What do you think about Germany? Only honest answers allowed

[noname223]

What is your honest opinion on Germany? Are we seen as the former Nazi country? Probably yes. If you think about Germans who do you think of? Do you think Germany could start a new world war again or have we learned our lesson?
What are true stereotypes/cliches about Germans? Have you ever been to Germany? What was the experience like?

 

[motel rooms]

I don't like that you make men pee sitting down.

 

[noname223]

I don't like that you make men pee sitting down.

Are we? We also have toilets where you can stand. But most men I know prefer sitting.

 

[motel rooms]

Are we? We also have toilets where you can stand. But most men I know prefer sitting.

Sitzpinkeln is abuse!

 

[RockBot]

Are we? We also have toilets where you can stand. But most men I know prefer sitting.

I can't tell if this is your sense of dry humour or if you're serious. Men prefer to pee sitting down in Germany? This is a revelation.
I'm freaking out right now.

 

[noname223]

I can't tell if this is your sense of dry humour or if you're serious. Men prefer to pee sitting down in Germany? This is a revelation.
I'm freaking out right now.

Probably it is obvious. But to be honest I don't know about the peeing preferences in other countries.
There you see my lack of education. I just stated the obvious.

 

[AnestheticVoid]

When you say Germany I think alcohol and sex. Not sure if that's correct. Also nein nein nein!

 

[WrongPlaceWrongTime]

They greatly helped the old Nationalist China which my father's family is from, so I hold a good amount of respect for them. Right now, I'm learning German on Duolingo as hobby, one day I might be able to speak a casual German sentence. One day...

 

[Smart No More]

When I think of Germans I think of technical proficiency and quality products.

I think of one of my grand parents who was crazy loud and invasive but also kind and loving in their somewhat broken way. Even though German they were impacted by experiences surrounding the war and had to leave their family at a young age and move to Europe where they experience a lot of prejudical angst and abuse.

I also think of a couple of German guys that I observed as a child when on holiday in Spain. It was happy hour at the hotel bar. The adults were drinking and us kids were playing on a single arcade machine in there. The two german guys had the high score. We beat it and innocently over wrote their name on the leaderboard. They didn't like it so they unplugged the machine to reset it. It's a funny memory for me. The same guys lived upto the stereotype of putting their towels on the sun loungers at the pool early in the morning. We found out the hard way as we were naive to the stereotype or even the action of snagging sun loungers by leaving a towel on them. We moved the towels assuming somebody had forgotten them as there was nobody around that claimed ownership. They returned and got pretty mad over it.

I think of an actress I have a crush on. Diane Kruger. I like how she's both beautiful but real and hasn't been tempted into 'enhancing' her looks. Easy when naturally good looking, sure but many natural beauties have ruined it with enhancements. I like the roles she plays too and respect her as a person and actor. I also think of the wonderful actor Christoph Waltz.

Also I sometimes pee sitting down. Usually if having a poo. I tried it standing up but it didn't go very well.

I think Germany has mostly outlived the stigma of Hitler in my personal view. No sense in persecuting people that don't hold the views of their tyrannical predecessors. Persecution by proxy is really counter productive.

 

[Gsvko]

Ugly language, lovely people. Also party. It's true that your work ethic is on point.

 

[maakies]

My first boss at an university art gallery was German. She took me aside one day and asked if there was something wrong with me, like something wrong with my brain. I stopped showing up to that job after a while.

Every German person I have interacted with thereafter has been strained. I don't really see eye to eye with anyone I've interacted with and tend to avoid them. I have zero issues with most Europeans except Germans. I have a few friends living in Berlin right now and they have the same sentiment of them being blunt in a rude, unforgiving and mean-spirited way. I'm all for being rude being from NYC, but I don't know. I also don't enjoy German comedy and media at all from my attempts at watching it. Except Werner Herzog.

I'm supposed to go to Berlin in July if I make it that far but God I'm dreading the idea.

 

[JustAMatterOfTime]

No I do not think of Germany as the former Nazi country, that's what, 3 generations ago now. I lived their for a year and really liked it probably happiest year of my life all in all, would love to redo age 16-20 on repeat.

 

[Sea Turtle]

I've had the privilege of visiting Germany twice, once around Christmas time which was spectacular.

It's a beautiful country, I've been able to visit small towns like Westendorf, as well as huge cities like Berlin and Munchen. I took a bit of German so it was also an interesting linguistic experience for me. The people were lovely, helpful, and accepting, and I always felt welcomed and safe. The Christmas markets and activities were truly amazing, and I hope to visit again around the holidays. Be it the cities or the beautiful landscapes, honestly, I love Germany. I acknowledge the history of Germany, but I don't see the country or its people in that light.

 

[Sherri]

As someone who visited it quite often I love Germans, they do have a great sense of humour and have great food. They don't like us to touch the holocaust anymore. There are tours sometimes to the camps in Germany and A girl in the hotel told us, there are amazing places to visit in Munich why you wanna go and dig history. These words got stuck to my head. They are very civilised, they love rules. And I wish more countries like mine were like them, civilised, technological countries, it's def the most advanced country in the EU and holding the EU toguether with France. They are the richest countries, the ones that are about To join they have no European standarts at all, and that frightens me. They have nothing to offer the EU. Portugal had oceans to fish and agricultural plus many things as a USA Air Force base, what the new countries that I wont mention bring to it? They are great people but on some their main way of transport is still A horse. The EU is a failed dream, and good on Britts to leave it. Wish my country did the same.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

I hated Angela Merkel

 

[Bootleg Astolfo]

They have really cool milsurp for sale at a decent price, why pay like 400 for a replica *DEMONETISED* coat, when i can get a high quality set of jackboots and a greatcoat for half the price and it has the perfect mix of looking almost like *DEMONETISED* but still distinct enough.

 

[nolongerhuman]

They have good food. One of my coworkers is German. She's seems like a cool person. I think I might like to get to know her better but I honestly can't tell if she feels the same way. She can be hard to read sometimes, but I have a hard time reading people in general so It may not be because she's German.

 

[Of The Universe]

I hated Angela Merkel

How many beers would you need to tap that ass?

 

[Depressed Cat]

I don't see Germany as the former Nazi country. Germans have repented, paid reparations and made sure that such an evil ideology does not rise to power again in Germany.

After WW II, West Germany has definitely been a force for good, just like Japan and Italy. I'm glad Germany re-united through the fall of Berlin Wall and the long delayed collapse of the diabolical commie regime in East Germany.

At the same time, I have no love for German politicians like Schröder, Merkel and Scholz. They made some very bad decisions, shamelessly appeased and continue to appease a genocidal tyrant like Poo-tin. Russophilia in Germany appears to be alarmingly high, I don't know if it's because of the extreme right or the former East German commies.

Central and East Europeans have every right to be wary of German policies, that also act as the driving force for EU policies. It's good Brits got out of the EU. Poles will never forget how Hitler's Nazis and Stalin's commies teamed up with each other through the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to destroy the Polish nation and occupy Poland by dividing it among themselves.

I've just learned that Germany encourages men to sit while peeing. Shocking, to say the least!

 

[PreussenBlueJay]

I think of the history, mostly. George William trying to pursue neutrality in Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War but teaching Frederick II the value of neutrality. The devastation of that war and the way the lands of the Holy Roman Empire were the scene of many battles and the inhabitants were frequently brutalized and massacred by the various armies that passed through. Otto von Bismarck and his successful diplomacy that maintained peace for a long time (in a time when peace was unusual). "The statesman's task is to hear God's footsteps marching through history, and to try and catch on to His coattails as He marches past." He has some quotes that are just chilling to read. Ernst Jünger's books, where he found beauty in the world and life at a time of destruction and death. The dark days of the Napoleonic Wars after Jena when everything looked bleak, and the reforms that followed and the military reformers that went to Russia. Yorck walking across the ice to betray the alliance with Napoleon and allow the Russians through. Rudel jumping out of his window with his umbrella and breaking his legs. It's condensed here but there's nothing about German history that doesn't interest me.

I also think of the best engineers and rocket people:



I haven't been there but it's the one place I'd like to go. I'd like to see Königsberg too, but maybe some time in the distant future

 

[DeutscheKartoffel]

Should have followed Japan's footstep, deny everything and create a kawaii culture.
After all, outsiders only learn to drop it once the topic is no longer brought up.

 

[Snake of Eden]

I love how the language sounds and my soul mate is from there. Also "Carl Jung" is a truly great man and I admire his very insightful "wisdom" & sharp 'intellect'

 

[death137]

A beautiful advanced country with great football players, fans and stadiums

 

[Mixo]

The few videos I've seen with Mark Wiens make it seem like Germany is a beautiful country with great cuisine. I wouldn't mind spending a week there. At least the Germans have done some reflection about their Nazi history and taken some kind of responsibility. I have heard they encourage open discussion on it. The US doesn't like to discuss its wrongdoings, particularly regarding slavery.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Wienerschnitzel is one of my favorite fast food places.

That's about the extent of my knowledge of Germany besides the WWII stuff.

 

[Depressed Cat]

@noname223 , what do you think of these "new Germans"?

 

[summers]

Do you think Germany could start a new world war again or have we learned our lesson?

It's not about starting another war, to have learned your lesson, you would have to win the next war

 

[y0dha]

I'm from France and i'm descendent of deportee so I had really bad opinion about germany when young.
But then I met some german, went multiple time to germany, and really enjoyed the people there.

I'm glad that we French and German are so allied nowadays, only issue I have though is that lots of EU policies are too based upon Germany, I mean it's too adventageous for Germany but not for others EU country except Nordic countries.

 

[noname223]

@noname223 , what do you think of these "new Germans"?

I think we should try to integrate people from Ukraine and Russia in Germany. I would not force the Russians to leave the country. Education is very important in order to spot the fake news from Putin. However I knew a very smart German his family came from Russia. He sympathized with Putin. We also know this problem with people from Turkey who support Erdogan.
I think we should convince them with arguments not by force. There is no sense in forcing them to something. I think it was a good step to ban for example Russia today.

 

[AnnyMyr]

I don't like that you make men pee sitting down.

Believe me, it's right. This will help prevent prostatitis.