Sat 20 Jan 2007
(Oberlehrer = Chief Teacher (Upper teacher? – I have a problem with correct translation), „oberlehrerhaft“ means somthing close to „knowing everything better then others“)
Where does this prejudice come from? At least we even had it as a comment according this blog. So some deep truth in it?
Germany has had a long tradition of „better not tell what you think – the Authority (Lord, King, Führer) will know it better and might punish you for your opinion”. In the same time there is a big tradition of scientists, writers, philosophers who where born, raised and worked in Germany and its predecessors. For a long time our Country was called „The country of the poets and philosopher“. So maybe people had to tell something.
But „oberlehrerhaft“ doesn’t describe, that you have to tell something. It describes the way you are telling it: To lift the finger and to announce the only truth! So it means, that Germans do not respect others opinions, because they „own“ the only truth? What if we do? Maybe we are better educated, maybe we are ahead in discussion, maybe we know the best way?
Pointing on german historie, you’ll find a 1000 years period (from 1933-1945), while Germany knew the truth, but didn’t argue. A bit later Germany got new rules and laws from people who knew better.
In Germany „Lehrer“ (teacher) are civil servants. Germans own prejudice against those officials: They duck and hide themselves, as soon as an authority apears - or simply someone argues better - or just louder … just do not leave them the last word. We should have done it this way more often …
April 10th, 2007 at 12:43 am
germans are not all rude my family is german and they are not rude at all
May 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Germans are rude, period. They are self serving, superficial and have no idea what is going on around them. clueless little trolls who whine and bitch, but dont have the gumption to do anything about it.
May 19th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
NO THERE R NOT RUDE
May 21st, 2007 at 3:15 am
the man is an idiot he shouldn’t be bitching on how Germans are rude Germans aren’t rude at all and i think out of the three of the posters he has the the least sense.
June 21st, 2007 at 2:06 pm
i am german. i suppose “oberlehrerhaft” would be “bossy”. in think that germans are more direct in their behavior. if a german family eats dinner and somebody is asked wether he likes it, he would (in a nice way) say that it not really his favorite meal. i think english would alway lie and say that the meal is lovely. so in a way the germans are more honest andsometimes prefer the truth to harmony. in other culture people think that’s very rude…
June 26th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Rude? Are you crazy?! The Germans are cool, smarts, and cultural rich. They are polite. And know about the world… very different of americans, that lieves looking to their own belly!
June 27th, 2007 at 1:37 am
“the man” is a complete idiot.And how dare he say such nonscence.if any one is rude and bitchy i’d say its him. my parents both came from germany to the u.s. and neather of them is rude in any way except the time me and my dad had a burping contast but that only happend one time.to tell the truth I’m happy this blog was put up because i’ve had to listen and deal continuslly to german steriotypes.like tell me do you think germans are scary,or strict beond all consent,or just skinny because it’s in our genes.when we were learning about the world wars the whole class including the teacher turned and looked at me after almost every sentance.and there were many more.
August 9th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I just met a VERY nice German man here in the U.S. When we met he had only been in the states for a week. He has been extremely polite and forward with me. He is also very knowledgeable of other cultures and what is going on in the world. He has been teaching me and even though his English is not great it is amazing how when I piece together his words I find that what he is communicating is extremely intelligent and well thought out.. I now WISH to meet more German Men.. It doesn’t hurt that he is gorgeous too!! I can’t wait to go to Germany now..
October 5th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I think in Germany it’s the same than in every country. Some people are very nice, polite and open-minded, others are rude, bossy etc. You just can’t stereotype an entire nation..
By the way I’m german and I’ve lived in the US before.
November 3rd, 2007 at 5:59 am
i have known and worked with various germans over the years. while i don’t find them to be rude, i have noticed that they can be quite loud and opinionated at times.
some of you might not like to hear it but many people consider germans to be the americans of europe.
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Hello I am German and I lived in America for half a year with an American hostfamily. I rather figured out American girls can be mean and rude, but not Germans! ;)
December 24th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Germans are very rude, especially when in a group and with English speaking people, they always revert to German. VERY RUDE PEOPLE.
December 26th, 2007 at 2:55 am
I’ve lived in Germany for a long time now. I’ve had a lot of time to experience many different people. My overall opinion of Germans is that they are very blunt and for some reason can not help but to point out when someone does something wrong. Even for the smallest infraction you will always at least get a dirty look. Additionally, when working with Germans, they will always tell you that you are doing something the wrong way if they think that their way is better.
To the German people, this all seems quite normal, but to the outsider, who may be used to a more polite environment, it can definitely seem quite rude.
Most Germans I know are aware of this particular personality trait, and even poke fun at themselves, but, continue to do it anyway. Such is life.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Like people everywhere… some Germans are rude, some are not. In the US its the same way… some regions there may be a higher tendency towards rudeness than others (such as the Northeast or California versus perhaps the Midwest) but overall it will be a mixed bag everywhere.
I think if there are any perceived gaps its mainly cultural norms, not genuine rudeness. I know many Germans that find Americans tendency to greet someone by asking them how they are as shallow b/c they really aren’t asking the question, its just courtesy. In Germany by contrast, if the question is asked it is truly meant, but if a German doesn’t care how you are you won’t hear anything at all. Again, its not necessarily rudeness, just a cultural norm.
I enjoyed traveling in Germany very much and found Germans to be accommodating of my (near total) inability to speak German. Germans I know in America are slow to open up, but a friend for life once they do.
Frankly, its just 2 different ways of handling people.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:59 am
I’ve only been to Germany once. If Germans like the blunt truth, then here it is:
they were all, indeed, overweight and grouchy. A lot of Americans are also overweight, so I can’t point fingers, but the grouchiness factor was unpleasant. Everyone looked miserable. Maybe I was in a depressed area. I don’t know. They weren’t obnoxious so much as appearing bitter.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Well Well well, very abysmal discussion.
But.. ehehe very interessting
Iam German-Austrian and live in Vienna and as far as i can say the Vienese people are very rude i mean very rude. there is no dirt on the streets nearly no poverty but ..
In an cafe (coffebar) you probably will get your coffee thrown on your table. Evil faces and anger are underneath a big group of Austrians. We have one of the best health care systems in the world are one of the socialy richest countries in the world but you will get beaten up by a fucking business man if you behave stupid and of course everyone is going to tell you that youre absolutely incompetent and even if youre one of the best in your field somebody is gonna tell you how fucking bad you are.
Well yes all that might produce a very high standard and quality in everything Austria (exept politics :D) creates but coldness as well.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I’m an American who has lived in Germany 10 years. The majority of Germans will help their friends and family to lengths a majority of Americans won’t. This I really do admire. BUT in everyday life, Germans are unfriendly to people they don’t know and are unwilling to help even their fellow countryman. It’s one of the few countries I know where you can be fined if you don’t help someone in an emergency. Why have such a law, because most will keep on walking or driving by if you are lying in a ditch. It’s the “not my job” syndrome. Even in the neighbouring Netherlands people there will stop to ask if you need help. Here, forget it!
Over time I had to develop a very thick skin and have had to turn a bit cold hearted just to keep my blood pressure from raising and flipping out daily. If you are kind and give someone the right away in front of you, you can be sure someone behind you willing be screaming obscenities at you for slowing them down. I know Germans like to say they have very deep friendships, true, probably because they aren’t very good and making new ones. Go to a bar here alone, and you can be sure you’ll spend the day by yourself, as no one will talk to you. Germans have a saying, they call it “Typisch Deutsch” and it means being ridged, cold, rude, not helping, unfriendly, uncompromising. Any German who post here and says how friendly they are, is full of crap, they know they way it is here and why so many people are leaving. A lot of Germans themselves can’t deal with the mentality anymore and leave for either Switzerland or the USA. It’s a shame really. But there are nice people and rude people in every country. What sets Germany apart is the daily interaction with a larger number of people who exhibit unfriendly behaviour.
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:59 am
Germans need to be managed. Lithuanians are maangers of Germans, historically. We held off the Teutonic Knights, probably screwed them later, because we realize we had met an admirable contestant.
Germans are like blenders. You just have to know which buttons to push to get the performance you want. Frappe, blend, mince…
They are some of the highest performers on earth. They deliver, as long as you know the right buttons to push.
I consider their standards the highest, their devotion can be the best, their dedication based on super human stamina -
but they still need to be managed to be human.
As a American-Lithuanian woman married to a German man, I manage one every day. Some days require more strength than others, but the return is worth it. They are ultimately concerned with performance - a quality I wish many more cultures could claim.
T Becker
May 18th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I am often asked this by Germans and I always give the diplomatic answer: “No, of course, Germans aren’t rude. How can you generalize? I have had good experiences here. Really.”.
This isn’t the truth though. This is my “nice” answer. The answer I give to appear friendly, positive and not a complete idiot for working here.
The truth is that the Germans I have encountered and life in Germany is not so nice. People here are rude, slam doors in your face, ignore you when you greet them, have no concept of customer service and are authoritarian to no end. When I first visited Germany I would sometimes be puzzled how WWII could ever have happened and how so many people could have supported such a corrupt leader. Reported their neighbours. Watched while their neigbours were shipped off and persecuted. After spending some time here(years), I have become able to understand how and why (well, to some extent).
I am eager to return home to the US soon, where people know how to treat other people. Culture aside, I think there are some basic human courtesies that we cannot ever think are too much to expect and sadly, I think the Germans have a lot to learn about how to treat your fellow human being. Sure, theirs is a different culture, but it isn’t a welcoming, friendly culture and as an American with a Canadian husband living in Germany, we have been disappointed here a lot.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I just received a call from my husband-who is in Germany for business-to tell me how rude people are over there. I am not saying they are all like that, he also found very nice people, but he was upset by the lack of common courtesy shown especially because he is in a well known city for their trade expo and fair exhibitions. Tourists and business people are around a lot.
While trying to figure out how to take public transport, the man started to yell at him like a maniac because he put the coins in the wrong slot. He knows german so he apologize as he was not from there but that didnt stop the man. So he decided to turn his back, ignore his screams and take a cab, he could have definately punch him for such an ignorant attitude towards a foreign. No need for the drama and all the insults my poor hubby received. There is no excuse, even if he is sick to deal with foreigns all the time.
Also, there is no English or any other language guide around the city signs so it is very hard when no one wants to help you find your way. I was pissed I could not go with him but now I am just relieved.
To the rest of Germans, just accept it, unless you all one by one start to make some attitude changes, be ready take the “rude stereotype” It wouldn’t be true if it wasnt perceived for more than one.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I am shocked at all these negative comments. I am a German, and I lived the last five years in the United Kingdom. Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, the British are rude and ignorant. They think they are polite, but being constantly ignored and ignoring the people around you isn’t polite. Queuing is a great thing, it doesn’t exist in Germany, but at least German people don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. German people don’t walk around with a fake posh accent. German people don’t try to trick fellow citizen and sell them rubbish all the time. To give an example, in Germany, a plumber will be on time, do his or her work, and charge an appropriate price. In England, a plumber will pretend to have no availability for the next two weeks, arrive six hours too late on the agreed date, not apologise, but still charge triple the price.
Although I can understand that Germans are perceived as being rude, nobody on this ridulous form actually tries to understand the cultural differences before making these superficial, negative comments.
German people are like cats. You have to earn their respect, but once you did, you have reliable friends for life who would risk their lives for you. If you prefer superficial “see you around” sort of wannabe-friends, search somewhere else. But don’t just make judgements if you have no idea what’s going on. Always playing the WWII card won’t improve relationsships between countries. Germany, like no other country on the planet, is self-critical with regard to its history. In fact, we still feel guilty 65 years later, and rightly so. So don’t call us Nazis because we actually try to learn from history.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I think that it is ridiculous that someone could say such things. I have lived in the USA for 4 years now. I moved here from Germany when I was 17. I go to college here, and I nearly lost my accent. I am sure that I know the main differences between Germans and Americans, since I have very good friends on both sides. I think that the average German is not rude at all, but an American could consider statement made by a German as offensive or rood, because Germans are more direct and clear in what they say. For example, The average German will tell you whether he likes your ’shoes’ or not (if you ask him). The average American will tell you ‘I love your shoes’ without you even asking (even if they don’t like them). If an American would ask a German that question, and the German would answers with ‘I don’t like them’, the American would most likely consider that rude, maybe even take it personal. On the other side, a German might think that the American answer sounds ‘fake’. Overall, I have met really nice and friendly people in Germany and the United States, but you will find rude people in EVERY country. Many people have only met a hand full of natives from a certain country. You can’t just base your opinion on a whole nation on that. I think that you have to live in a country to understand the people and their culture, and to build a reasonable opinion.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I am married to a German native. When we traveled to his very small hometown 2 years ago, I was brought to tears by how rude the people were! I speak some German, so it wasn’t lack of knowledge of the language. I seemed to be the only redhead in town, and this caused people to rudely stare as if I had just landed from the Moon. I have never had more people frown at me in response to a smile. If I never go there again, it will be too soon!
July 15th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Cheryl is right - Germans never have seen red haired people before. We have heard legends about some red haired warriors somewhere in the north, coming over the ocean on boats like dragons. So I guess, the people she met where not unfriendly but just scared like hell because of the invasion, asking themselves if they have to change their church to a palace of Odin or so.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:09 am
I have concluded that the chief difference between Germans from Germany and French folks from France is that the French will treat you rudely when you visit France, while Germans will treat you rudely when they visit America.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Germans just don’t like to lie.
What is more rude, say the truth or fake someone and lie? Lies are seen almost like betraying someone in Germany
August 8th, 2008 at 6:02 am
everyone was blond headed or had blue eyes or was both i was walking down the street in harislee with my cousin who is the perfect aryan and stands 6′5″ me my self am 6′6″ but have moderatlt tan skin and am green-hazel eyed and everyone stared we werent much taller than most people but it was as if darker people arent suposed to be that tall and as if they where makein comparison while in the states i barely draw attention
August 24th, 2008 at 10:10 am
I live in Germany and I agree 90% of Germans are not only rude but also boring people. German people don’t like foreigners, they especially don’t like British people who they blame for bombing their cities 60 years ago. They never ask themselves why this happened. The East of Germany is poor and full of neo nazi thugs who are mostly ignored by the police. The service in shops is generally terrible, the atmosphere in every German town apart from Berlin and maybe Frankfurt is provincial, gossipy, stuffy and uptight and newcomers and outsiders are treated with suspicion and socially shunned, especially foreign newcomers. The only nice Germans I have ever met are the ones who have been civilized by spending time abroad and by travelling outside Germany and this isn’t many because most Germans.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I live in Germany and I agree 90% of Germans are not only rude but also boring people. German people don’t like foreigners, they especially don’t like British people who they blame for bombing their cities 60 years ago. They never ask themselves why this happened. The East of Germany is poor and full of neo nazi thugs who are mostly ignored by the police. The service in shops is generally terrible, the atmosphere in every German town apart from Berlin and maybe Frankfurt is provincial, gossipy, stuffy and uptight and newcomers and outsiders are treated with suspicion and socially shunned, especially foreign newcomers. Most German people treat others like they have no feelings. The only nice Germans I have ever met are the ones who have been civilized by spending time abroad and by travelling outside Germany - which since most of them hate travelling and foreigners, isn’t many Germans.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Well I’m an unabashed Germanophile and proud of it! I find Germans for the most part to be very polite and friendly. Sure they are some rude ones but for the most part they are good people!
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
@Matt Says
Its true what you say, i live in germany for 10 years, and what you say is correct.
September 14th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Again most people count superficial chit chat to be kindness. A majority of Americans could care less about you or your feelings. They simply follow protocol.
We like things orderly and rules followed. What is galling is people travel and live in foreign countries and scream loudly when a lifestyle is different and does not conform to theirs.
Perhaps you should take more time to observe and assimilate instead of trying to strike a moral pose. Ignorance is most apparent in people who do not travel much outside of their country. America is indeed a great country but the world is made up of many cultures and they look at you much the same way you look at them.
We are all people and if someone seems rude perhaps you should look inward instead of outward all of the time.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Germans have a complex. They dont mind rule-breaking as long as their the ones that get to break it. If anyone else does…well that person should run for their life. They are consumer robots whose goal in life is to buy a great big mercedes so they can hate on everyone who doesnt have one. Oh yea…and why be nice at the supermarket if there is no rule telling them that they have to be nice to other human beings? They can be cool, but it seems the majority of them need to take a major chill-pill and try to enjoy life a little bit. They take themselves too seriously
September 20th, 2008 at 1:37 am
You obviously have not met many German people. We need order and stability not a Mercedes which is inane. Your corner of the world is not the only one.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
I’ve been to Germany and I found the people to be very nice there. Sure there are a few rude ones but that happens in all countries.
I’m quite proud to say that I’m a unabashed Germanophile too!:-)
October 21st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I find that while Germans set great store by superficial, formal manners, there is little real warmth and kindness. They are keen to see everyone else obey the rules, but are opportunistic themselves (see Germany’s recent behaviour in the EU). In the end, despite their love of order and rules, they are untrustworthy friends and allies.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I agreed with the above saying, I lived in Germany for ten years and I agreed 95% of Germans are indeed rude, boring, mechanized barbarism, overused logics above common sense and angry people. Not only they don’t like foreigners they also don’t like themselves, they are fake for being friendly in between conversation to each other. Customer services are definitely the worst I have even seen, terrible yet horrible, Agreed with Matt, the only nice Germans are those who have been civilized by spending time abroad and by traveling outside Germany. Most Europeans hates them, Germans think they are infinitely superior to all foreigners, regardless of the IQ of the German concerned. America and Asia got rich utilizing the skills and intelligence. Current Germany on the contrary drives out every skilled foreigner, preferring only to keep those willing to work as waiters, cleaners or street sweepers.
Germans become consumed with envy and jealousy if they see a foreigner with more skills or assets than themselves.
They drive out foreigners not with laws but with coldness, mercilessness, hardheartedness and prejudice.
My advice to all foreigners in Germany: leave for a friendlier emigration country; last one out lock the door and leave the Germans to destroy each other with their petty jealousies and cold hearted hatred. (Its in their DNA)
October 24th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
i may be just a a teenager but i sure do have a view on the germans …. after reading all the posts i took a survey and noticed that the there were more people who said that the germans are not rude (11) and people who said the germans were rude were a number of 7….and people who were not quite sure a number of 10.. i think it all depends on the person … majority of the people on here say that germans rather tell the truth than lie and many people(even people i know) find that rude …. its beacuase they would rather have nice things said about them or other things than what is really true…. i hate people who lie soo i guess i would love to meet some german people …
again it depends on the person …eg: a foreigner goes up to a local and asks for help on where to go to or something like that … they either say they busy and walk off or they would gladly help and show/tell you what you want to know …. i like german people and hope i learn in the future what they are really like … … i would also like to point out their history (WWll) ALOT of the germans then were either brainwashed or forced or had to support hitler because if not they would of been killed or sent to concentration camps…you dont know their backgrounds . my overall is expereince it for your self.you are going to find rude people all over the globe ….they are not only in germany , but also in usa and africa….germans ay also be rude to some foreigners because of where the foreigners come from considering the countries who fought in WWll :usa,london,japan,france,russia,italy,poland,yugoslavia and so on ….. they take things like that seriously….your being rude yourself by saying germans are rude …. you speaking of yourself then … i dont know germans my self , im saying wat i think … dont rash on me because of this ….
November 20th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I totally agree with you. Enough about World War II. The Germans have paid for what they did so lets try to be fair with them.
Lets have an end to German bashing!
November 21st, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I have lived in Germany for 7 months now, and every day, I wonder why I have come here.
They are rude. Sure, there are rude people all of the globe, but the ratio and sheer density of rude people (Berlin) is astonishing to me. (No I am not American).
I have just came back from Paris, and was shocked at how warm and lovely the people were there. So much so, I didn’t want to return to Germany.
German behaviour is alike to kindergarten children seen the world over.
Push in front of others to get a sweet (or in an adult Germans case a shop queue)..Don’t ever hold the door open for anyone, and make sure you race ahead if anyone is going to get on the bus through the door before you .. the cold hard bewildered stares they give to foreigners on the train.. One woman even stood right in front of me in an art gallery her shoulder about 0.5cm away from my chin. (And yes she saw me standing in front of the painting but to her my presence was not worth acknowledging).I was so embarasssed for her. Children get away with this kind of behaviour in other countries, but for Germans, it seems it is okay to continue on that way into adulthood.
All I can feel is deep embarassment for them.
90% of Germans.. not all, some are lovely.. but in general…
Opportunists? Yes.
Greedy? For sure.
Happiness and creativity? - they have never heard of it.
Cringe-worthy nation of sheer walking-talking embarrasment - for sure.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I definitely agree with the sentiments above hating Germans for being rude especially at customer service. I have personally experienced it myself. They suck. It’s like they don’t want to help you at all. I was just asking for a tourist map and then this bigot at the tourist information counter (Cologne Haufbanhof) just slammed the map on his desk right infront of me. He’s such a grouchy stinky old German. Germans suck!
January 1st, 2009 at 8:30 am
Guess what! SO weird, I could have just imagined it, but this German dude SMILED and even said ‘Guten Morgen’ AND I didn’t even know him?! Almost fainted. True story. I was going to ask him to do it again so i can film it for proof.
January 7th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I dont think German people are rude at all, one of my best buddies is German who comes to the UK often, i feel the war a taboo subject and he mentions it more than I do in conversation and says “it should never be forgotten”, you can find rude people in anyplace you go, i remember Athens taxi drivers having to attend courses when they held the olympic games as they were stereotyped as being rude.I think German people just like their own space and I dont blame them.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Well I’m german, but I live in belgium and work in the netherlands and was with a british girl for years.
I remember that some of her friends and familiy thought that i’m rude as well, while I found the constant british need for avoiding anything that might cause an embarassing situation quite ridiculus, and tiring because I always had to read the bodylanguage more than listening to the words spoken in order to understand what was really said a.s.o.
I’d call that intercultural missunderstanding and it requires an effort from both sides.
Many germans are not that confident about their english skills (younger generation) or do not speak english at all(older gen). So if the person you’re trying to speak to is passing by it might be that they do not understand you or are simply afraid to talk english, or both.
You can call this rude from the german for not talking to you at all, or blunt from the anglo saxon for exspecting everybody round the world to speak his language.
Finally I would say, that also in germany like any other country it sometimes depends on the region as well. In Berlin i find the people somekind of arrogant as well, still I like the city. In Hamburg the people are somewhat reserved and overly polite which gives a somewaht stiff impression. However if you have a night out in St. Pauli, not only Reeperbahn, you’ll have lots of fun.
Frankfurt I always feel uncomfortable as well, it seems that money always atracts crime no matter where you go.
Stuttgart: swabian thoroughness that produces world class cars from Porsche and Mercedes. Also very stylish bars. People can be rude sometimes yes… nice also if they know you better.
My fav city is cologne, which is very lifely and warm, great nightlife and definitely friendliest people. If your new in town and need a flat best ask a taxidriver, he/she’ll probably drive you directly to a place that is for rent.
I think germany and the germans are as good as any other place in the world, in their own way of course.
March 1st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Oh my god this is a nice forum cause it gives me the opportunity to tell you few of the fairy tales i have experienced living in this terrible mesh that is called Deutschland!!! Where should i start from then? should i refer to the people that are so fucked up that they do not like even their ownselves? should i remember the countless times that irrogant german bastards came to correct me even for the most ridiculous little crappy thing cause they falsely thought we were still in the Nazi era? I have experienced so much crap in this shithole that is called germany and i am glad i am gonna leave it soon!
peoples are rude, irrogant, real psychos that have nothing better to do with their fucking free time apart from trying constantly to pick on their neighbours/unknown peoples because e.g. they parked their car the wrong way, they did not clean the pavement sufficiently because….because basically they do NOT have anything better to do with their fucking pathetic miserable life!!!!
so fucked up people i have never met before in my life! they are so irrogant and the try to control each other’s lifes here!!!!
no friendly smiles, only hypocritical supposed-to-be politeness…till the moment they come to you and bast your balls because you did not do the thing the way the believe was correct. no wonder that they comitted those freaky crimes against humanity!!!
as for the rest that was already mentioned…custom service….it is simply inexistent and will never exist! the best thing is that when they go abroad they play the nice civilized ones!!! hahahahahaha! it makes me lough their pathetic hypocritisism!! if people new what sort of annoying bastards they were, they would sput on their miserable moody face! pessimistic annoying moaning and always negative peoples!!! this country needs rehabilitation for good! and ofcourse psychiatric help!
you see it as well when you speak with germans that left the country. they perfectly agree with my comments. so…..
March 5th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Germans are notorious for being the rudest exchange students at the high school I just graduated from. My high school was like an international school with an ESL program and many exchange programs (including short term and long term exchanges from England, China, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Belgium, France ect.) My school has a really difficult time finding host family’s for German exchange students because of their manners.
Fitting the stereotype was an exchange student my family hosted from Germany. In two days we took her to the markets, swimming, to the shopping centre, for walks, and for a drive around the city. We bought soda water, German bread, more of the less tropical fruit ect because she said she was feeling homesick. We arranged for her German friend, who’d also come on the exchange, to come and visit her. She said she wanted to do dancing, so we arranged tango classes for her to do because she was interested in that. She lasted only two days.
She kept complaining to her German mother that we were doing nothing with her, that she was bored and that no one was talking with her. In truth, she had taken over our computer, our home phone and had used up $150 in credit on her mobile phone. Whilst everyone in my family was trying really hard to talk to her, she completely ignored everyone but me (and I don’t even speak German). She would stay up most of the night hitting the furniture and yelling on her mobile phone. She insisted on going for walks not only in the day time, but late at night despite the fact we explained that my street is very dangerous to walk about at night (people have been raped and murdered quite recently on my street). This put my family in danger, because my mum was worried so someone had to accompany the exchange students on her stupid walks.
Apparently this behaviour is really common with German exchange students. All of my friends who have hosted a German exchange student have had the same kind of problems (bar one- his exchange student was very positive, polite and well mannered…which is why my family thought it would be okay to host a German exchange student in the first place…but his is sadly the only success story). The teacher who picked the exchange student up from our house said that they have trouble finding host families for German exchange students because no one wants to host a German exchange student.
On the other hand, my family hosted two Japanese exchange students who were extremely polite, well mannered and lovely. My family adored them and our house is open to them if they ever decide to come here on holiday!!!
March 13th, 2009 at 12:30 am
I’m from Germany and i have to say that some of us are real Retards which don’t want to learn a thing from others and like to get drunk every weekend or something like that… And some of them are kind, happy, intelligent and nice but also very very Shy.
I was in a little exchange program in the summer holidays. I’ve been sent to GB for 2 weeks. I lived with 4 other Kids in a very small room. The 1. Week was the best week we had. We missed nothing, we all had have fun but then in the 2. week, i was just disappointed. Our guest Family got so rude on us. Me and one of my friends came from the Disco. We were 15 minutes late for Dinner. And then, they told us we can’t get Dinner because we were late. So we didn’t get anything to eat and had have to go to bed.
Every Country has some People who are really rude and stuff. But also have some Nice Guys in there. No Country is perfect.
Greets
John(14)
March 18th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
That hurts a lot to read all this stuff. I move to the US six month ago, and now i know that all the friendly words i hear from the people about me and my family are all FAKE. Now i know that the english speaking people hate us germans. Thanx for open my eyes. I will never ever trust the people over here.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I’m an Australian who recently went on an exchange to Germany. Yes, there were definitely some rude Germans, but most of the people I met were kind and welcoming. It’s very different to Australia though :)
The only bad things I would say about Germans is that:
1) You always think I’m American and
2) You’re not very nice about my bad German :D
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
to houhou:
Even complete retards like you enjoy German technology and know-how in some way. I am sure you have no idea what I am talking about, but try to Google some technical advances in the last two hundred years, be amazed how many of these are German and then shut the fuck up.
I take the insults back, if you are American. Becuase then, of course, you can not know it better.
Oh. I nearly forgot. Concerning crimes against humanity. If you are American, French, Belgian, Rwandan, Congloese, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Russian, Turkish or nearly any other nationality around, then shut the fuck up and get yourself some history lessons before making yourself look stupid.
Greetings from Brazil - yeah you heard me, we are fucking rude as well!
April 24th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Heather Says:
August 9th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I just met a VERY nice German man here in the U.S. When we met he had only been in the states for a week. He has been extremely polite and forward with me. He is also very knowledgeable of other cultures and what is going on in the world. He has been teaching me and even though his English is not great it is amazing how when I piece together his words I find that what he is communicating is extremely intelligent and well thought out.. I now WISH to meet more German Men.. It doesn’t hurt that he is gorgeous too!! I can’t wait to go to Germany now..
***********************
Heather, with all due respect, you are an idiot! Germans will always behave when in other countries, some exceptions that I know exist of course like the guy who worked in an agricultural project and gave me a ride. When he stopped, he didn´t say good bye, he just got out of the car, slammed the door and went to get the newspaper!
Germans are bitchy in nature.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
German Guy Says:
June 20th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I think that it is ridiculous that someone could say such things. I have lived in the USA for 4 years now. I moved here from Germany when I was 17. I go to college here, and I nearly lost my accent. I am sure that I know the main differences between Germans and Americans, since I have very good friends on both sides. I think that the average German is not rude at all,
*********************
German guy, you are tepid. First of all you must understand THAT YOU ARE GERMAN. You´ve grown up in such environment, therefore you are judge and part of this dilemma. It is usually against “dark” foreigners that this attitude is most prevalent. A friend of mine, whose parents are both Germans, is blue eyed, and he went for a scholarship in Germany. He, my friend, being a latinamerican culturally speaking found it strange that Germans behaved rudely towards them and not towards him.
¿Guess why?
April 24th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
German Guy Says:
“German people are like cats. You have to earn their respect, but once you did, you have reliable friends for life who would risk their lives for you. If you prefer superficial “see you around” sort of wannabe-friends, search somewhere else.”
**************************************
¿Why should a German regard Germans as better than others? You obviously are doing it! ¿Why shouldn´t it be the other way around? Is it because the other person, the NON-German is less than the German, that´s why he or she should strive to EARN the respect of a German. No wonder Germans are considered rude!
May 29th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
One thing is sure - Germans are allergic to criticism! They will always turn it around so that YOU are the one with the problem.
I have lived in Germany now for 20 years. I find that Germans in general are not honest at all. They are blunt and rude, but they are not honest - there is a difference. It`s no use explaining it to them, because they ARE the superior race.
It`s interesting that they travel all over the world, but always complain about the inferiority of others. Why don´t they just stay home and stuff themselves with Vollkornbrot (da hätten wir ALLE mehr von!)?
Only a German could be proud of his own arrogance and find good reasons for it.
Oberlehrerhaft connotes a sort of morally superior position of somebody who loves to point the finger. Which is typcial German again - they don`t look for the good, just for what`s wrong. Why be happy, when you can be stubborn, bitter and hold a grudge forever (nachtragend).
May 29th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I’ve lived and worked in Germany for a few years now and am counting down the time until I can move away from this place. The people here think they’re on a higher level than everyone else. I was always good at my work before I moved here. It seems that everything I do here, whether it is at work or elsewhere, is done incorrectly. Most of the Germans I’ve met think they’re the highest intelligence on earth and constantly crack jokes about foreigners. The Germans are the first to correct everyone, but they’re never wrong! It must be nice to be a perfect German! After several years of living here, I’ve never been invited by colleagues to an after-work event and none of my neighbors have even smiled at me. All of the friends I’ve met in Germany are foreigners in the same situation. When you look around, on the train or in public, everyone looks like they’re in a bad mood. All in all, I guess living a while in Germany is a good experience, but you better have thick skin to take all the jokes and arrogance which are directed towards you.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
So it looks like allways the loosers from other countries want to go to Germany - people who are not able to go their way at home and think, they can hide better here. Shame on you! Stay at home, if you are not useful. We do not need you, if you cannt do something for our country.
Sure: Maybe you did things right in whereever you are from - but its only good for the crappy country you are from - and not good for a high quality country like Germany. Sure we want the best and not the crap - a pitty, that some of this third level educated guys has a differnt picture from themselves. Our Porsches or Mercedes you all are looking for are not build by thumb jobbers but qualified workers (often from abroad, btw ;-)), the quality in engeneering, which is copied and stolen allover the world, is not made by stoned HillBillys from the edge of the world.
I am sure, living and working in Germany is good for the good, tough, and hardworking guys - but not for loosers from abroad, just looking for someone to feed them.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
This guy is a real idiot and is a typical example of a German, thinks everything German is the best. My personal opinion is that every country has brilliant people and idiots. But most Germans think they are more intelligent than everyone on the planet and all of their products are the best in quality, not true. I certainly didn’t come to Germany looking for a handout; I had a good job before and earned good money. I came here simply for the experience. And my university where I studied is ranked above every university in Germany; many Germans in my university struggled. As far as quality, I’ve spent the last ten years fixing German designed crap. I’ve owned both a Volkswagen and Mercedes, and they were both extremely overpriced and in the shop every other weekend for electrical problems. So don’t tell me about quality, just have a look for yourself at the ratings on the internet. There are also a lot of “drunken” Germans building cars here and they can’t be fired because of all the stupid labor unions. The only Porsche that is affordable by most people is the Boxter, and this car is a real piece of crap and is outperformed by every American and Japanese sports car for a much cheaper price. Just have a look at the Nuernberg-Ring results you bozo. To get a “real” Porsche, you have to fork out over 100k which most people don’t have. The statement “tough” and “hardworking” Germans is a joke! It seems like Germans are always on “holiday”, sick or standing around the office drinking coffee. Of all the countries I’ve traveled to and worked, the Germans are the laziest. Hell, there’s no reason to work hard in Germany, it’s impossible to be fired because of the labor unions and the taxes are so damn high. It’s too bad the world helped Germany out so much and rebuilt Germany after WWII. They should’ve just bombed the hell out of the place and left! Oh, and I forgot, a typical example of German quality… It’s seems that a while back the Germans tried to repair the subway in Cologne and the city block collapse. Real workmanship, huh…
May 29th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
One more example… I went to a party a while back with my Mexican friend and all the Germans covered their mouths and stayed away. This is a true example of German arrogance, ignorance, intolerance and racism. I guess things really haven’t changed much the last seventy years… The Germans love their “fake” Mexican restaurants here with shitty food and overpriced watered-down cocktails but the exposure to real Mexican culture is too much to handle…
May 29th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Complaining is usualy the weapon of the people with the poor brain. They do not know better. They can not do better.
You point on an accident in Cologne? You forget the thousands of well known Buildings all over the world, build by experienced german architects. look into the Factory close to your home - you’ll find the tools Germans have constructed. Who are you to think, that you could teach something better? And if you have the feeling after beeing here, that noone is working in Germany - well - who did build up this great country? You, while compaining and crying? Nope, its the guys and girls who just do their job.
Who cares about a reputation of an unvesity, if its result is someone not able to do his job? I give a shit on reputation, I’d love to see results. Well - that might be “German”, we’re quite practical there.
I know enough good guys and girls from abroad who go their way in Germany. They are welcome. Posh loosers with “high reputation” are nothing until they prooved their abilities. Guess, you’ve just not been good enough, Theodore. I hope for you, your abilities are enough for your native country. Beloved Theodore - go back where you come from and earn your good money again - and stay jealous. I wish you luck over there.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I am truly a German-American I have lived in both countires, studied in both countries and worked in both countries, but am German born and raised.
I have to agree that most Germans (not all, and not me) are very stubborn and rude. Whenever I am in the U.S. and an American meets a German they say something positive about like how beautiful Germany is or that they had a wonderful time at the Oktoberfest. Whenever I am in Germany and a German meets with an American the German will jump right to complaining about the American President or say something insulting about Americans. I am often ashamed of the German behavior.
Germans also travel quite a bit and in the U.S. they always fail to tip the waitress or the cab driver. They say, why should I, they are getting paid. German need to learn when in Rome do as the Romans do.
If you are an American, please know that there are Germans who are kind and do not agree with the rudeness. Yes, we are technically proficient, but that is no excuse to insult others or make Americans feel unwelcome.
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:05 am
All of the Germans I have met have given me great impressions. I don’t like to sterotype people but I do think Germans are somewhat negative,whiny,extremly judgemental and critical.And they do seem to exhibit some kind of superior complex. But at the same time I thought they were honest, straight forward and quite considerate.Well, nobody is perfect. Most Germans think Americans are unsophisticated,lazy,rude and stupid. Quite to the contrary, how arrogant can a group of people to invade a country with no evidence of weapons of massive destruction. Americans are the most arrogant of all.I enjoyed their company and I have nothing against Germans.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
It’s good to know I’m not alone who has to struggle with Germans. This post made my day.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:57 am
What happens if you are as rude as them? I have been talking to a German man from Berlin for nearly 3 years…via computer. I love his honesty and he is intelligent and very open-minded. He has insulted me from time to time and I insult him right back, and with my temper, I would do the same to Germans in Germany. When or if I go to Berlin, I think I will demand things instead of ask for them…and if somebody talks to me and asks my opinion, I’m going to give it good or bad. I think the German word “bitte”…”please” in English is ironic because it sounds like bitter. One last thing, I love my Helmi and he is my best friend in the world.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:28 am
i am an american who lived in germany for several years, and i can tell you the excuses of being genuine versus superficial do not hold water. for example, one german blogger here commented that if you ask a german if he likes your shoes, he will tell you whatever he thinks. ok, that is not the kind of thing that has earned you the reputation as being rude. how about sitting down next to people at bus stops and lighting up a cigarette because das Gesetz doesn’t forbid it, how about sneaking in front of people in lines, how about four people walking side by side down a sidewalk and not making room for a single person to walk in the opposite direction, how about standing in front of the doors on a bus and trying to get on before the people have gotten out, how about leaving grocery carts sideways taking up the entire width of an aisle, how about making sure to point out very small mistakes as though germans don’t make several big ones a day, how about not returning a greeting or a smile…? the list could go on much farther and these are things that happen daily to anyone who interacts with people in the city. as to american superficiality, yes that is often the case, and i find it distasteful, but often the simple courtesies that are extended are genuine, and even if not, yes, i would prefer someone be polite and superficial versus a genuine jerk…and in conclusion, the actions of the bush administration do not constitute a free pass for germans to treat americans like poo-poo and say anything they want to individuals they do not know in the least.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:42 am
i should have qualified that blog though with the fact that i have many good german friends who are very nice and direct. i do not mind directness and honesty in the least. one doesn’t have to be rude to be direct and honest. but it is as an earlier blogger wrote, you will find an unusually high occurrence of rude people and behavior in germany. and i do think that we americans should be aware of how other people see us and consider what could be improved in our general mentality and culture.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Here’s a nice little list of German misbehavior:
- Command Complex: as mentioned in many posts, Germans in general enjoy telling other people what to do. Whether crossing a street on a red light or commiting mistakes at work, some German will know it better and will not be shy to let you know you’re breaking the law or doing something wrong. There is a general “know it better”-mentality in Germany. Positive reinforcement is rare in this country.
- Autority Complex: Germans believe in hierarchy and authority. This doesn’t only apply to obeying anyone wearing a uniform, it also goes for the social pecking order as well as workplace hierachies.
- Negativity Complex: Germans are a moody people. Everyone has their emotional ups and downs, but Germans will display and project their negative emotional state onto anyone crossing their path.
- Stress Complex: Germans cannot relax. Getting on a train, they will cut in front of you. Walking down the street, they will be in a hurry. Driving a car, they will honk at you if you go too slow (not surprisingly, there are no speed limits on parts of the Autobahn) Lots of them will not be afraid to bump into other people while in public, emphasizing the lack of understanding the concept of personal space.
- Racism / Superiority Complex: Germans still believe they are superior to everyone else. This trait is best illuminated when viewing how Turkish immigrants are treated in Germany. Making fun of their accent is a common joke here, even popular with Germanys terrible comedians on TV. They are viewed as uneducated and only good for the crap-jobs. Also, Germans like to follow any sport in which a German does well. That is why they follow odd sports as long as German will be superior. A good example is Tennis. When we had Boris Becker and Steffi Graf, everyone was into it. Now, since all Germans suck, no one follows it any more.
- Rudeness: all of the above complexes make up the generally rude behaviour of Germans. It is displayed in many ways with each complex adding another dimension to it.
I am German myself and KNOW what i’m talking about. However, this is a specific American/British view on Germany. If you go visit way other places in the world, like Africa, China, Russia or the Middle East, Germany will seem like paradise concerning the above mentioned traits.
PS: Cologne is by far the nicest place in Germany. There are only few grumpy, anal-minded Germans in that city. Most of those are out of towners, too. Kölsche Junge like to party, make friends and be cool with everyone. If you hate the rest of Germany, get a cold Kölsch or Pilsner and drink away the pain inflicted on you.
I, for myself, am trying to leave Germany asap. The weather has to do with people’s negativity, too. It simply sucks.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:26 am
yeah, sorry, you can’t blame the weather for treating other people like …
July 29th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Like what they said (and I said), the good Germans are the ones who got away! They are absolutely rude (and the stingiest…don`t date German men!). They don´t queue up, they think their time is more valuable than yours, they push you without saying excuse me, run you over, they stare, they have no customer service, they have NO TACT at all ( call that honest, alright), they think they are always right. They copy all concepts from USA and they act like they invented it all. Sometimes, they hate USA, but quietly they follow what Americans do because they´re envious. They are cold people. Women get pregnant just so she can be taken off work and be supported by the government…who cares if the father is ther or not…what kind of shit thinking is that…so selfish. But then again, German men are just as selfish bastards. So it must run in the genes. I live in Munich for a little bit over a year now from SF, and it didn´t take me long to figure this out! Like most expats say, Germany is beautiful WITHOUT the Germans!
August 1st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I am shocked how foreign people think about us. There are a lot of rude German people but there are really nice people either.
One thing that is true is - most Germans aren’t hospitably at all and sometimes it seems as they are unfriendly.
I guess the reason why they are like they are is that they are scared somehow. There are a lot of reasons:
The first point is our special social security system. In fact, it is overused and due to the fact everyone is welcome here more or less many German people think that they - the people who immigrate here - are accelerate the process of overusing so that the whole system will crash.
Many people will answer you like that if you ask them why they particulary don’t like immigrates. Moreover, there are a lot of immigrates who get social aid but working besides that without paying taxes. I think you call that “to moonlight”.
The second point is, that the medias are pretending as foreigners are bad. Generally they just show foreigners doing bad things like robbing and it is clear that a lot of people will think that they are all the same - even though you know that isn’t true, in your mind you think it’s true.
It’s the same with the lot of oppinions like all germans are rude. That just isn’t true.
The third point is, that due to the rude people it seems as the people who aren’t rude - are - rude. There are people shouting at you or doing worse in Germany and that’s just cause you looked at him. So if you push someone, you want to get away as fast as possible but a conversation could mean way worse. And generally that are foreign immigrates who are like that and I guess that’s the reason why there is such a dislike and that’s why many people seem to be rude even though they aren’t.
But there is a big difference between German people and American - you are very hospitable and if you are standing alone somewhere most American would you invite to do something with you even if it is just a smalltalk. German wouldn’t do that and I guess the reason is most often that they are scared due to things presented in the medias and by the present rude people. They would do the same if they aren’t…
I’m a 15-year young German who does know that there are German people who are rude, but there are German people who are else but they aren’t able to show that due to the fact that they are scared. Moreover, a lot of my relatives are living in the US and all of my cousins(6) grew up there and most who don’t know them don’t even know that they have German roots.
Hope my point of view won’t be seen as a typical German who don’t care about others. I just wanted to clear you up why Germans are as they are - two words: “shy, scared” - and I hope you did understand my English
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:14 am
again, shy and scared are not excuses to be unkind to people. and no one said all germans are rude. read objectively.as the young lady said: thinking their time is more valuable, pushing you aside, etc. etc. these are not the result of shyness or fear. these are simple selfish behaviors, and they act that way towards americans and british also who don’t come and steal and who like myself, paid a heck of a lot more in taxes to the german system than i think are fair or right, because they take advantage of english teachers by making them “self-employed” in status without benefits, but needing to pay high taxes. stop defending arrogant and rude behavior.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Well since you’re not important, I guess your opinion isn’t very important :P
Congrats, your English is horrible. I’d be horrified if you were said English teacher. It was nearly impossible to read…
So anyways, being shy or fearful of others is very much an excuse for being ‘rude’. If you are suspicious of these people, how can you be nice to them?
Furthermore, YOU are completely arrogant and rude. You didn’t even take the time to write a proper response.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
@ Andreas S
“scared and shy“??? You mean “insecure“? A long time American partner at Boston Consulting Group once said to me, “Oh those Germans, they are the most insecure people!“, and I couldn´t even begin to understand that until I lived in Munich. Makes perfect sense, I mean they think so dreadful as to give a smile to a stranger! To them, that is a threat!
@ Not so important
Thanks! =)
August 5th, 2009 at 1:20 am
@ monica: no problem.
@ very important: you just gave a perfect example of what we are all saying by insulting me throughout the whole blog instead of saying something objective. suspicion is different than shyness and fear. so, please decide on which excuse you want to use. however, either way, the types of behavior that i described were directed to me by people who didn’t even know that i was a foreigner. i have a german name, look like i could pass for a german, and didn’t say anything. and you also add evidence of what other people have mentioned about germans always thinking they are right…you feel you are in a position to even judge the caliber of my english. well, if you didn’t understand it clearly, then it must be horrible (lmao). maybe you noticed that i wrote about negative behaviors that i have encountered, and i admitted that i have many nice german friends if you have read all my blogs. you, on the other hand, simply lash out with groundless and biting words. thank you for helping us convince readers that what we say is true.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
@ Very important
Once again, you demonstrate the German superiority complex syndrome—which really translates to “I am highly insecure, I had to attack someone´s English so that I can feel better about myself“. If I were you, I wouldn´t put my foot in my mouth.
August 7th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
@Not important
I can’t excuse the way German people behave.
The thing is that there have to be reasons why Germans are as they are and I was trying to explain it to myself and I wanted to present you my thoughts.
And I agree, there are a lot of bad habits of a lot of German people which are just rude. And there are NO excuses why these people are like that. But these people unsecure people who want to be polite.
Personally, I can’t smile to anyone due to the fact I don’t know how the person is going to react. And as you know, people can be very rude.
August 8th, 2009 at 2:54 am
@ Andreas
yes, i agree. and, i know that we have our weaknesses too as a nationality and i as a person too. so, i think we should take responsibility for ourselves as individuals and put forth strong effort to make positive changes.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I am still in Germany and looking forward to leave soon actually.
Mr. Santos….It is not your concern where i do come from you morron! and not i am not from any of those countries you mentioned earlier. why don’t you ask your grandmother to tell you some nice stories about the “achievements” of your ancestors during WWII, du arsch!
As for the dislike towards Germans…it is not us who do not have the slightest idea or concept how we should behave to other people..it is your people, you retard! get over it looser!
August 15th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@houhou
Your wording tells enough about your personality. Guess you’ll find friendly people nowhere in the world and you’ll be unhappy everywhere. As we say in Germany: “Wie du in den Wald rufst - so schallt es heraus.” Germany will be a better place without you. We do not need such unhappy and unfriendly guys from abroad here, peeps like you are no positiv adition for Germany.
Asking the most alive german Grandmothers about WW2 will most probably bring answers about what they felt while beeing refugees. They will tell stories from their mothers, how it was to try to raise a child in times of war while knowing, that the father/husband was soldier, wounded or died somewhere in a senseless war. Comparing Germans from today with the acting people 70 years ago shows not only a lack of historcal knowlegde. It shows your ignorance. While your prejudices seem to stay forever, mankind has changed - an even Germans have changed. Since 40 years more people imigrate to Germany then left the country. They are positiv additions for Germany.
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:30 am
@germanbasterd
are you playing with statistics to win an argument? the majority of people immigrating to Germany are from countries where many people live in poverty such as Turkey, Russia, Africa, and countries of the Middle East. that’s not something to show how wonderful Germany is. Many of the German people that I knew would move to a country of similiar economic standing in a heartbeat, because they were unhappy with Germany. and in defense of houhou, look at the original comment that houhou was responding to, and you might understand his/her choice of words.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:27 am
I’m an Asian- Peranakan girl who has studied and worked in Germany for over 10 years. Due to my work I’ve also lived and worked in 8 different countries. I think in every country there are good and bad, nice and mean people. However I do find that there are certain peculiarities i think one will most likely find in Germany. :))
In the first place… i think it’s different if you are German or look like one. The treatment you probably get from people in general is different from some of us who do not look German and are not German. We also cannot compare the Germans who live outside of Germany with those who choose to remain in Germany. After all, there ARE reasons why people leave, those who leave, leave for a reason…. It’s like saying Chinese in China and overseas Asians of Chinese heritage are the same. We’re not the same. The mentality is different. The heart and the mind are different.
Coming back to the Germany…It is not always like this ( like I said there are some nice people but the mean ones are really mean) but my first experience as a student was being pushed against a wall and being screamed at by a German man that I was a stinking Asian coming to take someone’s job away. I think u can imagine that being 20, and having this happen to u is rather scary. This happened in a big city and not some little village in Germany. It was a very scary experience especially when no one stepped in to help. Perhaps that’s normal that no one wants to help…. it could happen in other countries as well. The problem was I had not encountered it anywhere else.
Something that I’ve never understood is the mittagspause. How many “official” breaks can a worker take per day? And the most amazing part is when they see a long queue waiting at the counter in the bank directly staring at them, they can actually continue to sit there enjoying their 20 minutes of coffee and newspaper directly after a 1 hour lunch, while ignoring all the customers staring at them? I think u must have some kind of superthick skin to be able to do this. Isn’t lunch time and the usual quick snack break enough??
You’re not to wash your own car in your garage at your own house. I don’t know if I should believe that it’s due to the environment. I mean seriously… are they for real???
I lived in a small apartment and I sometimes hung my duvet out the window to air. And someone across the street actually came to tell me that I was not allowed to do that… because it was bad for the environment??? Hmmm…. :)) Let’s not use the poor environment as an excuse for all human eccentricities and personal analities.
Most of my foreign colleagues and I have also have experiences where when we ask for help in a trainstation or in any public place, nobody wants to help. They just walk by you as if you were a ghost. I will usually in the end find somebody who will be kind enough to help me but I first need to go through 3 or 4 or 5 different people who just walk by ignoring my “excuse me, can you help me, please?”
Just last week, a couple of newly arrived foreign colleagues and I were at a typical German sit out restaurant when a German lady fainted and had an epilepsy. She was a large woman and her husband had difficulty holding her. Her husband called for help and my colleagues and I rushed in to help to hold her head… but because she was quite heavy… we asked if someone could help us hold her legs… all the Germans just stared and actually continued eating. That’s something I can’t understand. There must have been about 100 people at the restuarant and no one offered to help. We called the ambulance and the emergency helicopter. My new colleagues were shocked and asked how the people could continue to eat? Especially when we were physically calling out for help….So no German wanted to help their own fellow citizen? What was happening?
After school in Germany, I went to grad school in Canada and in the US for 8 years. Moving over was a breath of fresh air…. not because everyone became “angels” but because at least people didn’t refuse to help or ignore you when you asked for it as politely as you could. Even the way the registrar was at the University office was so much more helpful and supportive than we ever experienced back in Germany.
I’m not sure if this only happens to us because we don’t look German… have other Germans asked for help and experienced this too?
As foreign students and now colleagues, we sometimes wish the Germans that we had the misfortune to meet would not always reply to a question we had by saying, “No you cannot do that. No we cannot do that. Why? Oh because it’s always been like that. That’s why.”
— “It’s always been like that?” What does that mean? They don’t want to think? They want to do less work? They can’t be bothered? We are not worth the work?
September 7th, 2009 at 12:28 am
I’m an Asian- Peranakan girl who has studied and worked in Germany for over 10 years. Due to my work I’ve also lived and worked in 8 different countries. I think in every country there are good and bad, nice and mean people. However I do find that there are certain peculiarities i think one will most likely find in Germany. :))
In the first place… i think it’s different if you are German or look like one. The treatment you probably get from people in general is different from some of us who do not look German and are not German. We also cannot compare the Germans who live outside of Germany with those who choose to remain in Germany. After all, there ARE reasons why people leave, those who leave, leave for a reason…. It’s like saying Chinese in China and overseas Asians of Chinese heritage are the same. We’re not the same. The mentality is different. The heart and the mind are different.
Coming back to the Germany…It is not always like this ( like I said there are some nice people but the mean ones are really mean) but my first experience as a student was being pushed against a wall and being screamed at by a German man that I was a stinking Asian coming to take someone’s job away. I think u can imagine that being 20, and having this happen to u is rather scary. This happened in a big city and not some little village in Germany. It was a very scary experience especially when no one stepped in to help. Perhaps that’s normal that no one wants to help…. it could happen in other countries as well. The problem was I had not encountered it anywhere else.
Something that I’ve never understood is the mittagspause. How many “official” breaks can a worker take per day? And the most amazing part is when they see a long queue waiting at the counter in the bank directly staring at them, they can actually continue to sit there enjoying their 20 minutes of coffee and newspaper directly after a 1 hour lunch, while ignoring all the customers staring at them? I think u must have some kind of superthick skin to be able to do this. Isn’t lunch time and the usual quick snack break enough??
You’re not to wash your own car in your garage at your own house. I don’t know if I should believe that it’s due to the environment. I mean seriously… are they for real???
I lived in a small apartment and I sometimes hung my duvet out the window to air. And someone across the street actually came to tell me that I was not allowed to do that… because it was bad for the environment??? Hmmm…. :)) Let’s not use the poor environment as an excuse for all human eccentricities and personal analities.
Most of my foreign colleagues and I have also have experiences where when we ask for help in a trainstation or in any public place, nobody wants to help. They just walk by you as if you were a ghost. I will usually in the end find somebody who will be kind enough to help me but I first need to go through 3 or 4 or 5 different people who just walk by ignoring my “excuse me, can you help me, please?”
Just last week, a couple of newly arrived foreign colleagues and I were at a typical German sit out restaurant when a German lady fainted and had an epilepsy. She was a large woman and her husband had difficulty holding her. Her husband called for help and my colleagues and I rushed in to help to hold her head… but because she was quite heavy… we asked if someone could help us hold her legs… all the Germans just stared and actually continued eating. That’s something I can’t understand. There must have been about 100 people at the restuarant and no one offered to help. We called the ambulance and the emergency helicopter. My new colleagues were shocked and asked how the people could continue to eat? Especially when we were physically calling out for help….So no German wanted to help their own fellow citizen? What was happening?
After school in Germany, I went to grad school in Canada and in the US for 8 years. Moving over was a breath of fresh air…. not because everyone became “angels” but because at least people didn’t refuse to help or ignore you when you asked for it as politely as you could. Even the way the registrar was at the University office was so much more helpful and supportive than we ever experienced back in Germany.
I’m not sure if this only happens to us because we don’t look German… have other Germans asked for help and experienced this too?
As foreign students and now colleagues, we sometimes wish the Germans that we had the misfortune to meet would not always reply to a question we had by saying, “No you cannot do that. No we cannot do that. Why? Oh because it’s always been like that. That’s why.”
— “It’s always been like that?” What does that mean? They don’t want to think? They want to do less work? They can’t be bothered? We are not worth the work?
September 7th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
On the issue of people treating us like ghosts…. when we ask for help, I only started to ask in English because I found it to be more effective than asking in German. I was advised to do this by German colleagues… because it seems if you ask in German, they may think you are going to beg for money or something like this…. so now that I ask in English I do still get ignored but eventually someone helps.
I’ve learnt that when asking for help, stand a distance away first… like 2-3 arms length ( yes..) is good… then they somehow don’t feel so threatened… and I don’t get pushed away for nothing.
Like I mentioned earlier, those Germans who have a lot of international friends and have lived elsewhere can be very different from the typcial Germans who stay stuck fast here in Germany. I have a couple of very good German friends… like really good ones… that would help me out in every situation. But that’s not always easy to come by… like everywhere else.
I agree that the German towns which I’ve lived in seem to be filled with very gossipy people. I think people everywhere in the world gossip… but the ones we experienced here were one-of-a-kind. They actually gossiped about what we “foreigners” did on weekends, what we bbqed on our pits ( they probably saw this peeking out of their windows), what we wore, how we dressed, what time we came home, how we spent our spare time and what time we bathed and the temperature of the water which we used. I actually learnt of all this from neighbours who enjoyed dropping by to talk to us and asking even more questions.
YUP……. these were the people in the 3 different small villagers that we lived in. One of them even went onto the Internet and tried to find out what we did by hacking my account and trying to befriend us on Facebook. WE found out too late when our computer guy located the IP address of the hacker. And we had allowed this person in onto our Facebook acct. because we thought he wanted to be friendly. We kicked him out of course. It came to a point where our kids cried when they had to go to school because they said other kids “talked” about us being “foreign” and “stinking stupid Asians” all the time. Of course we are different, we are not German!! We even got eggs thrown on our windows by other kids and we don’t even know them. I often wonder what their parents told them. We had to eventually always put down our shutters because we never knew what was going to happen. Needless to say, we moved out in a few months and now we live in a big city here in Germany. It’s better. But for us it was a very painful and frightening experience & we actually sorry that our kids had to live through it. But after the contract is finished we are leaving.
But yeah…. super gossipy. They have so much time on their hands that they likely spend it on gossip parties and they can actually gossip about how other people spend their time. Perhaps it’s time to look at the Man in the Mirror.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I’ve just come back from a week in Lake Garda (Italy)that was crawling with middle-aged/elderly Germans. Their rudeness was breathtaking and really quite appalling. I’m ashamed to say that I gave a few of them quite a mouthful (in English of course - I’ve no desire to learn what to my francophone ears is a particularly ugly, grating language) and ended up actually feeling glad that my wife’s father dropped several tons of high explosive on the b*stards during the second world war (he was a wireless operator who flew in Lancasters in the RAF). I’m not proud of gloating about that either - but I felt provoked to have the thought. If they don’t like the English because of the war - well the simple response is “you started it”, twice actually. Get over it. Bizzarely though, I spent a few days in Berlin last year and experienced none of this ignorant ill-mannered behaviour. So perhaps it’s only certain age-groups and certain parts of Germany that generate these obnoxious character traits.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
@terry thomas
a person can spend a few days in any country and find the people to be friendly. so, i don’t think your stay in berlin proves much. people in berlin are notorious for being rougher around the edges than in other parts of the country. i lived in northern germany for several years and found rudeness to be quite commonplace. it takes an extended time to really see how people are. however, i’m not gonna backup your comment on high explosive dropping being a suitable fate for rudeness…you’re on your own with that one.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
@terry thomas
“…that my wife’s father dropped several tons of high explosive on the b*stards during the second world war (he was a wireless operator who flew in Lancasters in the RAF). I’m not proud of gloating about that either - but I felt provoked to have the thought.”
Yes, there are still quite a few people, who think like this, please stay away from Germany!!!
September 26th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Hey Terry,
I understand that if the experience you had in Italy was really unpleasant it “might” have induced such thoughts. But I think today, such actions are very likely no longer constructive. :))
My country was also attacked by another country during the World War, an ally of Germany. All my life, I witnessed my own grandfather struggle with the trauma that would haunt him all his life till he died. As a young man, my grandfather was tied to a tree by soldiers so that he could watch them torture his mother ( my great-grandma) and his sisters and then systematically kill them after that. I can well understand why forgetting is so difficult, especially when you can’t stop seeing the images and hearing the screams in the sea of your mind.
However… i guess what makes Germany so special is that compared to many other perpetrators, Germany was able to slaughter almost 17 million people in a period of less than 5 years. That in itself is already a World Record. So for those who talked about German “performance” and German quality, it is ironic to think that this attitude of performance was also displayed here. To put this in perspective, my homeland country has 7 million people. It would mean we are all killed 2.2 times over.
Some of the other writers have mentioned about superficiality. I think every culture has superficial people in it. And I definitely disagree that the Germans aren’t. From our experiences, how people dress when they outside is very very important in Germany. The notion of looking “proper” and “well-respected” is important. We’ve been often told by my German colleagues that if we continue to go out in our jogging trousers, people will continue to ignore us if we ask for help because it seems jogging trousers signify the “lower classes” of people. If we go shopping we get the same reaction, go in shorts, bermidas,or casual sports wear and the treatment u’ll get is very different from what you would get if you dressed “properly.” If that’s not superficial, i don’t what it is. :))
Why should it matter if I wear jogging trousers? Am I less of a person if I do? My trousers cost me over 75 Euros per pair, so just because I wear jog. trousers doesn’t mean I’m going to beg for money. And if they don’t know that… too bad for them. :))
I am part of a traditional German choir and certain people who cannot sing and never learn their music properly always argue & insist on standing in front, even though they are tall so the block the shorter singers behind, because they think they are “priviledged” and therefore have to stand in the front row to “present” themselves to the audience. In the end, they are supported by voices from the trained singers and people who can actually read the music behind. I think it is hilarious and when I first heard about it, I found it most interesting - and if that’s not superficiality & perhaps some “priviledged mentality” here, I don’t what it is again.
Perhaps it is because they act like this, therefore it is difficult today to find lots of young people who would be willing to join a chore/choir. I find it very unfortunate (schade) because the chore is so much a part of German tradition.
Are Germans honest? I think there are as many honest people as there are dishonest people in Germany. I wouldn’t go so far to say that because they are German therefore they should be given more benefit of doubt because they are “born honest.” For sure not.
I think it’s unfair to say that compared to the Germans, the Americans or whoever else, are not honest and are superficial. I’ve lived and worked in Germany long enough to see that there are more than enough German news reports and documentaries about German families who have been cheated by very dishonest German contractors and building firms. There are also German firms who have been caught secretly illegally spying on their workers etc. etc. So……..
I think someone said that perhaps it is only the “not so good workers” or people that come to Germany. Perhaps that was meant as a sarcastic comment? I certainly hope so! :))
Because our work here, at least for mine and my colleagues is to answer the requests for work application for those who want to leave Germany. Yes, due to the increasing number of highly educated and very well-trained Germans who are leaving for our country and for others of course, our country has decided to set up office here to help to recruit the best of the German brains and personality to us. Germany is just one of the many places we recruit from and one of the newer offices.
So….. no it is not always the “loosers” who come to Germany. Likewise, it is also not only the “loosers” who leave Germany. I personally would not call the likes of Einstein, Muensterberg & Charles M. Schulz,”loosers.”
Then, there are also those of us here to bring the creme de la creme of German blood out of the country and offer them a good life elsewhere, should they apply and fit our bill, and want to come to us, many bring their families along.
We are only too happy to welcome enthusiastic, friendly, kind, helpful, open-hearted, talented, educated with a willingness to learn, well-trained, hardworking, high-performing, tolerant, young or old Germans into our country. And this applies to every other applicant from other countries. :)
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
The author forgot something. Germans are not only rude, fat and grouchy, they are stupid too. And they stink from their Leaderhosen.
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I have a uncle thats german and he want everything done his way . One time I put the dishes in wrong he says ” they are not put in right ” . I said ” oh , you want it done your way ” and he said ” yes ” . I said ” if thats the case you can do all the dishes and I left ” . Just beign around him makes my skin crawl . He does not even clean the house . I told him why doesnt he clean the house and he said ” I dont get paid to ” .
He is rude , he never knocks on the door .
October 8th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
@ Tom
Hi, I find it frightening that this kind of characteristic mentality still exists. This “we are better” and “we know better” mentality still exists in Germany.
It definitely exists in other parts of the world as well but appears to be quite apparent and general here in Germany. It’s almost characteristic of the culture! I don’t know why. Sad.
It seems some people haven’t learnt that it is exactly this mentality that opened the flood doors to allow so many innocent lives to be taken that many years ago.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:37 am
I’m a Scot, so we’re usually pretty neutral on things. Germans are fine. I’ve never had an issue with them. Granted there’s a few who have been a bit cold or rude, but for the most part they’ve been grand. Americans are mostly the same, mostly kind and very generous, albeit a few who are worrisome in terms of being overly religious.
Stereotypes are a terrible, terrible thing. Its a shame too many people have bought into them.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
@Andrew
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Due to work, we’ve had to move all over the world and we’ve lived in Germany as foreign expats for a long time ( 12 years) that we’ve experienced sufficient “stereotypical” comments and hurtful things from the people here. :))
We haven’t been as lucky as some other foreigners who’ve only experienced “stereotypes.” We’ve actually been hit out by them.
So, if it’s only a stereotype that’s happening here then that’s just the easiest part of the entire equation.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:11 am
hey Wai Yen, they are not calling u stinking asian! they are calling stinking Chinese! even asian people call it stinking to Chinese people! why did u want to cover this up?
October 13th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Yes there are many good and sometimes not so good aspects of German society/culture. Ignoring some of the childish posts of some, there have been many insightful posts, such as Wai Yen and Hans Pansen.
Having the good fortune to have married a kind and beautiful German girl, I have experienced the good and bad of Germany. Still if one removes their own nationalistic blinders, all of humanity has faults. I have experienced oberlehrerhaft first hand, and for the most part enjoy laughing at these self appointed keepers of order.
Now I have not yet lived in Germany full time, nor do I have an issue not looking physically like one of der volk. I am sure that is much harder if you are Asian, middle eastern, etc…. So that might color my own perspective and experiences.
There are the LOUD Americans who you can hear talking with one another from a kilometer away. The Chinese that cut in line. Or whatever aspect of another society that one disagrees with. I have often spoke with my wife and German friends about just this characteristic that disturbs them too. For most it can be laughed off, but there are some circumstances where such self centered behavior can cause great pain to others, especially if the recipient is a child.
We must ALL learn to THINK before we SPEAK. Be mindful not only of differences between ourselves and others, but also consider the words chosen, context, and tone of voice when delivering our opinions. Consider what is the point you are trying to make and how effective is you style of delivery when commenting to others. If your insights are just negative and not constructive, you are just expressing in order to make your self feel better even if you falsely claim you are trying to help the recipient by pointing out the error of their ways. So let’s put this in perspective, acknowledge our differences, while at the same time work together to be a better people on this tiny planet.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:21 am
@noname:
Erm… cover what up? Like your name you mean? ;))
There are many people that cannot tell the differences between the Asian races or the different dialects and heritage our names carry. We can’t change that. “Asian” is a word used today to describe people of Asiatic descent, whatever that means. The word “Asian” is officially used today to describe anyone who “looks” Asian.
Personally, I would be very proud to be Chinese, a “descendent of the dragon” as they say, . :))) One of the most ancient, intelligent, versatile, lucrative and creative races on Earth, that’s currently swallowing up foreign industries all over the globe. :))
Unfortunately,
I’m not pure Chinese, only 1/4. In my earliest posts, I’ve already mentioned, I’m Asian Peranakan, not the ethnic Chinese type. I don’t even look Chinese, I have light gray eyes. :))) Maybe that’s why they call my kids “Stinking asians,” because these people who call children names, don’t know any better. :))
Well anyway, “stinking” or not, that’s their opinion, we can’t really change that. Perhaps some people should smell themselves carefully before calling people the wrong names and stereotyping all of us who look even a tad bit Asian :)))) We all shower and keep our kids and homes clean. I don’t know why then there these local kids here with nits?
Our kids’ school was closed for 2 weeks because there were 12 local kids with nits. We were shocked. What happened to the purported hygiene and cleanliness?
This site is a forum for discussion on our experiences as foreigners or Germans in Germany, based on “rude & Oberlehrerhaft.”
We can all have positive + negative experiences, some painful, some hurtful, some funny, some hilarious. We can all talk about whatever stereotypes or whatever.
However, when we have hurtful experiences, it’s nice to be able to share it with others who understand. Other people can criticise or make nasty comments or joke, but no one can pretend that they fully comprehend another’s experience.
My own frightening experience after spending my first 10 days in Germany as an 18 year old girl, was being grabbed and slammed hard against a wall by 3 men on the road who accused my classmate and I of being the “auslander” who are taking his job away.
Even after so many years, we never forgot that day or their faces or the smell of their breaths and of all the people who walked by and pretended not to see.
Based on the comments so far, most people who comment insightfully don’t come here to tell someone that their experience is a “cover up” of another more real experience.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Hahahahahah! I cannot hold my loughing reading all the new comments! ok where should i start now? listen guys there are 100000000 of things i could start telling you about but this does not matter. Few thoughts though are displayed here:
to @german bastard@ i would say: yes my dear i understand …but the only issue is the following one: It was your grandmas brother/son/uncle/fucker or whatever else u might wanna call that that travelled all the way and came to torture rape slaughter and kill our people, who by that time were not bothering anyone. Sorry that some of them defended their countries bravely and tried to stop the ruthless cold-blooded heartless and souless people of yours who had no sample fof humanism inside them and tried to concur the whole word thinking that it belongs to them. typical for the germans who think they owe everything they know everything they are better and superior at everything….so zip you gob and apologize for the mass murders u comitted….by the way, when we were growing up my parents used to tell me about the brave of our grandpas -did yours do the same about the “heroism” of yours maybe!??? shut up!
Germans are not welcoming at all! they just simply pretend! and when they go abroad the play the nice civilized ones! what a load of old bullocks! see how many foreign politicians u have in the government…count the number of immigrants and u will see how well are those represented! u see, i can speak with numbers too darling!
to carry on….why do not speak with many of the germans who left the country and went abroad (UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark etc) to tell u why they will NEVER GO BACK to their own country!??it is because they fed up with their own people being so pathetic rude boring tasteless colourless and above all control-freaks! U do not believe me? just get a few and ask them out of curiosity, u will be surprised and shocked to hear the negative critic from your own people and theii relief for leaving behind all the german misery! more lessons next time sweet heart! AUF NICHT WIEDERSEHEN!!
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
The German people that I met are generally rude (of course, I do met 1 or 2 nice ones). I’m not sure if they aware of their rudeness, but I think it is good that they start to reflect on their behaviours.
October 27th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Wow…i…when i read all your posts i dont know what to say…Well im a German girl…im 18 years old and i ….hehe i dont know where to start^^
First of all it seems to be a stereotyp that so many german people should be rude…I admit that i was rude sometimes in my life but i cant remember that i ever was rude so hard as it is posed here sometimes.I mean which person living on this planet was never rude?Do you think that everyone is rude by aim?
Im not sure but often i think all the people ant accept that know it is another generation …the world war is over since many years.It hurt to feel that there is a comparison between our great-grandparents(which most of us never met) and us.Im not proud that there was this stupid man in germany and tought he was the absolute king…PLEASE forget all those things..i dont know if you know what feelings you release but maybe you think about it.I love other countries and so it is even more sadly to hear such things…..Im sad that there are germans who were rude adverse you…
greetings Jessica
P.s:sorry for my text mistakes …im so uncertain when i write texts in english^^
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:38 am
wow, super interesting! I came here under a search on google: “German people rude” becuase I am so shocked at how awful these people are that have been hired to work at my place of employment. I am aghast (as are all others at this workplace) at the way these people are. The man and his wife are sickening with how they feel that all americans are idiots (even the people with high MD degrees!…the dentists and doctors!) The man is so ugly with his gross fat head and iccky hair all long and balding. The woman, oh my gosh, shocking…wears hideous clothing and says such rude things to people. It is strange how they can act this way as they are lucky to have a job. These people do not believe in serving customers needs with any sense of urgency or respect for the way their actions affect our accounts. They are horrid to be around. and further, they do truly spend alot of time talking and smoking when others are working. and with the accent, people can hardly understand them, and then the jerks act like we are idiots!!! also, i must agree, i have seen their rudeness to mexicans. it is mortifying. They revert to their gross sounding german language all the time in mixed company, and then get all freaked out if someone speaks spanish…well assholes, we are in california…so get real! yes, ugly, miserable and they think they are so superior to all others, and since they are from germany, and think americans and mexicans are idiots, these german people should go back from whence they came, they deserve to go home..back to where there are gross people like themselves! in california we are not into this disgusting attitude at all, I do wish they would go home. we all do.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I suppose that rudeness and grouchiness must be contagious to a certain extent. If the majority of your fellow citizens keeps treating you like shit, e.g. several people walking side by side on a sidewalk not making room for you walking in the opposite direction, you might find yourself doing the same after a couple of months or years. Not everybody will, of course, especially not if you think of some of the mentioned atrocities of German behaviour, but I think it’s safe to say that the problem recreates itself.
I have found that Germans are often very much surprised and grateful for unexpected kindliness, probably because it breaks that cycle of rudeness. I’ve also found it to be a way to make friends. Maybe if it happens often enough, people will stop resigning and start do the same.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I suppose that rudeness and grouchiness must be contagious to a certain extent. If the majority of your fellow citizens keeps treating you like shit, e.g. several people walking side by side on a sidewalk not making room for you walking in the opposite direction, you might find yourself doing the same after a couple of months or years. Not everybody will, of course, especially not if you think of some of the mentioned atrocities of German behaviour, but I think it’s safe to say that the problem recreates itself.
I have found that Germans are often very much surprised and grateful for unexpected kindliness, probably because it breaks that cycle of rudeness. I’ve also found it to be a way to make friends. Maybe if it happens often enough, people will stop resigning and start do the same on their own.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Germans especially the ones in the East Potsdam for example are stuck in a post communistic nightmare. Dehumanised,oppressed,
victimised,crises,Normalisation.
The five rule on how to make a society amoral and rude and selfcentred. They seek only to blame and excuse their past and complain about mm and how their clothes should be folded. Anal retentive and frankly I never give them sympathy having fallen for that trick before. See they all seem to think thet they are owed something from us Auslanders. When in plain view they havent gotton over the dehumanising process. That is why east German failed and the Russians got sick of these people Prussians with mixed blood and superiority complex. The only way to deal with this is to GIVE THEM A SWIFT KICK IN THE CROUT. Before they try and chang the earth into CROUTLAND……. No I do not hate the germans I hate the fact’s which they are blinded to. STOP BLAMING AND EXCUSING AND TELLING US IT’S A PROBLEM IN GERMANY>>>> THE PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM.
BECAUSE THE STATE DOES NOT ADVOCATE INDIVIDUALISM………
SO get critical not analitical. We really dont wish to know the surface area and pye of a bunch of washing. FREEKS
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I can’t believe what i’m reading here. I just came across this site by accident and i’m really shocked. I am in fact german, i’ve been to the UK once and had a nice time there. I’ve never been to the US, although i really want to go in the future. I know some people there, they are extremely nice nad friendly.
one thing that really stunned me how people think that germans have never seen redheaded people. What the F…? Why not? Of course we see redheaded people, all the time, they go shopping like everyone, they live in our neighbourhood, they are normal people among every other normal person. Of course if you go to a town with 500 inhabitants, 400 are older than 60, you’ll get a funny look, but not as a redhead, just as an outsider. that normal, in every country, you’ll find these little villages with some abnormal grumpy people. i think germany i highly influenced by the american culture. look how young people dress, listen to what music they like, what tv shows they watch - mostly american. And dont tell me we are rude. our ancestors messed up BIG TIME! over 60 years later, you cant blame young people for that. we still feel deep regret over what happened, but its not our fault. were in the process of finding our german identity, like you americans already have. you are proud, waving your flag and showing it to the world. thats nice. if there is one thing to criticize about germany, its our shitty politicians. these old assfaces dont know anything about the people living here. our school system is completely broken, our economy is crap, everything.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
60 years ago is not much time at all, and especially in comparison to the atrocities that were committed. however, that doesn’t mean that young people of today are guilty of those crimes. however, some of the personality traits still have not been rooted out. there is still this general feeling of obedience to authority without question (for example in the workplace), there is still a “strong dislike” of certain foreigner groups even if it is kept quieter. there have been foreign bases on german soil for years and after two wars the modern view of war in germany has been pretty much the only alternative that leaves germans still able to feel superior. now they feel superior because their thinking is elevated regarding avoiding war. it’s kind of like with the environment. the environment in europe was terribly polluted. so, they were forced to make changes. now, they have done that and so they take an elevated position there too. but these changes were thrust upon them from outside forces.
November 29th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Hey guys
sorry my english isn’t good but I try to tell you my opinion.
At first I’m a German. and i don’t agree with your arguments and because our relatives were so stupid (from 1933-1945) that doesn’t mean that the youths are the same. Less then 2% of the Germans are racists. and we don’t believe one truth, as well. I think everybody must have his own picture of us.
P.S: If you think we aren’t interested what’S going around us, I’m sure that YOU are believing that every german looks like a traditional bavarian ;D
November 30th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
@Julian, how exactly did you come up with the 2%? Is that an official statistic? Either way, it’s bullshit. I’m Canadian and have been living in Northrhine Westphalia for a while now.
Yes, most people are cold, bitter and rude. However once you get to know some of them you will see that they are also racist. Not all of them - I will admit I also met fantastic Germans - but most of them will tell you bad things about turks and asians once you gain their trust. This is something I cannot live with, racists are the scum of the universe. It makes it really easy to see though why not so long ago some guy with a square mustache slaughtered millions of people without anyone really minding it.
I also noticed another thing. It might happen because I’m a guy, but German women are far friendlier than men. German men tend to be overly frustrated and generally shy and even in clubs they will mostly stay in corners or at the bar and chat amongst themselves. Which makes it really easy for us foreigners to give women the attention they’ve been craving for.
Another thing that I noticed in bars and clubs is young punks are pushing their limits. They are very belligerent while drunk and can’t understand that I could probably easily rip their heads off due to my military training. I never give in to their provocations, but man are they pushing it.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:41 am
I lived in germany for a year, my girfriend is german… She is a happy camper… I felt on average the people were cold and miserable. They push in line but come on fat???? they are all twigs, im 190 cm and 88 kgs and everyone thought i was fat :)
they are very serious people
December 1st, 2009 at 12:44 am
Nicely said julian,
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I am an American university student currently studying in Bayern. I stumbled upon this discussion whilst trying to deal with a bit of ‘culture shock’. Anyways, I find this discussion interesting to say the least.
I know that there is nothing I can say to brush off the American stereotypes that half of you have already assumed of me… and that is wrong. Just in the same way it is wrong to judge any individual based solely on the culture from which he comes. Is it true that Americans are often arrogant, ignorant, annoying, or lazy? Sure. Is it true that Germans are often arrogant, rude, and self-centered? Jawohl. I have seen both!
But, no matter how I currently feel about German culture, I cannot allow myself to criticize it while refusing to criticize America. Though I’m not much of a theologian, I think the Bible said it right to take out the log from your eye before you help your friend take a speck out of his.
Sure. I am very frustrated at my inability to adapt to this culture. But that is my problem, not theirs. There must be an understanding in that every culture holds different values… and the inability to at least understand this concept leads to these heated attacks on both sides.
As Americans, we value our politeness… but lets be honest, we value it to an extent far beyond necessary. It is emasculating our culture (I’m speaking from the perspective of a man). As a student in Germany, who is majoring in German…. perhaps they value privacy and order to absurd levels.
We are both wrong, and the inability to comprehend this is what causes these ignorant macho-debates that never lead anywhere.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
@Julian
I am also wondering where you came up with this statistic that 2% of Germans are racist. How do you measure and put a statistic on something that is within a person’s heart and may not be readily shared with others? Are you giving us the number of people that officially belong to today’s Nazi party? If you are, they are not the only ones with racist feelings. But anyway, this site is not about racism. It’s about rudeness. And if there is such a common thread to the feelings foreigners have about Germans, the Germans should stop justifying it and telling us what they think they are like and start doing something about the perception that other people have of them.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
fffff
December 4th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
What is wrong with these people? Havent the Germans learnt their lesson in the second world war? Germans are so object orientated They place more importance to how clean the car is or their lawn, then how they look. They would go out looking like beggers. No sense of fashion what so ever, but thats ok if the car they are driving is spotless clean….(HELLO) When you go to a restaurant to have a nice meal, the waiters seem as if they are giving you a favour by speaking with you.. aND THEY ARE so ugly…..lets not mention public service…Are they Humans?? Or machines? Or animals?
December 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Did any of the english speaking people here, who are so angry with germany, because ALL the people are so rude, consider their own behaviour? Don’t you think it is rude e g to come to a bar, restaurant, shop whatever and expect that the whole world speaks their language, and do not even ask “do you speak english”? and maybe think why people were not so nice, i have lived for over 20 years in germany, and really weird, i never had so many bad experiences like some people write here who have lived in Germany maybe half a year… You find rude behaviour everywhere, you just have to look for it!
December 7th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I don’t think the previous post understands the problem. It’s not a question of whether or not a person speaks German. I haven’t noticed that Germans travelling abroad are able to speak the language of every single country they travel to, and many of the people in previous posts have said they speak German but are still treated rudely.Why have you assumed that they come into restaurants and just start speaking English? The resentment expressed here is a big part of the problem. English has become an international language, not just the language of a particular country. It’s just a way for people from different countries and cultures to communicate. Being defensive about this is just a way of avoiding discussing the real issue here, i.e. rudeness.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:41 am
I have been living in Germany for 5 months now, and everyday that goes by I regret more and more about coming here to study. In 5 months I have not been able to make a single friend or acquaintance, even though I have gone through great lenghts to try to accomplish it, like getting tandem partners, living with other Germans and downright talking to strangers in social settings. I have even met some girls and gone out on dates with them. It is dissapointing to be treated so bad everywhere in the city, people are quick to point out your mistakes and laugh at you or scold you because of them. Heck, a girl couldn’t forgive me for misplacing a small country in the wrong continent. I was quickly categorized as ignorant. People are always in a rush, impatient, intolerant, they ignore you and don’t make space for you while walking on the sidewalk in the opposite direction. Small things like that. People seem to be bitter and dislike foreigners. A moment of happiness for me quickly turned into a dissapointment when I found and bought a Corona beer in a bar and tried the latin Salud! cheer on a group of Germans that live with a friend… they just ignored me, while one of them told me: You are in Germany, you have to learn to say Prost!… pffft! Not to mention talking trash about Corona and why German beers are superior. In my experience, Germans have no sense of humor, are selfish, arrogant, rude and are incapable of having fun or taking things lightly. It’s a shame as well that they don’t appreciate other visiting cultures. And they always have an excuse for their behavior. If someone says that they are hard to get to know they say it’s because we don’t master their language or that they are just shy. If someone says that cashiers treat you like crap, then it is because they are pressured to be efficient. People look at me very strange when I get up of my seat in the tram to give it to an old person that just got in. I have seen young men seating with very old people on their feet beside them and they don’t care and just pretend they are not aware. Of course I have met nice Germans, but sadly the negative experiences outweight the positive ones. I miss the warmth of the latinamericans and the sense of unity and joy that these people don’t have. Well, I’m only here for 19 more months. Schade!
January 8th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
To all the ones who don´t like Germany:
Some of you do have some points. You´re right when you say Germans tend to be cold, straight, hard-working, too disciplined, uptight and machine-like. Guess what, it´s the first world and if you want to be competent, you have to be strong and hard. Germans have had a hard history, they have commited some crimes and that influences their psyche, not to mention the food and weather.
To Latin American:
I am myself South American. While I don´t know what country you come from, I can tell you that there are also cold ,rude people in South American countries. Hell, the capitol city of my country is full of such people, even worse, in fact. I have never done such silly things like saying “Salud” when I could have said “Prost” or “Pröstchen”. This is Germany, and in Germany you speak German. Who cares if you´re latin? If you miss your perfect people so much, then go back and stop complaining all the time about Germans. You fail to integrate. Don´t expect Germans to be warm, open and fake like latinos are. Integrate and be a bit cold, so you can survive. I have been living for 2 years in Germany and yes ,sometimes it´s hard, but what the hell,how many people get to study here?
Another thing is that you can make acquaintances ,but don´t expect them to automatically become your friends! I have lived in Germany for 2 years and even though I am kind of asocial, I have met some interesting people. Now I have started a friendship and it´s going well. You just need to find people who share your ideas.
Good luck, Latin boy.
From a fellow Latin American who has Germanized himself to a certain extent.
January 11th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Hey Michael, this place is to freely voice opinions, not one to attack one another! Shame on you!! Show some maturity and be respectful.
Don’t come here judging if other people’s perceptions are wrong or not.
You can talk about your experience but not attacking other posters.
Shame on you!
January 11th, 2010 at 8:48 am
hahaha I guess Michael comes from a country so horrible and that has no interesting culture that he doesn’t like to share details about it! he’d rather be a FAKE german than a real southamerican hahaha thats so lame! go ahead and be a lifeless robot so you can fit in. I guess now you think that you are superior because you “fit in” and no shame whatsoever defending a boring country like germany and even changing your latin name to Michael hahhaaha. i would never say im other than canadian and change my ways just to fit in… thats retarded. its selling your soul. i have stayed in germany for some mos. and i didn like it in comparison to studying in the US for example, and yeah, people can be fake friends in the US but you have a nicer time there and theres excellent service everywhere, unlike germany where peoples bad attitudes tend to get you.
oh and to the guy above: its fun to attack people, specially dumb people lol! try it
January 11th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
thanks for being so honest. I try my best to change this country
January 14th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
an american girl once asked me if people in germany were black or white…i still dont think that americans are stupid. yes, it was a stupid question but nobodys perfect, right? i dont know what experiences some of you had to hate germany so bad but i dont think this is a fair discussion here. i can understand some points to a certain extend but: while most of you praise america or canada, or whatever they come from, so much (and their people) and say germans are soooo rude…they become rude themselves by hating a whole nationality.
to everyone who feels that germans point out their mistakes: try and be honest. if someone says you did something wrong just say how you feel. youll be surprised how it works.
@Gordon: You are NOT right saying germans are soooo object orientated. but yes, you are in fact right that more than some people are ugly. you know why? germans are OLD. no one is having children here anymore (politics and all that) so young people are rare. i know what you mean…fat men, ugly beards, smelly clothes, i know there are more of these here than somewhere else. but still: you can find a lot of nice looking people here, people who dress nice, are modern and open. mostly young people, we ALL learn english here (of course with different results, but youll find some people who master english, really). while i too believe that the older the german the more bitter and rude (i see it everyday in the subway and i dont like it too), younger germans are really nice, open, intelligent and very polite. enough said.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
That mite have come out wrong. it is not right to say that they are so object orientated, but it seems like smiling, making people feel welcome and being kind is seen as superficial here. Do germans know that you can be nice and humanistic orientaed without looking superficial??? that is the question. I couldnt care less if your house or car is perfectly clean and shiny…If you havent the basic human interaction skills, that makes all the countries in the world worth visiting and living…Than there is something psychologically wrong with theese people…..
January 17th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@Gordon: Completely right, Germans tend to defend their attitude by saying that they are straight forward. If we were from the planet Vulcan, that would be excellent, but we aren’t. It is important to care for other people’s feelings, so you can say the truth, but being TACTFUL (key word for you Germans). And in this time and day in the world, it is important to preserve all the niceties. We are humans with feelings. When you call customer service with a problem you need an empathetic person on the other side of the phone line, not some rude person like in Germany… and the worst thing is that in Germany you have to PAY for calling customer service. Ridiculous.
What’s wrong about greeting people with a smile and treat them nicely even though you hate the world? Why spread bitterness and sadness? I think posters here don’t hate Germany, we just don’t like mean, unhappy people.
January 18th, 2010 at 11:09 am
If you ask a german about your new shoes, he would not tell you the truth, that he does not like them. He would say :”I like your shoes, but their are not kind of my style”. Its just overexagerated.
Germans are just often pissed off by the pressure in their job and the shitty government. If they come too late to work because the bus were too late, they are afraid to get fired, so they are getting angry by slow busses.
And the reason why they accept their crappy government is, because they´re afraid to be called Nazis if they fix the way the government works. Therefore they accept all the foreign people (turks, arabs, russian,…) who are living here, but they dont like them. If they wouldnt be here germans would be alot more nice and polite to foreign visitors.
At least germans are just common stupid western country people.
January 20th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
At John T:
I am sorry, but how old are you? You sound more immature than I do. The same goes to the other guy.
Why should I write my real name? And yes, I find my country´s culture to be boring and silly. Like all latin cultures. It´s because of being dancing all the time that our lands are so poor and lack development. I don´t consider myself superior. I think all people are the same.
January 22nd, 2010 at 3:50 am
@ Michael:
I was reading this post just out of curiosity, I agree and disagree with some posters, but your case really stands out.
Pal, you just dug yourself deep. You are just making it worse by saying stupid things like that about latinamerican cultures. You are just coming off as ignorant and a biggot, and against your own people, which is even more pathetic. I recommend you get yourself some education or at least do some research in wikipedia about latin cultures. Or travel extensively, as I have done (provided you are worthy of a visa). Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico are great countries, for example, if you take the time to know them and learn from them, not just judge them because you saw some sensationalist news in the media or went there for 3 days. And after you study enough, then get a job and buy yourself a clue. You will never be a german, but you will always be a poser, and a loser that tries to associate himself with something he deems “superior” to feel better about himself. So I guess you just want to be superior by association, not by own merit. It’s a shame how people like you pretend to be “whitewashed” with other cultures. you can walk, talk and dress like them, but you will always be a latinamerican. Like here in the states, with white kids pretending to be african americans. A joke. But you know what? It’s better that you never mention again that you are latin, because you give them a bad name. If I ever met and american who did the same you are doing, I would beat the living poop out of him for disrespecting our country.
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Guys please shut down this forum, it is pointless to try to show to the Germans how meshed up they are cause they simply do not understand at all what is going on in the rest of the world. Trust me, they think that they know everything better than anybody else. trying to change the Germans and make the humans again feels like trying to make an elephant to fly or something like that. they were, they are and they will remain f@@ked up for ever! do not waste not even 1 more calorie by even moving your fingers to post a message in this forum….do not even waste 1 drop from your saliva trying speaking to them to make them understand what is appropriate and what not….it is just a waste of your f@@@ing precious time!! Germans simply suck!
January 27th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
At Tom:
I know more about latin cultures than you do. You probably can´t speak Spanish,and if you can, it´s probably not good enough :)
I am not a poser. I never wanted to be a German or an European for that matter. Latinos are not my people. There is no Latin folk or race. Latin americans don´t even share the same culture or language or food or music, got it? The Brazilian culture is not the same as the Mexican culture, but you´re probably too dumb to notice a difference between both.
So what if I don´t like the Latin culture? I don´t like it and your insults won´t make me like it. You are more fascist than the Germans houhou has met, since you have problems accepting other opinions. Hell, you must be around 10 years old OR have a very very low IQ…why do I waste my time with a fan of Latino culture?
At houhou:
Are you still in Germany? If it is so bad, you may leave. There are bad people everywhere but I can guarantee you that Germans feel your despise towards them and react to it.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:26 am
@Miguel:
Hablo perfecto español y soy especialista en culturas latinoamericanas, de las que tú al parecer no conoces ni pizca. Sigue escribiendo, tu ignorancia es muy obvia con lo que escribes. En los países que menciono yo he vivido. No escribo por escribir, como tú. Malinchista.
Oh, and so the other posters can get this:
Miguel (Michael): keep writing so other educated people can see how truly ignorant you are. Por la boca muere el pez. And so that you know: No two countries share the same culture. Each has a special one.
January 30th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Michael….get lost looser! get a life!!
January 31st, 2010 at 3:05 pm
A Tom:
Tu espanol no es perfecto. Es lo que yo llamaria “Broken Spanish”, en Ingles. Si, no uso tildes pues mi portatil es Aleman.
Naci y vivi por anos en Latinoamerica. Como puedes decir que tu, un Canadiense, sabe mas sobre cultura Latina que yo?
Educated? Ignorant? You´re probably 20 years older than I am, yet you are arguing with some random guy on the internet. Does that make you feel smarter? Go learn your Spanish before you claim you know more about the so-called Latin culture than a native Spanish speaker.
I couldn´t care less about your opinion. I don´t like the culture of Spanish-speaking countries and I have good reasons for that. No idiot like you will be able to change nor ridiculize my opinion, since it´s mine and it´s my right to have it. You have to be mentally impaired to want each person to agree with you and your dumb latino-friendly tattles.
At HouHou:
Grow up and leave the country you hate so much. Retard.
January 31st, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Michael:
You are in a safe place. I forgive you. I understand why you say the things you say. Come on, give me a big ol’ hug. God bless you. I will not fight with you anymore. At the end of the day, we are all humans. Peace out brother.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Do we have a fair share of assholes in this country? Hell yes!!!
Are there a lot of things which are plainly wrong in present day Germany? You bet, and only a completely disillusioned moron would disagree with that one. But some of the comments here make me simply cringe.
The thing is that a lot of the issues told here by expats or students-abroad are NOT Germany specific, they occur pretty much everywhere you go to in this world. The question is only how you will react to it, which entirely depends on your perspective.
Just as an example: While working in Adelaide quite a few years ago, I found Sydney to be inhabited by a bunch of obnoxious, overbearing bastards - all to the contrary of the rest of Australia. I never had so many perceivingly rude encounters through all of my two years down under than in that particular city. All the years before I have mostly spent in a rather sleepy suburb of a mid-sized German town so the contrast to a multi-million population city certainly didn’t help.
In recent years I went back and - guess what - I quite liked it.
So what changed? In between of my last two visits, I spent 1 year in LA and 1.5 years in Beijing which enormously changed my perspective of how a large metropolis works. Compared to these two, Sydney is warm and welcoming beyond belief.
The same is often true for Germany: a colleague of mine hates it here to the guts; in his opinion the way his neighbors behave (ignoring him, showing no interest at all) has to be interpreted as downright rude, whereas at home (somewhere in Virginia - I can’t remember) an intact community where you know everybody was absolutely normal. Another one, London born and raised, simply loves it here because it is so relaxed compared to home (sic!).
Stuff like this can happen EVERYWHERE you go to - just because Germany is a western country does not make adaption to another culture any easier.
But one thing about the rudeness against foreigners; if you watch the behavior of some tourists you should at least consider the possibility that this does reflect on all of you.
If one US tourist screams at a waitress in English (because if you say it louder they will eventually understand, right?), does it mean that all Americans are obnoxious? No
Does one Brit, who thanks a barman for the served beer with a full “Sieg Heil!” (with raised arm and everything - seen two weeks ago in Munich. In the aftermath he was complaining about the humorless Germans) imply that all English people are intolerable pricks? No
But in a lot of cases, a lot of expats just lay down in the bed made by these people - even if it is unfair.
Sorry for the lengthy piece……. and the typos :-S
February 1st, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Tom:
I am glad we could sort out the differences in our opinions. At the end of the day, it´s called freedom of speech and as long as it doesn´t hurt anyone, it´s good. Have a nice day.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
First of all: I am German and I am glad that I’ve mostly read about Germans being rude instead of Germans being nazis cause that would just not be true.
Unfortunately imo it’s true what most people say. We are kinda rude but we got used to it! When I first read this I thought “gosh no, that’s a false impression of German people” but thinking about how the cashiers at the supermarkets I go to usually treat me and how the responses of some guys are when asked for directions made me believe this fact.
Seems that the karma thing doesn’t work here in Germany. It’s not that u do good things and good things will happen to u. So I gave it up and it seems this is what most of our folks have done… they gave up trying to be polite to someone else because it’s just disappointing.
I’ve met a lot of jerks in my 22 years living here but also a lot of friends and they’re friends for eternity. U ve got to earn the friendship of someone and in Germany this doesn’t happen with being overly polite but with being honest and I appreciate this! If someone is behaving stupid, we tell him or her… if someone bought ugly shoes, we tell him/her as well… To foreigners this might appear rude and I agree with this!
We gotta learn how to deal with strangers… e.g. being more polite, not overly! just more ;-)
Last year I travelled to Edinburgh and the mentality of those people was so heart-warming that I didn’t want to return to Germany (and the low DVD prices as well!)… well I had to but I am going to leave the university here in Germany and finish my studies at the Edinburgh Napier University and I’m really looking forward to it! :)
This summer me and my friends will travel the USA from NY to LA. I’ll pay attention to us being nice and polite now that I know about this^^
February 15th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Obviously there are some nice Germans. They are usually well travelled and may have lived outside Germany for several years and therefore are not typically German. These Germans are tolerant,open-minded and nice to foreigners.Germany is such a vast country and i have had different experiences in different places. I think Germans are generally tend to be nicer in Cologne, Bonn and parts of east Germany and seem to be a little more laid back and open-minded. However i live in a small city in the south of Germany and i have to say i am unimpressed by the rudeness, coldness and definitely the racism of these cold-hearted, narrow minded Swabians, who have never travelled outside of their little village,let alone another country. The interesting thing is that the nice Germans i know who are from Northern Germany feel the same about the Swabians!Also the traditional food they eat here is like slop you would give to a dog( you wouldn’t even give it to a dog!) and you should watch the way the people eat their food, i was really appalled at the lack of table manners, i almost felt i was back in the stone-age at how uncivilised the people were eating!However i personally thik Northern Germans are way nicer!
February 20th, 2010 at 5:09 am
I am a full blood german! Yes we germans have attitude problems here and there, but we are not rude. its commentss like that that make us sound rude, because we dont put up with peoples bullshit telling us that we are bad tempered.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
GERMANS ARE RUDE, INSENSITIVE, SELFISH PEOPLE. PERIOD. GERMANS ALSO CANNOT TAKE CRITICISMS. ONLY WHEN THERE IS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, THERE CAN BE CHANGE.
February 27th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Now hold up.Germans aren’t that bad!Don’t get me wrong here but there happens to be a 50% american & 50% german in my class.She may be rude,disrespectful,selfish,mean & bad but only when she’s joking or tellin’ da truth.But she knows when 2 joke around & when 2 not joke around.Germans can sometimes be nice,wonderful & respectful people.And that girl happens 2 be my girlfriend.she’s sexy….VERY SEXY!so don’t talk about her or other Germans like that,even though some of it may be true.
February 28th, 2010 at 10:07 am
@ Ke’Shawn
Knowing a mixed-race “german” doesn’t qualify you to talk about german people in Germany. We are talking about experiences with Germans while we are living in Germany. To be fair, statistically you can’t extrapolate experiences with only one member of a universe. That is not a valid sample. But I’m glad your GF turned out to be fine hehe.
March 8th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Ok I’m kind of sick of the whole anti-german bashing thing that is going on at places like this.I’m German,when I was seventeen i spent an exchange year in arizona, have studied at the gonzaga university in Washington a couple years ago and in general enjoy travelling a lot.If I think Germans are rude? Yes, from an american standpoint definitely. But,our cultures are just not the same. A little example: When i first came to the U.S, I would be totally surprised when people in the supermarket or in school walked up to me saying: “Hay how are you doing?” I usually tried to reply, but people had already walked off.. It took me some time to figure out, that those people were just following the common decency and didnt actually want to know how I was. In the meantime I was being called a Nazi by random idiots in school every day, just because I’m German.People made fun of my accent, like I was retarded though they wouldnt be able to pronounce a single word in german correctly. The point is, I didn’t go to any internet forum posting untrue bullshit like all americans are ingorant, fat and stupid..I adapted to the American way of life, and though i did certainly not think everything was all that great, I accepted it and had a great time. If you go to another country, YOU have to make an adaption, not the locals. All in all we might appear rude to you, because we don’t talk to strangers a lot, we don’t ask how you are doing if we don’t care or might not like your countries political policies. But you know what is rude too? Pointing fingers at other poeple without even thinking just for a second about yourself or trying to understand their “way of life”..
Kind regards
Joe
March 10th, 2010 at 2:30 am
Joe, you were in high school. Kids in high school are jerks, everywhere. But how did adults treat you?
March 10th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I have read all comments, and like everything else…there are great great things in Germany, as well as really bad. I have been here quite a few years, I am married to a German citizen, my husband commes from Stuttgart.
Trying to be really objectiv, I really want to say that arriving here changed totally my perspective and oppinion from Germany in a very negative way.
I love my husband, and I must say there a many Germans like him who are really nice and friendly, specially when you meet them in America, Spain etc…or have travelled a lot.
They also have (my oppinion) one of the best political systems, and they really care about Nature etc.. Everyday I am surprised to see hoy well structured is their System, Retirement, Education, Support MONEY, Health Insurance, Infrastukture…you name it !! in this sence, Germany is really great.
But now let´s go to the negativ stuff.
1-I really think that ONLY people whos been here more than just a few days or months shoud give an oppinion about it, it is really different when you visit a Country than when you are here in this Country (Society, System and are married to someone who is actually German)
I have heard many negativ comments from Germans about foreigners,must of them have terrible comments…they say about Americans: that they are really stupid,and they hate Americans that are here in the Barracks for many years, they also think that all Turkish are uneduc
March 10th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
I agree
April 9th, 2010 at 3:36 am
I live in a town that has German businesses. They visit the town from time to time. When they speak their voice sounds very analytical. They are polite, but they are also very honest, which in America is perceived as rude.
April 10th, 2010 at 1:27 am
this text is the biggest crap ever…. first of all, oberlehrer does not mean that u know everything better (I can tell because I am German)…. and u know what’s rude? - writing texts like this one…that is rude
greetings from Germany…
April 13th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
ohhh man.I don t think thar you really know anything about germans.has anybody of you visted germany…and i mean in real and not in your virtual live.germans have got another culture and they are laughing about the amaricains.and do you know why?? expecially because of this stupid prejudice.
and i mean i have to know it i am dutch-french.and hey not only germs are laughing about you,americains. the whole europeans are doing it because we belive that you arent mature with 60 ever second of your girls are to fat, your kids are even to stupid to breathe and there is a mc donalds every 5m. but in contrast to you most things are jokes and not even this what we re thinking cause we are not so stupid like you and belive every think we ve heard from. greetings to all amaricains out there (dont eat too much girls and to the guys , hey switch off the tv and learn… ohh no too late you havent got a future already)
May 5th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I was born in Germany. First generation kid of Baltic immigrants.
There were quite a few issues that drove me out of DE 25 years ago. This is just a selection of what’s the tip of the iceberg.
Anal thoroughness and perfectionism that leaves very very little tolerance for error. They call it ‘Deutsche grundlichkeit’. Now you might say the British or the Swiss also have a tendency to anal retentiveness. Think of the English lawn or Swiss precision watches. Perhaps so but while it can actually be an asset to be anal in the domains you truly excel in, the fields where you don’t, perfectionism is an obstacle to yourself and a major annoyance to others. Even kids are often expected to be ‘error-free’ from an early age on and are under permanent scrutiny. Unfortunately the ‘discipline’ is limited to the written rules. Certain fundamental rules to be taught at home which make human interaction smoother and simpler are often excluded.
A popular german proverb “trust is good but control is better”. Perhaps that’s where the staring at strangers and sticking their heads out of the window is coming from… I don’t know. It’s probably a mixture of that and the fact that they are notoriously curious. To the point that they seem to be more interested in the life of others than their own.
Many Germans seem to get a kick out of making simple things complicated. They often lack a lightness in handling trivial daily things. In making too much effort they come out clumsy. By doing so they leave too little space for imagination. They don’t seem to function if everything isn’t organised and described to the T. This kind of mentality is also reflected in their commercials. They’d rather be inundated with ‘information’ (which can be total bullshit in the form of huge made up words) than to have something presented creatively or with a sense of humour.
Even when it’s most obvious that a foreigner is objectively better especialléy at something innovative, it rather seems to provoke more incentive to find a hair in the soup than to actually embrace it. “ja aber so toll ist das ja nicht…” “das geht so nicht…” “nee nee nicht bei uns…”
There was always a subtle “live and let die” attitude in the air when I lived there. It begins where standing in queue is happily replaced with some sort of infantile darwinian struggle and ends on the autobahn where the right of the faster is expected to prevail… actually not necessarily the faster. I think that enforcing your right and expect others to obey will do. It seemed to me that Germans may actually all hate each other. I suppose it’s also reflected in the highest number of private legal expense insurances in the world.
It was mentioned before that Germans don’t cheat. Well that might be right for the most part, like everywhere else in the world. The difference though is that they can be so bloody convincing, threatening and relentless when they want to screw you over. Most of the time with no hope of an amicable compromise. It can go as far as that it would be considered extortion in other countries. All you can do is either bend over or call your solicitors - if you can afford them…
Despite of it all I still have a few mates in Germany who are cool people. I could never live there anymore though.
May 9th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
I have a German friends and they are friendly :-)
May 16th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I have been here in Germany for two years now, and I can say quite a lot about the German Culture since my girlfriend is also German. In the end Its not about seing which country is the perfect and which isnt. Its about trying to make the best of where ever you are living….I am Italian born in Ireland and lived in England now in Germany. I always try to find the best of what the country offers, and in Germany there are loads of cool things to do. You just have to have patience when some German dude may seem rude to you. In many ocasions I have experienced people being rude to me, and I have explained myself. by saying. ´´ I dont thing you where very nice or fair to me, I come from Italy or where ever, and im not used to being treated like this…´´
I have immediatly received an apology or the few that were still rude to me have been criticised by the Germans themselves…as being (assholes). Also we need to let people who have been in the second world war a second chance.. The only way that works for me living here is to actually share my opinion with German people and tell them that it doesnt work that way in other countries… They can then decide if they still wanna be rude or not…. :o
May 20th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I came to Germany with a positive attitude.But living here has really changed my mind. I don’t think that its just simply a coincidence that many non-Germans stereotype the Germans to be rude, because its actually the truth!The only Germans i have met who are nice lived abroad or travelled alot and are therefore tolerant to foreigners. Any other type of German are incredibly rude and so highly strung about the slightest thing.I have constantly experienced people slam doors in my face, jump queues,persistent staring, think they know everything(which they don’t!).They generally seem to be a control freak nation. In terms of all the bureaucracy, i find it hilarious because there is so much laws for stupid things but not for important things like law and order, i.e when i was waiting for a late train in Augsburg on a saturday eve,there was at least 100 dysfunctional people hanging around the train station, blaring music, throwing cigarette ashes everywhere and coming over constantly harassing me and my friends.I thought to myself where is the law here, especially since Germany is obsessed with law.It was a truly frightful and dangerous experience with no ign of the polizei.
Also i teach here. I’m going home to teach (thank God) very soon. I was appalled how appalling their education system is. Several kids with ADHD, ODS, severe learning disabilities all dumped in to the one class. where i’m from , kids who have such problems get extra support from a resource teacher, learning support teacher, language support teacher or special needs assistant. In my country, you would never ever have more than one such kid with severe problems in your class. My experience here in Germany has led me to believe that your educational system is worse than the third world. The German education system does not give a damn about kids with learning disabilities, behavioural disorders and no language support for foreigners. It is a very cruel predjudiced education system
May 22nd, 2010 at 12:06 am
Hi All,
First of all i am not German, i came here to Germany 8 months ago.
In Every culture there are the good and there are the bad (rude), so for me i met some rude people here and some VERY VERY NICE PEOPLE.
Germans are just a straight forward people who are proud about their culture and language and i think they have all the right about that.
Now from my point of view, let me put it this way…Germans who are (( Authentic Germans)) are a very nice, like to help others, classy people, on the contrary ((Germans who are not authentic Germans)).
Anyway if you met 1,2,3,…10 persons that was - were rude that doesn’t mean all people are rude.
For example : The US invaded Iraq and killed many many people there that doesn’t mean that most of Americans are killers or rude or whatever you call it…. on the contrary.
After all it’s only my point of view.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:47 am
YES,
GERMANS ARE EXTREMELY RUDE, RACIST AND HORRIBLE!!!!!!
its all about how THEY do things, and THATS the only RIGHT way…
“directness”? Id say thats just sheer barbarism…
NASTY NASTY PEOPLE YOU GERMANS….
no one can stand you bitches
!!!
June 4th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
You should all be nice it dosn’t matter who we are. But I should say I hate Hitler because he was messed up in the head and I see wht you hate these people but get a life and be nice!!!!!!!!!
June 4th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
You peole are just as rude as they are so stop and think. Would you like it if people made fun of you because you white or black or spanish????? You all are just as rascis as them german people. My dad and grandmother are german. So stop and think before you write!
June 9th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Wow - some people really get worked up about this topic! I have a German and an American citizenship and I keep it like this: Wie es in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es wieder hinaus!
It´s hard, but people should try to stop overgeneralizing - we know there is assholes in every country, right?
I sometimes get upset about rude Germans, too, but appearently not enough to start hating all of them! And also: What about Turkish Germans, Russian Germans, African Germans, Afghan Germans, Lebanese Germans and everybody else here - does the rudeness thing apply to them, too? Just wondering
June 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
hello from russia)unfortunately don’t have any german friends but got impressed by their men caring attitude to their families when on holiday being kind&loving.can’t believe they’re rude,maybe they just don’t care about anyone outside their families and they don’t pretent)love german cars,classical music,literature)))
June 11th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Hi @ all !
Im originally from Iran and live here in Germany for over 26 years. Germans are the rudest people ive ever seen and quite unfriendly. Sometimes you walk over a red traffic light some of the Germans look at you like retards and tell you that its not ok to do that because the children are waiting too. What the fuck ? The children shouldnt see me walking when the traffic lights are red ? So what happens if they see me ? They die ? So a child shouldnt be responsible for its own actions because i can be blamed if it gets hit by a car only by walking over the street ? Are these Germans crazy ? Maybe insane ? And why Germans always think they are intelligent ? The Germans dont know a shit of their own history or culture. They only drink beer and watch soccer. They dont read a book or the newspaper. Today i wanted to buy an ice cream. At the “Eis Cafe” like Germans tell it, a German women wanted an ice cream for her child. So she told the Italian ice cream seller not to make so much ice cream in a waffle. What the fuck ? Why not going to a gas station and buying an ice cream because there she can choose how big her ice should be instead of going on the nerves of other people. Why are Germans always behaving like fools ? And why is their car driving so much aggressive that you must fear to death crossing the street ? What about old people want to cross the street ?
And why Germans are always staring at other people if they have a different clothing style ? I want to leave this country as soon as i can because im really pissed on. I want to live in the USA where people behaving like human beings.
June 13th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Ok, Germans are racist, ignorant, stupid, mean and everything about them is AWFUL. I cant even express my hate for them! They think that Germany is the best place in the world, they slag everyone else and they think they’re cool, amazing and smart. THEY DONT EVEN REALISE HOW STUPID, UGLY AND DAMN AWFUL THEY ARE!!! I hate them so so so much.. I have been ‘friends’ with many Germans and all of them ended up either making fun of me for everything I have done etc etc.. They are very racist and stupid as well as mean
June 16th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
@Amir
“They only drink beer and watch soccer. They dont read a book or the newspaper.”
You are right!
By the way:
All Iranians are religious fanatics who read the Quran and believe in the Hadiths only. They flog their wives and hang gay people on a mobile crane but actually they are all heroine addicted!
Good luck in the USA
June 16th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
@Says
You are right too, but the worst of all are the German Jews!
They are racist, ignorant, stupid, mean AND Greedy!
Thanks god that there are non racist people like you!
June 18th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
@ dogooder
” All iranians are religious fanatics who read the Quran and believe in the Hadiths only.”
I preferably be a religious Iranian who is fanatic than be part of the atheist small - minded beer drinking German nation.
” They flog their wives ”
Good idea ! If German people would flog their wives they wouldnt be such men - commanding bitches like they are now.
June 19th, 2010 at 12:29 am
@Amir
Go to Britain and found a Shariah court there or go to the USA and built a big big Mosque at Ground Zero. The liberal anglo saxon countries will appreciate you much much more than we intolerant and rude Germans do.
We need you and your shitty goat fucker religion foundet by a hold-up murdering pederast as much as fistulas on our assholes!
Fuck off from here!
June 19th, 2010 at 9:03 am
@ dogooder
You seem to be an antisemitic and racist German. A real Nazi. Why is it that you Germans always hate the rest of the world ? I am proud of our prophet Mohammed and i think you have nothing to be proud of because your Germany sucks !
By the way your soccer sucks too because you Germans lost against Serbia. Even the US - Team is playing a better soccer than Germany. We dont need you Germans in the world because you and your bitchy sluts are crazy. Go eat Sauerkraut with Bratwurst !
June 19th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
My uncle is german there was a birthday party across the street . He almost whent over there even though he was not invited . He said ” so , that my neighbor ” I said ” thats rude ” . You dont crash anyone party especialy when your not invited .
German are very very rude they think that everyone ows them . I think they know they are rude and they just dont care . I would not be surprised if someone gets into a fight with a german because they are rude .
June 21st, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I am a Dutch person (i.e. from Holland) and living in Germany. My experience is most of all that “the” German does not exist.
Germany only exists as a state since 1871, before it was a collection of many little countries. This is still noticeable today: the differences from region to region are very big. I live in the north where the people are at first friendly and polite, but at a distance. It takes some time before you really make contact, but then you have a friend for life.
Service in shops is much better than in Holland. In contrast to the Netherlands, shop personal really know a lot about what they are selling and are very helpful.
Over-organisation, perfectionism, (too) strong respect for rules and authority also happens here, but less than in the rest of Germany. I have the idea that these things are caused by a deeply felt insecurity, that drives them to find hold outside themselves. I am not quit sure where this comes from.
My experiences with Americans have been less positive. Their exaggerated friendliness proved insincere, they were overly confident, but in the end proved incompetent. It was all outside presentation, but no content.
If I have to choice between Americans and Germans, I choose Germans. But of course Dutch people are the best ;-) We are like a more relaxed version of the Germans: Capable, but with social skills. Perfectionistic, but in a pragmatic way.
June 21st, 2010 at 5:55 pm
@Thomas (163): In Germany I have been at many parties where I was not personally invited. This was always welcomed (especially if I brought some beer). Maybe your uncle thought his neighbours in America? were as spontaneous as his neighbours in Germany.
June 21st, 2010 at 5:59 pm
@Amir: I also walk through red traffic lights when I think it is safe. But I understand the German point. Children are not yet capable of estimating if it is safe to cross when the light is red. So for them it is better just to cross the road when the light is green. If they however see a lot of adults ignoring this rule, they will follow this example.
June 23rd, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Interesting forum with lots of interesting points.
The BIG question in all of this is which part of germans “rudeness” that can be regarded as a “cultural” thing, and which part that is about them not treading others as they would like to be treated themselves?
Hope you understand my point here!
June 27th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I have spent couple of years in Germany and have made some positive experiences (also with Germans I have met abroad), but in certain situations I find them cold and even rude.
I did not have too much luck with German roommates for example.
A year ago, I was sharing a two bedroom apartment with a German guy in Berlin.
He has been renting the apartment for three years and and all of sudden three months after I moved in, he decided to give
up the lease and move in with his girlfriend in another flat.
In an e-mail, I was asked to start looking for a new place immediately and informed, that he had arranged for people to come see the apartment in the next days, without being specific, when exactly I have to move out: in three weeks, a month or two months, he did not know himself. I had a lot of luggage, was writing my thesis, hardly knew anyone in the city and did not have too much time to organise things so fast.
After an argument with him, when I asked him to be more specific when I have to move out, he knocked on my door and requested to see my passport!!! His face full of hatred and mistrust, because a woman has possibly never contradicted him before. He insisted that I make a color copy of the first page of my passport and give it to him, in case I would leave without giving him the keys back, or in case I would cause some damage to the apartment. I have always been polite and respectful with him, and did nothing to make him feel I can get mad or act immaturely.
Three days before the end of the month, when we both agreed I will move out,
he started moving furniture out of the kitchen and my room, because it was convenient for him to rent a truck on that particular day. The day I submitted the keys: the place clean, with nothing missing or damaged, he said nothing, but continued being pissed off about something.
My advice for people sharing or subletting apartments in Germany temporary (even if you move in with acquaintances or people who appear laid back and friendly in the beginning), is to always request to sign a formal or more informal contract at the very beginning, so that the arrangements are clear for both sides.
June 29th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Andrei, if you are german then you are proving that you are rude. I agree not all germans are rude. EVERY race has there rude people. You are one of them, and i will have to say your racist as well. talking bad against americans, not all americans are bad.
June 29th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
I am a first generation American born of German parents, and I want to speculate that the same “I know better than you” attitude applies just as much to Americans as it does to Germans, and I think it’s because so many Americans are descendants of Germans!
Many of us like to point out what’s wrong with the other, that we are right and know better than anyone else, and we are loud and annoying as tourists. There’s even the depressed, grouchy attitude of German descendants in America that seems to be inherited through the genetic code. Also Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, complaining about every little thing we don’t like, and believing we are the best at everything.
I looked up “rude Germans” on google to find something about German tourists. This thread is at the same time hilarious and sad. I must say though that as I write, I’m in a hotel in Prague that’s been invaded by loud, annoying, rude German teenagers. Then again, teenagers everywhere are loud, rude, and annoying. This particular experience isn’t helping the German case, however.
July 15th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Frederick, I agree completely. There are several good points here but as an American coming to Germany, I have seen funny rudeness that you can laugh off, and flat out rude Germans who need to chill out. I consider myself a very opionated and sarcastic person, so my skin is pretty thick and I don’t care what people think/say. However, I’ve seen some pretty rude behavior in the short time we’ve been her, no matter what country or culture you’re from.
We have only been here a few months but the worst thing I’ve seen so far (since I am still learning the language) is the lack of personal space. People will walk right into you and do not pay attention to where they are going. Once they run into you, they give you the evil look. I don’t care what culture you’re from, some things are rude and unacceptable and cannot be explained by a lack of understanding of their culture. You can’t blame everything on culture.
July 25th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
As far as the red light is concerned - the French answer to that would be “no machine can tell me better when it is dangerous to cross the road than my own eyes”…
Take it as a metaphor — before you act, think with your own head instead of just believing regulations.
It is true that Germans have a strong tendency to belittle others and even themselves. It often seems like they don’t even trust their own judgement which I find a bit scary.
July 27th, 2010 at 3:11 am
I am afraid its true ? I have been an expat in Bayern for the last year.
living in a German household.
with 5 Germans., I also have met quite a few locals socialy.
I have to say some of the attitude is alarming? I have to report that some are so rude and insensative? Its quite unbelievable how people can behave. Especialy at birthdays and times where practicle demonstrations of affection are required? they have no idea how to show feelings.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:02 am
This has nothing to do with germans behavior, but on my many travels to Germany (fortunately never lived there, and nor do I ever want to) I have noticed that the way germans prioritize many things is completely fucked up and irrationel.
Just one example: In the city of Hamburg they wont spend any money on clearing the sidewalks from snow and ice during the winther. This makes walking (and bicycling - since they also have to drive right on the sidewalk) extremely difficult and uncomfortable, with a very high risk of slipping and breaking some bones. At the same time I noticed that all pedestrian tunnels/areas connected to either U-bahn or S-bahn stations (as well as the stations themselves) were absolutely spotless clean, and even all the ugly colored tiles on the walls that germans love so much looked like they were being cleaned every single day. Needless to say that it costs a fortune to keep it all so clean (like I would give a fuck about clean tiles and floors such places) when people were slipping on the sidewalks and hurting themselves all the time.