For this AMD, I decided to watch the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1972 film Die Bitteren Traenen der Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068278/). It tells the story of the successful fashion designer Petra von Kant as she falls madly in love with a model named Karin. When Karin uses her and then leaves her, Petra becomes increasingly distraught until the audience witnesses her nervous breakdown. Other characters include her silent and long-suffering assistant Marlene, ihre Mutter, ihre Tochter, und ihre Freundin Sidonie. The entire film takes place in a series of 5 scenes that all take place in Petra's bedroom. Overall, I thought that it was a fantastic film that did a wonderful job of delving deeply into the complicated inner workings of the intimate relationships between people and how those can change dramatically over a relatively short period of time.
Though I watched the film with English subtitles, the German was not too difficult to understand. The actors spoke clearly and enunciated well. Also, they used a lot of vocabulary that we have learned so far in class, so I kept noticing a wide variety of words that I've already heard and committed to memory. Overall, I would definitely recommend this film to beginning German students, as the film is quite good and the German is clearly spoken and not too difficult to understand.
Sonntag, 4. Dezember 2011
AMD 6
I was flipping channels one day when I ended up in the foreign language channels. Usually this is the point where I start going backwards, but instead I stopped and listened to them. Then I came across the German channel! I decided to watch it for a while.
I couldn't understand the vast, vast majority of it. When I did end up understanding something, it wasn't a whole sentence; it was a word or two. I heard "nicht," "und," "ich," and other simple words like that. I also heard a lot of past tense words, but I didn't know exactly what they were; I just the "ge" prefix. There was even a (kind of) complete sentence I understood! "Verstehst du? Oder night?" I was very proud of myself.
I wasn't entirely sure what was going on during the show though. It was either a divorce court type show or a soap opera. Or maybe both.
AMD 6 - Calen Jones
I watched the Simpsons episodes for this AMD. The first, Homers Tag, was particularly entertaining in the beginning as it focused on food. While we spent a lot of time in class learning about Deutsch food, the two foods mentioned here are Cornflakes and Brownies - two American terms. Together with our last AMD about Denglisch, it juxtaposes High German with modern spoken German; I am keen to know just how much English vocabulary and American content has been woven into German culture. Other interesting tidbits that I picked up on included "neun-eins-eins", "eins-zwei-drei Fake St", quatch, and "Es tut mir Leid". In retrospect, the amount of German that I understood (albeit pretty basic) seems remarkable in comparison to what I knew at the beginning of the Semester. I only wonder if the German audience watching understood the stereotype about the car offering a ride to the hitchhiker, Homer.
In the Lisas Tag episode, it was extremely entertaining to see the monkey cop respond "I don't understand what you said" to the human cop, and the human cop accept it. Perhaps even more funny was Lisa's parody of Lola running through town. At this point, I was able to piece together most of the story. (Could not find Barts Tag after numerous YouTube searches)
Patrick McTighe
For AMD I watched the Simpsons episodes in German. It was pretty funny listening to them talk in German. I also was able to understand a good majority of what they were saying. I did not think I would be able to but I was actually able to get a handle on it and understand the main concepts of the epidsode. I found it odd that the voices were so different so it was not exactly the same as watching the regular Simpsons but the jokes were still funny.
German Culture AMD6
We often read the Spiegel articles (which are great fun, by the way) about German personality and society traits without much thought as to whether or not an entire society can be generalized so easily. Or, we simply do not wonder if those traits would have a positive or negative effect on other people, German or not. Recently, I got to examine German politics through the lens of the Euro debt crisis, and I think that many of the articles that we read have been proven accurate.
Basically, the German role in the debt crisis is the lender of last resorts. Countries like Greece need money to pay back huge loans, and Germany is really the only one capable of giving it. But…Germany doesn’t really seem interested, despite the distressed cries from more or less the rest of the world to do something. Why is this?
Observing some of the German personality types can be quite revealing. We read that the German people were very pessimist; this situation is the perfect opportunity to be so. Many people think the Euro is already screwed, so the Germans are left to wonder: why bother? Should we punish taxpaying Germans in order to help out a lost cause? This also falls into the brutally honest tone of many Germans. They’re fine telling other people that they think the game is up. They’re just as vocal when they call out Greece, Italy, and the like for being terrible fiscal managers. Using their skill with information and statistics, German politicians will go on massive tirades about how the last century has proven that Greece will not be able to repay whatever loans Germany makes, and as a result it can just go deal with its problems on its own. When other suggestions are made, such as the European Central Bank issuing bonds backed by all the EU nations, Germany is the first to find the clauses in the Lisbon Charter (that creates the EU) that make such a thing illegal, leaving other countries groaning in despair. One of the articles we read even had the phrase “There’s no such thing as a free ride” in the title, and that’s exactly what the German attitude is with regards to the debtor nations. Essentially, the stubbornness of the Germans is going to lead to a massive economic collapse. Other factors may play a factor, such as fears, both German and non-German, of a Europe completely indebted to Germany, or a Germany where over-lending has created massive inflation (German government has been perhaps the world’s most active in anti-inflation measures, for good reason). It’s interesting to see how one culture can be so influential on world affairs.
Basically, the German role in the debt crisis is the lender of last resorts. Countries like Greece need money to pay back huge loans, and Germany is really the only one capable of giving it. But…Germany doesn’t really seem interested, despite the distressed cries from more or less the rest of the world to do something. Why is this?
Observing some of the German personality types can be quite revealing. We read that the German people were very pessimist; this situation is the perfect opportunity to be so. Many people think the Euro is already screwed, so the Germans are left to wonder: why bother? Should we punish taxpaying Germans in order to help out a lost cause? This also falls into the brutally honest tone of many Germans. They’re fine telling other people that they think the game is up. They’re just as vocal when they call out Greece, Italy, and the like for being terrible fiscal managers. Using their skill with information and statistics, German politicians will go on massive tirades about how the last century has proven that Greece will not be able to repay whatever loans Germany makes, and as a result it can just go deal with its problems on its own. When other suggestions are made, such as the European Central Bank issuing bonds backed by all the EU nations, Germany is the first to find the clauses in the Lisbon Charter (that creates the EU) that make such a thing illegal, leaving other countries groaning in despair. One of the articles we read even had the phrase “There’s no such thing as a free ride” in the title, and that’s exactly what the German attitude is with regards to the debtor nations. Essentially, the stubbornness of the Germans is going to lead to a massive economic collapse. Other factors may play a factor, such as fears, both German and non-German, of a Europe completely indebted to Germany, or a Germany where over-lending has created massive inflation (German government has been perhaps the world’s most active in anti-inflation measures, for good reason). It’s interesting to see how one culture can be so influential on world affairs.
AMD 6 Ben Lemisch
For this AMD I listened to some German Music. I tried to find several genres to listen to but from the short time I spent on Youtube I'm sure I barely scratched the surface. Many say that Music is the universal language and I believe this to be true. While there were some things in the videos that I couldn't understand; like something about a rabbit and a labyrinth, I could still understand the majority of the song based on the German I've picked up and the tone of the song. Just like listening to Der Tod und das Madchen the music helped me to understand the meaning behind the words and made it easier to piece together the meaning of the song. I listened to German rock, pop, and techno...there was alot of German techno. I wasn't too fond of the techno or pop but I dont listen to them in English, and the techno didnt really have any German speaking in it so it was a moot point. I liked the rock music I listened to, which is also what I like to listen to in English. The style of music was more appealing to me in the rock genre and the singers often spoke slow enough for me to catch more of the lyrics, which was a problem with the pop songs. Over all I liked German music because it's music; the notes carry the weight of the song and it is possible to understand the context of the song without lyrics, e.g. classical music. Listening to music from other cultures is a fun experience and I look forward to the point when I am able to understand more of the lyrics in German.
AMD 6 - Taylor Gray
The last AMD assignment could not have come at a better time for me considering I took a road trip up to Frankenmuth, Michigan this weekend. I was able to enjoy a day with a hint of German culture in the famous city known as the "Little Bavaria." After an hour of waiting, I was able to eat an early dinner at the infamous Bavarian Inn - known for their delicious "Hanchen Abendessen" (and might I add, the chicken was amazing!). It was interesting to eat in a German setting, and I had to top off my meal with quality German Bier. The waiters/waitresses were all dressed in German-style clothing, so I couldn't help but go downstairs and try on some "Kleidung" myself. For the remainder of my day I walked around town and visited Bronners Christmas store. I was amazed at the endless ornaments, trees, and overall Christmas spirit inside this fascinating store. Frankenmuth was a great experience made even better now that I have a little more German background than before!
AMD 6 John Borger
This is definately the best assignment so far with watching the Simpsons.
I actually feel I understood a lot. There was a lot of es tut mir liet. And then homer talking about how his thumb does not have a brother and the doctor expaining that a thumb is not the same as a finger. And the robot: ist tote. Don't know if this was just me or not but it seemed like people were driving with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Most sentences Iunderstod the the subject as well AS THE VERBBUT IT WAS HARD TO GET THE WHOLE SENTENCE. Sorry for caps.
Lisa running was really similiar to Lola rennt. 123 Fakestreet was also pretty funny. Entshuldigung for excuse me \by Lisa in the hall. Mein Dad ist nicht hier. Another sentence by Lisa I actually understood.
Overall I really enjoyed this activity because3 it was a lot different from the typical articles and other things that we normally do.
I actually feel I understood a lot. There was a lot of es tut mir liet. And then homer talking about how his thumb does not have a brother and the doctor expaining that a thumb is not the same as a finger. And the robot: ist tote. Don't know if this was just me or not but it seemed like people were driving with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Most sentences Iunderstod the the subject as well AS THE VERBBUT IT WAS HARD TO GET THE WHOLE SENTENCE. Sorry for caps.
Lisa running was really similiar to Lola rennt. 123 Fakestreet was also pretty funny. Entshuldigung for excuse me \by Lisa in the hall. Mein Dad ist nicht hier. Another sentence by Lisa I actually understood.
Overall I really enjoyed this activity because3 it was a lot different from the typical articles and other things that we normally do.
AMD 6
For the last AMD, I watched the Simpsons episodes posted (like I'm sure many others will do)!
In the first "Die Simpsons Homers Tag," I picked up much more than expected. Although, complete understanding was not there for most of the clip, I was happy I got the general gist of it, and was able to laugh at their jokes. Much of the "Frühstück" was very understandable. Other sayings I picked up were "Ich liebe Bier," "Es tut mir leid," "Ich weiß nicht bitte," and "Lingo ist tot."
In the first "Die Simpsons Homers Tag," I picked up much more than expected. Although, complete understanding was not there for most of the clip, I was happy I got the general gist of it, and was able to laugh at their jokes. Much of the "Frühstück" was very understandable. Other sayings I picked up were "Ich liebe Bier," "Es tut mir leid," "Ich weiß nicht bitte," and "Lingo ist tot."
Lisa in "Die Simpsons Lisas Tag" was a litter bit harder to understand. I did like the overlap with Lola Rent. I also like the address Marge gave to the policeman, which he later asked Krusty where it was ("Kannst du mir sagt wo ein zei drei Fake street ist?"...If I heard correctly).
Sadly, the last video, "Die simpsons Barts Tag," was not up. So in my search for it I watched a few very short other German Simpson clips. These had a much faster pace that the first two, so I wasn't able to pick up much that I understood from those.
Very funny and entertaining though to watch these. And, I was very happy with how much I understood!
Very funny and entertaining though to watch these. And, I was very happy with how much I understood!
Samstag, 3. Dezember 2011
AMD 6 Nikolas Remley
I decided to watch the Simpsons episode in German. I've already seen this episode a few times before, so I knew what to expect, and I was able to pick up on some words that sounded sort of like English words because I had a good idea of what they were actually saying. As far as being compared to Lola Rennt, it does not really compare that well. I get the idea that its showing the same situation three times over is similar, but there were way too many differences that would make someone who has seen both unable to make the connection. For one, the stories are from different people and the story does not change each time. Regardless, I still enjoyed watching it in German, and I would consider re-watching episodes of different shows in German just for fun. I would not want to watch an episode for the first time in German, because I think it would be too hard to follow. However, if I knew what they were saying, maybe I would enjoy looking for similar words or something. I would recommend this AMD to anyone.
Freitag, 2. Dezember 2011
Kultur 6
It was interesting reading about the differences in college life (again), especially how students find housing. I cannot imagine only 19% of U of M students having dorm room access, or having to rent from a private family. However, I suppose that isn't very uncommon in European countries with the number of people that study abroad.
As far as the online texts, I would do incredibly bad with closed doors (given my timidity in EVER intruding upon someone) and incredibly well with trash cans (with my OCD like qualities in organization). And the Bild Zeitung I would simply never read - it seems much to bold for my taste. For that reason it surprised me that it's so popular. In my opinion, as with the general opinion of Americans, sensational newspapers are not very credible, and are thus, not a wise news source. This is seemingly not the case for Germans. I'm assuming the news is slightly more credibly, but just with some added "sex" to sell.
As far as the online texts, I would do incredibly bad with closed doors (given my timidity in EVER intruding upon someone) and incredibly well with trash cans (with my OCD like qualities in organization). And the Bild Zeitung I would simply never read - it seems much to bold for my taste. For that reason it surprised me that it's so popular. In my opinion, as with the general opinion of Americans, sensational newspapers are not very credible, and are thus, not a wise news source. This is seemingly not the case for Germans. I'm assuming the news is slightly more credibly, but just with some added "sex" to sell.
All in all, very interesting articles, per usual!
AMD 6 - Benjamin Oztalay
So, I watched the Simpsons for this AMD. Unfortunately, I couldn't find Bart's day anywhere, so I watched a chunk of another episode. The only things that I really noticed that were similar to Lola Rennt were the scene where Lisa was running, and the couple of times a car almost hit somebody.
Watching the Simpsons in German wasn't exactly easy, as I couldn't pick up on most of what was said. It was easier than other German TV we've watched before, probably just from practice. I think the biggest change I noticed in understanding the German that was being spoken is that I was able to hear individual words better. I didn't know most of the words, nor was I able to pick out the sentence structure, but it's a step in the right direction, I suppose. It let me recognize words that were said more often (I think I heard "Tut mir leid" or something like that a few times), and I could hear words that I already knew.
I don't think I could watch TV in German and pick up on any details, and most of my understanding of the story comes from the images, but I can tell that it's starting to come together, which is exciting.
Sonntag, 20. November 2011
Kultur 5
The first two articles for this chapter really reminded me of the typical German. The fact that they will run int you in the street and not say sorry is just so steriotypical that I was actually a bit shocked And along wiht the fact that sex shops are in common places and have products displayed proudly in the front window I think would be surprising to pretty much any American. Though, I guess most European nations are more comfortable with sex than America anyway. I have even heard of people having sex in public in Germany and it's supposedly not even a big deal. Here, you would get arrested and put on the sex offender list. I guess that just goes to show the difference in culture. The article about the klofrau wasn't as interesting as the others. I don't really like the idea of having to pay to use the bathroom, but maybe that's just an American way of thinking. The article about flirting though was pretty great. I definitely thought it was informative and it's good info to know if I ever go to Germany. I had no idea that the German way of flirting was s different than ours and the role reversal was a bit amusing to me.
AMD 5
I read the article about Denglisch for this AMD. I thought it was really thought provoking and it made me wonder if this sort of thing could ever happen to English. I honestly don't think it will though becasue of the influence America has on advertising around the world. English really is becoming the universal language and the article mentioned that as a reason for the use of English words creeping into the German language. In a coutner point though, in the past, other country's words or parts of words have made their way into common usage of English. One example I can think of is the "tion" at the end of words like "obliteration" (there's a German rage word for you) which comes from French. Now I'm straying a little off topic, but overall I enjoyed the article and I definitely found it to be an interesting topic.
Donnerstag, 17. November 2011
Kultur 5
Walking in Germany is a contact sport. That's the first thing I'd want to know before traveling to Germany. I honestly want to study abroad there, but a statement like that turns me off to the idea. I mean, getting caned off a subway seat by a grandma or getting knocked around in the street doesn't sound very appealing to me.
I don't quite understand why cleaning ladies are still around in Germany's bathrooms, but I would have expected a relic that to be long gone. Not only do we have self-cleaning toilets now, buut the Klofrauen are expensive. I would never willing just give up a euro because I had to take a leak.
I don't quite understand why cleaning ladies are still around in Germany's bathrooms, but I would have expected a relic that to be long gone. Not only do we have self-cleaning toilets now, buut the Klofrauen are expensive. I would never willing just give up a euro because I had to take a leak.
AMD 5 --Cliquen und Kneipen vs. Cliques and Bars... and American Youth's Obsession with Alcohol
This quote struck me as interesting:
[W]e'd go and hang out [in German bars]-there were some dancing clubs we'd go to on the weekends, or there would be some bars where we'd go and just sit and talk. I was fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. They didn't care. And I thought that was kind of neat, where they put the responsibility on you, not your age group, because I think that taught me and a lot of my friends that the main idea about going out and hanging out is not to get alcohol and get drunk, but to go out and have a good time. But here, if you're under twentyone, people make it a point to go out and get beer, whatever, and to get drunk.
I had been discussing this topic with friend recently. As I prepared to go out one night, I remarked on my disgust with some friends, whose only goal for a Friday Saturday (or even Thursday...) night is to "go get fucked up and not remember a thing." I questioned how it could possibly be fun to get that drunk, especially on a regular basis, and refuted that I personally care to remember my good times (not to say that I drink at all....). I commented that the only reason that large numbers of college kids/high schoolers drink excessively is because it's exhilerating to do something illegal with friends: suddenly you're united in the quest to defeat the system by having a good time. The Law is just trying to bring you down while you try to "get your party on." Ok, so that sounds cheesy, but it's the attitude that American teenagers all seem to have these days. If alcohol wasn't so scandalous, we wouldn't go so crazy over it, just like sex and other stigmatized temptations.
Think about it: as a kid I remember my and my friends parents advising us not to consume so much soda. However, one night a bunch of my older sister's rascally pals spent the night, and it basically became a competition to consume as much pop as possible and then act so totally hyper. It felt cool to say "Taylor drank 24 sodas! That's two entire 12-packs. She was completely bouncing off the walls!" Now that we're older and we're trusted to make our own decision, though, soda isn't quite so scandalous, nor is it a desperately craved treat. So how is that different from this scenario: My friends and I went out partying one weekend and they were playing beer pong and competing to see who could handle the most shots, "Oh, man, Joe got so fucked up last night!" Everyone smiles and laughs because they are proud to have such wild friends, "Nah man he was actin' like he was trippin' on some serious shit, haha, I don't know, but anyway he must have had like at least--at least 12 shots! No I'm serious. Yeah that's like two whole six packs. He was totally shit-face wasted." Likewise, the older we get, the less "cool" it is to get "totally fucked up." That's an irresponsible thing that losers who think they're still in college do. I met a 27-year old grad student at a frat part with his brother and I was honestly kind of embarrassed for him. He seemed immature to me, trying to be "cool" and party with kids. The only difference between the two situations is the substance; the connotations and hype are all the same. The laws regarding alcohol in America have a scientific foundation--the brain is pretty much done developing by age 21. However, there is no social consideration. Just as Prohibition in the 20's made drinking a fun, sneaky, unifying game for a roaring and rebellious time period, the don't-give-a-fuck, rebellious modern-day youth are entertained by alcohol in the same way: you drink what you can when you can get it because indulgence is a good time and you have to have good times when you can. The German perspective is different though: the youth don't feel the need to get shit-faced every time they drink because it's not illegal.
[W]e'd go and hang out [in German bars]-there were some dancing clubs we'd go to on the weekends, or there would be some bars where we'd go and just sit and talk. I was fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen. They didn't care. And I thought that was kind of neat, where they put the responsibility on you, not your age group, because I think that taught me and a lot of my friends that the main idea about going out and hanging out is not to get alcohol and get drunk, but to go out and have a good time. But here, if you're under twentyone, people make it a point to go out and get beer, whatever, and to get drunk.
I had been discussing this topic with friend recently. As I prepared to go out one night, I remarked on my disgust with some friends, whose only goal for a Friday Saturday (or even Thursday...) night is to "go get fucked up and not remember a thing." I questioned how it could possibly be fun to get that drunk, especially on a regular basis, and refuted that I personally care to remember my good times (not to say that I drink at all....). I commented that the only reason that large numbers of college kids/high schoolers drink excessively is because it's exhilerating to do something illegal with friends: suddenly you're united in the quest to defeat the system by having a good time. The Law is just trying to bring you down while you try to "get your party on." Ok, so that sounds cheesy, but it's the attitude that American teenagers all seem to have these days. If alcohol wasn't so scandalous, we wouldn't go so crazy over it, just like sex and other stigmatized temptations.
Think about it: as a kid I remember my and my friends parents advising us not to consume so much soda. However, one night a bunch of my older sister's rascally pals spent the night, and it basically became a competition to consume as much pop as possible and then act so totally hyper. It felt cool to say "Taylor drank 24 sodas! That's two entire 12-packs. She was completely bouncing off the walls!" Now that we're older and we're trusted to make our own decision, though, soda isn't quite so scandalous, nor is it a desperately craved treat. So how is that different from this scenario: My friends and I went out partying one weekend and they were playing beer pong and competing to see who could handle the most shots, "Oh, man, Joe got so fucked up last night!" Everyone smiles and laughs because they are proud to have such wild friends, "Nah man he was actin' like he was trippin' on some serious shit, haha, I don't know, but anyway he must have had like at least--at least 12 shots! No I'm serious. Yeah that's like two whole six packs. He was totally shit-face wasted." Likewise, the older we get, the less "cool" it is to get "totally fucked up." That's an irresponsible thing that losers who think they're still in college do. I met a 27-year old grad student at a frat part with his brother and I was honestly kind of embarrassed for him. He seemed immature to me, trying to be "cool" and party with kids. The only difference between the two situations is the substance; the connotations and hype are all the same. The laws regarding alcohol in America have a scientific foundation--the brain is pretty much done developing by age 21. However, there is no social consideration. Just as Prohibition in the 20's made drinking a fun, sneaky, unifying game for a roaring and rebellious time period, the don't-give-a-fuck, rebellious modern-day youth are entertained by alcohol in the same way: you drink what you can when you can get it because indulgence is a good time and you have to have good times when you can. The German perspective is different though: the youth don't feel the need to get shit-faced every time they drink because it's not illegal.
Kultur 5
As always this chapters Kultur readings were very interesting. I thought that the article on flirting was the most surprising though, for as straight forward as Germans are is some regards, like telling you if you gain some weight, they come across as shockingly shy in this realm. The flirting article was even more unexpected after reading about the prevalence of German sex shops. The sex shops topic was pretty humorous to me in general, mostly when I imagined unexpecting American tourists stumbling across the shops. The bathroom attendant format, though slightly annoying due to its charge actually seems pretty good, I hate trying to use a gross public restroom and I feel this would cut down on uncleanliness. Finally, the article on pedestrian behavior was rather interesting especially as a Midwesterner; we always respect a strangers personal bubble and if that bubble gets invaded you can expect a quick but sincere sorry or excuse me.
Kultur 5
This weeks readings were definitely enjoyable, as they have been every week so far. The German culture and society slowly but surely has become more and more endearing, albeit socially awkward. The article on public shoving (Rules of the Street) was the most similar to the United States, in my opinion. Depending on where one is in the US, the use of “excuse me” vice shoving someone out of the way can vary. In New England, they just don’t care; they’ll push you down. In the North West, people are usually more vocally rude, but won’t push you. Here in the Mid West, it seems to be the most polite and respectful place for pedestrian etiquette.
Similarly, the article on flirting was an interesting comparison of different social norms. The more subtle, yet possibly boring manner in which men and women flirt with one another stands in stark contrast to American norms. Whereas Americans seem to be more inviting to more direct flirting, the Germans do are not. Their subtle and slower approach to flirting and dating seems rather odd for a society that prides itself on its directness.
In all, these two and the other articles were another interesting example of the endearing, socially awkward German culture that I am growing to love.
-Cole
Similarly, the article on flirting was an interesting comparison of different social norms. The more subtle, yet possibly boring manner in which men and women flirt with one another stands in stark contrast to American norms. Whereas Americans seem to be more inviting to more direct flirting, the Germans do are not. Their subtle and slower approach to flirting and dating seems rather odd for a society that prides itself on its directness.
In all, these two and the other articles were another interesting example of the endearing, socially awkward German culture that I am growing to love.
-Cole
Mittwoch, 16. November 2011
Kultur 5 - Ben Oztalay
Earlier articles definitely talked about the straight-forward, no-nonsense style of communicating that many Germans have, but when it comes to flirting, it's completely different? When I read the article about saying "Entschuldigung" (or not saying it), and then the one about German flirting, my first thought was "Maybe Germans are subtle... they really mean "Entschuldigung" when you get bumped on the street, but just don't say it." But according to earlier articles we read, that's definitely not the case. It would be so confusing for an American in Germany, since it seems as though most Germans are pretty forward about what they want, except for flirting.
The sex shops didn't necessarily surprise me, Americans are pretty prude compared to other nations. Having the sex shops wide open in what would seem to be unusual places for them might be a bit unsettling at first, though.
kultur 5
I find it funny how in Germany walking on the streeet is such a contact sport. This seems to me to really uphold the stereotype of Germans eing rather rude. While customs will odf course differ from country to country, the idea of Germans never saying sorry for such a simple interaction is quite comical for me to think about it.
I also found the article about the German flirting to be particuarly interesting becase whie this is something that clearly should differ from country to country, I just always assumed that men would have the leading role in the flirting process. The idea that women have a greater role in the process seems to me to show a higher level of respect towards women which is a good thing. I just wonder how this practice will continue to shaspe through time. I also find the idea of eeing a tourist who is unfamiliar with the situation make a complete fool out of himself to be really funny. I'm sure internationalincidents of flirting mishaps happen all the time but becase things are so diferent in Germany, I'm sure that they happen even less freqeuntly.
Sorry for the typos and brevity of this post. Typing with one hand is not the easiest thing in the world to do.
I also found the article about the German flirting to be particuarly interesting becase whie this is something that clearly should differ from country to country, I just always assumed that men would have the leading role in the flirting process. The idea that women have a greater role in the process seems to me to show a higher level of respect towards women which is a good thing. I just wonder how this practice will continue to shaspe through time. I also find the idea of eeing a tourist who is unfamiliar with the situation make a complete fool out of himself to be really funny. I'm sure internationalincidents of flirting mishaps happen all the time but becase things are so diferent in Germany, I'm sure that they happen even less freqeuntly.
Sorry for the typos and brevity of this post. Typing with one hand is not the easiest thing in the world to do.
Kultur 5 - Taylor Gray
I found this weeks articles the most interesting and entertaining so far. Again I tried to put myself in the shoes of an American tourist in Germany who would be trying to "fit in" with the common culture there. The first, of many, customs I would have to get used to is the rugby-like physicality that regular German walkers imply on innocent walkers. Like many, I would be apologetic my first few times running into someone on the street or autobahn. But after a few shoulder bumps, I'm sure I would take any other physical contact personally. I would probably start dishing out some shoulder jabs myself. Men, Women, kids, and the elderly better watch out!
The next article, concerning the bathroom attendants, reminded me of an incident from a few months ago. Over the summer my friends and I celebrated a birthday at a nearby Canadian club where the was a bathroom attendant working. After washing my hands, he held out a basket expecting a tip. Although I was not used to this, I reached in my pocket to hand him some change. All I had was a $5 bill so I handed it to him and asked for change. When he snatched my money away turned his back to me, I immediately asked for my money back. He wouldn't budge, so I asked a club bouncer to help me out. Unfortunately, the bouncer sided with the bathroom attendant, and I was out of $5. I learned my lesson though - make sure you use the restroom before you leave home.
The article concerning German flirting was very interesting as well. If I were to approach a German woman, I would definitely be the nice, respectful gentleman that I am. But based on this article, I might be slapped for smiling and my approach. I refuse to believe that all women would react this way, but after a few rejections I would probably give up and watch a "real" German pursue a lady; hopefully I could learn a few things!
Kultur 5 - Andrew McBride
The article "Excerpts from 'Women in Germany'" showed that, overall, though women's rights have leaped forward, the struggle for gender equality has rendered somewhat of a mixed bag. One way to see this in comparison to the United States. In some respects, women are doing much better in Germany than in the United States. Germany has gender equality written directly into its constitution. The U.S. constitution has no such protection. There was a struggle in the 20th century, particularly in the 1970s, to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/overview.htm) which would add gender equality into the U.S. constitution. Unfortunately, due to anti-feminist activists and groups, the ERA was not ratified by enough state legislatures. Constitutional protections are extremely important; they show that the nation as a whole cares deeply about the rights of women. Additionally, it provides an ultimate legal recourse for gender discrimination at the highest level of the law.
Though this may be enshrined in the law, equality on the ground can be a more complicated issue. Much like the United States, there is drastic income inequality in Germany between men and women. This is primarily due to the fact that women and men tend to do different jobs and the jobs that men tend to do are better paid. One way that this can be explained is that society places a higher value on traits and activities related to men, as it places a higher value on men in general. Therefore, those jobs typically done by women are valued less by a patriarchal society, even though they are just as important and require just as much intelligence and as many skills. Valuing the work that women do similarly to the work that men do, even when they are in different professions, would go a long way toward remedying this situation. Related to this is the "second shift," or the fact that, even when women work jobs outside of the home, they are still expected to be the primary caregivers and homemakers. This overly burdens women with more work overall than men, even though much of that work is unpaid. By spreading out child and home care more evenly, men and women could be given more equal chances in society. Germany, though off to a good start in terms of gender equality, still has a ways to go.
Though this may be enshrined in the law, equality on the ground can be a more complicated issue. Much like the United States, there is drastic income inequality in Germany between men and women. This is primarily due to the fact that women and men tend to do different jobs and the jobs that men tend to do are better paid. One way that this can be explained is that society places a higher value on traits and activities related to men, as it places a higher value on men in general. Therefore, those jobs typically done by women are valued less by a patriarchal society, even though they are just as important and require just as much intelligence and as many skills. Valuing the work that women do similarly to the work that men do, even when they are in different professions, would go a long way toward remedying this situation. Related to this is the "second shift," or the fact that, even when women work jobs outside of the home, they are still expected to be the primary caregivers and homemakers. This overly burdens women with more work overall than men, even though much of that work is unpaid. By spreading out child and home care more evenly, men and women could be given more equal chances in society. Germany, though off to a good start in terms of gender equality, still has a ways to go.
Kultur 5!
The writers for this site are hilarious! They must have so much fun picking apart German culture and writing about its more, shall we say odd aspects. Germans will run over you to get on a train but apparently when it comes to flirting they are much more reserved. And yet sex shops are no big deal! If the point of the articles is to draw a diverse and unconventional picture of German culture then I would say that they succeeded. I must admit after reading the article on how to pick up women in Germany I am terrified. I think I would rather go to an Airport sex shop then attempt to pick up a German woman at a bar. But I guess this is how German men act so maybe I would fit right in! My favorite article is about the Klofrau, while American's only get bathroom attendants in the movies and at fancy restaurants, Germans get them everywhere! How cool is that, and to be honest I don't think I would mind paying some pocket change if I knew I would have a friendly German to keep the restroom spick and span! I just hope I get to Germany before they are all replaced by the way less cool automatic toilets. I found the statistics in the Women in Germany article interesting. Somethings were the same as here, women make less money, difficult to rise to positions of power etc. Some were different like the social systems in place to support German prostitutes, very cool. The more I learn about Germany the more I find that in a lot of strange ways it is a country that gets things right!
Kultur 5
The articles for this chapter were much more interesting than last chapter's. The two I found most interesting were the ones about the bathroom worker and German flirting. The bathroom worker one warned me about how terrible German bathrooms are. I understand they may be clean and all, but I don't want to have to be a dollar just to use the bathroom. Seems like a cheap ploy to get tourists to spend more money. If they were paid only by the companies to do their job, I would find this job much more beneficial to everyone. Anyway, I'll be sure to find a spot to pee outside now that I know that I may have to pay money to use the restroom.
The article about flirting was the other article that I found interesting. It basically says that flirting in Germany is basically the opposite of how is in other countries, like America. German girls are much more aggressive when it comes to flirting, which is very different from how it is here. Here guys are supposed to make the move, but there the girls make the move. All the other articles did not spark enough interest in me to write about them, but I can see how someone else may find them interesting.
Nikolas Remley
Kultur5
Spiegel online has proven to be a wonderful source not only for these articles, but for other things as well (PolSci), and I enjoy reading on the site thoroughly. I honestly feel like some of the information may get put to use if I go to Germany, and I know that most of what we read is true; my friend went to Germany over the Summer and was quickly given a j-walking ticket.
These articles were just as entertaining as the rest, particularly the first. For the most part, before coming to school here I hadn’t ever lived or worked in an area that saw a lot of foot traffic. The hallways in high school were about as busy as places seemed to get, and no one really bumped into one another there, because we were good at getting out of one another’s way. The article was definitely worth reading; I had no idea that such a condition existed in Germany. Also in regards to things that I did not experience before coming here: sex shops. For anyone that doesn’t know, S3, Safe Sex Shop, (in fact, it was recently renovated!) is located on the corner of South U and East U, more or less. Living in Oxford, I pass the store quite often. I’ve never really bothered to go in, and I’ve never actually seen more than one or two people inside. This definitely goes to show that even in a place so unabashedly liberal as Ann Arbor, people still have their reservations. I think that I would be very skeptical of an International Airport with a sex shop. At any rate, I won’t be able to go to Germany unless I’m willing to experience new things, so I guess these are just things that visitors adapt to. (Hopefully without blood being drawn).
These articles were just as entertaining as the rest, particularly the first. For the most part, before coming to school here I hadn’t ever lived or worked in an area that saw a lot of foot traffic. The hallways in high school were about as busy as places seemed to get, and no one really bumped into one another there, because we were good at getting out of one another’s way. The article was definitely worth reading; I had no idea that such a condition existed in Germany. Also in regards to things that I did not experience before coming here: sex shops. For anyone that doesn’t know, S3, Safe Sex Shop, (in fact, it was recently renovated!) is located on the corner of South U and East U, more or less. Living in Oxford, I pass the store quite often. I’ve never really bothered to go in, and I’ve never actually seen more than one or two people inside. This definitely goes to show that even in a place so unabashedly liberal as Ann Arbor, people still have their reservations. I think that I would be very skeptical of an International Airport with a sex shop. At any rate, I won’t be able to go to Germany unless I’m willing to experience new things, so I guess these are just things that visitors adapt to. (Hopefully without blood being drawn).
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