Kultur 2

This week's culture readings were sehr interessant. I still cannot get over the similarities between the citizens of my town und die Personen in Deutschland. I'm very used to the blunt honesty that Germans are said to have; if one of meine Verwandten aren't fond of something, they don't hesitate to let you know it. It's definitely a little off-putting for people first meeting them, but they are still some of the most caring people I know... and that's easily recognizable once you get accustomed to their demeanor. I imagine there's a similar argument for Germans.

The staring in Deutschland, however, is not something I'm used to. While I can accommodate a normal level (...or at least normal to an Amerikaner) of eye contact, staring definitely creeps me out. The reference to a "messy homicide" in New York I think provides a good example to what most Americans might expect from a stranger eyeballing them for a few minutes. (Particularly from eine unheimliche Oma in das Fenster.)

I related a lot to the German obsession with statistics, simply because I share the same obsession. I never really considered it to be a cultural thing, but after reading the article I can see how it might be an outlet for German pride... or maybe just another way to complain? Either way, I think some of that transferred over to Americanker Kultur because no one ever seems to be happy with the direction our country is moving in. This is just an opinion, obviously, but the media tends to spend a lot of time projecting similar topics discussed in the "Whining, Bitching, Moaning" article.

Overall, it was nice to get a well-rounded view of a different country. Often the qualities that people might not want to be known are the ones that are the most endearing.