Kultur 5

After reading these articles, I think America is culturally just too polite. We apologize for every little thing, are too conscientious about others' personal space, and are afraid of being rude. When I travel to India, no one holds the door for people. This is not because Indians are rude, but India is way too overcrowded. I remember one time my little sister was trying to be polite and held the door for some people behind us. However, more and more people kept walking and pushing through. She was stuck for a good five minutes holding the door for about 30 people who eventually got through. She learned fast that it's better just to hold the door open for herself and then just let it GO. In America though, she would have gotten glared at and it is very possible that most people would consider her actions to be incredibly rude.

I also got this mixed feeling about Americans. We are a very prude country in that sex shops are looked down upon and European countries are very free and open about sexual things in general. However, the article on flirting with Germans confused me. Flirting in America can be a VERY straightforward concept. It is not weird to be approached by a guy and hit on very obviously/bluntly. I find it strange that in Germany men just stare at you if they have strong feelings for you. That is kind of creepy. But it also could be very refreshing from the straight-forwardness of American men. I guess I'll just have to travel to Germany and hope to experience this to find out for myself!