Living in Germany - The Truth About 5 German Stereotypes
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Stereotype. The things that we hear about a particular group of people or culture that we believe are true. The German people certainly have some stereotypes. But are they true? In this video we will be looking at five German stereotypes that we heard or read about before moving here and after living here for over a year, we are ready to confirm or deny the truth of these stereotypes.
#lifeingermany #cultureshock #stereotypes #germanstereotypes #germanculture
00:00 Intro
01:08 Stereotype 1
02:04 Stereotype 2
03:10 Stereotype 3
04:03 Stereotype 4
05:05 Stereotype 5
05:56 Bonus Stereotype and conclusion
About us: Just over one year ago, after a long time of hoping, dreaming, and planning, we sold or gave away almost everything we owned and left the United States to begin our journey with four children as an expat family. We moved to Leipzig, Germany, a beautiful city in the state of Saxony. This is our story.
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Every culture has stereotypes, and although we know that stereotypes don't define the individual people within a culture, it can be interesting to see the differences in what we hear about a culture and what we experience once we are living in it. For my German friends, what stereotypes have you heard about Americans, and have you found out if they are true or not?
About punctuality ..when I meet up with friends at a certain time on a certain place and that friend doesn´t show up within 5 minutes after that appointed time I´m simply gone...I definitively do not wait longer...No way!.
Thüringer Bratwurst yummie
I have often been upset at doctor's appointments, until I had 2 experiences. At two different doctor's appointments, when I was in a really bad way, the doctors took almost an hour for me, really listened to me and asked the right questions. I did get nasty looks from the other patients on the way out, but I don't know where I would be today otherwise.🤔
Mmm. I should grab a Thüringer Bratwurst soon. There's a stand in the city center that seems popular, I'll have to get one.
I can understand your perspective on the doctors. And I'm glad they took the time and helped you. That is certainly more unusual in the States. I mentioned in another comment that we have had both experiences here, and there is the added difficulty of balancing the schedules of the kids when an appointment is pushed back almost two hours. I don't have an answer unfortunately. Maybe that's why I'm not a doctor?
Austrian actor Christoph Waltz: The difference between a German and an Austrian is like the difference between a battleship and a waltz. So...
Punctuality is more about your own punctuality. If the doctor takes longer than expected for a patient, then it is positive that he takes more time, even if the next patient then has to wait longer. Even bus or train delays are not caused by your own mistakes, but by imponderables. Otherwise I agree with you. Stereotypes are mainly propagated by ignorant people.
I understand that and can appreciate it. But not all Germans are punctual on an individual level either! But maybe I hang out with a younger crowd that doesn't value it as much... It doesn't bother me too much, but it does stand out in light of the stereotype.
And yes, they are definitely propagated by ignorant people, which is one of the reasons we are excited to show our kids the world and make sure they meet and interact with people from diverse backgrounds!
These days, it's unbelievable there was a time back then, when other countries admired Germany for its efficient bureaucracy... xD
About the plastics, my girlfriend and I go often to an Unverpackt Laden. This is not a trademark or something, but if you look for it, almost every bigger city has one or more of them. You can bring your on packaging, glas bottles for example, and they fill it for you with whatever you buy (vegetable oil, liquid soap etc.)
In general, if you want to reduce plastics, buy as often as you can fresh food, that's how we do it. If we need keepable food, we buy it in jars because glas can be recycled infinitely.
I hope we will see more frozen vegetables in paper packaging. They use it for spinach but not for french fries? I don't get it.
Sorry to correct you, German here, but this is something that I had to learn, too. There is no such thing as a Germany Purity Law. The first mistake there is the word "German". It is actually Bavarian (I am not Bavarian, but I have to give credit, where credit is due) and the second mistake is that it is not a law but more a precept. It was once introduced in the kingdom of bavaria to make sure that nothing unhealthy was mixed into the beer. It is true, though that most breweries all over Germany will brew according to this precept. It is in fact a sign of quality...and yes, I guess we're somehow proud of it.
btw, the Reinheitsgebot is not a judicial law per se. However, if you advertise beer to be brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, then it's law, that it has to be brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. If you do not claim that, you can brew beer every way you like.
Something I recently learned when making our video at the Bayerischer Bahnhof is that Gose brewed here has an exemption from the Reinheitsgebot. According to gose.de, "Being an eccentric among German beer types, the Gose obviously does not stick to the German purity law. But it doesn’t have to. It has special rights and protection as the Free State of Saxony granted an exemption so that Leipzig’s specialty can be brewed here." But you're saying that it doesn't actually matter, unless they tried to say that it was brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot? So maybe that's just a way for them to market the Gose.
Actually the "Reinheitsgebot" (purity law) is just a marketing ploy of the beer brewing industry. There literally never was a law like that until the late 20th century. Yes, you read correctly. The first actual mentioning of this "law" was around 1918. And an actual law didn't exist till the 1980s. Before that, it was merely a local ordinance, that didn't have any repercussions, if you didn't follow it.
Doctors appointments are really relative. Because many doctors give their time to the patients as much as they need.
Busses and trams are dependent from the traffic. So a lateness is unavoidable. So the given times on the tram and bus timetables are approximate. But yea, Deutsche Bahn is late.
Many Germans are cold in my experience. It's the people of Leipzig who are friendly and openminded.
You should do a video about German food. I heard Americans love German bread... more than German beer. =)
I've had mixed experiences with the doctors. There have been a few that seemed to be willing to take their time and listen, but there also have been a few that were just as pushy as American doctors. And while I appreciate the willingness to take time with patients, when you have four kids and need to pick them up from school or something, being an hour late causes problems. But I get your point.
I will definitely be doing some dedicated food videos. I try to work food into our travel videos, but a stand alone food video will be great.
The bread is delicious - but not as good as the beer! 😁
@@OnwardMJ As a new Leipziger you have to love Ur-Krostitzer beer. =)
@@MarcoTorrance Oh I do, but my favorites are Gose (especially at Bayerischer Bahnhof) and Köstritzer Schwarzbier (although not from Leipzig). And I know there's jokes about Sternberg, but for the price, and compared to cheap American beers, it's not that bad!
@@OnwardMJ Yea I bet. I heard Americans add corn to their beer!?
You need to try Currywurst from Bochum! It's the best Currywurst in the world and worth to give it a try! You don't live around Bochum (NRW)... no prob: Order the sausage and the sauce onlince and do it yourself. And no, it has nothing to do with the "Currywurst" you'll get in Berlin or elsewhere .... So do yourself a favour an try it, if you haven't yet! :) If you're not into Currywurst so much, ... have you ever tried mustard from Monschau? Handcrafted mustard since 1897 - and yes, they still do it the way they did like 125+ years ago! ;)
OK, now I have to try it. Where is the best place to order from?
The Berlin airport is NOT an example of German bureaucracy! It is an example of poor resource management and (proven!) corruption! Did bureaucracy play a part in it? Sure, but it was definitely not the main issue.
Lovely, honest and, as far as I’m concerned, spot on. Of course, some of your views might spark some defensive responses. Have a good week 😊
Thanks! I'm OK with any defensive responses - it's always good to hear things from another perspective!
Wurst: no, there is no favourite. Most of them are great and I love the diversity, when travelling. In Germany, unlike in the US, I will always order what I don't know, when visiting some other place or something I know is the local speciality. In the US, you'll go to Starbucks, wherever you see one and Americans visiting Europe tend to go to Starbucks, in Europe, too. I would think that in the US, Starbucks might be the best coffee you can get at places, but in Europe, I would prefer to have a coffee in a small café.
Starbucks is definitely not the best coffee in the US! I actually don't like it at all, and would much rather find a local coffee shop to visit. I'm with you, I always love to try something new that is local to an area. I think a lot of people (especially Americans) like what they know - that's why places like Starbucks and fast food like McDonalds are so popular. It might not be the best, but you know what you will be getting. I'd rather take a chance and find something new and exciting.
Have a great Sunday and Happy Halloween! 🎃👺
On the subject of efficiency, one has to distinguish: Private companies vs. civil service and administration (reforming an administration from within is like demanding that the corpses in the cemeteries rebury themselves, or arguing with turkeys about bringing forward Thanks Giving!).
Private companies are certainly different, but there are also some cultural differences between the USA and Germany.
Schönen Sonntag und Happy Halloween! 🎃👺
Zum Thema Effizienz muss man unterscheiden: Private Firmen vs. Beamtentum und Verwaltung (eine Verwaltung von innen heraus zu reformieren, ist wie zu fordern, daß sich die Leichen auf den Friedhöfen selbst umbetten, oder mit Truthähnen um die Vorverlegung von Thanks Giving zu diskutieren!).
Private Firmen sind da sicherlich anders, aber auch da gibt es manch kulturelle Unterschiede zwischen USA und DE.
Ja, das stimmt. Aber am meistens habe ich die Erfahrung mit der'Bureacracy', und es frustriert mich sehr. Du bist wahrscheinlich richtig über privaten Firmen, leider weiß ich weniger darüber.
Und ich wünsche dir auch einen Schönen Sonntag!
@@OnwardMJ Der Vorteil ist, wenn du mit der Bürokratie durch bist, funktioniert es dann auch, fast immer. 🤣
@@arnodobler1096 Ich hatte tatsächlich eine gute Erfahrung. Als ich mein deutschen Führerschein bekommen musste, alles war sehr einfach und schnell. Was für eine gute Überraschung!
@@OnwardMJ 👍ist auch regional unterschiedlich: Berlin muss eine Katastrophe sein.
Neuer Peronalausweis für mich: Termin bei mir im Rathaus, online gemacht - einwandfrei. Keine Wartezeit, nach 10 Minuten alles erledigt.
I can confirm all of this. But with plastic trash, we work hard to reduce it, and it is much better than in other countries.
I appreciate the confirmation! Plastic is a tough one. I know I should be better about buying things with less plastic packaging, but those are the things that are usually most convenient when you're stocking up on food for a family of six! Wish there were better alternatives...
I still don't get the whole discussion about punctuality. Do americans have something like an "unpunctual culture" where it is even ok to be late to a business meeting, or in general for meetings with your boss, since it seems your work is mostly everything for your ?
Also how does that work out, is it a general spiral like
person A : i'm always 15 minutes too late because i can
person B : A is always 15 minutes too late so i come 30 minites too lake just to annoy him this time
next meeting
person A : oh B got me last time, so today i'm 45 too late
next meeting
person B : dammit today i have to be an hour too late to get A again
and so on and so on ... ? 🤨🤨
I mean in the end all that is just total disrespect of the other person because you waste his/her time for nothing then just to show your direspect. Quite childish, isn't it ?
Well, it's not quite a competition to be the most late, but there definitely is a culture of "fashionably late" in the US. And while it's less common at work meetings it still happens. Personally I don't like being late because I want to respect other people's time, and I want them to respect mine. But it's just not always the case.
We do not correct you always ... hm, ... oh, you got me. It's a kind of paradoxon.🙂
My German husband iis super punctual; he wants to be fifteen minutes early for everything. Drives me crazy when we go to a friends house for dinner and they are still in the shower! He says he doesn't want to be late. Yes, though you are sure correct about any legal or government paperwork, takes months.
I used to live in Germany and the Nuenberger Bratwurst is the best
Mmm. The Drei im Weggla in Nürnberg was delicious.
and Thüringer are delicious
verdammt.. wie konntest du uns deutschen in der kurzen zeit so durchschauen? :) good job!
darauf jetzt am liebsten ein bier und eine bratwurst. yummy!
stereotyp der amerikaner: sie lieben fast food - das kann ich nach meinen 2 aufenthalten in den usa bestätigen. ich mag es aber auch, aber nur in maßen..
😂 Ja, es freut mich endlich ein bisschen zu beschweren. Natürlich liebe es hier in Deutschland, und es ist schön hier zu wohnen.
Viele Leute in den USA lieben fast food, aber vor allem ist es bequem. Es schmeckt nicht besonders gut, aber es ist billig und man weiß, was man bekommt.
@@OnwardMJ ich fand taco bell und in-n-out burger spitze. sowas fehlt in deutschland.
@@lokist84 In-n-Out Burger ist sehr regional, und es gab keine, wo wir gewohnt haben. Aber ich liebe Five Guys, und ich glaube, es gibt einen hier in Leipzig. Vielleicht esse ich dort bald!
Pronounce Wurst like "woorst", not "würst"... sorry to correct you
I'm always happy to be corrected. I struggle with some German pronunciation. 👍🏼
Well every country has mishaps like Berlin airport. Beside all valid critic I would say it was extra highlited through media to gain views/attention and to have a laugh at the expense of others.
Same applies to bashing Deutsche Bahn. Yes they're lacking of punctuality and it is annoying when it hits you but most of the time to me it's only exaggeration.
I can see that. My home country is definitely guilty of inefficiency, but the media (and social media or course) made quite a big deal about the airport. As far as DB goes, I haven't experienced many issues, but I've heard a lot of complaints. I guess it's all relative to the expectations we have.
Looks like things have changed since I left 48 years ago. You were able to set your watch by the time the trains ran on time.
@@verawittmann1035 Ein Grund ist wohl auch, dass die Deutsche Bahn Gewinn einfahren soll/muss, während sie vor der Privatisierung immer defizitär war. Und die Züge sind schon noch pünktlich wenn man nicht gerade an der vorletzten Haltestation eines Fernreisezugs zusteigt. 😂
Bei der Bahn gilt ein Zug als verspätet, wenn es mehr als 5 Minuten sind. Aber mal ehrlich, wenn ein Zug aus München 10 Minuten zu spät in Hamburg ankommt, ist das dann wirklich Verspätung?
@@kaess307 Bei genanntem Beispiel kann ich persönlich auch noch mit einer dreissig minütigen Verspätung leben.
I think it is a bit unfair to talk about evironmental friendliness and then only talk about the plastic packaging in stores. I think overall Germans think a lot more about the environment than others e.g. when it comes to car use, flying on a plane, where you get your electricity (e.g. having you own solar panels) etc. Just look at plan to shut down all nuclear power plants and go more towards renewable energy. I feel like it is not fair to just dismiss that as "Germans actually aren't environmentally friendly" just because they aren't perfect role models.
I can understand that. My point was not that Germans weren't environmentally friendly at all, but that we were surprised by the amount of plastic and waste that we saw here compared to what we had heard. It's a complex topic that I oversimplified for sure, but I was just acknowledging something that surprised us.