and privacy protection - born in Gestapo and Stasi spying on them. Keeping jokes as a private thing could come from the same origin: you would never know, what consequences it would bring, if you tell political and critical jokes to a stranger.
When I went to the US as an Au pair in 1991 the mother of the family asked if I had ever seen an iron and she held out a iron to me and pointed to the dry laundry in the basket. I told her I have never seen that and we iron laundry with hot rocks. The dad constantly asked me the same question, whether all english movies in Germany have subtitles. In that one year he asked me this question about three times a week and I told him each time that the movies are dubbed. i did homework the the ten year old, she had no idea that Spain, France, Italy or Sweden were countries….
the butter was almost ice cold. never understood why they serve it that way, i prefer it at about 10 degree, somewhat hard somewhat soft and within 15 min soft enough to spread it
German humor is like German bread: very dark and very dry.
Hey NALF, If you're still looking for a good butterbrezel for mikey, try the one at "Bäckerei Berger" in the Wilhelmstraße in Reutlingen. The city itself and the surrounding landscape is worth visiting too in my view. (And no im not some tourist bot I'm just a 16yo local obsessed with history, language, culture and all topics connected to the previous ones🤣)
Oh and you could go for a hike on the achalm. (It's free and you have nice view over the city)
Great idea, would love it if Nalf visit us here, also Berge is quite good, think he could enjoy it. Greetings from Reutlingen
This sounds beautiful - is it a very sporty hike, or more of a Wanderweg?
@@LaureninGermany it is more of a wanderweg. According to my dad it takes about 90 min to the top from downtown Reutlingen.
Oh and the narrowest street in the word is found in our city
I always asumed that the stereotype comes from a lot of German humor being very dry and deadpan and without inside knowledge of the culture it's hard to get but after some thinking on it that's just the humor in MY circle but I know plenty of Germans that have a very overt sense of humor. In fact most of Germanies most sucessful comedians have a very obvious style of humor (that is often condescendingly sneered at by snobbish people like me 😉). I really don't have an answer here and would be super interested to see a 'nonsense' video about it if you find out 🤗
That poor scooter having to graze upon the unsmoothest of sidewalks ive ever seen
"Sir, not all germans are nazis ! Yes I know this theory..."
OSS117, a French spy comedy with Jean Dujardin
Groucho Marx: "I collect the thinnest books in the world. I already have three: Italian heroic legends, the secrets of English cuisine and 1000 years of German humor.” perhaps🤔
I think a huge part in the stereotype of the humorless German stems from how terrible German stand-up comedy is. Our humor is much more situational and doesn't really lend itself well to the stand-up style. The best German stand-up comedians would barely be considered mediocre in the USA.
Right. German speaking countries don't have a big stand-up-comedy scene. I remember watching a documentary of Michael Mittermeier from 2011 when he participated in the Canadian comedy festival "Just for laughs". He made being a "German comedian" into an integral part his show.
That rings kind of true actually. Many people around me are very very funny but whenever I watch german standup I kind of curl up inside.
Maybe the american humour is too different from the german humour. Saying "Hoppy Easter" instead of "Happy Easter" would not be considered being funny anywhere in Europe (except maybe for England).
Every bunny needs somebunny sometimes....
2:33 You could also be a savage and ask for Margarine instead.
I think Michael Mittermeier once explained it like this. In the past, comedians were mostly Jews. Due to WW2, Germany lost most of its comedians. Either in concentration camps or by their escape abroad. I think that has hit a big gap in our society.
and only 3 generations to recover.... ;)
Butterbrezel: I don't cut the brezel but put the butter on the brezel before I bite off. For me- best way to eat it.
Germany must be seen quite "regional", dear. Speaking of humour: It exists everywhere, but differs very much from north to south.
I think a lot of it comes from us Southern Europeans (Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, Greeks and Southern French) due to the fact that we talk in a joking manner. Even in serious occasions like business meetings, we will say important information and talk about serious topics in a jokingly matter. Germans, in my experience, really divide when it's time to be serious and when it's time to crack jokes. When us southerners make business with Germans (and other Northern Europeans) they don't understand why we joke around in what they deem "a moment to act serious" and look at us with poker faces or even get annoyed at us for not taking the situation seriously (we do take it seriously, btw, it's just a different way of doing it). So we just cross it off as they not having a sense of humor. So I think we spread that "myth" a lot.
I put it in quotations because although they do have A sense of humor, after living in german Switzerland and going to Germany a lot, I can safely say that their sense of humor is dry, rancid and quite insulting in many occasions from southerner point of view.
Americans coming to Europe have to understand that there's a huge cultural divide between Southern Europe (Latin Europe) and Northern Europe (Germanic Europe).
I believe in the most cases it is a translation issue. Translating a German joke into English means mostly nothing or something totally stupid. Germans are very sarcastic, which a lot of nationalities does not understand.
Talking about the wedding video and cutting to the pigeons - now that was actually funny
I was in Niedersachsen for 5 years during my army days (British) and met many Bundeswehr guys with amazing sense of humour, closer to the British than the American soh, which seems to be childish to me.
Butter should've been room temperature, they gave it to you out of the fridge... xD Bad practice there.
I think Americans have watched so many WW2 movies and TV shows they have digested the humorless (at best) stereotypes. Even in Hogans Heroes the Germans were always the straight guy vs Hogan and his group.
I have a suggestion for Nalfs nonsens... Why American football players do not wear pants in the German park...
Taking your 'pants' off in the park in Ireland would rise a lot of eye brow & unhappy people as 'pants' means mens underpants.
For political jokes, try Extra3 or Heute Show (can you find on RUclips both).
There is a saying here in Germany about a certain type of people who "go to the basement to laugh" which just means that humor is a private matter to some and also unprofessional, sure things are changing but those people are still very much around.
Oh, interesting. Living in the region but not from here I've noticed when I've used humour to lighten up the mood and 'a smiley icebreaker' there's a weird vibe in response like 'I'm less than'... incompetent was the word that came to mind but dared not say it out loud (like how dare they see me as anything less than equal, I'm human too - how is that possible in such a large part of a population, aren't we all loveable with our flaws etc.) and your comment kind of confirms my suspicions. Same thing if I laugh at myself for tripping over something or bumping into something (with quick recovery) or laughing at the messiness of life - e.g. accidentally spraying water on myself when washing the car or having food on one's face. That's just me as a person (I'm Australian) so I find it really really hard to relate to folks locally. Note. I live in Switzerland on the border to Germany so have, I suspect, the regional variations of what you're describing, but I definitely recognise it, I think it's quite common here. I love shopping in Germany as a result, I found a favourite store with folks I can feel ok around.
@@mynameisheidi Yes the differences can be felt from region to region, there are regions that are more relaxed than others, also german humor can easily be overlooked, for example, do you know the term "diebische elster" (thieving magpie)? now what was the name of the german online tax program again? oh yes ... elster ... people who never did their taxes online in germany would never get this.
I think this stereotype is based on history and cultural based.
First the cultural aspect Germans are quite private, especially in east german. So jokes weren't made in the public, but more in private enviroments. That is partially based on history because germany has a long history of dictatorships and censorships. So some jokes are what isn't told in the joke at all for outsider it's extremely hard to understand, this especially true in East Germany. Another aspect of german humor is that is split crude humor and more sophisticated humor....a division that is upheld today. The reason is that the latter is considered more valuable and german people that traveled through the world were usually from the upper echolon. But this humor is very difficult to translate, because of wordplay, doublemeaning etc. So if this german traveler try to tell this joke in another language, it will fail.
It's unusual in Germany to tell a joke in more serious public events.
The historical aspect of this stereotype is based on the prussian military more concrete about their strictness that were perceived outside Germany. The second aspect is that the most famous Germans are also perceived as humorless. There jokes are wellknown in Germany and unknown outside. As an example Karl Marx joked about germans and his book "Franzosen bewerten mein Werk nach Inhalt, die Deutschen nach Gewicht, deswegen habe ich ein paar Seiten mehr geschrieben" translated "French judged my work of contents, while german judged it by its weight, so i wrote more pages". Half of the joke is lost in translation because the doublemeaning is lost.
Another thing is that Mark Twain wrote about German being humorless and this view wasn't much challenged.
In certain way while the german humor is more direct, sarcastic and sometimes very dark, it require a certain amount of background information.
How about this one - it's hard to think up a translation that's sufficiently DRY: A planet flies past the Earth and cries out, "Hey, what's the matter with you? You look terrible!" The Earth moans, "I came down with a bad case of Humans!" The alien planet replies, "It won't last."
I worked in a café/restaurant once, so I'll let you in on a little secret. We used margarine in our sandwiches, which is super easy to spread.
I'm pretty sure that in Swabia there is a death penalty for commiting an atrocity as to spread margarine on a Bretzel instead of butter...
@@armadspengler2717 I can believe that. But I can maybe de-escalate the situation. It was not in Swabia and we made our sandwiches with regular bread not with Brezeln.
smoking is illegale for under 18 years but the thing is here in Germany it is forbidden to press charges against users of any drug, only possession is illegal ;)
How much audio compression would you like?
Video editor: YES!
I believe, another myth is that the Scandinavians or Dutch are better than us in English. The absolutely most difficult word, which was completely beyond recognizing and understanding for most Americans, I heard the other day in a speech of an elderly person from the US. It started with "America can be defined in one word" and then it came. I think it is worth an extra video! It went like "asomu-uh-hm". I was so intrigued and instantly understood what he wanted to say.
FUN FACTS about Germny: NO FUN in Germany - Go back to Work!
Hi NALF
Try a compression sleeve for your calf injury. You want it tight enough to compress the blood out of the tissue but not too tight that it cuts off blood supply. You can always try pack therapy. Cold pack then hot pack followed by a six pack. If that doesn’t work repeat the process and usually by the end of a 24 pack the pain goes away. 👍
I've faught that myth for allmost all of my life.
Me: that's not funny
Vis-a-vis: you are German, you have no humour
Me: so why do I like British humour
Vis-a-vis:: sulky
The quality of your videos stuns me everytime
Well, it goes back a few hundred years. Bear with me on this, I have an actual university degree in this field.
See, if you look at stage theatre from the 17th to the 19th century, Britain has Shakespeare, Italy has Goldoni, France has Molière - people who would write comedies that would make their audiences laugh out loud - audiences that included everyone from the monarch to the common folk. There was masterful witty wordplay in their plays, sure - but there were also knob and fart jokes.
Now, Germany never had that. There is this shibboleth that in German theatre, "comedy" means "NOT everybody dies". Goethe and Kleist and them wrote plays that were drily witty, but penis jokes? Never.
Now, why is that?
Well, one has to remember that Germany was far less united than its European peers, and/or far less urbanised. Britain and France had the sprawls of London and Paris, while Italy had its great city-states like Venice, Milan, Naples, or Florence. In fact, nobody has this stereotype about Austrians, and that is because it has a major metropolis like Vienna, and thus a large number of urban comedic playwrights.
So simply put, there was never a diverse audience for those plays in Germany. Nobody had to entertain Lords, the bourgeois, and the commoners. So ALL German entertainment, from literature to music, basically got split down the middle: highbrow stuff for the high and mighty, and lowbrow buffoonery for the common folk. It's the same reason why utter clowns like Mario Barth are so hugely successful in German "comedy", and also why German pop music is the worst in the world.
Anyway, back in the day, theatre was how people would learn about other cultures. And since nobody ever bothered bringing the "Hanswurst" kind of clownery to the rest of Europe, the people who were just laughing their behinds off during Twelfth Night would come across a Goethe "comedy" like Der Groß-Cophta, and wonder why there were zero jokes in it.
Well from my experience, Germany has had the best beer parties.
This should have been on the nonesense channel
"This is Europe man, anything goes." Not *quite*… :D
I was told at some time, that the comedy Hogans Hero’s was very popular in the US and the non existing German sense of humor in it was driving that impression … true for the series, wrong in life … I believe the German sense of humor is much more sarcastic, can be very (too?) direct, desert dry, allows political incorrectness but also has a wide range …
What?! You've never heard of the 1989 book German Humor: On the Fritz by John L. Anderson? A classic.
His brother is killing his NoBo bc it’s ventilation gets blocked if placed on a soft surface like this pillow. So it'll overheat in no time.
Thank you, I appreciate your respect man! I also love how you present German life through your eyes!
Film school! Now I understand! Wherever you went, it worked.
I have the answer!!!! Most Americans don’t think Germans have a sense of humor because….. most of us who have come in contact with Germans…. Do not understand the jokes that they are making because it goes over our heads, They are often subtle and sarcastic and rather back door…. Prime example!!! My mother, my fiancée, and I were visiting some friends In Frankfurt Germany in early December last year when my mother turned to our German friend and said the common phrase “I hate your tell you but…” and his response was “I don’t know why you hate to tell me… because I am not caring…” This bit went completely over her head entirely but the smile on his face told it all…
Viele gehen auch zum Lachen in den Keller - Bier Ernst wartet schon.
How can you eat a salty pretzel with coffee? Impossible..... Then rather a croissant for breakfast and later a beer with a pretzel!
It doesn't exist a good coisssant in Germany, so I prefer a bretzel with coffee, too
Why would that be a problem?
Here in south germany that's tradition: just a good old Buddrbrezl, dipped into the coffee :) at home, as a snack during a long meeting at work or after shopping - it always fits. But beer & pretzel sounds fine, too
The Germans have had a lot of comedy songs that hit #1 and stayed there for a while. I mean "Der Niple" was #1 for a while.
In Germany competence and humour don't often meet each other. You can't be seen as competent AND funny. If I'm ill and going to the doctor, and that one starts cracking jokes, I don't have the feeling that this physician is interested in healing me. So at work you usually joke with coworkers you're close to. Otherwise you don't joke around during business.
And as many Americans dealing with Germans are doing it for business, they often don't get to know the funny side of our culture.
Hi NALF. Over my 66 years of life so far, travelling a lot the world in holidays and busines i came once to the conclusion that most stereotypes about us Germans are left overs from propaganda of WW1 and WW2. And Hollywood and UK Movies Industries made good use of these stereotypes as well and kept them going.
Without humour, how would the people in the GDR have survived?
Humour died with the trauma of war and then slowly grew back.
Bro, you can’t really cut a pretzel like a roll. Just break it in half and add a little butter for each bite.
And yes. I get that it’s weird to eat with just a knife in your hand, but it works surprisingly well… 😉
Plus you actually get butter on that thin part, that’s impossible to cut.
🌈this has been: my PSA for this month 😆
I was an Aupair in USA and I watshed a german comedy with english subtitles 😂 the translations were the best, almost. I stil watsh mostly movies in original becouse the german words can not mirrow the american so it gets a hole different meaning easy. But sometimes I like the german voice actor more. Howard Stern Privat Parts is the best excample wich movie doesnt work as well on german as on english!
Hello, this is the very first comment on this very new video of NALF.
This comment does not make much sense, yet it's here for you to read.
Take the clinical dictionary "Pschyrembel" and look up for the "Steinlaus".
Mickey really seems to like pudding or yogurt.. or whatever he`s eating at the beginning of every video
I guess the Romans were the first (9 A.D.) to think: these guys are no joke.
Until 1945 Germans won more Nobel Prizes than all other nations combined; many American laureates after 1945 have German names - so what can be funny about this people that has excelled in classical music, mathematics, philosophy, engineering, medicine etc. ???????
A country completely destroyed after the 30-Years-War, its economy destroyed after WWI, again ruined after WWII and risen to the top of the world within a decade or two afterwards each time - that's not funny, these guys are a serious threat........
Humor makes people likeable. Very very undesired if you are fighting a war against Germany.
Germanys picture in the world is very much shaped by Prussia with its militaristic culture and stricts laws. That culture helt on until the 70s when the students made their cultural revolution.
I think that the "normal" german citizen might be equally funny or not funny as the normal US citizen.
However, I think that nevertheless there are not so many good german comedy movies or comedians, so this might explain the common opinion a bit. Also I think that the few good comedies/comedians rely on understanding the german language, so I can imagine if a non german speaker is watching for instance a Loriot sketch, this might not be funny at all.
And of course: I think that unfortunately in many cases foreign people mainly know Germany because of some Nazi history footage - which is in fact not that much funny.
There are also not as many bad German comedians as American ones. So I wouldn't take that as an indicator since there are really funny German TV shows. ;)
But most importantly really funny writers! All the great names you'd associate with German literature had a humorous style. A fine humour though which usually gets lost in translation and the English version isn't that much fun to read.
Well, i think because of WWI and WWII and the time back than. A lot of Germans was "officially" very Serious ...
Me, a Swiss, smile at the thought of some Brits snickering about taking of your pants at the park 😉
As a brit this used to be true, i went out with a German girl some yrs ago and sometimes she wouldnt understand my humor and she would take offence, i would often have to explain that i was joking. But i feel the internet, youtube etc have made the world smaller, which in one way is a good thing but in another it isnt, as we all become the same and lose cultural differences
thats odd i know some brits and always found the humor pretty similar. at least 25 years ago. i mean old school Monty python was also a banger in germany. Of course there is still a bit of different humor here and there. I guess one extreme example of german type oldschool humor is Loriot. But in general i would say that "western" humor is pretty the same. :-)
You probably just weren‘t funny. 😉
You certainly broke rule number one when talking to that girl: Don't mention the war!
"This seat's taken" xd
I have no idea! This is a great video! Never having been to Germany I only knew a few Germans in my life: 1. My great grandparents, they had absolutely no sense of humour and I was scared of them. People on that side of my family don’t like kids and always have a mean face on. 2. The exchange student, he was hilarious and fun. Totally changed my mind on Germans. So maybe it was true a long time ago, maybe our sense of humours are different. It’s hard to know why the stereotype exists, probably propaganda 🤣🤣
That rumor comes from foreigners that do business with germans but never took their time to know the culture of Germany, germans do not like to joke when doing business while foreigners like to joke around, drink some wine, eat some cheese, u know... the usual small talk, germans are not into that, its either free time or business but that changed since ww2 as well the more multicultural germany became.
So many great insights here in the comments. Quite the subject Nalf.