American reacts to German Culture vs American Culture
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to ARE GERMANS RUDE?
Original video: • ARE GERMANS RUDE?
Thanks for subscribing for more German reactions every weekday!
Join as a member to get the ridiculous emojis and badge!
/ @ryanwass
Got a video request? You can fill out this form!
forms.gle/gmHJ...
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS
For me as a German, it felt so weird to hear compliments about my English, from Americans. I exactly know that it isn't good at all. I started learning English at the age of 46. This was 5 years ago, and oh boy, I make a lot of mistakes. Instead of sugar coating me, come up and help me to get better!
There is nothing wrong with being honest in a polite way.
I tried to correct your grammar mistakes but I deleted the comment cuz it felt rude. LOL I started learning German at age 36; you won't find me writing in German on RUclips cuz I can't handle that much feedback.
@@LythaWausW Why you deleted it? Since when is helping someone to get better in something concidered rude? Everything is fine as long as your comment isn't loaded with mean words.
@LythaWausW
You want to get better and better in what you're learning. I as a German sometimes have problems too when someone corrects me. But it depends on how the other one do it.
If he says it rudely (You should know that you must write 'does', you idiot. That's first class elementary school) then I feel like he'll hurt me. But if he says it in a polite way with a 😉, then he wants to help me. You never learn something properly if no one tells you what's wrong.
Always when someone teaches you something, if it's at school or at sports or at work, he needs to tell you what you did wrong. However he has to do it in a polite way.
Have a nice day 🖐👴
@@Terkina__ I think if we were face to face I'd do as you wish and correct a mistake, but I think online it felt like bullying. That's just me as a super sensitive American.
@bayron1204
May I correct it into ...
"English is _too_ polite to be honest
German is _too_ honest to be polite"
I just talked to a friend who said that with this correction, it's more funny and true.
Have a nice day and greetings back 🖐👴
It's actually so true that the line between honesty and sarcasm gets blurry and people who don't get sarcasm can struggle a lot with that
Also, there are a lot of occasions where sarcasm is actually inappropriate. It is a pretty direct and provocative stylistic device which should be used sparingly and only if you know the other person well enough to know they won't take offence.
We don't stare! We look and observe intensely.
I think there are two aspects to German 'rudeness' -- the first is that we have a different scale. When I went for a school exchange to America, I was told specifically to, when asked how the food was, never say "It's okay."
"It's okay" to an American, I was told, was like saying "My hunger made me to eat it" to a German, whereas "Es war okay" is a perfectly adequate appreciation of food in Germany.
The second is that Germans are honest in a way Americans are not. I once read an "AITA" question on reddit where someone had borrowed a book, and accidentally destroyed it, and the lender had said: "Forget about it". And so he assumed that everything was okay and that he wouldn't need to do anything about it. And reddit then roasted him for that assumption.
Let me tell you, if a German wanted the book replaced, he would tell you so. If he said "Forget about it" it would be safe to forget about it.
That would literally mean the same in America, I don't understand that, maybe it was trolling?🤔
@@Timbothruster-fh3cwa better example "kann man essen" (literally just: one can eat that") is an expression to say food is good. Maybe that has something to do with the direct, dry and sarcastic kind of german sense of humor.
@@legolars5122 I guess it would depend on the person & expressiveness of it.
@@legolars5122 If that were the case, it would express even greater criticism of the food. Which could definitely be the case ;-))
@@Timbothruster-fh3cw You're right, the sound makes the music, as we say.
If you go to a restaurant in Germany you might find the staff a bit “rude” by US standards.
But that is probably because they don’t need to grovel and adhere to your every whim and demand to make a decent living wage.
If you are rude or demanding towards the staff in Germany they might very well just kick you out of the restaurant with the full support of the other guests AND the manager of the restaurant!
By worldwide standards....normal human behavior. The American service industry is an exception. They are extemely overbearing, very fake, interrupt regularly... but Americans claim thats "good service"
Only Americans would confuse being reserved and respectful as rude.
That's because of the extrovert ideal there.
tbh, I'm German myself and I've heard of Austrians who say germans are rude as Germans are much more direct than Austrians...
@@SuperHawk0413 Well, Autrians are strange.
I mean they started 2 world wars and when they lost them, they pinned it on the Germans. Can't trust those buggers! 😇
Many Germans will hold the door for you. In fact, my experience is that many Germans have good manners and many Americans don’t
@@SuperHawk0413 That's true (German living in Austria with an Austrian husband who likes indirect speech a lot.)
Good catch on the being super honest vs very sarcastic issue, Ryan. This is indeed a frequent misunderstanding.
German humour is also generally delivered deadpan and easy to misunderstand.
Example from today: crowded parking lot at touristic spot. Couple approaching their car. Me: "Are you leaving?" They: "No" while opening the car and getting ready to leave. Truthful or joking response? Needs some mental calculations.
@@Warentester I've experienced quite the same situation some years ago. So I waited for them to drive away from their parking spot only to find out that the couple was actually just having a little snack inside their car.
Talking about the line between honesty and sarcasm, shortly after I relocated to Germany from the U.K. I went on a yoga retreat to the island of Sylt. We were going to dinner and I was busy blow drying my hair, as it was raining outside I mentioned to my German classmate with whom I was sharing the room, that I didn’t know why I bothered as my hair would probably just get frizzy again in the rain. A British friend would have said something like ”no your hair looks good like that, it will be fine, we’ll be under umbrellas” I was stunned when my German friend answered “I don’t understand why you bothered either” 😳 She obviously saw how flustered I was and then said something like, “well you do have curly hair and it is raining” German honesty.
😂😂😂 love that story, thanks for sharing
If you wanna see some german sarcasm and the not sugar coating stuff, maybe watch some episodes of "Die heute show". It's a political satire show, and they are upfront with their opionion, and they are very harsh, but it really shows how many germans think about certain topic (not all germans though)
you know it IS POSSIBLE to be polite AND respectful and still voice your opinion without maple syrup all around it. A bit of Irony just lightens the mood whereas sarcasm has to be handled with care. It is my German attitude that those very sugar-coated meaningless friendliness drives me into cynicism without feeling guilty about it. 😁😎
Politeness is very subjective. When I first moved to South Africa I would get frustrated because, in a business meeting, it took too long to start the business conversation and I had to get through the small talk. I am so used to it now that when I visit my suppliers in Germany I get shocked that they go straight to point without any small talk. :D
Small talk in germany is like: "1: have u had a god Trip to come here? 2: yes 1: okay nice to hear, here is the Business stuff
you are not telling a person they're a moron! that is rude! but you can tell them what you dont like about the way they work. so that is actually a good thing. you are not only getting honest feedback, you can also tell others what you would like them to change.
A German will tell you if you've gained weight. I guess because as Americans we might not have noticed *lol*
@@LythaWausW it is considered rude to tell people they gained weight. unless it is in context and you know you wont hurt that person.
@@robopecha
I guess then we are rude because we don't give a shit. If you gained weight, you gained weight. You don't want it to be mentioned? Easy: Don't gain weight.
I thought everyone was so much into honesty these days. Or is that only until honesty hits home?
@@dan_kay whatever. its about hurting/insulting someone. not about honesty. honesty is fine, but it should not be impolite. that is common sense. stop trolling.
@@dan_kayyou are confusing honesty with rudeness. If you say that to someone, you are rude.
Talking about myself as a German ... I would not say I'm judgemental, rather I'm pretty direct, as in I will perhaps (politely) not tell you if I'm not yet ready for a closer friendship but I will let you realize that. I will also tell you when I have a different viewpoint to yours. Politely, mind you, but directly.
You will be able to recognize the difference between sarcasm and honesty by the tone of voice or the big grin on my face while I'm telling you something horrible (which would be a sign for sarcasm 😁)
Btw, I believe you would fit in quite well in Germany. You are recognizably American, but not in a way that would stick out negatively around here.
Ryan,
"You can't just stare at people here in America". But in America cams are certainly watching and following your every move outside your home though.
The "german staring" is an american overstatement which serves the prejudice of german manners in public. Like a rolling snowball it grows more and more the more it's said. And when you expect it while you're in Germany, you will certainly find it. Where are a lot of people around you have a lot to look at. It is simply interesting to watch the different kind of people, but without meaning to be impolite.
I agree as a German that many Germans are very direct and will tell you their criticism in the same way , which is not meant in a bad way. Whether at work, with friends, etc. It has nothing to do with unfriendliness.
The good side of not sugar coating things is if a german give u a compliment u know he/she realy mean it
I haven't had a compliment from a stranger in 16 years, besides when I visit another country.
I don't expect compliments from strangers. I would even be very surprised and would ask myself why he is addressing me, what he wants from me. the question is whether compliments abroad are sincere and if not, they are worthless
@@Lysandra-8 Sadly I've been in Germany so long if a stranger complimented me, I'd be suspicious rather than grateful *sigh*. My German Mother in Law cannot even accept a compliment from me, that's how suspicious her generation is. It was a wonderful free feeling in America last month to walk up to someone at the hotel buffet and say, "Where did you get that shirt!?" She was delighted. There are other ex-pat vids that have addressed the issue of Germans and compliments, it's just a part of the culture. Refusal to assimilate leads to depression, so I try.
Sadly you will also experience the same in other northern European countries (e.g. Denmark, Sweden, Finland..)
..."Everybody tries to be polite and quiet"... No it's that way, but being raised in Germany you know when it's appropriate to be more considerate or when not to.
Hi from a German introvert to an American introvert :) I do have some judgements (I confess) about how Americans sometimes present themselves or want to get a message across. Like that one nice guy from the US, youtube suggested me to watch his video, he was sharing about German culture in a way as if he wanted to sell me his washing powder. He was SO intense that I actually clicked to no longer see videos from his channel. It feels as if some Americans think if they don't put up a show, nobody will listen to them, while in fact many German people react quite negatively towards this attitude. In Germany, if you want to be taken for serious and get your message across, you speak in a calm, clear and understandable voice. I'm not sure if this judgement is connected to that charismatic guy who got us all into WWII, but he definitely used a lot of propaganda and he screamed a lot. At times, when I listen to someone who has a message I'm truly interested in, I need to keep reminding myself that it's about the message and that I won't leave the room because of the way it is presented.
@EvaCornelia Hello, you might want to check out Nalf, he is pretty good and usually not very intense, in my opinion
NALF is a anomaly in youtube culture, but he actually does understand german culture even if he sometimes burries it in tons of cinematic footage.
I also enjoy 'who is Mert?'
I find it strange how many American RUclipsrs that probably haven't been living in Germany that long and probably only in one region often Berlin, make videos about THE GERMANS. It's nuts!
All the foreign german youtubers I see settle down in the south of Germany :""D
Hi from Germany The staring Thing: I was taught in school to always be attentive and to observe and analyze. That's why I stare at people who catch my eye from time to time. But only briefly. I look at their face, skin color, eye color, nose shape, hairstyle, height and stature, and the clothes they wear. Then I try to imagine to which social class they belong - be clear - not in a bad way. It's just my habit. Also to analyze whether danger threatens (comes just also from nature), what does the counterpart, is there danger or is he/she perhaps looking for help in an emergency situation (perhaps he/she is forced) etc. There are many reasons that can be cited, each has different reasons. This is my opinion while staring
Endlich ein Kommentar von jemandem mit gesundem Menschenverstand. Danke dafür. 😊
@@dorisk.4944 Danke, rational gesehen macht das doch jeder Mensch, das ist doch in der Tierwelt normal (wir sind auch nur Tiere) nur diejenigen, welche sich dadurch angegriffen fühlen sind diejenigen, welche selbst nicht merken oder wahrhaben wollen, dass sie selbst "starren" wie käme es sonst zu so massiven "Anfeindungen" in z.B. USA wenn man die ganzen Karen und Ken Videos sieht welche sich schon zum Teil belästigt fühlen wenn man nur in der Nähe parkt. Da starren die doch auch die ganze Zeit hin um dann in den Angriffsmodus zu gehen.
Ich übersetzt das mal noch für die Anderen:
Thank you, rationally speaking, every person does that, that is normal in the animal world (we are also only animals) only those who feel attacked by it are those who do not notice or want to perceive that they themselves "stare" how would it otherwise come to such massive "hostility" in e.g. USA if you see all the Karen and Ken videos which already feel partly harassed if you only park nearby. Since the stare but also the whole time to then go into attack mode.
😉
As a German I also look at others briefly, but I also believe it is important to be open for conversation, when the other one notices me or feels interrupted. Because, to me, starring often comes along as a kind of pre-assumption. But if I can break the ice, it is much easier to get around it. But sometimes, when people keep starring but don't want the conversation or at least try to solve the situation by saying something in a friendly way, I see it as somehow reserved and it comes along as intrusive - in my opinion
I was very surprised to learn about "German staring" on youtube a while ago, because I never felt I or anyone else was staring in Germany. But then... I just returned from a trip to Canada and almost 600 people were boarding a huge airplane with only two aisles. There was a huge queue and when I reached the end (or start) of the queue a young guy which looked American (though I might be very wrong here) stood in the middle of the aisle of the airplane and stared at the queue with a friendly smile. Nobody could pass him. I did not return his smile and STARED at him. After a few seconds he got it and made room for people to walk past him. So this kind of stare is very effective and keeps me from saying some hurtful or at least impolite words to that guy who might have been just a daydreamer.
Sarcasm and irony belong to the most difficult parts of almost every language.
I remember when I grew up in Germany (actually I am German), the moment I understood their concepts I considered it being an important step towards becoming an adult.
And adult Germans love to stress that they are grown-ups, even when it comes to humor. That’s why German satire can be spot-on.
But on the other hand they have the dumbest, silliest and childist movies one can think of.
Honestly, as a Turkish person (Turkish family) but born and raised in Germany, it also overwhelms me sometimes with the different cultures. I'm sometimes stuck between these two, it's weird.
Yes, multiculturalism is bs, its not working in long term.
Hi Ryan, I do understand when you say you’d be confused not knowing if somebody would be upfront or sarcastic. I was confronted with actually same situation but with different cultural behavior. When I was in the United States I struggled with the American friendliness. Was it honest friendliness or just being nice to avoid hurting you: “Oh, what a lovely shirt!” “I will call you.” “No, you don’t have any German accent at all!” It took me quite a while until I learned to understand which category sentences like these were. 😁🤗
in germany, as in all other countries, there are many types of characters. yes, the majority smile much less and are much more reserved towards strangers, which makes them seem very unfriendly or even rude, but when a german likes you, he really means it and doesn't just say it to make you feel better. we don't run around telling everyone what we think, but when we do, it's really direct and of course we're not sarcastic all day long. we just prefer this kind of humor
Hey :)
When we stare, it's just:
1) you're rude, or
2) you're pretty, or
3) no, you stare, I stare back 😄
Viele Grüße
👀😂
Hey, greetings from Heidelberg, tons of tourists from the US here…
1. Germans look aka stare at you, if your behaviour isn‘t appropriate… mostly if you‘re too loud..
2. You can compare our sarcastic humor with british humor..
3.“yes“ means „yes“; „no“ means „no“
4.critisism dosen‘t mean, you‘re a dumb person or so, it’s a way to say what to improve to become a better person or to get better results, so it’s positive… Even if it hurts in the first moment..
If someone says, I‘m a a*hole, I‘ve 2 possibilitys: 1st, I don‘t care about his opinion, it’s fine or 2nd, I‘ve to change my behaviour to be seen as a nice guy.. It’s my choice..
🇺🇸❤🇩🇪
Some public service advice when a German stares at you:
1. Stand and face the German directly. Never run away from or approach them.
2. Make yourself look as German as possible by saying 'Genau' or, better yet, 'So, dann wollen wir mal'. Highlight any Birkenstock shoes or Deuter backpacks, if available.
3. Make as little noise as possible - stop any phone call or any other noisemaking devices, in particular when on public transportation.
4. If the German approaches and you have Dosenpfand, give it to the German in order to confuse them.
5. After the German leaves, slowly retreat to a save place.
That kinda sounds like a survival checklist for a bear attack, but this time it's for a german.
Or Just dont Care waht he thinks of you
@@stagjo429 we love having someone explain the joke. (
This is funny :)
Nobody expects you to make him or her laugh, there is no pressure. Just If you manage to, it will be very well received.
Most Germans are always very honest and direct when asked for their opinion.
For example: What do you think of my new 60 inch TV?
German answer: It is much too big for the small room. Didn't you think about how much electricity such a big device consumes? The color resolution of a TV of brand XY is much better. The speakers have a very tinny sound with the device. In addition, the device does not have an easy-to-use remote control and is not very intuitive to operate. You should hang the device on the wall and not put it on the TV rack.
Also 60 inch? You don't have a room that is big enough for that! YOu are not living in a US house!
@@steemlenn8797 Funny. For years we had a 14inch TV and ppl would tell us our TV was too small to watch. My response was to bring the TV to the coffee table, "Better?"
@@LythaWausW Yeah, I just can't understand why people would put a huge screen on a wall where they would only be able to see the outer parts as a sort of blurred soup because human eyes are not made to see any details there.
Though I admit that 14 not directly in front of you IS very small. I woudl certainly not be able to read any text at 2,5m distance that I use on my 32 inch TV
Equally true in the Netherlands! 😁
i agree with that german. :) it could actually also mean "why did you not include me in your tv research, you should have known i know a lot about this topic! i am not feeling appreciated as a friend."
Oh. I remember her. That's the broad who, in a prior video, explained how people who move to Germany do not need to bother learning German because Germans can just be bothered to speak English. Not exactly the right person to be judging anyone's manners. There are few things trashier than moving to a foreign country (or encouraging others to do so) with the outright intention of refusing to learn the local language and expecting the locals to adjust.
My opinion on this topic: When you want to just visit Germany (or any other country out there, where you don't speak the language; I'll continue with Germany here) for pleasure, to travel and discover or just want to stay for a limited amount of time in general, then you don't need to learn the language. Especially tourists don't need to learn anything at all - maybe a few sentences, but even this isn't needed nor expected.
But if you're going to stay in this country or to live here for a longer period of time (to study here, work here, or whatever), than you'll have to learn the language. There is no way around it. You'll ruin your own experience, make things harder for you and everyone you'll be interacting with and you will certainly struggle with this decission. And yes, at this point it will be considered as bad manners and pure disrespect.
@@MrDjTilo Yes, she is not saying anything bad in this video, it's just the langauge thing that really ticked me off. If someone tries and fails at learning the local language, that's totally fine, but it is so disrespectful to not even give it a genuine try. My family used to live abroad for quite a while in the 90's and early 2000's, and we met a bunch of Germans like that, too. People who just solely relied on the fact that there was a fairly large German population around, so they felt like they did not need to learn English. Those were mostly older Germans who had moved overseas as far back as the 50's and 60's when a lot of Germans did not speak English, but even some who had come over more recently. It's such a bad attitude to have, very arrogant, and I don't understand how people like that would not see that they are ultimately making things hard for themselves more so than for anyone else.
@@dnocturn84 I agree, that is how I see it as well. Tourists are different, and it would also be a bit much to ask them to learn the language of every country that they ever visit. But if you decide to actually live somewhere, at least make a sincere effort at learning the language.
@@MrDjTilo Yes, understanding the language is the absolute key to understanding the culture.
🐾I have a very tiny specialized keyboard.😸
@@justacatwhocantype Isn't it true that in Germany you are required to learn the language if you live here, since 2005 or something? I didn't have a choice about it.
I am german and just today i had a very interesting meeting via teams and the person on the other end was in her late 50's. The first two minutes were very reserved and stiff but once i stopped talking in standard german and we started speaking in swabian dialect (i moved to a different part of germany 15 years ago to attend university) it was smooth sailing all the way to the end. So basically, it was the standard german that was stressful for her - not the conversation itself.
WE ARE NOT RUDE GODDAMMIT!
😂😂😂
Talk with your hands?!italians:hold my beer!
Hi Ryan, I simply don't get it what Americans have with the "German Stare" :D Actually staring at someone is considered rude in Germany as well. What people do is looking, watching, acknowledging, sometimes commenting with a look. When you see someone interesting I would consider it not rude but ignorant not to acknowledge that person with a look and mybe a smile or even a raised eye brow. why would people fashionly clothe theirselfes when nobody is allowed to look at them to notice it. does not make sense to me :) you are even able to welcome someone by looking at them, maybe a nodde, when sitting in a waiting room, which makes the society in that room more personal than anonymous. consider it when thinking about "THE STARE" :D believe it or not, there are people in this world who communicate with eye contact without fearing to get shot where they stand because of interacting with society ...
at first I didn't get the "german stare" thing, but then some american youtuber said (forgot who) that it's the constant eye contact. I still don't know if that's what most americans mean, when they talk about the stare, but it made sense to me. we are told to look a person in the eyes when we talk to them. maybe that's different in the US?
@@Retro_Rainer good point, but I think its about non talking people like passing on the street looking at some guy nearby. its definately a cultural thing, but I wonder why they put so much in it. same thing with the traffic lights. what a drama, "they do it diffenrently and I do not know why" because in america its all different. yea in europe we do not have chessboard roads, we have a patch-network build in millenia and no cars in mind at that time. get over it :D
4:14 Yes, germans in general are not fake like that.
5:35 yes, we are more considerate in those cases.
Germans stare at you (eyes to eyes) for 2-3 seconds to acknowledge you on the street, and don't act your not existence like a ghost.
I would say we Germans are more in “deep talk” I mean we’re not good in small talks (wich I really admire in the US culture). Here our conversations have topics, have sense and also (yes not sugarcoated) straight forward.
And this kind of conversation is only possible if you are already common with the person your talking to ! Makes sense or?
Thats why we sort the people who surrounds us.
For Americans it’s always, a this is my friend……friend from work, friend from the neighborhood, friend from the soccer (basketball, baseball, football) team…..
Here we sort out, this is my Kolleg, my neighbor, our soccer (……) team. You can have a lot of acquaintances but you only have few friends. Wich I really find better! And it’s a compliment for your FRIEND!
My childhood friend, our family friend and my BEST FRIEND!❤
You mentioned a good point re being sarcastic and honest otherwise and the difficulty to see the right intention. There is a fine line which must be seen in contextual situation and to whom you are talking. I myself got sometimes in a situation where I was misinterpreted by some people who really don't know me that good and could not understand my sarcastic sense of humor.
Btw I appreciate your humor. Could be pretty German :)
What you call staring is for a German a polite way of keeping up with his environment. For a German it's rude to talk to somebody and looking all around but not in the face of the other. This is awkward or lowdown for us. It shows disrespect and it's suspicious. Just people with bad attitude or bad plans can't stand the view in each others eyes. Jemanden gerade in die Augen gucken means look somebody straight in the eyes or being face to face. This is a skill to show respect and honesty and being confident at the same time.
We don't see a paradox in being reserved and honest. If you don't ask it's your business but if you ask then you ask for our real opinion and you'll get it. Sugarcoating is lying and we wouldn't lie to a person we like. When you're fat and you ask we wouldn't say you're in shape because round is a shape, too. We will tell you you're fat or you should loss some weight. We like you healthy and in shape and happy.
Germans don't stare at you - they look at you. At least in their opinion.
For me its "rude" if people are not honest, because that means they disrespect your time, because you have to invest way more time to find out whats really going on. Also they are maybe also rude behind your back, what for me is also way worse then say somebody straight into the face when you don't like him, or his shoes or his haircut .. or whatever.
Also americans always are sooo astounded over german punctuality, what means they are not punctual, which also means they disrespect the time of those that are there at the right time. Again .. thats rude.
Or saying "yeah we will come around nect friday" or whatever, and then simply don't come at all, while a person has maybe already prepared a meal or other things .. again .. thats rude.
Just be honest and say : Sorry i have no time, or sorry but i don't like you and have no urge to come to you .. waay less rude in the end.
Honesty and reliability is the only way, ask an Australian, but understand that when you become closer friends they will be brutally honest to your face, joke around about your faults and secrets and be occasionally sarcastic in a nice friendly way while intoxicated! 😀
totally agree.
yeah Germans tend to be really direct. I never in my life experienced the "German Stare"..I only see people staring at you when you do something cringe to make you feel uncomfortable about it, and I agree.
German rudeness here: Dude, get your ADHS under control... 😛 she said something about "the last thing I want to mention" and there were still two minutes left in her video, and you just stopped...
*ADHD
Is seine Masche, Videos von ca 12-13 Minuten Länge, lang genug, um alle Vorzüge betr. Monetarisierung zu geniessen, aber kurz genug, um tägl soviele Vids wie möglich über mehrere Kanäle rauszuhauen. Halt auch nur n weiterer Ami, der erkannt hat, das "American reacts to Germany" einiges an Reichweite und somit auch Kohle generiert. Deswegen auch kein Abo von mir. Muss man nicht auch noch unterstützen diese Respektlosigkeit anderen RUclipsrn, die sich die Mühe machen, und eigenen Contend erstellen, gegenüber.
Is his scam, videos of about 12-13 minutes long, long enough to enjoy all the benefits of monetization, but short enough to churn out as many vids as possible across multiple channels every day. Just another American who has recognized that "American reacts to Germany" generates a lot of reach and thus also money. That's why I don't have a subscription. I don't want to support this disrespect towards other RUclipsrs who take the trouble to create their own content.
He also very often asks a question or looks somewhat up that comes right after. Or he doesn’t read the entire thing and is confused because that would have explained everything XD
@@MrsStrawhatberrythat might be the ADHD issue. I am the same.
One shouldn't underestimate how many differences one may find within a country. In germany the south is super conservative in many ways and there are tons of posh rural people. The east got problems but thuringians and saxons are usually extremely nice with very different social norms than in the west. Like women usually work full time as fast as possible after they gave birth while bavarians have social pressure to stay home until the child is 3 years old. The Rhineland... that's, puh, very damn different again. The coast/north is also a very different story.
Diana is Canadian, not US American.
Germans have a strangely split personality. In general in public Germans tend to be fairly quiet and reserved. There are however exceptions, where as we Germans say we can "die Sau rauslassen" / "let the sow run loose" = go wild. Most festivals of any kind are loud, boisterous, in your face, total strangers sit on long benches, drink beer, sing (well, more or less, if you want to call it that 🤣) and even dance together. But as soon as you leave a beer fest, a wine fest, any kind of county fair/Kirmes you will find that all but the most inebriated will return to being quiet again. It's somewhat of a pressure valve. If you can let loose at regular intervals, knowing no one will criticize you for it if you keep it within accepted limits (smashing someone with a beer mug isn't acceptable), then you can be fairly quiet and reserved the rest of the time.
Sports events are an exception to the exception: they are loud and boisterous from travling to and from the event, as well as during the event. Sports fans are among the loudest individuals, especially if it is a long-standing rivalry between two teams; then you will have eardrum shattering noise, as well as VERY aggressive German fans.
I just spent the weekend at Kirmes & a Stadtumzug and I couldn't believe how wild people were at 11AM. They weren't even drinking, they were just jovial. There were elderly ladies dancing to the band's music while waving a huge circular flag, etc. I was told about the German capacity for silliness and I get it now.
One difference that illustrates the different mindsets is the definition of "friend". It always amazed me when watching american TV shows how fast the characters would "become friends" with a complete stranger. It seems that every interaction that is more than the bare minimum is already seen as "beeing a friend", like "We worked two times together, now we are friends". It's a rather loose, casual type of relationship, but also not very binding or serious.
For Germans, a "friendship" is something much more close and personal. The nice guy you worked with two times is an aquaintance. A friend is someone who sticks with you for life, who is relatively close to you. An american soldier living in Germany once said: "Americans let you into their personal bubble rather fast, but they don't let you come really close easily. Germans don't let you into their bubble easily, but if you are inside, you have found a close friend for life."
She is Canadian!
That’s what Ryan said. American 💁😁
North American, now it make sens. 🤠 Murica fu jaaaeeee @@winterlinde5395
And then maybe the actually sensible question is, what is considered rude in america in contrast to germany. What is rude and polite is part of each culture, so it never makes sense to use the practices of one culture as a measure to judge the practices of another culture.
Staring is considered rude in Germany too. So Germans wouldn’t stare at you. Or at least not openly.
If I had to guess why so many Americans are complaining about staring Germans, it’s because they are confusing a glare with a stare. The typical loud and overboarding mannerisms of Americans are considered being obnoxious or even rude by most Germans. But since we usually are too polite to get verbal about it, we will usually give you a good glare. For the American being completely oblivious to what they are doing „wrong“ this could easily be mistaken as the Germans staring at them for no reason.
You should say at work that your colleague is a lazy bastard. The same applies to incompetence. If you do not do that, the whole work remains on you and the person is still happy that he does not have to do so much. If you're too nice to everyone all the time at work, you'll get screwed.
This doesn't have to be meant in an unkind way, but if you don't say anything, you don't change anything. 😉
3:50 what you mean with stare? Never unterstood that, are you never looking at people? ^^
Checkout "Skiptracer Randy" from "The Rookie" ... you clearly notice his german accent in the english talks :D
As a german introvert I can tell you, I always say what I mean directly in your face, I'm not sugarcoating anything or try to use some fancy descriptions for it, I'm so direct that even germans often think I'm kiding or I'm sarastic or something.
I don't like that you brought up the "staring thing" again. I thought in your video about it you kind of got that it's a stupid and wrong stereotype. I think people who believe that just confuse "being looked at" with "being stared at". (But yes, if you are the loud, obnoxious american tourist, you will get stared at judgingly.)
Aber... die Deutschen starren wirklich. 😂
Und außerdem ist das, was du über Amerikaner geschrieben hast, deutlich vorurteilshafter und verurteilender als Ryans harmloser Witz. Da zeigt es sich wieder - die Deutschen haben keinen Humor. 😁
"race".... sigh. I cant hear this bs anymore. We are one race. The human race.
Did I miss something or do you mean 3:30? In this case it means "raised" and not "race". I was also a bit confused when I first heard it
@@friedewaldo I mean @ 10:25.
Race is a synonym for ethnicity taken by English speakers from the Italian "razza" in the year 1500 meaning "kind, breed, lineage." It seems to be politically incorrect outside of America, but it's still used there.
@@LythaWausW Americans are .. let's say... weird.
i have never heard of that staring stereotype before. its like one person came up with it and others repeated it. because it makes no sense to me. all humans stare at something when they are tired and unfocussed. not sure if that is what they mean. or germans stare at americans because they cannot believe what that person just said??
ps: people are holding doors here all the time. we are very polite.
The stare is very real. Maybe it is normal and acceptable to you so you don't notice it(?)
@@Carol_65 in what situations? and how would the same situation be in other countries?
@@Carol_65 oh you mean if you are behaving like the dumbest person on earth but i cant yell at you because we are in public? the "are you actually insane get your shit together you idiot!" stare? yeah, that is a thing, but i thought that is what people do everywhere when they yell at you with their eyes.
if that is what you mean, then it is not rude, then it actually is supposed to let you know that you should stop right now with whatever you are doing and apologize and be quiet. and better leave the train at the next stop. :)
@@robopecha The Stare is different. It is not a distracted stare. It is a prolonged look, and the person's eyes will follow you. It is not from daydreaming--we all do that.
It doesn't seemed to be based on any out-of-the-ordinary behavior or appearance because I've seen you do it to each other.
I would say that it is a 'German thing' because it is pretty much exclusively Germans who do it, BUT not all Germans do it.
Also, it's not necessarily a bad/mean look. It's just a conscious stare.
There is another type of stare, however, that happens occasionally, and it is more of a glare. A person will look you directly in the eyes while approaching and passing you. If you smile and say "Guten Morgen!" there is no change in expression, no smile, no return greeting--just an annoyed scowl. This happens even if you are quiet, properly dress, etc.
Curiously, I notice this more in the Swabian area than, say, in Berlin, Cologne or Munich.
I think it is normal/acceptable behavior here and, therefore, Germans do not recognize it is happening.
It is similar to my not realizing how loud and over-the-top we Amis can be until I moved to Germany and returned to the States after a few years to visit. It's a cultural difference-not a criticism.
@@Carol_65 honestly, i have no idea what you are talking about. also i have never lived in the south of germany, people there are behaving weirdly. is this something only americans notice in germans? i have never heard of it before watching this channel and i know a lot of americans and people from other countries in general.
If you wanna fine tune your german "Hallo" then shorten the "a" sound more. It should be similar to the "e" in the english "Hello". Right now it's more like a "Haaallo" and sound's a little bit weird. Otherwise pretty good already. Good luck and btw good content!
After all these years I still cannot say Hallo properly. I say it and people know I'm American. I think I've got Hi down though.
I think germany just has a different social system for both introverts and extroverts, in my experience no one expects you to be bubbly, overly friendly and loud when it's clearly not your personality type and most introverts here just act the way that's natural to them
I think the difference is that saying to someones face the honest opinion is not meant to make the other one feel bad, it's to make them realize that what they are saying/doing comes across a certain way. Like... to make them aware of things that they may not notice. Personally, if I like someone i am very honest and upfront with them because i case about them. If i dislike someone i couldnt care less. If they are saying something stupid and are embarrassing themselves I'll gladly let them do it.
So in a way i interpret my (our) directness and upfrontness as a friendly characteristic, not a rude one.
The way we perceive being truthful towards what makes you (americans) differenr from us germans. We prefer the truth, even if its ugly, so we aim to be direct as a way to be nice to someone.
1:45 „interrupt her and say:“ perfectly timed ad starts playing
You can be honestly sarcastic at the same time.
"It seems like Germans are more polite but also that they are more judgemental of people who are not polite." As a German who has been to the US before, I would say, yes, you pretty much nailed that.
"Germans have dry humor"
Listen, we actually also love silly puns or wordplays.
I know a bar named Barcode, a lot of tattoo studios have names using the English words "ink" and "pain", like The inkredible tattoo studio
As far as possible criticism, for example of their work, is concerned, it is also due to another characteristic of many Germans, the striving for perfection ;-))
An American will tell you thousands of times how much they like you and then disappear once your in trouble. A german will insult you and your whole family but once you're in trouble, they'll help
We don’t like small talk. I believe that’s what some call friendly. When the cashier starts talking to me, i think girl, I’m here to pay
@Ryan you're getting better but hall-oh... the the o is longer like ooh, focused on the end in that matter, a bit like you want to pronounce it endlessly like "ooooooooo" but gotten stopped after the second "o" and the "h" I added isn't present when spoken so right before oo-h it would be pronounced you stop, you aren't doing that bad, but still funny when you try reading loud german words in your vids
Me as a german say: "Kindness is always for free"
I saw some of her videos, in the past. And I think I could remember, that she is Canadian...
Being reserved, friendly and at the same time saying what you really think is not mutually exclusive. I personally, and most people I know, don't give their opinion unasked. But when asked for opinion (Do I look fat in this dress?), you should only do so if you can handle the true opinion. Unless you have only good things to say (That dress looks great on you. It makes you look 20 years younger), then that also comes unbidden.
Americans like to ask their counterparts "How`s it going?" and automatically respond with "Good." We don't. So if you ask a German how he is, be prepared for him to explain in detail. If he just says "fine, thanks", then you are not worth a real answer to him.
And the sarcasmus in humor is accompanied by certain stresses and facial expressions that make it clear (to us) that it is humor. It may be difficult to recognize this if you come from abroad.
5:35 damn that's soo true
If you think about it, us germans are like cats. Reserved in the beginning, but as soon as we know you better we open up. Americans are more like either Labrador Retrievers or pissed of Chihuahuas or Pit Bulls. Either excited about meeting anyone or putting up an aggressive front and taking everything personal.
Germans can be VERY loud, especially on vacation
We don’t talk about our personal life with strangers the first time we meet these strangers, we don’t do small talk and give our first names when we meet someone the first time.
I was a bit shocked when I was visiting my kin in the US and travelled with them down from Philadelphia to Florida and from there to the US Virgin Island that my aunt and uncle gave people they just met during small talk their first names to be used by ‚strangers‘ or told them their life story and how many kids they have. We go to first name base after some long time means we usually needs some time to figure people out before we use first names. Also we aren’t open to share personal information during small talk.
We are upfront and honest and this is what some find rude.
Well, what is received as "rude" depends on what is normal in your society. A coleague from poland (I am German) once explained to me her point of view on that question. She was used to a much greater amount of formal and traditional ways of politeness (some of which have just become unfashionable here, whilst others are received to be inappropriate in todays german society). I also know for example, that it is a requirenment of appropriate behaviour in Norway to say "thank you" orders of magnitude more often than it is concidered to be normal for even especially polite people in Germany. Americans typically point out the staring thing- and that is something, that was really surprising for me to find out, because I rarely feel, that people are staring at me here. Looking for a few seconds longer is just normal.
So, as a German, I do not really agree with the conclusion, that Germans are not rude. We tend not to meet the standards of many other nations in that regard, and what else should you call that? But different norms of politenes do not tell you anything about the questions, which are propably more important: Are people mean, are they nice, helpful, genuine ... And regarding the rudeness: Does it hurt people who are familiar with the local norms, do people actually treat each other badly?
Best advice, learn some local language, don't wear baseball caps, polo shirts, khaki shorts with socks, or brandish American flags! 🤨 Learn to drink beer like a local too, quietly! (Prost! 🍺) Soon the debate is open! 👍
It sounds as if we're talking about different species but in the end we're all humans and we're not too different from each other. Like it's not mandatory to be sarcastic to enter Germany and not everybody is sarcastic and if we are we tend to let people know. Also not everybody is polite. We're individuals just like everyone else and also we're an immigration country so just like in the US you will meet people with lots of different backgrounds so the differences are obviously quite subtle.
😅 funny: "you can't just stare at people"?... "you can't just talk to people"! 😅
We are not rude, we are direct.
Let me quote the FAQ on my own website where I offer my services to English speakers:
"Could you be a little less direct sometimes and a little more diplomatic?"
"No. I am German."
The topic if Germans are rude is a difficult one. As a German myself, I would say no but i can see why others told me I am as well.
Me and the people around me are trying to say anything as we see it. So if someone acts in a certain way they know what we think about them.
Be it in a positiv and negativ way.
But this way of live can be really rude towards people, who just act differently due to cultural differences.
F.e. an American friend got offended a few times early on, due to being perceived as condescending.
After talking about it we both realized that his and my perception were screwed and we fixed it.
But this kind a situation can be a normal occasion for some people. Often times people don´t know the culture someone comes from or take it into consideration before making judgments about something/someone.
By now i just tell people from other country's "I will tell it as i see it" and if that's not how it was meant please correct me.
I do work with a lot of people from all over the world so that happens a lot. :)
She's actually from Canada.
Your seal dance made me laugh. xD
Heyo, an ordinary german here. (OuO)/
What you have to understand when it comes to germans is that they put much more value into being honest than into being friendly.
There is no sugar coding culture here. Also no ghosting culture.
Its better and more polite actually to say "no, sorry, i cant hang out that day" or "sorry, i dont feel like i wanna do that" than saying "yeah im in" and then ghosting. Because the "yeah im in" would be a lie.
I think there is a saying in the US or an unwritten law that says "if you dont have to say something good, then dont say anything".
This is unthinkable in germany.
So yeah, thats pretty much it. No sugar coding, no ghosting, just pure and direct honesty.
But there is still a difference between criticize while staying polite/friendly and criticizing in a rude/loud way.
And by the way, the german staring is kinda true, but in germany its mostly out of curiosity. They mostly wanna check out your behavior, style and/or mood.
You know, what happens often in Germany:
Like you are standing in line to pay for your shopping...some old Lady keeps plucking your back. After some time you turn around and ask , rudeless, what's up?
Then she is saying: There's a sticker coming out of the top of your T-Shirt...I try to pull it back.
:) That's German!
Ryan, listen to how she says "HallO" and repeat accordingly. ;)
I've only been living in the US for 3 months, but have regular interactions with Australians, and they seem similar in some aspects. The most annoying one from a German perspective: If in conflict, people do not talk to each other, but about each other. If they talk to each other it's a big escalation, and the goal doesn't seem to be finding a resolution anymore.
I quickly became "the rude German" because I tried to talk about problems early and directly, out of respect and with the goal to resolve things as quickly as possible. Didn't work well, because they couldn't deal with me giving direct feedback. Sidenote: I'm not a judgemental person, and won't tell people "what's wrong with them", but more about the impression I had or the effects on myself. That strategy didn't help really 🤣
As an Australian I totally get what you're saying, we seem to be getting that here in Australia too. Not everywhere but some people are like this and others aren't, makes it frustrating when you want to resolve an issue but they parties involved care more about how they feel than getting to a resolution.
Diana is Canadian…
Well you start to understand germans better and already very close, but miss a few important details. Like a "typical" polite german would not say to someone: You are a moron, but would not hold back to tell you that you act like a moron.(if he/she think you do).
As a german living in a university city that is super popular with north americans, i've met and interacted with dozens of north americans, primarily us and canadians. And here's the thing: You guys seem to think that you all are SO different, in culture, behaviour, customs and what not. But you aren't. Canada and the US are so very similar to each other (ok, maybe the average bmi is different), that you have to TELL people that you are from different countries.
Mind you, I'm talking about majority white people who come to Germany to study or be a professor. I have not met any indigenous folks from north america yet, and the few other POC from both countries that came here are all the same in everything except skin color to us.
If a German person is sarcastic or not you can usually tell by the tone of their voice.
Nor germans are rude, neither americans are!
PEOPLE are rude…..
In the US I was called rude many times, that's not true, I am honest and don't sugarcoat things
sure you can stare thats what they are there for its like human windowshopping just dont be rude and comment whatever ;)
Can someone please finally open a petition or ask Joe Biden to sign a Presidential decree to force Ryan reacting on Electric Callboy? I'm so curious to hear his opinion!
i would love to see that!
5.30 you are right!
Of course, it is not a contradiction if sarcasm (or, better yet, irony) is used humorously in many situations and the fact that it is avoided in many other situations. Both are possible, of course not at the same time.
If you're actually interested in German humor, then watch a few satirical shows like the Today Show or Die Anstalt. There are countless on German television and also some comedians who perform in English on the island next door and are very popular there. For example: ruclips.net/video/RwmGW4UDtXA/видео.html
Aside from that, sarcasm should also be a form of honest answer ;-)) It's what that person actually thinks about something, someone, just made ridiculous.
Yeah, we’re all so rude, we’re the greatest menace to society on earth, you should imprison us all
Germans don´t stare. They just have another perception to what is staring and what not.I remember an American women accusing me of staring in the subway in Austria. I thought she was drunk and went away, because I had now idea why she said that to me, because I was not staring.
I think it is really sometimes difficult to recognize if something is said sarcastically or honestly in germany. At least when you have a dry humour like me that relies on having a similar set of opinions as the other person.
I would be the opposite. I am very open and smiley 😊