Kultur 6

The Bild Zeitung article didn't shock me too much; I imagine that almost every developed nation has a similar periodical. It is somewhat surprising that such a large part of the German population seems to follow it so closely, but the previous Kultur articles have prepared me pretty well for this. "Sex is no big deal in Germany" is all but burnt into my memory. I did find the Angela Merkel story pretty humorous. It's funny how defensive most people will get when somebody offends their nation. That's definitely something that every culture has in common.

I found the "Come On In, My Door is Always Closed" article to be pretty interesting. The concept, to me, is nerve-wracking. I have a tendency to knock very softly on doors, wait the minimum time necessary, and see it as an opportunity to get the heck out of dodge. I'm always afraid of intruding, and I often find open doors as little beacons of hope. That being said, I do imagine it's something that a person gets used to. If you really need something that badly, you won't be too afraid to barge in. Also, if it's the norm, I can't imagine people getting too upset with someone for storming in on something embarrassing or inconvenient, but rather being uncomfortable with the timing.

The intricate and rather intense sounding German waste program seems fitting with the rest of their society. I personally don't see much wrong with it: it's environmentally friendly and probably keeps everything a lot cleaner and more pleasant to look at. This article did, however, serve to remind me of the "Germans are always watching you" stereotype. I can't imagine what might happen if I threw something into the wrong bin or, God forbid, threw everything into the "trash" bin.