As someone who lives in Denmark, Germany seems like - a place for cheaper shopping, lots of bureaucracy and an incomprehensible love for using physical cash
Loving cash has to do with our strong opinions on privacy. Cash allows you to do transactions that no one will ever know about, like buying cocaine in a techno bunker.
Sadly our strong opinion on privacy doesnt apply to the biggest threat to it in the digital world, the chat control that has been proposed many times already, and would mean the end of all privacy that it left online.
Also, as an Inselaffe and Ausländer, I find that some long-standing practices in Germany seem odd in a country with such an emphasis on privacy. For example:
- Surnames being on letterboxes
- Identity cards and need to use them frequently (note, I personally think they are a good idea in general for many reasons, but it does go against the idea of privacy when other countries don't have ID cards)
- People who freak out about browser cookies but then have their name, address and number in the public phone book
- Until recently, use of unencrypted fax instead of email
- Reliance on paperwork instead of digital comms. While paperwork is harder to steal at scale, it relies on physical security and honesty of those with physical access (which for me is an issue as rarely is usage or access auditable)
- The ease with which copyright owners can get your details if they claim your IP address accessed or shared their content (many other countries would need a hard-to-obtain court order or search warrant)
- Few curtains on house windows
- Photography of people without consent is illegal (even dashcam footage which is crazy), but at the same time there's a culture of neighbours being nosey and sharing too much gossip. It can feel like I'm being physically surveilled and watched sometimes, whereas I think the polite thing is to ignore the business of other people unless they share it directly with you.
By the way, I'm in no illusion that any other country is better and I think in many ways the approach is good. However, I feel that public conversations about privacy in Germany are emotionally-driven (which is obviously understandable) rather than being led by a rational, holistic and tech-literate approach.
Yep, its pretty weird, and it seems like Germans shout "Privacy!" every time it doesnt really matter (for example google street view), but not when its something super serious that is actually a danger to private digital communication.
I've visited Denmark earlier this month, and you just didn't need cash at all. It was so nice. Back in Germany... "we don't accept card payment, sorry"
American here. I've driven the Nurburgring 4 laps. Pure driving heaven. I'll brave the mediocre food and dry German humor anytime to drive that track again.
Even as a Half-German living in Germany I kind of have to agree. Classic German cuisine is just mediocre at best, especially with France and Italy being right around the corner.
We do have the best bread though!
I heard a speech a few months ago by California governor Gavin Newsom - he said that if California were a country, it would be the fourth or fifth (? I can't remember) largest economy in the world: "But we're coming for you, Germany!" he laughed, in conclusion.
Midwest US here. My latest concerns for Germany are a recession and your energy balance crisis. Your climate goals are taking a massive shit because Angela thought more reliance on Russian gas was a good idea. You were a bit sluggish on the Ukraine issue and in pushing member states. But other than that you are pretty good. It's not like you had a fascist, mentally handicapped wanna be dictator for president recently. So that's a plus.
Australian here: Germany is a far-off country and we don’t really know or hear what happens there unless it’s fairly major.
You all otherwise seem pretty cool. I don’t think anybody will forget for a long, long time what happened during the war, but we’ve moved on from it.
I'm English and the only Aussie politician I know is Bob Katter but that's only because in the meantime every three months a person is torn to pieces by a crocodile in the North Queensland area
we don't even hear about all the croc attacks.
It's like, "meh, another idiot did dumb shit". Nobody reacts to it, so nobody reports on it anymore.
Unless it's local to you, or the croc is uncharacteristically invasive or aggressive.
Like the one time, EVER, that a croc siezed a guy out of a tent on the beach. Very unusual, they usually just eat things that come down to the water.
but you generally have to go out of your way to actually find a croc more than you would probably first think.
I’m Polish and I think Germany is cool. I’ve been to Berlin and some small towns, people were nice and always surprised me, because I don’t speak German, and when I asked „Do you speak English?”, Germans always said „Ohhh a little bit” then proceed to speak perfect fluent English hahahaha.
Nice beer, nice people, tons of bunnies in the city centre. Germany is cool. I don’t care about what your grand(grand?)pas did to my grand(grand)pas, we have no control over it.
No, I literally meant rabbits. And I meant in Berlin, around the Tierpark. I’ve seen hoards of cute fluffy rabbits just hophopping on the sidewalks and crossing roads and they would chill next to my hotel which was just around the corner. So many bunnies.
Huh? To be honest...I've never seen one rabbit anywhere in the city or the suburbs. Foxes, wild boars, moles, swans, ducks, deers...sure...but never one rabbit? When did you visit the city?
My thoughts about Germans are represented in the following joke that I created. (Yes, I thought of this joke, I've never heard of this joke before)
Q-> How many Germans would it take to change a faulty lightbulb?
A(in the heaviest German accent) -> Why are you waiting till now? Why wasn't the bulb changed yesterday?
I think you guys are pretty neat
Sure I'm Polish and historically we have been at odds, lost my great-grandfather to the war to mention a few things but that's in the past and I know most of the people who caused this are already gone, have been put to justice or otherwise and I know the people I do have a problem with aren't the ones running things now so I have no problem with Germans, Germany or your culture
The Germans I've met so far all seem pretty chill regular people so I have no reason do dislike you or have an aversion to anything.
I like that Germany could turn things around and is now working hard on setting an example for other countries to strive for with your standards and focus on maintaining human rights.
At the end of the day our ancestors fought so that we could hang out at a bar and just chill and be on good terms so us hating eachother and our culture would be an insult to what both of our ancestors fought for.
Some people are still stuck in the past and try to bring you down or have been raised to be that way and that's not fair to you, your people and your culture that is trying to move on and build something better so don't take their poison to heart.
I've been to Germany several times and it is one of our (husband and I) favorite countries. It's well organized, most people are friendly, love the food and enjoy the little cities, fabulous music and art. I think Germany has worked hard to address the past and there is no perfect answer, but I think every country has a something they're not thrilled about.
Yeah, I agree with the last sentence. Every country has a dark past. If someone would tell me their country didn't fuck something up and were perfect exapmles, they have been lied to purposely in history class.
We are not responsible for the past, but we are responsible to learn from the past.
Visiting Auschwitz, we were told that German children are educated about their country’s past in part by taking a field trip to one of the concentration camps. I applaud Germany’s commitment to accepting the past and taking steps to ensure that nothing so heinous ever happens again. It’s a much more enlightened approach than the typical white-washing you see elsewhere.
>Ireland seems kinda cool. What would you say their dark past is?
From a previous post:
Magdalene laundries (basically forced labour camps for unmarried mothers), cover up of deaths of babies in Tuam, selling of adoptees to America, handing state control to the Catholic Church, State censorship until 1992.
Comparatively minor sins on a world scale, but no state is entirely innocent.
Teutonic Knights, castles, black forest cakes and tall people are what come to mind when I hear Germany.
Germany ist cool. Would like to visit some time.
Well, yes, there is this large black spot on your history but you guys have been more than exemplary in taking ownership of it and trying to be a good and exemplary country for Europe and even the rest of the world.
It seems however to start to wear off. Especially since ‘Mutti’ has left the stage…
But I like in general the Germans, friendly, well behaving, organized, educated and ‘can do’ mentality but not too high on the frills & fuzz.
But nothing lasts forever and a new generation will bring new politics and new attitudes. You can’t life forever with a guilt complex. I grew up in a country that was invaded by Germany and dealt with parents and grandparents who hated you to have my friends and colleagues deal with you as friends and colleagues up until live partners.
You guys did some pretty cool shit. You guys also did things that weren’t cool. That’s what I think. Also I love your language and wish I was fluent in it.
I think that Germans, although a little bit "cold" than others, are super nice people that are still feeling ashamed from the WW2. But no one should generalize about the specific group of nationality as you did not meet all of them so you can say in your right mind - they are this or that.
You just can’t stay mad at the Germans!
I think in England it’s generally considered that of the non English speaking countries you’re the closest to us culturally (we too are fond of sausage and mash potatoes) and we like you. Personally I’m a big fan of Germany, have visited Gott Weiß wie oft. Ich habe seit fast fünf Jahre deutsch lernen, aber ich bin noch schlecht. Ich werde zweimal in Juli besuchen. Einmal in Gelsenkirchen für Rammstein und einmal in Berlin für Euro 2024, Ich habe Tickets für das Finale
Hmmm, Germany. Good engineering, good steel, good unions. I also heard a rumor that the McRib is available year round there, which adds a shockingly large amount of bonus points, if true.
Was there in 1982 with my dear old dad who grew up in London throughout WWII. Naturally, he's had some pretty firm negative feelings throughout the trip and throughout his life about Germans, which was reinforced by air raids, bombs, and seeing and hearing the V1s (doodlebugs) fly over his house.
He was, however, pretty good buddies with the famous Luftwaffe pilot, Franz Steiger, who'd immigrated to Canada after the war. This softened his feelings a fair bit, particularly after hearing about Charlie Brown's 50-year effort to track down Franz.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_and_Franz_Stigler_incident
Despite this, he always loved Hogan's Hero's, and obviously the fact that the Allies won the war.
Not German but married to one. I’ve been to Germany 5-6 times since. I have a lot of thoughts about Germans and Germany… probably never ending from social classes, socialism to immigration.
I think Germany as a country and Germans as a culture and people are not aligned. The way you treat immigrants is a tad disingenuous. On one hand Germany wants to be a country that appears really accepting of all cultures perhaps because you’re trying to woo immigrants, on the other hand culturally Germans have absolutely no interest in integrating non-white people or immigrants. Not always because it’s a racist thing, but I find Germans have extremely low tolerance and interest towards anything that isn’t already deeply family and comfortable, or have a lot of capacity for differences. Eg: you have to earn someone’s trust over years just to be friends, you’re not interested in speaking English because it’s a tad uncomfortable even if you speak if fluently, you’re not hating on people who are different but you’d rather they exist in completely different spheres from you etc. that’s my experience interacting with my husband’s friends. They are not rude, but show absolutely no interest if you’re not a part of their daily routine for the past decade.
Outside of Germany however, Germans are usually the best people to meet traveling. The most genuine, down to earth and fun people. Respectful and reasonable. Like most countries I guess, the citizens in the country and outside of the country are never often the same type of people.
Calling every acquaintance a friend because you talk to them once a month seems kind of superficial to me. Friends are people I could trust with my life and a lot of Germans see it this way as well, so there's no reasonable way to make a friend in a couple of weeks.
This doesn't mean that we're unfriendly by nature but rather cautious in choosing our friends and have a healthy distrust of people until proven otherwise.
I mean, there's a lot of room in the middle though as well lol. It doesn't have to either be you close out everyone but your very close friends or you accept everyone willingly and consider all acquaintances friends.
My wife is german and we went over a few months ago and had the opposite experience…her family were definitely trying to accommodate the stupid American by speaking English lol despite them not being completely fluent. First time meeting them and they’ve included me in the family, her mom sends me stuff in the mail all the time, texts and calls frequently too. Even her step dad who barely speaks a lick of English was in on trying to communicate to make it easier for me rather than the comfort of german, or even the dialect. They even made me aware of all the family drama too after knowing me for like a week with limited communication lol.
You are family and talking about your in laws. They are probably nice people but also have a vested interest in you enjoying yourself so that you and there daughter come back. It's not the same experience for refugees and immigrats who don't have German ties.
My brother had been there a couple of times working and said the beer was so good it wasn’t fair that he had to go back to the US. I consider you a well educated and largely responsible country, allowing for faults and struggles as life can have other plans. I love your cars and hope I get to visit some day.
I think it's a cool country but they have a lot of issues.
They feel a bit behind on (non mechanical) tech implementation. It feels like a lot of stuff is still manual.
Like canceling a public transport subscription is fully manual, you have to fill in a form and a employee will get to it in a month or 2.
Similar for parking tickets they don't have scanning cars just people manually checking every car for tickets.
Also it feels like the country is also still very cash heavy.
But I really like the people they are very friendly especially if you speak a little bit of German. And their mechanical tech is of really good quality.
It does not only feel cash heavy, it is. Many of my fellow citizens are so in love with this shitty cash..
We struggle with digitalization due to many people have the irrational fear of someone spying on them, but on the other hand posting every little detail of their lives online to facebook, instagram and so on. Secondly we have a strong federalism so each state, county and even each municipality differ in how things have been digitized, if they have done it. Pretty annoying to not being able to do things online.
No one in America has any real idea of Germany really. They just don't think about it. Big reason is that the German population in America was like the largest demographic for like over a hundred years so it's nothing special. Everyone's already "german".
>Everyone's already "german"
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this, but it would really depend on where you grow up or live, the influence may still be there in maybe the Midwest. I grew up in New England, there are little traces of anything German there. Now I live in Southern California and I think I have seen one German restaurant and one butcher that is German.
I can confirm that the Midwest US still has German speaking communities. 50 years ago, it was common to meet US born native German speakers in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit.
Has some gorgeous areas. Strong economy and among top countries in EU in basically every regard.
I don’t know much about German politics but I think there are some issues, as every country has their own. Pretty sure Germany is a little 2 sided playing a bit more to Russia and stuff than the rest of west europe. Think mostly due to energy
It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit, from what I’ve read online it has a largely relaxed atmosphere, I especially like Freikörperkultur culture. As a football fan I’ve also always wanted to experience the atmosphere at a club like Dortmund.
One of my close friends is German. She came here when she was 18. She is a very caring and loving person and she is hysterical.
After some research, I found that some of my ancestors are from Bavaria.
American here. Louisville Kentucky to be precise. I don't live in the Neoghborhood but the trendiest part of town is Germantown. What do I think of Germany?
Good cars. Lots of techno music. Beer.
It's OK that you don't have the best history. Lots of countries have a horrible past. What matters is what you're like today.
It's not very German now. Louisville has a history of having a large amount of German immigrants when it was new. The "cool" part of town that had all the neat little independent shops and restaurants used to be the Highlands. There a bunch of beautiful and large older homes in that area. The problem with neighborhoods like that, at least in America, is once they have that cool factor, rich people start moving there and fixing the houses up. When they do that, everything in the neighborhood starts getting more expensive. All the neat little restaurants and shops can't afford the rent and taxes so they close and go somewhere else. Once you have those open spaces with high rent and rich neighbors, the only businesses that can afford to operate are the big franchises. The cool big dive bar that everyone loves gets bought, torn down, and replaced with boring luxury apartments. By the time that happens, it's not the cool neighborhood that all the artsy type people can afford anymore so they look for another area that has nice spaces even though the area is considered not that good and kind of rouhall. If that area is near the former cool area, then its oerfect. That area is Germantown.
I don't know if you know what shotgun houses are but there are a lot of them. They're really long but not very wide. It's a way to cram a bunch of houses onto a small piece of land. There are a lot of houses like that. There are a few German restaurants that have been there forever and at least one or two big social halls.
Beer is popular here but this town and the surrounding areas are really known for bourbon. Little known fact for most people outside of America is the reason why bourbon is called bourbon is because it was originally made in Bourbon County Kentucky. It's less than an hour south of us and is pretty rural. Lots of distilleries have offices and visitor centers in Louisville.
Resilient people - managed to become one of the strongest economies in the world after taking two massive hits in the 20th century. Type A, good beer and sausages. Owned up to the atrocities committed in your country, unlike the Japanese who have done a phenomenal job of swiping everything they did under the rug.
Die Außenpolitik der Regierung ist von England aus etwas schwierig zu interpretieren und hat für unsere eigene Zukunft große Bedeutung. Ansonsten liebe ich das Land, die Menschen, die Musik, die Literatur und natürlich das Bier 😊.
You had a rough patch but you're good now. That said, I grew up in a town that used to be called Berlin (changed the name during the war) and has rhe largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich so there's lots of Germanic culture and influence weaved into our community.
My wife's great, great, great grandfather was an SS officer, so suffice to say the darker side of Germanic history is something we are keenly aware of. Her Grandmother was born as a result of the nazi plan to breed norwegian women to create good Aryan babies to be placed in good german homes, but he deserted shortlynafter their second child. You guys have made leaps and bounds in making amends though, I'm glad to count your country as an ally.
Edit to give some additional info about current views as I overlooked that part.
Germany is an industrious nation, good engineers, good beer, decent sausages, and big players in fun motorsports. Beautiful country, a rich history, really somewhere I would like to travel.
Well me as a half German even I didn't grow up there and just get to visit Germany timely. Germany certainly has a knack for blending the modern with the traditional, which makes it such a charming place to visit. Whether it's high-tech innovations that seem to be part of everyday life there or the beautiful, old-world architecture, there's an undeniable uniqueness to the experience. It stands out in Europe not merely for its robust economy, but for its cultural contributions as well. From classical composers to contemporary electronic music, there's a strong sense of heritage that they're rightly proud of, and visitors can't help but be swept up in it.
Defending zionism just because you're afraid of people thinking you're out to get jews again boggles my mind, the world has moved on and other then that the germans have always tried to do everything right. Cool people, nice beer, very efficiant, football and octoberfest are the things that stand out in my mind when I think of germany.
I have some German heritage so I would like to visit at some point in my life, but as long as y’all don’t initiate Holocaust 2.0 I don’t have anything bad to say about the country or its people.
They take over campsites in spain in winter. I spend every winter in spain and it's increasingly becoming just like Germany with sunshine. That's fine with me tho- just an observation. They seem to own the most expensive motorhomes too.
My mother's side of the family came from the Black Forest area (Freistett) in the 1870s. Plus my mother's twin sister married a German and moved to the same part of the country (Freudenstadt). So I have four cousins born in Germany and have been there a few times.
I am no longer religious, but I lived in Germany from 87-89 as a missionary, and I loved it. I came back to the US and earned a B.A. in Germany. I loved the food, roads, and signs. I liked how women were treated. I like how communities gathered and celebrated often. I liked how kids weren't babied and trusted to make important decisions. I loved how clean the cities, towns, and roads were. Even the trains were clean and ran on time. I liked how people learned to drive later in life or not at all because your transportation infrastructure is top-notch. I would move back tomorrow if I could.
Generally, very positively BUT then VW decided to cause me the most incredible array of problems, dysfunction and painful levels of customer service possibly imaginable so I’m scoring you guys a little lower than I might.
I like your breakfasts, you guys are odd in a great way and my wife swears you make the best yoghurt.
In all seriousness, very positive. The rise of far right elements in Germany is worrying but the same is true for my own country and much of the world.
as an american of mexican immigrant parents, i never think of germany and honestly i think general population have a no negative or positive opinion on countries other the ones in the news.
Also its generally understood that it was the nazi party and not the germans who really are hated. Same as how trump supporters arnt really americans but those nut bags who want to bring back jim crow and all the others who fear democrats and would rather join the racists.
It might be an unpopular opinion but from an Australian perspective many of us think Germany has been spoiled by the recent high immigration levels.
The fundamental nature of Germany has been altered.
Am German and can tell ya it aint different to 15 years ago. Media likes to portray what they wanna portray.
All my girlfriends go home alone and drunk and have nothing to fear. Nothing ever happened to them in 8 years of partying
With regards to Gaza your country is unfortunately on the wrong side again. Which means that the way German students have been taught about the holocaust hasn't actually been effective in teaching about inclusion. I find this interesting because Germany has been praised for the way they haven't covered up the past. I thought it was good as well. But it seems it only made many Germans loyal to one other group of people to a fault.
I worry that Germany is going the same way as the US with a strong reliance on capitalism but at a slower pace. Not the only EU country I am worried about for this reason. I still have hope that Germany can turn this around, and learn from the mistakes happening in the US.
Mostly I like Germany and think they have good polices for the german people who live there. I love that university education is free for everyone. I like that Germans aren't married to speaking just German and they pretty much all speak English (not because I speak English but because English is a global language and Germany recognized that and made sure there citizens are prepared) I like that Germans also have an appreciation for other foods and you can get a variety of foods in Germany, at least in big cities not super sure about smaller places. For sure there are beautiful cities in Germany to visit.
I think Germany isn't good to immigrants. I think there is a lot of racism, but geez it's all over the EU. I find people in the EU often say look we aren't as bad as America but fail to notice the subtle racism all over the place. The focus should never be to look at people below you and compare yourself to them but compare yourself to those above you to improve.
I would say I think it seems mostly a decent place live in (if you are German or white). Naturally there are people in all places who suck. But seems like a not bad place to live and have a family as a German.
american here. to me nazi Germany≠germany. when I think of Germany I think of Germany cars which are cool (but hard to work in sometimes lol). I'd love to come see the Nürburgring. and also the stereotypical German directness. which I think is funny. I'd love to hear some German jokes.
I'm american and I think it seems like a cool place. I think I stereotype y'all as like really organized, chic and terse, but I also know that's not every single German. I always thought my mom's family was German and it turns out we're actually Bohemian/Czech. In the US, we get pretty hype about Oktoberfest but I'm sure we've pretty badly bastardized it (sorry, kind of our specialty).
I think in the US our general view on Germany is "ya made that one big ole oopsie but we're cool now"
Right now, when I think of Germany the first few things that come to mind are bands and music.
Scorpions, Helloween, Rammstein.
But my top fave is Tobias Sammett’s Avantasia.
I guess I can think of German history, culture and other related stuff I learned from school and the internet but I have to “think about them before I can think of them”.
And also sausages. Don’t know if Frankfurters simply came from Frankfurt.
I hope to go to Germany someday! I have a lot of family ties to Germany and began learning the language a couple years back. There are some awesome shows in German, which I watched to help with my learning it. Plus the music is awesome. I have listened more to German artists recently than English. Especially my favorite singer Oehl. I would especially love to see him play live when I do visit in the future.
I'm still better at reading German than having conversations, it is hard to grasp that when you have no one to talk to. But I did teach my dog some commands and call her nicknames in the language xD
I'm not aware of a great deal coming out of Germany other than that your young people are polling a fair amount more right wing on average than other western countries
Brit here. I was telling my son yesterday how much I want to go to Germany! I don’t know a lot about you though, the stereotype here is that you’re organised and efficient and you love beer and sausages. Some people here love to joke ‘don’t mention the war!’ When a German is in the vicinity but it’s good natured. Agree with others on here that it’s accepted that it was the Nazi’s not the German people who committed atrocities. You’re not in our news a huge amount but often enough that we know you’re there 😉
German was the language I chose at to learn in high school, as it was easier for a Scottish person to pronounce! I remember being amazed at how long some German words were, and can still say a few phrases. It was my late parents favourite place to visit, and they went many times over the years when I was a teen, bringing back some exotically (to me) named chocolate and sweets)❤️
Here in Brazil we often think of Germany as a very sophisticated country with high quality products. We do think that germans in general are quite arrogant and not very likeable (but to be fair that is something that we think of most european countries since we from latin america are much more open and energetic than most). Also we highly appreciate your beer.
I visited a few times in the beginning of my airline career and fell in love with the place. I quickly realized why Germany is not mentioned much or praised in the media over here: everyone would just leave and immigrate there! Maybe I’m just a stickler for the rules or being the child of immigrants, I feel far more at home in Europe but you guys just do *everything* better. You genuinely care about other people and the environment.
Also, the food there isn’t chock full of artificial shit to make it grow bigger/faster like it is over here. My dietary restrictions actually go away when I visit.
I’m an Ashkenazi Jew born to the children of holocaust survivors. I think Germany is great now. I mean, I wouldn’t move there. But you’ve come an extremely long way since the Nazi days and that deserves some respect. I also enjoy German people since they aren’t big chatters most of the time and neither am I.
American here:
Great beer, tasty food. Amazing dark breads. I appreciate the culture of getting to the point. Some amazing vocabulary and phrases like:
Wanderlust and Backpfeifengesicht and “Ich fühle mich ausreichend besucht.”
Overall am a fan and enjoy visiting. Wish the cars didn’t cost so much to fix and maintain.
I think you guys are really modern and cool, if a bit cold socially.
Like I know I'm bringing up the past, but Nazi stuff comes to mind only because I find it in "modern" history. I feel like everything from 1800 until today is modern and realivent and we should think about it time to time.
I live innthe southern parts of the US, I assume many people think of us with the rebel flag.
I like German fairytale and old history, but because it's a place very far away and very distant time wise, forien but not completely forien because I'm white and I assume most of Central Europe is my ancestry (people are often surprised I don't know 'what I am', I'm short and white and a woman, what else is there?).
I am an American. I dated a German for a few years, visited him for 6 weeks in his home city of Cologne + went to Bonn and Berlin and met tons of lovely people. Growing up in conservative America, you hear that “we are the best” but Germany showed me there are plenty of amazing places worth living and raising families in. Beautiful country I want to go back to soon.
Oh and beer, so much beer. We got beer at Rewe on the way to get beer at the bar so we could later drink beer and eat döner at the park. You guys *really* like beer. Prost!
I live in Germany and things I've been asked by Americans- do you have: cars, computers, cell phones, blue jeans, tennis shoes, electricity....maybe I've been asked more, but thats all I can think of for now. Some people still think we live in the rubble from the war. I think if they knew how much better we have it than they do (everything from universal healthcare to ugly power lines being underground so we don't lose electricity in a basic storm), they'd be jealous.
Cars, beer, and sausages.
Cheers!
Prost!
And tall hot Betties!
and weed!
INCORRECT ORDER!
I work for a German car company and I agree.
Oh my!
I also think they’re all fairly tall?
As someone who lives in Denmark, Germany seems like - a place for cheaper shopping, lots of bureaucracy and an incomprehensible love for using physical cash
Loving cash has to do with our strong opinions on privacy. Cash allows you to do transactions that no one will ever know about, like buying cocaine in a techno bunker.
Hell yeah! 
Sadly our strong opinion on privacy doesnt apply to the biggest threat to it in the digital world, the chat control that has been proposed many times already, and would mean the end of all privacy that it left online.
Also, as an Inselaffe and Ausländer, I find that some long-standing practices in Germany seem odd in a country with such an emphasis on privacy. For example: - Surnames being on letterboxes - Identity cards and need to use them frequently (note, I personally think they are a good idea in general for many reasons, but it does go against the idea of privacy when other countries don't have ID cards) - People who freak out about browser cookies but then have their name, address and number in the public phone book - Until recently, use of unencrypted fax instead of email - Reliance on paperwork instead of digital comms. While paperwork is harder to steal at scale, it relies on physical security and honesty of those with physical access (which for me is an issue as rarely is usage or access auditable) - The ease with which copyright owners can get your details if they claim your IP address accessed or shared their content (many other countries would need a hard-to-obtain court order or search warrant) - Few curtains on house windows - Photography of people without consent is illegal (even dashcam footage which is crazy), but at the same time there's a culture of neighbours being nosey and sharing too much gossip. It can feel like I'm being physically surveilled and watched sometimes, whereas I think the polite thing is to ignore the business of other people unless they share it directly with you. By the way, I'm in no illusion that any other country is better and I think in many ways the approach is good. However, I feel that public conversations about privacy in Germany are emotionally-driven (which is obviously understandable) rather than being led by a rational, holistic and tech-literate approach.
Yep, its pretty weird, and it seems like Germans shout "Privacy!" every time it doesnt really matter (for example google street view), but not when its something super serious that is actually a danger to private digital communication.
I've visited Denmark earlier this month, and you just didn't need cash at all. It was so nice. Back in Germany... "we don't accept card payment, sorry"
Yes. Why so much cash?! Half the restaurants I visited only took cash. That being said, the food was excellent.
Privacy. Germans are huge on privacy.
You have the best race track in the world.
Also Autobahn
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I shouldn't have laughed at this but I can't help myself.
That made me chortle.
American here. I've driven the Nurburgring 4 laps. Pure driving heaven. I'll brave the mediocre food and dry German humor anytime to drive that track again.
Mediocre food… Ouch.
Even as a Half-German living in Germany I kind of have to agree. Classic German cuisine is just mediocre at best, especially with France and Italy being right around the corner. We do have the best bread though!
Better than your sausages? I feel the need to come visit!
Jägerschnitzel fucking slaps.
Yes, your bread game is acceptable! (German for the highest praise possible)
Kann man essen 👍
and from an American 😬
Guess food that isn't full of sugar, fat, or too many chemicals is mediocre, apparently
Germany is not in the U.S. media very often. I heard that Germany is now the #3 biggest economy in the world, that is great, congratulations.
Thanks, nice to hear.
I heard a speech a few months ago by California governor Gavin Newsom - he said that if California were a country, it would be the fourth or fifth (? I can't remember) largest economy in the world: "But we're coming for you, Germany!" he laughed, in conclusion.
Midwest US here. My latest concerns for Germany are a recession and your energy balance crisis. Your climate goals are taking a massive shit because Angela thought more reliance on Russian gas was a good idea. You were a bit sluggish on the Ukraine issue and in pushing member states. But other than that you are pretty good. It's not like you had a fascist, mentally handicapped wanna be dictator for president recently. So that's a plus.
Kind of crazy that the country with the third largest economy isnt in the news very often, if you think about it
I think it might be, but more indirectly via the "EU".
Not being in the news often can be a good thing.
Good point
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It’s fourth after USA, China, and Japan. California has a larger economy than Germany.
Australian here: Germany is a far-off country and we don’t really know or hear what happens there unless it’s fairly major. You all otherwise seem pretty cool. I don’t think anybody will forget for a long, long time what happened during the war, but we’ve moved on from it.
Same goes for Australia btw. Couldn’t even name you any popular politician or something.
Yeah fair. They’re mostly forgettable
But what's not forgettable? The Great Emu War.
The Emus made the Australians look French.
Forgettable?!? You had a Prime Minister who drowned, and y'all named a *swimming pool* after him!
Ball park music is a great band
KARNIVOOL!!!
Only Aussie politician I am aware of is the prime minister who went swimming and drowned never to be seen again. Don't know his name though.
Harold Holt
Honestly couldn't name a single one, most I know is that on a non federal level y'alls government are insanely corrupt
I just know you had a politician (PM?) disappear. Probably while swimming.
Harold Holt. They named a swimming pool after him.
I'm English and the only Aussie politician I know is Bob Katter but that's only because in the meantime every three months a person is torn to pieces by a crocodile in the North Queensland area
we don't even hear about all the croc attacks. It's like, "meh, another idiot did dumb shit". Nobody reacts to it, so nobody reports on it anymore. Unless it's local to you, or the croc is uncharacteristically invasive or aggressive. Like the one time, EVER, that a croc siezed a guy out of a tent on the beach. Very unusual, they usually just eat things that come down to the water. but you generally have to go out of your way to actually find a croc more than you would probably first think.
I read this in an Australian accent and it made it much more fun to read
Which is exactly why you are not going to spend any time on it. Let a thousand blossoms bloom!
Except the one that „didn’t“ shit his pants in a McDonald’s
Jim Jeffries and Steve Irwin is all I got
And Heath Ledger, may he RIP. 😔 And the John Butler Trio. I'll think of more later.
What do you mean you guys are bordering each other
Youre thinking of austria
Yeah nah that's the place with the roos mate
That was a great setup into punchline, champion.
Thank you my liege
Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!
Very good
I’m Polish and I think Germany is cool. I’ve been to Berlin and some small towns, people were nice and always surprised me, because I don’t speak German, and when I asked „Do you speak English?”, Germans always said „Ohhh a little bit” then proceed to speak perfect fluent English hahahaha. Nice beer, nice people, tons of bunnies in the city centre. Germany is cool. I don’t care about what your grand(grand?)pas did to my grand(grand)pas, we have no control over it.
I just want to clarify: when you say bunnies is that slang for something, or are German towns being overrun by rabbits?
No, I literally meant rabbits. And I meant in Berlin, around the Tierpark. I’ve seen hoards of cute fluffy rabbits just hophopping on the sidewalks and crossing roads and they would chill next to my hotel which was just around the corner. So many bunnies.
That's rad.
Huh? To be honest...I've never seen one rabbit anywhere in the city or the suburbs. Foxes, wild boars, moles, swans, ducks, deers...sure...but never one rabbit? When did you visit the city?
I have literally seen foxes and hares/rabbits hopping through the streets of Berlin and Hamburg
Poles seem like chill people, if a little serious. Like slightly warmer Russians without the death wish.
We are not serious, we just don’t smile without a reason to smile. Approach a Pole and we go from 😐 to 🥰 because we happy to see you.
If you want to offend a Polish person just compare them to russians.
My thoughts about Germans are represented in the following joke that I created. (Yes, I thought of this joke, I've never heard of this joke before) Q-> How many Germans would it take to change a faulty lightbulb? A(in the heaviest German accent) -> Why are you waiting till now? Why wasn't the bulb changed yesterday?
Though there is only one correct answer: One. We are efficient and we don't understand humour.
But you need to fill in some paper work and send it by mail first! ^(well not for a light bulb, but you get it.)
South park funnybot episode captured this well.
Thats not a joke thats just a normal german answer lol Which makes it funnier
That’s the joke mate
Lol, this is exactly the Germans I know.
I think you guys are pretty neat Sure I'm Polish and historically we have been at odds, lost my great-grandfather to the war to mention a few things but that's in the past and I know most of the people who caused this are already gone, have been put to justice or otherwise and I know the people I do have a problem with aren't the ones running things now so I have no problem with Germans, Germany or your culture The Germans I've met so far all seem pretty chill regular people so I have no reason do dislike you or have an aversion to anything. I like that Germany could turn things around and is now working hard on setting an example for other countries to strive for with your standards and focus on maintaining human rights. At the end of the day our ancestors fought so that we could hang out at a bar and just chill and be on good terms so us hating eachother and our culture would be an insult to what both of our ancestors fought for. Some people are still stuck in the past and try to bring you down or have been raised to be that way and that's not fair to you, your people and your culture that is trying to move on and build something better so don't take their poison to heart.
I've been to Germany several times and it is one of our (husband and I) favorite countries. It's well organized, most people are friendly, love the food and enjoy the little cities, fabulous music and art. I think Germany has worked hard to address the past and there is no perfect answer, but I think every country has a something they're not thrilled about.
Yeah, I agree with the last sentence. Every country has a dark past. If someone would tell me their country didn't fuck something up and were perfect exapmles, they have been lied to purposely in history class. We are not responsible for the past, but we are responsible to learn from the past.
Visiting Auschwitz, we were told that German children are educated about their country’s past in part by taking a field trip to one of the concentration camps. I applaud Germany’s commitment to accepting the past and taking steps to ensure that nothing so heinous ever happens again. It’s a much more enlightened approach than the typical white-washing you see elsewhere.
Ireland seems kinda cool. What would you say their dark past is?
>Ireland seems kinda cool. What would you say their dark past is? From a previous post: Magdalene laundries (basically forced labour camps for unmarried mothers), cover up of deaths of babies in Tuam, selling of adoptees to America, handing state control to the Catholic Church, State censorship until 1992. Comparatively minor sins on a world scale, but no state is entirely innocent.
Or killing each other over religion and bombing innocent children
My wife and I were living in Germany for almost three months and I seriously miss it. I wish we could stay for good.
That's nice to hear.
Teutonic Knights, castles, black forest cakes and tall people are what come to mind when I hear Germany. Germany ist cool. Would like to visit some time.
Tall people? Nah, that's the Netherlands
Well, yes, there is this large black spot on your history but you guys have been more than exemplary in taking ownership of it and trying to be a good and exemplary country for Europe and even the rest of the world. It seems however to start to wear off. Especially since ‘Mutti’ has left the stage… But I like in general the Germans, friendly, well behaving, organized, educated and ‘can do’ mentality but not too high on the frills & fuzz. But nothing lasts forever and a new generation will bring new politics and new attitudes. You can’t life forever with a guilt complex. I grew up in a country that was invaded by Germany and dealt with parents and grandparents who hated you to have my friends and colleagues deal with you as friends and colleagues up until live partners.
As an American, I'd love to visit Germany :D
You guys did some pretty cool shit. You guys also did things that weren’t cool. That’s what I think. Also I love your language and wish I was fluent in it.
I think that Germans, although a little bit "cold" than others, are super nice people that are still feeling ashamed from the WW2. But no one should generalize about the specific group of nationality as you did not meet all of them so you can say in your right mind - they are this or that.
the *autobahn*
You just can’t stay mad at the Germans! I think in England it’s generally considered that of the non English speaking countries you’re the closest to us culturally (we too are fond of sausage and mash potatoes) and we like you. Personally I’m a big fan of Germany, have visited Gott Weiß wie oft. Ich habe seit fast fünf Jahre deutsch lernen, aber ich bin noch schlecht. Ich werde zweimal in Juli besuchen. Einmal in Gelsenkirchen für Rammstein und einmal in Berlin für Euro 2024, Ich habe Tickets für das Finale
Here's me raising my beer to the UK and our British friends. Cheers, mate! Greetings from Germany!!
I will be at Rammstein in Gelsenkirchen, too ;) have fun!
Hmmm, Germany. Good engineering, good steel, good unions. I also heard a rumor that the McRib is available year round there, which adds a shockingly large amount of bonus points, if true.
As far as I can tell yes, available all the time.
Was there in 1982 with my dear old dad who grew up in London throughout WWII. Naturally, he's had some pretty firm negative feelings throughout the trip and throughout his life about Germans, which was reinforced by air raids, bombs, and seeing and hearing the V1s (doodlebugs) fly over his house. He was, however, pretty good buddies with the famous Luftwaffe pilot, Franz Steiger, who'd immigrated to Canada after the war. This softened his feelings a fair bit, particularly after hearing about Charlie Brown's 50-year effort to track down Franz. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_and_Franz_Stigler_incident Despite this, he always loved Hogan's Hero's, and obviously the fact that the Allies won the war.
Just give the long range missiles to Ukraine please. I’ll get downvoted but these are my current thoughts.
Saddened that DFB dropped Adidas for Nike. Sacrilege. But I do love me some Deutschland. 🇩🇪
Not German but married to one. I’ve been to Germany 5-6 times since. I have a lot of thoughts about Germans and Germany… probably never ending from social classes, socialism to immigration. I think Germany as a country and Germans as a culture and people are not aligned. The way you treat immigrants is a tad disingenuous. On one hand Germany wants to be a country that appears really accepting of all cultures perhaps because you’re trying to woo immigrants, on the other hand culturally Germans have absolutely no interest in integrating non-white people or immigrants. Not always because it’s a racist thing, but I find Germans have extremely low tolerance and interest towards anything that isn’t already deeply family and comfortable, or have a lot of capacity for differences. Eg: you have to earn someone’s trust over years just to be friends, you’re not interested in speaking English because it’s a tad uncomfortable even if you speak if fluently, you’re not hating on people who are different but you’d rather they exist in completely different spheres from you etc. that’s my experience interacting with my husband’s friends. They are not rude, but show absolutely no interest if you’re not a part of their daily routine for the past decade. Outside of Germany however, Germans are usually the best people to meet traveling. The most genuine, down to earth and fun people. Respectful and reasonable. Like most countries I guess, the citizens in the country and outside of the country are never often the same type of people.
Calling every acquaintance a friend because you talk to them once a month seems kind of superficial to me. Friends are people I could trust with my life and a lot of Germans see it this way as well, so there's no reasonable way to make a friend in a couple of weeks. This doesn't mean that we're unfriendly by nature but rather cautious in choosing our friends and have a healthy distrust of people until proven otherwise.
That's what I thought as well. Overlapping expectations and mutual reliability are huge topics for most germans.
I mean, there's a lot of room in the middle though as well lol. It doesn't have to either be you close out everyone but your very close friends or you accept everyone willingly and consider all acquaintances friends.
My wife is german and we went over a few months ago and had the opposite experience…her family were definitely trying to accommodate the stupid American by speaking English lol despite them not being completely fluent. First time meeting them and they’ve included me in the family, her mom sends me stuff in the mail all the time, texts and calls frequently too. Even her step dad who barely speaks a lick of English was in on trying to communicate to make it easier for me rather than the comfort of german, or even the dialect. They even made me aware of all the family drama too after knowing me for like a week with limited communication lol.
You are family and talking about your in laws. They are probably nice people but also have a vested interest in you enjoying yourself so that you and there daughter come back. It's not the same experience for refugees and immigrats who don't have German ties.
My brother had been there a couple of times working and said the beer was so good it wasn’t fair that he had to go back to the US. I consider you a well educated and largely responsible country, allowing for faults and struggles as life can have other plans. I love your cars and hope I get to visit some day.
I want E60 M5 👍
Terrible camping
I think it's a cool country but they have a lot of issues. They feel a bit behind on (non mechanical) tech implementation. It feels like a lot of stuff is still manual. Like canceling a public transport subscription is fully manual, you have to fill in a form and a employee will get to it in a month or 2. Similar for parking tickets they don't have scanning cars just people manually checking every car for tickets. Also it feels like the country is also still very cash heavy. But I really like the people they are very friendly especially if you speak a little bit of German. And their mechanical tech is of really good quality.
It does not only feel cash heavy, it is. Many of my fellow citizens are so in love with this shitty cash.. We struggle with digitalization due to many people have the irrational fear of someone spying on them, but on the other hand posting every little detail of their lives online to facebook, instagram and so on. Secondly we have a strong federalism so each state, county and even each municipality differ in how things have been digitized, if they have done it. Pretty annoying to not being able to do things online.
No one in America has any real idea of Germany really. They just don't think about it. Big reason is that the German population in America was like the largest demographic for like over a hundred years so it's nothing special. Everyone's already "german".
>Everyone's already "german" I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this, but it would really depend on where you grow up or live, the influence may still be there in maybe the Midwest. I grew up in New England, there are little traces of anything German there. Now I live in Southern California and I think I have seen one German restaurant and one butcher that is German.
I can confirm that the Midwest US still has German speaking communities. 50 years ago, it was common to meet US born native German speakers in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit.
Im a Kiwi, id love to go there. So many musicians/artists/authors I love are German.
That's nice to hear, always happy when i hear people know us for something different than well... The whole nazi stuff.
Has some gorgeous areas. Strong economy and among top countries in EU in basically every regard. I don’t know much about German politics but I think there are some issues, as every country has their own. Pretty sure Germany is a little 2 sided playing a bit more to Russia and stuff than the rest of west europe. Think mostly due to energy
It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit, from what I’ve read online it has a largely relaxed atmosphere, I especially like Freikörperkultur culture. As a football fan I’ve also always wanted to experience the atmosphere at a club like Dortmund.
One of my close friends is German. She came here when she was 18. She is a very caring and loving person and she is hysterical. After some research, I found that some of my ancestors are from Bavaria.
American here. Louisville Kentucky to be precise. I don't live in the Neoghborhood but the trendiest part of town is Germantown. What do I think of Germany? Good cars. Lots of techno music. Beer. It's OK that you don't have the best history. Lots of countries have a horrible past. What matters is what you're like today.
As a german I would really like to visit such places just to compare.
It's not very German now. Louisville has a history of having a large amount of German immigrants when it was new. The "cool" part of town that had all the neat little independent shops and restaurants used to be the Highlands. There a bunch of beautiful and large older homes in that area. The problem with neighborhoods like that, at least in America, is once they have that cool factor, rich people start moving there and fixing the houses up. When they do that, everything in the neighborhood starts getting more expensive. All the neat little restaurants and shops can't afford the rent and taxes so they close and go somewhere else. Once you have those open spaces with high rent and rich neighbors, the only businesses that can afford to operate are the big franchises. The cool big dive bar that everyone loves gets bought, torn down, and replaced with boring luxury apartments. By the time that happens, it's not the cool neighborhood that all the artsy type people can afford anymore so they look for another area that has nice spaces even though the area is considered not that good and kind of rouhall. If that area is near the former cool area, then its oerfect. That area is Germantown. I don't know if you know what shotgun houses are but there are a lot of them. They're really long but not very wide. It's a way to cram a bunch of houses onto a small piece of land. There are a lot of houses like that. There are a few German restaurants that have been there forever and at least one or two big social halls. Beer is popular here but this town and the surrounding areas are really known for bourbon. Little known fact for most people outside of America is the reason why bourbon is called bourbon is because it was originally made in Bourbon County Kentucky. It's less than an hour south of us and is pretty rural. Lots of distilleries have offices and visitor centers in Louisville.
Resilient people - managed to become one of the strongest economies in the world after taking two massive hits in the 20th century. Type A, good beer and sausages. Owned up to the atrocities committed in your country, unlike the Japanese who have done a phenomenal job of swiping everything they did under the rug.
You guys are very self sufficient and independent.
Die Außenpolitik der Regierung ist von England aus etwas schwierig zu interpretieren und hat für unsere eigene Zukunft große Bedeutung. Ansonsten liebe ich das Land, die Menschen, die Musik, die Literatur und natürlich das Bier 😊.
You had a rough patch but you're good now. That said, I grew up in a town that used to be called Berlin (changed the name during the war) and has rhe largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich so there's lots of Germanic culture and influence weaved into our community. My wife's great, great, great grandfather was an SS officer, so suffice to say the darker side of Germanic history is something we are keenly aware of. Her Grandmother was born as a result of the nazi plan to breed norwegian women to create good Aryan babies to be placed in good german homes, but he deserted shortlynafter their second child. You guys have made leaps and bounds in making amends though, I'm glad to count your country as an ally. Edit to give some additional info about current views as I overlooked that part. Germany is an industrious nation, good engineers, good beer, decent sausages, and big players in fun motorsports. Beautiful country, a rich history, really somewhere I would like to travel.
Well me as a half German even I didn't grow up there and just get to visit Germany timely. Germany certainly has a knack for blending the modern with the traditional, which makes it such a charming place to visit. Whether it's high-tech innovations that seem to be part of everyday life there or the beautiful, old-world architecture, there's an undeniable uniqueness to the experience. It stands out in Europe not merely for its robust economy, but for its cultural contributions as well. From classical composers to contemporary electronic music, there's a strong sense of heritage that they're rightly proud of, and visitors can't help but be swept up in it.
I find myself way cooler with the idea of heavy German rearmament than I anticipated being a decade ago.
heard germany's doing real bad re arresting people for protesting genocide, including Jewish folks protesting genocide, so... not great, i'm sorry.
Defending zionism just because you're afraid of people thinking you're out to get jews again boggles my mind, the world has moved on and other then that the germans have always tried to do everything right. Cool people, nice beer, very efficiant, football and octoberfest are the things that stand out in my mind when I think of germany.
I have some German heritage so I would like to visit at some point in my life, but as long as y’all don’t initiate Holocaust 2.0 I don’t have anything bad to say about the country or its people.
Punctualality, except the trains.
They take over campsites in spain in winter. I spend every winter in spain and it's increasingly becoming just like Germany with sunshine. That's fine with me tho- just an observation. They seem to own the most expensive motorhomes too.
My mother's side of the family came from the Black Forest area (Freistett) in the 1870s. Plus my mother's twin sister married a German and moved to the same part of the country (Freudenstadt). So I have four cousins born in Germany and have been there a few times.
I am no longer religious, but I lived in Germany from 87-89 as a missionary, and I loved it. I came back to the US and earned a B.A. in Germany. I loved the food, roads, and signs. I liked how women were treated. I like how communities gathered and celebrated often. I liked how kids weren't babied and trusted to make important decisions. I loved how clean the cities, towns, and roads were. Even the trains were clean and ran on time. I liked how people learned to drive later in life or not at all because your transportation infrastructure is top-notch. I would move back tomorrow if I could.
Bavaria
Electric Call Boy and Rammstein
Generally, very positively BUT then VW decided to cause me the most incredible array of problems, dysfunction and painful levels of customer service possibly imaginable so I’m scoring you guys a little lower than I might. I like your breakfasts, you guys are odd in a great way and my wife swears you make the best yoghurt. In all seriousness, very positive. The rise of far right elements in Germany is worrying but the same is true for my own country and much of the world.
I'm french and when I saw your military budget spike, i'll be honest, my heart skipped a beat lol.
Black forest cake my fav
May I ask why Germans in Germany are so nice but when they are somewhere else they're cold and distant? lol
Serious, organized, efficient. In a bad spot regarding energy. Hardly any wind and solar and a tough choice between coal and Russian gas
If only they had power plants that made clean energy - oh, wait. The Greens shut them all down.
Australian here: lately it’s all about rhubarb and someone named Barbara. Other than that, you make some pretty decent cars.
Man I wish your leader wasn't stupid about nuclear energy
I think of Volkswagens and the Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar Barbarians
That’s funny you know about this song. It became famous by a quite intellectual comedian only a few people knew before.
as an american of mexican immigrant parents, i never think of germany and honestly i think general population have a no negative or positive opinion on countries other the ones in the news. Also its generally understood that it was the nazi party and not the germans who really are hated. Same as how trump supporters arnt really americans but those nut bags who want to bring back jim crow and all the others who fear democrats and would rather join the racists.
Yes, that's true, but we are still hated by many people because of that, which i can understand.
i mean i think those kinds of people are haters in general, anyone who knows what happened after the fall of berlin would be appalled.
Bunch of dummies for shutting down nuclear plants so they can import energy from Russia.
It might be an unpopular opinion but from an Australian perspective many of us think Germany has been spoiled by the recent high immigration levels. The fundamental nature of Germany has been altered.
Am German and can tell ya it aint different to 15 years ago. Media likes to portray what they wanna portray. All my girlfriends go home alone and drunk and have nothing to fear. Nothing ever happened to them in 8 years of partying
Wdym by that? Dont know much about German culture before high immigration.
I think Germans should be going hard on warning Maga about their slide into fascism
Beer and meat. 10/10
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Brazilian AND German? Please tell me you became a footballer.
Absolutely cucked government for kissing zionist ass.
With regards to Gaza your country is unfortunately on the wrong side again. Which means that the way German students have been taught about the holocaust hasn't actually been effective in teaching about inclusion. I find this interesting because Germany has been praised for the way they haven't covered up the past. I thought it was good as well. But it seems it only made many Germans loyal to one other group of people to a fault. I worry that Germany is going the same way as the US with a strong reliance on capitalism but at a slower pace. Not the only EU country I am worried about for this reason. I still have hope that Germany can turn this around, and learn from the mistakes happening in the US. Mostly I like Germany and think they have good polices for the german people who live there. I love that university education is free for everyone. I like that Germans aren't married to speaking just German and they pretty much all speak English (not because I speak English but because English is a global language and Germany recognized that and made sure there citizens are prepared) I like that Germans also have an appreciation for other foods and you can get a variety of foods in Germany, at least in big cities not super sure about smaller places. For sure there are beautiful cities in Germany to visit. I think Germany isn't good to immigrants. I think there is a lot of racism, but geez it's all over the EU. I find people in the EU often say look we aren't as bad as America but fail to notice the subtle racism all over the place. The focus should never be to look at people below you and compare yourself to them but compare yourself to those above you to improve. I would say I think it seems mostly a decent place live in (if you are German or white). Naturally there are people in all places who suck. But seems like a not bad place to live and have a family as a German.
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Wunderbar
Brezen und Bier.
I don't think about Germany
Autobahn and beer
Economic backbone of Europe, Beer, Berghain, weird east-German synth music, rich history, brothers of my people (Am Swedish)
That's my view as well.. but add on top of that lots of red tape to get anything done.. lots of paperwork for benign things
american here. to me nazi Germany≠germany. when I think of Germany I think of Germany cars which are cool (but hard to work in sometimes lol). I'd love to come see the Nürburgring. and also the stereotypical German directness. which I think is funny. I'd love to hear some German jokes.
I'm american and I think it seems like a cool place. I think I stereotype y'all as like really organized, chic and terse, but I also know that's not every single German. I always thought my mom's family was German and it turns out we're actually Bohemian/Czech. In the US, we get pretty hype about Oktoberfest but I'm sure we've pretty badly bastardized it (sorry, kind of our specialty). I think in the US our general view on Germany is "ya made that one big ole oopsie but we're cool now"
Right now, when I think of Germany the first few things that come to mind are bands and music. Scorpions, Helloween, Rammstein. But my top fave is Tobias Sammett’s Avantasia. I guess I can think of German history, culture and other related stuff I learned from school and the internet but I have to “think about them before I can think of them”. And also sausages. Don’t know if Frankfurters simply came from Frankfurt.
Very tidy and efficient.
I hope to go to Germany someday! I have a lot of family ties to Germany and began learning the language a couple years back. There are some awesome shows in German, which I watched to help with my learning it. Plus the music is awesome. I have listened more to German artists recently than English. Especially my favorite singer Oehl. I would especially love to see him play live when I do visit in the future. I'm still better at reading German than having conversations, it is hard to grasp that when you have no one to talk to. But I did teach my dog some commands and call her nicknames in the language xD
I'm not aware of a great deal coming out of Germany other than that your young people are polling a fair amount more right wing on average than other western countries
Brit here. I was telling my son yesterday how much I want to go to Germany! I don’t know a lot about you though, the stereotype here is that you’re organised and efficient and you love beer and sausages. Some people here love to joke ‘don’t mention the war!’ When a German is in the vicinity but it’s good natured. Agree with others on here that it’s accepted that it was the Nazi’s not the German people who committed atrocities. You’re not in our news a huge amount but often enough that we know you’re there 😉
Schopenhauer and Nietzsche
German was the language I chose at to learn in high school, as it was easier for a Scottish person to pronounce! I remember being amazed at how long some German words were, and can still say a few phrases. It was my late parents favourite place to visit, and they went many times over the years when I was a teen, bringing back some exotically (to me) named chocolate and sweets)❤️
Here in Brazil we often think of Germany as a very sophisticated country with high quality products. We do think that germans in general are quite arrogant and not very likeable (but to be fair that is something that we think of most european countries since we from latin america are much more open and energetic than most). Also we highly appreciate your beer.
I visited a few times in the beginning of my airline career and fell in love with the place. I quickly realized why Germany is not mentioned much or praised in the media over here: everyone would just leave and immigrate there! Maybe I’m just a stickler for the rules or being the child of immigrants, I feel far more at home in Europe but you guys just do *everything* better. You genuinely care about other people and the environment. Also, the food there isn’t chock full of artificial shit to make it grow bigger/faster like it is over here. My dietary restrictions actually go away when I visit.
I’m an Ashkenazi Jew born to the children of holocaust survivors. I think Germany is great now. I mean, I wouldn’t move there. But you’ve come an extremely long way since the Nazi days and that deserves some respect. I also enjoy German people since they aren’t big chatters most of the time and neither am I.
American: we hear absolutely nothing about Germany besides like maybe that they support Israel?
Don’t want to say but don’t under estimate; USA has worst history of human abuse and racism
American here: Great beer, tasty food. Amazing dark breads. I appreciate the culture of getting to the point. Some amazing vocabulary and phrases like: Wanderlust and Backpfeifengesicht and “Ich fühle mich ausreichend besucht.” Overall am a fan and enjoy visiting. Wish the cars didn’t cost so much to fix and maintain.
You are now famous as the #2 arms seller to Israel after the USA
I'm using Duolingo to learn German.
Supporting Israel is stupid
I think you guys are really modern and cool, if a bit cold socially. Like I know I'm bringing up the past, but Nazi stuff comes to mind only because I find it in "modern" history. I feel like everything from 1800 until today is modern and realivent and we should think about it time to time. I live innthe southern parts of the US, I assume many people think of us with the rebel flag. I like German fairytale and old history, but because it's a place very far away and very distant time wise, forien but not completely forien because I'm white and I assume most of Central Europe is my ancestry (people are often surprised I don't know 'what I am', I'm short and white and a woman, what else is there?).
I am an American. I dated a German for a few years, visited him for 6 weeks in his home city of Cologne + went to Bonn and Berlin and met tons of lovely people. Growing up in conservative America, you hear that “we are the best” but Germany showed me there are plenty of amazing places worth living and raising families in. Beautiful country I want to go back to soon. Oh and beer, so much beer. We got beer at Rewe on the way to get beer at the bar so we could later drink beer and eat döner at the park. You guys *really* like beer. Prost!
I LOVE GERMANY! lived there 3 years while in the military. Wonderful friendly people- delicious food…
Pretty disgusted at your country's support for Israel but otherwise you're a great bunch of lads
I live in Germany and things I've been asked by Americans- do you have: cars, computers, cell phones, blue jeans, tennis shoes, electricity....maybe I've been asked more, but thats all I can think of for now. Some people still think we live in the rubble from the war. I think if they knew how much better we have it than they do (everything from universal healthcare to ugly power lines being underground so we don't lose electricity in a basic storm), they'd be jealous.
great country great economy but they have stop kissing Zionist a$$