Wow! Quite an eyeopener. I think I’ll link back to this post; really good considering I am an American - but know that we have a lot to fix here!

Rex

Germans are cool!
I work for them…so I really like them on payday.
Zeiss

One Quick note: I am not a gun owner and I am all for gun control, but the overwhelming majority of deaths in the US come from motor-vehicle accidents. Alcohol is a major contributor to these deaths. I am all for a more lax alcohol policy, but I am just trying to let you know why alcohol is villainized in the US. Its hard to argue with a grieving mother who is part of the MAAD organization.

American Predjudices towards Germans:

1. Germans are horibly unfunny. Probably more of a language thing and possibly part of number 2 on this list.

2. Germans are efficient to the point of being robotic. Or, basically, Germans are very straight edge and serious.

I was going to list more stuff, but mostly, all of the predjudices I could think of have to do with Germans being rigid and robotic.

Like anything, I know it is really an individual thing.

One quick note on the war mongering: I think this is a huge misconception, but I can see where it comes from for 3 reasons.

1. The US is always involved in armed conflicts, all over the world, because we have somehow been given the world police status (probably because of the Cold War).

2. It is an underlying thing in America not to back down and we do glorify standing up to bullies and going against the grain.

3. Currently we have a government that has completely botched our Global image by engaging in an incredibly unnecessary war and conducting it poorly. I think this will be very different once a new administration is at the helm, although there is a lot of healing to do.

10 common German prejudices about the USA…

Liked what you just read here ? Vote for it on Blogmemes ! Whenever people talk about the USA, it doesn’t take long until you hear sentences that start with “That’s typical. Americans are all …”. Well, what are you? I’ve asked around, talked to …

saw this on reddit.. interesting to think about how any country sees the united states.
i live in massachusetts, too, which is a state not very much in favor of bush or his ways, nor guns.
the item about sex and violence is a good one, and its one that’s tough for liberal people to put up with. in america, the conservatives do most of the complaining, and thats why they’re heard. but im not very political, so i offer you my notions on germans:

Germans love beer. they love it. all of them.

Germans love David Hasselhoff. All of them.

Germans eat a lot of Bratwurst.

Germans like crazy insane fetish sex. like… crazy wacky sex involving bodily fluid.

…sorry, thats all i got.

Change of subject slightly.

Why are the streets of Paris lined with trees?

The Germans like to march in the shade.

My personal pre-concieved notions of Germans:

1: Makers of the best BEER in the world.
Germans treat beer the way French treat wine.

2: Best mechanical engineers in the world.
I drive a German-engineered car for it’s reliability and performance. No one makes better cars.

That’s really all I have.

The most common prejudice I hear about Germans…

You all like Techno.

Is it true? Do all germans like techno?

About Guns and Alcohol… For some reason Americans are afraid of Alcohol and for some reason Europeans are afraid of Guns. Neither of these things are dangerous when used responsibly by free people.

The only time i get concerned about some else’s drinking is if they are driving down the road endangering others. The only time i get concerned about someone else’s guns is when they are pointing them at someone else.

In my American neighborhood there are far more guns than people and it is one of the safest places in the United States. Guns don’t scare me, stupid people scare me.

Two good ones:

“What’s with all the fast food?”

This coming from a people whose main contributions to world cuisine have been greasy sausages and fermented cabage.

“Americans are war mongers.”

Let’s see, in the 20th Century, Germany started two wars that resulted in the deaths of 80,000,000+ people and Americans are the “war mongers”. Projection?

As for other prjudices about Germans…

1) Germans all anti-semites and Nazis.

Hard to argue with the systemic murder of 6,000,000 European Jews. Nor is it easy to argue with the current and wide-spread anti-Israeli anti-Jewish sentiments among the majority of Germans

2) German tourists are rude and boorish.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a Spanish resort to find some Fat German, drunk and red faced, yelling at a waiter while his ugly wife is busy taking off her top so as to show the world her flabby, fallen tits.

3) Individaul Germans are fascist authoritarians who love petty rules.

Ever been on German public transportation? ‘Nuff said.

you dont shower and are a bunch of gypsies

you are insecure about your country history and nationalism… very few german flags etc

This is easy:

- In Germany, the other writers are correct: the sense of humor is real weak. But if you watch tv there, what makes them laugh is the most banal, adults-in-clown-suit immature stuff that is agonizing to watch as an American. Are they so stunted and immature that they’d like this lower-than-Benny-Hill stuff? I’ll say yes.
- The national efficiency is true - to the point of ridiculusness and arrogance. I’ve done stuff there on business and had people (once I described what I’d done) look me in the eye and flatly declare: “Impossible.”. Like I hadn’t done it all; they were so sure it didn’t fit in their model of logic. They were wrong of coure, but that assuredness of being right is typical.
- Their attitude about women’s abilities is stone-age. More than one VP there told me, when I asked why there weren’t more German women engineers, that “they’re not suited for this type of thing”.
- They hate and resent foreigners, people on welfare, and most of their neighboring countrymen. Forget about the Yugoslavs, the Russians, even the East Germans (i.e. the highest of the despised) - the xenophobic resentment of many foreigners is legendary.
- For all their uptightness, they really blow it out once they drink a bit. They hold all this stuff in all day, acting pompous and efficient, but they like their booze and start actually relaxing like normal humans as it gets dark.
- Compared to the Swiss, the Germans are San Francisco hippies.

ER

Let’s see. I still associate Germans with lots of hubris. But I think they are very good at foreign languages also.

When I traveled to Greece, and Russia and spoke the native tongues, the locals always thought I was German, not American.

But Germans still have a reputation for having a superiority complex. Germans are efficient imho, but not as efficient as the Japanese. And while there were lots of great German scientists per WWII, all of that antisemitism during the War drove most of the good scientists out…

I took a German class recently, and any time there was an implied criticism of Germans in history the professor was always quick to come up with a counterexample…

Unitl Germans learn to take themselves much less seriously, I doubt they will attract the kind of capital that the US commands. Right now I would not start a company in Germany because the work force is too uptight, and b/c Germans are too full of themselves.

Me: 30-something male, born in germany, Canadian citizenship (spent 25 years there), living in California since ‘04.

Really fun topic!

A few observations/opinions:
-agree on the humour comment - germans often think really childish humour is funny, but don’t get british humour
-the german language is quite different from english in terms of flexibility of usage (not saying either is better - they’re just different). This naturally leads to different types of humour, I think. Obviously, many jokes/idioms are nearly impossible to translate.
-many germans of my parent’s generation (including many church-going, who should know better) are still very anti-semitic.
-germans really love David Hasselhof
-to ex-patriate germans of my parent’s generation, “keeping” your germanness (germanity?) is somehow incredibly important - much like it used to be in Preussen (Prussia) or Bessarabien (Moldova). Used to get constant compliments on the fact that I spoke/speak german pretty well with little accent, if any. Was constantly told by little old german ladies they’d find me a nice german girl to marry (so I married a California chick
-german-background girls/women in Canada do NOT want to marry a “real” german guy under ANY circumstance
-german-background guys in Canada have no such pre-conceived dislike of german girls
-german dentistry used to be 20-30 years behind US (probably catching up now)
-having grown up german/canadian, it’s still difficult at times for my wife to understand the german side. The Canadian/US thing is not a big deal
-german mothers-in-law are really stressful for american wives to deal with, because they don’t understand each other, and both want to make the other feel at ease
-(older) german fathers are quite comparable to US/Canadian fathers in terms of bitternes/crankiness
-having driven 3 VWs, german cars aren’t all they’re cracked up to be

SAP - there is no situation for which it is ever an answer

Honestly, who thinks about germans enough to have an opinion, let alone 10.

one that everyone seemed to forget:
your pants are too tight
(does that come from Hasslehoff?)

I just spent a few days in Berlin and have to say I really enjoyed what little I saw of German hospitality, culture and general flavour. That said, a s an African-Canadian I didn’t dare venture out beyond Berlin because of warnings I received about being a minority in small town Germany.

One thing that struck me as interesting though: seems like Germans still really don’t like the Dutch and vice versa. One German musician told me “the only culture they have in Holland are bicycles.”

Berlin is cool though. Especially the “white boots.”

I am, on paper, an American. I consider myself a citizen of the whole universe, rather than of once country on one small planet. One of my best friends is German. I was born there(on a US military base) if that counts. We had a German exchange student and kept in touch. I personally love the German culture and would love to retire there. Germany isn’t perfect. I’ve seen that. But Germany is definitely on the right track and is a wonderful place. I spent a week there for a wedding in the ’90’s and I fell in love with the place and the people. EVERYBODY I was surrounded with treated me kindly and, once they figured out I don’t speak much German, went out of their way to help me communicate with them. Isn’t the “legal age” to drink a beer in Germany 16 and the driving age 18? I think that’s a much better system, especially since it is so expensive to be allowed to drive there that you are more responsible. Your list about the US is very correct. Actually you went a little too easy on the US on some of them.

The most common prejudice I hear from healthy-thinking Americans regarding not only Germans but Europeans in general is that we all are some sort of wacky socalists trying to reinvent the Soviet Union under the guise of the EU. While it’s certainly wrong it’s somewhat hard to prove to be wrong when it’s so common for a casual cultural blog post like this one to quickly turn into a peacenik rant and BS about “caring for the poor” (read: taking from the ambitious and giving it to the lazy). There’s a good amount of sane (read: Libertarian-Conservative) people here too, we just don’t seem to be able to penetrate the mainstream media, the academia, and, sadly, not even the blogosphere.

And for you Tobsy, I have no problem about your views being different than mine but you really should tag them as SD - Liberal views instead of trying to sell them as if they were generally accepted (even though it’s truly generally accepted by the mainstream media, I admit).

On the positive side, I 100% agree about that people being made vs. people killed stuff. This is something hard to argue with

Miki
(a Hungarian living currently in the UK)

On the language - I think it’s best described via von Neumann’s famous quote: “Whenever I explain something, I do it in English, because it’s simple. Whenever I define something, I do it in German, because it’s precise. And whenever I’m thinking about a new idea, I do it in Hungarian, because it’s creative.”

I’m generally fascinated by the precision of the German language and I always regret that I can never find enough time to learn it properly. An example of the things I like about it: average is called Durchschnitt, which literally means “cut through”. It’s a very precise, very graphic representation of how you’d note the average of a, say, sin(x) function on a graph.

What’s wrong with techno? True, it might sound like shit if you just try it in your home CD player, but at a party of 3000 people and and, err, “being in the right mood”, it’s much more than a nice night out: it’s an outright spiritual experience. Though nowadays it’s much worse than it was 10 years before. I kind of miss that hard, tight, adrenaline-loaded Frankfurt-Techno sound (or “Schranz”, played by people like Chris Liebing or f.e. Miss Djax in The Netherlands) because it’s almost unknown here in the UK (everybody plays mellow, boring trance), while it’s quite popular in Hungary where I’m originally from.

For home listening I’d recommend trying the industrial music: like KMFDM, Frontline Assembly, Wumpscutt etc. It’s basically the same idea, but listening-oriented (as opposed to party-oriented)

Haha, I agree in every prejudice you say about americans and adam’s comment on the rigid robotic German.

Actually,Tobsy, I think you are a little bit lenient. My two German friends thought that the Americans are stupid b/c they don’t know anything or many things un-american or happening else where.

American here. What follows are the first things that came to mind after reading this article, in order,

1. “Germans are Nazis.” I don’t think that Germans are Nazis, but I have to admit that whenever I hear Germany mentioned, whatever the context, I think of the Nazis. I’ve hear similar sentiment from many Americans and plenty of Brits as well. I think it is greatly unjust considering what a healthy country Germany is today, but I do think think it will be a long time before Germany is free of the stain of the National Socialist Party.

2. “Germany’s philosophers are unparalleled.” Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, etc. You get the idea

3. “Einstein was German.” Though many Americans (myself included) think of Einstein as one of our great thinkers, he would not have made his home here without the rise of Facism in Germany. I stew over this irony.

4. “German automobiles are delightful.” My time working as a valet at a top hotel cemented my love for German automotive craftsmanship. BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz, VW, Porsche - all excellent brands and all fun to drive!

5. “German electronic music is awesome!” Kompakt Records, DJ Koze, etc. Great stuff.

A final point came to me while I was writing this. I have found the Germans I have to known to be oddly humorless. I’ve heard this is a stereotype and I don’t mean to confirm or perpetate it, I only speak from my experience.

Thanks

The US has gone downhill so far and fast within the last 20 years or so,that it is quickly approaching 3rd world nation status.America ranks among the bottom in everything from healthcare,education (so much more)etc.,way behind Europe(and many other areas of the world).The US is now only a country for the wealthy.Unlike Europe the average American does not protest in a civil manner,when rights are taken away.In addition America is now overrun with illegal immigrants.US actually has a special interest group to protect Illegal immigrants.Now they are letting everyone become citizens.Rediculous. Germany,like most of the civilized world is miles/kilometers ahead of the US in almost EVERY WAY.Im moving abroad.The US has become a corporate dictatorship.Run by big business!

Nothing further to add!

It depends where you live, in America(and how much money you have).However overall I agree with Debbie 100%!Anyone that tries to say America is not messed up is deluded.1 more thing US has the fattest unhealthiest people,as mentioned because thats what Americans do best EAT!US “used” to be a great country.It is not only Germans that think this way,but many other parts of Europe and other nations.And may I say You are right!

On religious nutjobs . . .
Yes, we have plenty. I think it has to do with our ancestry. Personally, religion dosen’t matter to me, but there are plenty of nutjobs running around deaf to any critical thinking.

On not giving a shit about our poor . . .
We’re capitalist. Big time.

On superficial /ignorant /war mongering people . . .
Did I mention we have a plenty of religious nutjobs?

On self-centeredness . . .
That’s our media for you. I’m not sure how it is in your country or anywhere else, but turn on the news channels, whether it be Fox or CNN or whatever, you get the same thing: death, tragedy, and political bias. Our media is almost entirely focused on our country only. You can see that by some of the global magazines we receive having different covers from everyone else. I get most of my news off the internet, and I try to keep up on a lot of worldly news.

On fattnessnessness . . .
Yes there are a lot of fat people here. But there are a lotta hot people too. Go to a nice college party down here and drool away. I don’t see why people make it such a big deal. If you’re fat, it’s your fault. There’s no a fat epidemic, just a buncha lazy people. I plan to get fat when I’m real old because by then I won’t give a damn, and I’d be much more comfortable not worrying about not being fat, and just eat away.

World Police . . . ?
I hate that idea. I think this concept pulls us into way too many conflicts than we need to be in. I think it’s important to help the world and improve our relationships with other countries. But I think the World Police idea just makes us out to be imperial brutes. We do glorify the idea of standing up to the bullies. Not necessarily our bullies, but any entity bullying another. The only idea I can think of to change this is for us not to involve ourselves wholely, but for the world itself to get involved. If something is happening humanely immoral, every country should do something about it as a whole. Course that’s all in theory and will probably never happen.

Lastly . . .
Despite our cons, America, I think, is a great country. But as a great country, it’s prone to have great problems. I have a lot of friends who intend to leave the States for places like the UK or Canada out of spite of what America has become. I think that’s wrong. In my view, America is my country, and if it’s broke, it’s my duty to fix it, not run away. Our country changes constantly, sometimes for the best, sometimes, as recently seen, for the absolute worst. But there’s always the next generation to change that. I see a lotta political motivation in the American younth today (maybe I’m seeing things), but I don’t doubt America’s ability to change for the better. It’s just people.

I also agree with Debbie!Adding America is the only country(other than many 3rd world nations) that does not have socialized medicine.Socialized medicine works!Americans are the among the most drugged ,yet UNHEALTHY people in the world!But what can you expect from a country(US) that is run by Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.Pathetic!The main reason US lets in so many (third world)immigrants is for SLAVE LABOR.I LOVE MONTREAL!

This is all pretty much true with the exception of the educated and big cities where people tend to have a brain and think about things.

Americans are fat, uneducated, stupid, ignorant, racist, biggoted, gluttonous, self centered, and more.

I know, I live here.

I have had the interesting experience of growing up in a small town (U.S.) that could easily be part of the Bible Belt and then moving to a liberal University town - about a half hour drive away. The difference is astounding. There really are two Americas (probably a lot more). However, many of these stereotypes do apply to one or the other fairly well. The problem comes when they are applied to everyone - in or outside the groups.

- Americans are extremely superficial.
It depends on how you define superficial. I don’t think the Bible thumpers are very superficial, even though I don’t agree with them. And most of my 20-something friends really don’t care what the latest trend is. Most of us are too busy with work or family or school. However, most of us do love to dream about glamour. And that’s what’s in the media - the dream of glamour. Unfortunately, the dream is also what many people in other countries mistake for real life here. Even reality t.v. is nothing like it. Our lives are far too boring.

- What’s with all the fast food?
It’s not that we all want to be fat. However, many of us are either busy or poor or both. Many of my friends want to give up the habit, but they don’t have time to go home for meals or anywhere to store and/or reheat food from home while they are out and about. And they often don’t have time to shop and cook food at home, either. For others, it’s because the McD’s dollar menu is some of the cheapest food around.

- You like to watch how people die, but not how they are made.
Yeah, that is messed up. That’s Bible Belt puritanism for you. I still can’t believe people have problems with consenting adults creating/watching porno.

- Americans are war mongers.
I have heard way too many people say “Let’s just nuke them all!” They are a minority, but they are a loud minority. A lot of the other sensible people are just too busy and tired to do anything. Most of us don’t even know what to do. And don’t just say to vote for better candidates because things over here are so rigged from the start. The exact winner might not be pre-selected, but the choices are limited.

- Beer will kill you, guns won’t.
Again, very puritan. Alcohol is bad, remember. Guns are necessary for “self-defence”.

- Go to America and you’re gonna get killed.
I haven’t been killed yet, but I have lost several close friends to car accidents (one last month). That’s the real danger. So, rent the safest car you can. Murder-wise, stay out of the bad parts of towns, especially at night. If you don’t know, it’s generally o.k. to ask someone privately.

- Americans are religious nutjobs.
Very true in the Bible Belt, but plenty elsewhere in the U.S. as well. Many people have this “It’s my duty to convert you - else I must shun you to punish you and protect my children from your ideas” attitude. I have friends who do list “God” as their best friend on Myspace. Some of them blog/bulletin constantly repeating the same religious stories. I especially hate the ones that go “90-some % of Americans are Christian (or believe in God or whatever) so the non-believers should just sit down and shut up (or move to another country). If you’re curious, these are my “friends” from back home. They don’t know I’m atheist, but I like to keep in touch for old-time’s sake.

- Americans don’t give a shit about their poor people.
We do, but most people think that if they have to work hard then so should the bumms on the street. The problem is that most people don’t realize that the beggars on the street are a very small percentage of the poor. The huge problem is the working poor - those who can’t support themselves or a family working full time or even twice that. The really out of touch say that they should just go to college and get a better job like they did. I’m so sick of “meritocracy” and people thinking that everyone get’s the same chances in life. It’s especially bad in the college town where a good number of students are having their college (and sometimes living expenses) paid for by the parents. Of course, in the Bible Belt everyone gets what they deserve because God is in charge. Let’s all pray to win the lottery!

- Everything needs to be XXL (houses, cars, refrigerators, Burgers, breast implants,…).
My house isn’t huge by American standards but it probably is by European standards. It is nice to have a good amount of living space. For one thing, I think we spend more time in our houses. I’d like to spend more time outside but there isn’t much to do within walking distance even where I live now and I don’t feel like taking the car out. Our cities and towns are horribly laid out. You have to drive most places - hence the reason we tend to be big, too. And because of that, we tend to do a lot of errands at once. When my mom comes to town to shop she fills up her SUV. It’s not like they are going to deliver anything to where she lives back home unless they mail it and charge huge amounts of shipping.

- Americans are a bunch of self-centered ignorant people.
We are ignorant. Our school system is obsessed with standardized tests that measure math and reading skills without putting them to any good use. Plus it practically ignores other subjects. We’re constantly told that it’s good to be patriotic (a must in the Bible Belt) and that means believing that America is #1 (at everything). People here assume that America is #1. Why else do people immigrate here, right? Ha. It’s not that we don’t want to learn about other countries, though. We’re just too busy most of the time. Plus we are expected to know all these things about the 50 states. If they were separate countries, we might not look so bad.

Bottom line, though, is that we Americans are over-worked and over-tired. People here are working longer hours and longer weeks for less money and less benefits. The single-earner household is not an option for many, which leaves a lot to be done at the end of the workday. My own husband often works 60-80 weeks. We’d love to cook our own food, go to the gym, spend time with family, learn about other countries, travel outside the country, study other languages, and help the poor, but there is never enough time, money, and energy. And maybe if we had time to learn about other countries we would wage less war. Maybe if we had time to actually study religion for ourselves instead of just spout the same repeated phrases then maybe there would be fewer religious nutjobs.

In the meantime, please don’t hold it against us to harshly. When we call other cultures lazy, it’s sometimes just jealous.

Basically it comes down to this.America “USED to be a great country and place to live”.Now it is ONLY a country for the wealthy.If you are not rich in US you have far less freedom.The war in Iraq is just a distraction.What is being done to US internally(within)such as outsourcing jobs,granting way too many people citizenship(not closing the borders)and letting drug companies run the show are the REAL problems.Nafta is a disaster!I actually earn a comfortable income,however I cannot and will not pay outrageous health insurance fees.Thats why Im so happy in Montreal.Americans work the MOST hours in the world!Its not that Americans are bad people(Americans are the same as everyone else) its just that America only cares about its WEALTHY.Its a big problem.Again I LOVE MONTREAL!

[…] If you’re keen on learning the top 10 prejudices Germans have about the USA, check out this blog.  Hard to argue with it’s accuracy.  Had a nagging urge to hop in a submarine and go […]

I don’t have any prejudices against Germans… the US media doesn’t concentrate on Europe…

All of those may be true, but we didn’t kill six million jews! Now did we.

1. Germans are unfriendly and have short tempers, and are prone to kill 6 million people on short notice

2. Germans like ’scheisse’ porn

3. Germans eat sausage all day

4. Germans scare people with their language

I’m the first born in the US via my German family. I was brought up in a very German environment that happend to be in the US. I see both sides of this, and it’s interesting. True, the US is very fear driven, grown lazy, and we seem to be in Roman times, however, there are plenty Americans who don’t buy into all the crap.

I love the line, “You like to watch how people die, but not how they are made.”

Uh- most of those things are things that Americans think of Germans.

Americans are superficial? Isn’t Europe the birthplace of art and fashion, and aren’t the biggest galleries of “art” in the world concentrated in Europe?

America is Warmongering? Assuming we forget the last 1,000 years of history in Europe, I guess I could see where you are coming from.

America doesn’t care about its poor?
Most poor Americans are poor by choice (there I said it). Most everyone can or will get assistance in some form. Foodstamps, scholarships, all are available to every American in some way. Most are even available to illegal immigrants.

America isn’t safe? We’ll just completely ignore the young man in Berlin that stabbed 23 people on the way out of a concert.

Americans are puritan bible thumpers? Uh… we have 22 hour porn DVD’s available through the mail for 10 bucks. We have an entire multi billion (my guess) porn industry. Yeah a lot of people piss and moan about it, but it’s not gonna stop. We’re just not into defecation. Me personally, regarding JJ… I wouldn’t have wanted to see her boobie either. Regarding alcohol, we have clean water to drink. We also have about 1,000 soda varities also.

Americans take up a lot of space? We have a lot of it. No ancestor of Europe since the first European criminals that came over here has managed to win it. YOU are welcome to try. Europeans can’t even manage a colony very well. By the way in BMW’s latest radio ad they brag about how their SUV’s are roomy because German people enjoy nearly twice as much personal space as Americans.

Americans are ignorant and self centered? Says the person who blogged about the preconceptions they have about Americans.

Europe may have changed a lot in the last 50 years, but 50 years isn’t going to change thousands of years of territorial disputes, world wars, failed colonies, immigration to a better place (hint; when Europeans want to escape persecution, they came to America).

Enjoy!

Someone from Germany calling the USA war mongers? Did you forget that Germany started two world wars in the last 90 years? And that Germany tried to wipe all the Jews,Slavs and Gypsies off the planet?

Did you forget that Germany was in war after war going all the way back in history?

Did you forget who defended Germany from the USSR?

Did you forget that the East German army shot their own people who tried to leave?

Isn’t the loving caring Germans killing off the handicapped and the Jews so the German people can bring back the Aryan superman of the Pagan myths religious extremism?

The loving caring German people started murdering innocent handicapped people in 1934.

Okay people, calm down. And read the first sentence again. These are not my prejudices. Well, most of them aren’t. And regarding the “war monger statement”: No, we haven’t forgotten the past. We remember it, and we have learned from it. But our current view of things is more influenced by the news, not the history channel. That’s probably why no one mentioned the indians and slavery, when I asked them about the USA. So, keep it civil.

[…] 10 common German prejudices about the USA (tags: usa deutschland vorurteile) […]

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American Stereotypes Are So Hurtful…

A German David Hasselhoff lover recently wrote 10 Common German Prejudices About The USA. I am deeply offended as an American and would like to take some time to clear the air.
“What’s with all the fast food?”
We are BUSY people. Have you…

I’m on holiday right now and it somehow came to my mind to search the internet to find out what Americans think about Germans and vice versa.

What makes me really sick is that a lot of people only see the worst 12 years in German history - and always hit on that. No reasonable German is proud of what happened in the Nazi years with the killing of millions of people - a bad example for German efficiency. But these times are OVER! We are not better or worse than any other country. In the US and everywhere else there are idiots that have problems with minorities in there country - an sometimes they go and attack them. The difference is that when it happens in Germany eveybody says “Oh, they are still Nazis - I knew it!”
But does anybody complain about the Spanish for rotting South American culture? Does anybody talk about African slaves being brought to America over centuries( after having killed most of the Native Americans)? And not making them equal citiziens until the 1960s - on the paper? And what about Britain who dominated 1/4 of the world in times of the British Empire?
No, it’s always those evil Germans. It’s horrible what happened in Germany within only twelve years, but the result - killing and opressing innocent people - is pretty much the same. The others just took more time for their “business”

…and now for something completely different.

“Americans are superficial”

Well, I was dating an American when I lived in Berlin. He always got me into profound discussions - and at some point I was so fed up that I would have preferred a more casual talking
His best friend was “typical American” - getting drunk by a sniff of the barmaid’s apron and then going on about evry passing girl with a deeper cut out than a turtleneck: “Meeeaaan, look at her TITS!”
(Another stereotype: What is it about huge breasts? I once talked to a plastic surgeon an he said in Germany none of his colleagues would make balloon-like breasts. They show American talk show excerpts and there are always pumped-up blondes in micro-bikinis. But showing a nipple is illegal????)
Probably the “American way” - having loads of people you call friends and the “German way” - being close with only a few, exists on both sides. I personally lived the “American way” until my mid-twenties and then decided to cut down because I wasn’t happy. Everybody has to to make their own choice, I guess.

“Germans have no sense of humour”
Yes, we do. It’s just hard to understand as it is less visual but mostly deals with word puns and speech in general. You have to understand german VERY well and know something about life in Germany to get it. Otherwise it isn’t funny at all.

Last things to say:
- In Germany/Europe nobody will tell you to avoid certain parts of town because you cold get KILLED
- Social welfare (housing, food etc.) is paid by the gouvernment to help the unemployed or to prevent people from working on more than one job to make ends meet. This opens doors for abuse, but that’s another discussion. It just seems strange to us that in America there is more charity from citizens then from the state.
Besides, EVERYBODY has health insurance.
-America has the biggest porn industry in the world. That’s OK, but why do you, on the other hand, make such a drama out of porn and sex in general?
-In America you’re told on product packings what NOT to do with the product to avoid accidents, in Germany it’s the other way: if you do anything that’s not explained on the pack it might be dangerous.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

P.S.: My first record was from David Hasselhoff :0)

By the way, Germans really is America Jr.

Americans will tell you this, as well as Europeans. Jokes on you, actually.

And I’m talking modern day Germany. It tries very hard to be like America. When I go travelling I make a point of avoiding Germany for that reason.

Tobsy,

I have been to Germany 5+ times, for a total of about 4 months. I find it to be a country I now avoid. At least I have taken the time to explore Germany before knowing to avoid it, unlike the author here.

By the way, I am not American, nor living in America at the present moment.

Guten Tag- Well having been to Germany, and conceived there, I still side with America.

You have ‘never met an American that voted for G. Bush the second time’, gives me: either a view of your social circle, or exposes the world weary sensitivity of those that did vote for him while talking to you.

I sense a relief in Germany about demonization of America.

Last year, in California, I saw many nasty depictions of George Bush, one painted in blood. Did anyone see, visiting 1942 Germany, even one blood painted picture of …

And yet the average German enjoys guiltless joy in viewing those two leaders the same way.

Germans live in the largest glass house of modern history.

Unless you think doing great evil, causes, by some bizarre pendulum effect, a good moral compass.

It seams one German book is very very popular in the Arabic world. I think it was a book about ‘Mines’, or maybe ‘Comps’. Look it up, and enjoy.

Most of the natives in America died of diseases and anyway none of the people who fought the natives in America are still alive.
Many Germans also came to America at this time. So Germany is also guilty of killing the natives.
There are plenty of Germans who clicked their heels and yell Heil Hitler still alive.

The slaves were brought over mostly by Europeans. And none of the slave owners are alive today. Many of the Germans that held Jewish,Polish,and Russian slaves doing WW2 are still alive.

Greetings from California

I enjoyed reading your blog on how Germans view the US. How Germans and Americans view each other interests me because I am trying to connect to my ancestors some of whom came from the Hannover area.

I think that most of your comments in “10 Common German prejudices about the USA” Here are a few of my own reflections on your blog.

The so called “bible belt” (the southern states) help elect our idiot president Bush. And yes millions of Americans think that religion should help run our country - a terrible idea for many of us out here in California. For many Americans, going to war is the highest calling one can show to their country. That is one reason why some, fewer these days, supported Bush’s Iraq war.

And you are right about movies, violence is more accepted than sex. All of this seems to come from the religious nuts, some of who help found our country. To run for politics here 99 percent of the people have to claim that they are good church going people. Something I find silly but we have to put up with that baloney.

Look how mad the right wing Republican nut jobs got when Bill Clinton got caught having a blow job in the White House. They impeached him! But Bush has let almost 3500 American soldiers die in Iraq and some of the same Republican nut jobs still think he is doing a great job.

Big SUVs, you are right on this, big time! With our gas getting up to about $3.50 per gallon, and these same nuts are still buying the SUVs. “Where there is no brain, there is no pain!” I had the pleasure of visiting Germany twice in the last two years. I was in Landstuhl on business, found all of the locals to be friendly and and most of the cars to be of a realistic size. It pains me to see Americans being so wasteful. I have been recycling for years and have been involved in politics to get the laws on the books. Over the last ten years Americans are now doing much better recycling but there is still much work to do. Why do some many products have to come in a cardboard box, like a tube of toothpaste? Such a waste of trees and resources.

HOW I SEE GERMANY (based on my three trips there)

1. Why are the traffic signals on the near corner instead of the far corner, like the USA, ours are much easier to see?
2. But I do like the use of the Yellow light when going from Red to Green, we don’t have that.
3. It seems that “red tape” is a problem in Germany. More difficult to get a driver’s license than in the US. It was fun for me to see the great number of fahrschulen even in the small town of Landstuhl. Maybe young Germans take driving more seriously than young Americans? Less accidents?
4. I am jealous that Germans speak more languages than Americans. Germany being in the middle of Europe has a a greater need to fluent in more than one language. Most Americans do not push themselves to learn more than English. And even here in California, many of us do not want to learn Spanish, I think for the same reason that Germans may not want to learn Turkish.

Many thanks for your webpage, I will continue to explore more of it.
B. Nolte
Los Angeles, California

Ok I tried to read it all, but at the end I think I try to make a list.First, Iam German but I lived 14 years in Georgia. Well, now I live in Germany again and let me tell you what I think about Germans LOL

They get up way way early and hurry to work, even the stay at home moms are dressed up with makeup when they bring thier children to the bus. Hello its like 7 in the morning.

They care alot about what other people think about them bc they always try to look thier best.

People are (oops) kinda ugly here, I mean they never get the make up pat down like the normal american teenager.

There are alot of old people here , they are everywhere.( What do we do with the older folks in America I never saw that many there and i lived in Florida once too)

The Techno thing what the hell is that, they wear houseshoes, fluffy ones, to the club when there is a Techno Party.

Man, German man, OMG, dont even get me started. All they want is sex and they even admit it on a date. Well there goes the fun ever heard of at least pretend you are slightly interested. At least the Americans have that down.

The hair, women love short hair here, or is it the males? I dont know, alot of short haired women.And the haircolor not much blond here, but maybe that goes after region, I dont know.

The food sucks here i gained weight since i live here so much about the healthy german food.

Cant read the damm food labels either, what is a Kilojule ( yeah I know)

They drink alllloooooot. Never was this many weekends drunk in my live.

Hold on there is more. The cars are soooo lame. So i pay like 35 grand for a Toyota Verso it looks like a mud bug, but its a seven seater and better on gas . Cant afford an SUV here. Stickshift of course I thought I would be fast with that???

The clothing in general, where is Victoria”s secret, Hollister,Marshall’s. Or a good old Target would do me.

They like the color orange in all shades. They wear it, they decorate thier homes in it. Ugh Ugly, its everywhere.

Homes are alot of money and small and boring where is the A/C. Its hot here.

Kids are actually nicer here. Not quite as snooty and stuck up. But maybe it was the region I lived in America , Iam sure they are not everywhere like that.

It is very dusty here i can clean and clean and clean.

I think this is it for now thanks for letting me vent, I miss the good old U.S.A.

Hey, that’s a cool bunch of observations.

I am an American. Not religious, very very well traveled before I was 25, multilingual, smart, and I like German Beer.

Have been to Germany- nice place. Munchen was fun, people were pretty cool.

I see good and bad in both countries. Though, what it boils down to (for me at least in observation):

Want to have fun? Europe, AU, NZ. Soo much more entertaining than the US for a variety of reasons..

Want to be successful, open your own business, make a fortune? US, far and away. It’s not easy here (probably the 2nd most competitive market in the world besides China I’d imagine)..but if you bust your ass, the economic sky is the limit here.

That’s how I see it. Your mileage my vary (as may have my grammer/spelling).

I felt like adding my two pence to this blog because - though this is indeed a good collection of the prejudices heard from Germans - it sounds all negative? Let me say what I like about America & Americans:

Apart from the overweight, army-haircut type of men, you have some incredibly handsome individuals that are often quite courteous & gentleman-like.

European movie industry has been catching up lately but without Hollywood the world would be an empty place.

You make us Germans second when it comes to the most hated nation in the world. Heartfelt thanks for that! :o)
More seriously, your forefathers were the first to reconcile with post-war Germans and offered protection for several decades. We owe you a stretched-out hand for the day after you seriously fucked up.

Many Germans like the US for their Western lifestyle, diverse & stunning landscape and friendly people. It is just that the others raise their voice louder. After decades of having admired you, give us some time to emancipate ourselves.

American stereotypes about Germans:

1. All Germans worship David Hasselhoff as some sort of god. This, unfortunately, casts doubts upon the perceived average IQ of Germans in general. (Which is really rather funny in light of America’s obsession with Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, etc., etc., etc. Bad taste comes in all nationalities.)

2. Germans are the most hardcore perverted sexual deviates in the world. (Not saying I believe that, just that that’s the stereotype. Funny, really, because of course it’s the Australians who shag sheep.)

But regarding “like to watch how people die, but not how they are made” - I’d just as soon not see either one on TV or a movie, thank you. I’m not hung up about sex, I just think it’s supposed to be an intimate expression of love, not a spectator sport. I generally won’t watch R rated movies, because I know that means the movie sucks and they just had to throw in some sex or violence so that people would want to see it.

And then there’s the whole “objectification of women” thing - I have a real problem with that. So yeah..no sex on tv, please, and no violence, either.

Wow, I didn’t expect so must honesty in your post. As I now live in Germany (I’m not German), I hear comments like this weekly…

Cheers!
German language guy

I think its funny in that I work with both a German and American, the German is so laid back in his approach to life you’d think he was from Raratonga and the American is so precise and driven - just like ‘germans’.

Both are great guys. It is a pity the the politics of ones country seems to paint the character of individual citizens.

Tobsy:
1. Sorry for kicking Germany’s ass back in 1945 but we felt that Germans such as your self, with such demeaning opinions about the U.S. and the rest of the world needed it. But Europe needed rescuing from you people and the United States Sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives because of Germany’s aggression. I might add you did it not once but twice before. ie in ww1. So you have nothing to say about American Aggression.

2. Germany bred terrorist that came to this country to inflict damage. What no apologies for that.

3. Who gives a shit what you have to say about what type of vehicle we drive here. Don’t be jealous. We can afford them because we are not taxed to death feeding all the unemployed people in the EU.

4. Guns don’t kill. It’ people that kill. Perhaps their should be no autobahn since it is the people driving the car that causes so much death.

5. Us ignorant Americans invented the transistor, computer, internet, automobile, and yes the first airplane which I know you arrogant Germans believe was you. We also went to the moon first, mars and beyond. Germany went to uhhh wait a minute there must be somewhere they went. Oh yea into a bunker.

6. Rather than respond to your uneducated babble, let me just say that you would be better off not coming here and deal with us fat, uneducated, war mongering, religious nut jobs.

PS
My mother is from Wiesbaden and my wife is from Karlshuld. A small village or should I say small willage near Munich. So you see, it’s not Germany I dislike it’s your liberal attitude that disgust me. It’s people like you that gave the Muslim’s a foot hold to take over the world Nice work Pal. And who are you going to call to save your ass. Why
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA of course.
I hope the phone’s not busy.

i just want to add that i really feel i owe america and other allies my standard of living in germany. they did so much for this country after the second world war and it’s something i would not have done after such a thing as the nazi “incidents”… i understand the reasons for the so called morgenthau plan pretty well.
we would not be where we are now without the help of america.
sadly there are a lot of people here who aren’t aware of that.

i just wanted to mention that because i felt it missing in here.

stackenblochen!

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here! I’m an American, and I agree–we’ve got a lot to work on. I think a lot of Americans have a hard time accepting that we’re simply not the only “superpower” anymore. We’ve got a frustratingly interesting culture, but for every person who enforces the stereotypes, there are those of us who push for change, reform, and progress. We’ve made a big mess of a lot of things in these past 8 years, and I think this country is headed for some interesting times.

The only stereotype I’ve got is that the people are very rude in Germany. I recently met a girl who lived there and she told me in the grocery store someone will slam into your cart and not say “Excuse me” or they will act like it was your fault.
In my experience, my German friends on the social networking site I talk to, are very polite and gracious. They also know the meaning of keeping in touch.

I like the German Accent-It’s pretty daffy…

nice article.

Wow, i didn’t know what to expect after reading the title, but i think your article is very well written. I can see why those prejudices exist because America is a crazy country. Thats why i thought about moving to Japan, but for some reason i never do it…lol.

I am really shocked by the vernacular used in these comments. There is so such hatred reflected as well as ignorace. Why do you spend so much time arguing about which nation is worse than the other one? This is not a who-takes-all-the-blame contest.

The reason I looked for a blog likes this was to find out more about the general American view on the average German. I am in L.A. right now and spent last night at a concert in the Hollywood Bowl where I was called a Nazi-Cow (Halt den Mund du alte nazi-Kuh) and Nazi-Slut (Nazi-Fotze) in German, peobably the only German words this man knew. Mind you: I am half-Korean and you can actually see that. The fact that I was talking in German to my sister during the intermission doesn’t automatically make me a slut nor a Nazi. But I dared asking that guy - very politely - making explicitely clear that I didn’t want to offend him - whether he could stop eating during the performance, since the noise caused by his constant chewing had really distracted me from concentrating on the cello concert having just been performed.

I’m used to racist comments but never in my life has anyone called me a nazi! Can’t tell you how infuriated and sad I felt. I left my seat immediately and if it hadn’t been for my American friends and family I also would have left the place.

All the nice experiences I had made with the friendliness and hospitality of the American people had been wiped away at once. I know that this is an exceptional incident. Yet it reflects how many Non-Germans still think of us and many of the statements in this blog also do. It’ll take me some time to get over this and I do not know whether I will find the courage to read future comments on this but I just wanted to let you know.

So for the future why don’[t you talk about what you like about each other for a change?

German are OK and even the Swedes too who speak german

I meant swiss

I am an American, and I think these are totally off. I live in New York and I think a lot of these beliefs come from more southern Americans. Also, the war mongers thing? WRONG. I believe war is never the answer and maybe you should look into your countries personal history. I am so sick of European (and other) countries who base their opinions of ALL Americans on what they see in the news or what a few people that they’ve met from America believe. Before you continue saying what you think ALL AMERICANS are, why don’t you interview every person living in the United States. Until then, don’t make conclusions on everyone.

I think Germans are bad ass. I work with them a lot, I’m a soldier, been on a few missions with some Germans. From what I can tell, they’re pretty laid back. I’m from the Bible Belt, but I’m not Christian. I’ve always caught crap for that. And in general, the culture here can seem a bit prude if you don’t know where to look. But the Germans, they were all laid back, open-minded, and friendly(compared to Americans in general). They didn’t judge, and we actually shared a lot of common interests. We aren’t that different, but there are a few things that tweak us Americans that we could definitely afford to cool down on. So I’m with you here buddy. But slowly our culture here is changing, as the traditional, dare I say “older” generation is slipping away and the newer generations taking their place, I think in the future most of our superficial and arrogant qualities will subside. I hope anyway.

They aren’t that far oss.

Very interesting. It’s been my experience that when two different groups sit in a room together (May be over a beer or two) they find they have more similarities than differences. With that said, as an American I will not apologize for being American. Just as I wouldn’t expect anyone from Germany to apologize for their country. As I travel I discover that every country has great and bad things to offer. Stereotypes are always broken when I go some place new… sometimes I see where they came from.
Fortunately we are all different… it makes things interesting.

OK, Here are my stereotypes of Germans.

1. The women all have hairy armpits.
2. Germans smell because they do not bathe very often and eat stinky food.
3. There are still Neo-Nazi youth all over the place.
4. German rock and role is very strange… even by American standards.
5. Germans do not smile very much.
6. All Germans like “Oom pa pa” music.
7. Germans do not like anything that is not German.
8. All women at Oktoberfest have large breasts.
9. Every German male has lederhosen in their closet.
10. Most Germans over the age of 13 are alcoholics.

Hopefully none of my German friends will ever know I wrote these things.

I don’t have any issues with the prejudices themselves, but you then went on to say that about half of your prejudices were true. That is the problem with stereotypes, you apply them to people who they don’t apply to. Don’t fall into that trap.

I hear a lot about the US not having much international news sources. I have 2 points on that.
1) we do get the beeb, and we get a few other international sources.
2)The land mass of the US and the size of the European continent is comparable. Germany receiving news from spain is about the same as people in Florida seeing some news from Texas.

The US was intended to be what the EU is to you. States were sovereign entities, but The US on a federal level was a way to address shared concerns. Give it a few years and it will be the same there with the EU.

Firstly, let me say that these are just my own personal stereotypes of Germans. I do not speak for the rest of the US. And please keep in mind that I’m an open-minded person in my late 20’s who has never been to Germany and doesn’t personally know any Germans. For people like me, views on Germans mostly come from history books and the movie “Beerfest”.

1. Germans wear funny looking clothing like puffy shirts and knickers.

2. Germans eat sausage for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes a bedtime snack.

3. There are probably still Nazis in Germany, but there’s Nazis here in the US also, so wtf? Can’t you guys keep them over there?

4. Germans have always made good cars.

5. Musically, Germans are either listening to techno, death metal, or they are in crowds singing drunken sing-a-longs in unison.

6. Depending on the person, when speaking Germans either sound extremely threatening or extremely hilarious.

7. Germans DO love David Hasselhoff. Where else can he draw a crowd of 500,000 people to one of his concerts? Not in the US, that’s for sure!

A few brief responses:

- Americans are extremely superficial.
Very true! But seriously, who isn’t? Are you trying to tell me Germans don’t like big tits and fast cars? HA!

- What’s with all the fast food?
Let’s be honest here. Were there fat people before fast food? Of course! If there were no McDonald’s, people would be getting fat on something else. And if it’s such an “epidemic”, why does our average age at death go up? Fat people will be fat no matter what - all fast food does is keep them from going broke at the same time.

- You like to watch how people die, but not how they are made.
One thing’s for sure, we do love explosions. They are like the coolest thing ever. I think I need a little clarification on “but not how they are made”….do you mean sex or actually seeing a birth? (lol). Cuz if you mean sex, then you’re sorely mistaken - it’s everywhere here.

- Americans are war mongers.
Don’t get me wrong - we do like to shoot stuff and blow stuff up, but no, we aren’t all as trigger happy as people like to think we are. It didn’t take long at all for the majority of the population to go against the war, and for many years now Bush has had the lowest approval rating of any President in history. What does that say for the majority of the country?

- Beer will kill you, guns won’t.
This is a very valid point, but yes, drunk driving is a much bigger issue here, and something needed to be done. We just aren’t responsible enough behind the wheel.

- Go to America and you’re gonna get killed.
Oh come on, just because we have around 13,000 gun deaths every year and the next highest country in the world has less than 1,000 means you’re gonna get killed here? That’s only .0026% of the population killed by a gun, and I assure you some of those were accidental (see Dick Cheney)

- Americans are religious nutjobs.
It’s true, there are a lot of religious nutjobs here. We’d be better off if they’s just be religious without the “nut”.

- Americans don’t give a shit about their poor people.
Compared to other countries we really don’t. It sucks. Don’t sell us completely short here. There are a lot of people and organizations that make major contributions and do great work to help the poor. It’s just the government that sucks at it.

- Everything needs to be XXL (houses, cars, refrigerators, Burgers, breast implants,…).
This is lost on me also (i have a moderate house, drive a honda civic), but we’re coming around a little. SUV sales have sucked for years now, and American car companies are trying to catch up with alternative fuels (if they don’t go bankrupt first).

- Americans are a bunch of self-centered ignorant people.
This one rings true for sure, but then again aren’t we constantly criticized for sticking our noses in other peoples business? (Stop being the world police…don’t force democracy). Most Americans are completely unaware of the world outside the US, but really it’s for the best. The ones who don’t know are better off that way. And is being self-centered really that bad?

Hey you guys, this post isn’t insulting Americans. It’s gathering data. These are just common thoughts from a few Germans about Americans in general, no need to be so rude. If this was mentioned earlier I apologize, but geez you guys. You’re certainly living up to oversensitive and aggressive American stereotypes.
And yes, I’m American too. Patriotic, in fact. But even I have to admit that, while we can try to refute these things on an individual level, as a nation we complain about these exact same things when discussing our culture.

When most people think about Germany in my area, they think about beer. Lots of beer. And, as a previous poster said, robotic efficiency. And because of that efficiency, maybe we’re kind of intimidated sometimes? Also you guys could smile more often.
Techno, yes, and Rammstein is pretty popular among young adults who like rock. Germans are also known for being loud, too, I suppose. Their music, anyway.

I have no prejudices against Germany because I’ve lived there longer than I’ve lived in the United States (12 years to be exact.) I am American, but it felt like home to me. I’ve just moved back to the United States, but I do miss Germany very much. I hope to go back some day because it was the best experiance of my life.

I found this very interesting as an American teaching English in France. (Or should I say teaching American?) I ask my students the stereotypes they have about America so we can discuss, and these are pretty similar.

The only one I would add that the French have anyway is that all Americans are fat.

The stereotypes I’ve heard about Germany are: very efficient, kind of boring (see: very efficient), drink a lot of beer, very tall and blond, drive fast, and all speak English.

Oh, and one last reaction: it’s kind of been said before on here I think, but in terms of Americans being self-centered and ignorant…I would agree on self-centered. Both in the sense that individually we are very concerned with ourselves and how other people see us (a nation founded on individualism after all) and that we are not always extremely knowledgeable on foreign affairs. But…we don’t have big issues with our closest neighbors, we’re a big country, and Europe and Asia are both quite distant! That being said, I watch news in the States and here in France, and I think the French news focuses more on internal affairs than American news. I still like French news better though, but that’s because of the fear factor of American news! (It’s hard to keep your heart rate calm and steady when watching American news, regardless of the political bias of your news station.)

Someone from Germany calling the USA war mongers? Did you forget that Germany started two world wars in the last 90 years? And that Germany tried to wipe all the Jews,Slavs and Gypsies off the planet?

Did you forget that Germany was in war after war going all the way back in history?

Did you forget who defended Germany from the USSR?

Yest very true German having these prejudices about the USA, but i think both german and arerican try to avoid such thing and need to see and understand each others good points.

What I really like about Germany is the German cars such as the Benz, Porsche, and BMW of course.

Aren’t you guys all nazis?

And didn’t you start 2 world wars?

changeless news appeared in this blog tasteful to read but not cool to rule my fool plug choice

Interesting post, with interesting comments. It’s not a fair assumption that “everyone” in America and Germany is how it was described. It’s more of the person individuality, rather than an entire country. Both countries offer a lot of great things. Whatever happened to that old saying, “can’t we all just get along?”

I think a lot of Americans have a hard time accepting that we’re simply not the only “superpower” anymore. We’ve got a frustratingly interesting culture, but for every person who enforces the stereotypes, there are those of us who push for change, reform, and progress.

Experts have talked about this before. How many times have you read about the importance of ‘adding value’ for your audience? How many times have you read about ‘building trust’ with your readers/prospects?
Many, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.
www.onlineuniversalwork.com

nice post it contents very useful information for all blogs reader

that’s great info, and very useful
thank you

Everybody who lives out of the USA has some prejudices about it. But let me remind you about the “American Dream” and so on. If it was so bad it wouldn’t have such sayng!!!

Hello,
I was pleased to find this post online, since these are stereotypes that I have encountered frequently while living abroad. I am an American and have spent most of my life living in the USA, but I spent a year living in Switzerland and am now living in Freiburg im Breisgau.
Some things that I have noticed about Germany/Germans since living here:

-Germans are obsessed with cleanliness and personal space. I live in an apartment with some Germans, and they obsess to the point of being antagonistic about cleaning. I can’t leave my jacket in the living room because it is not my space, it is everyone’s space. If I have a dirty pot or pan on my shelf to clean later, I will be approached to clean it immediately if someone else needs it. In similar living situations in America, I have noticed that public spaces are just that, public spaces. I had one roommate in the USA who would leave all her books in the living/dining room because the lighting was better than in her room. If we needed to use that space, we just moved her things off to the side. In the kitchen, if I needed a specific pan that was dirty from someone else, I would just wash it myself, rather than hunt the person down, and if they weren’t home at the time, I would not leave a note on their door “I was hoping to be able to make a pizza tonight, but the pan was dirty so I had to cook something else. You need to clean your dishes more often so it does not disrupt me.” (Note, I had used the pan at lunch before running out the door since I was running late. This was 4 hours later.)

-Germans love fast food, but they love exercise too. Never in my entire life in the USA have I seen so many people in McDonalds as I see on a daily basis during lunchtime in Germany. The lines are sometimes out the door, and it is very expensive in Germany. McDonalds, Burger King, and Doner shops are always the busiest, but conversely you also see Germans working out all the time, no matter the weather, and at all ages. Parents take their kids and dogs for walks when it is 0 degrees (C) outside, and I went hiking in the Black Forest today, frigid January weather, and must have passed 20 other people on the trail, including a pair of grandmothers and their Nordic walking sticks.

-Germans are all skinny, yet Germans are all fat. This is a hard one to explain. I live in a student city, and most of the younger generation is fitter than the American younger generation. However I see a lot of hefty Germans, especially men in their 50s and 60s with a girth that could put any BigMac lover to shame. So in the end, I think it is similar to America. There are some very overweight people, there are some people who look malnourished. The majority of the population falls somewhere in between.

-Not all Germans are multilingual, and it is not easy to find someone who speaks English very well. There are many people who study English as their major in University, these people are the exception. Unless someone has lived or traveled extensively in and English speaking country, it is hard to find someone who can actually speak English. Sure, most people will be able to give you very broken directions to the train station, but not too much beyond that. Languages are something I have seen as a recent trend in the United States. I am a bit of an exception, as I grew up bilingually (French and English) and started learning Spanish in 1st grade (7 years old). By the time I was 15, I started learning German as well. I think this is becoming much more common in the United States, with many many University and high school students doing semesters and years abroad. Americans may not be perfectly bilingual, but if you ever visit America and are really really stuck on saying something, search for a student and search for a shared language. Spanish, French, and German have been the most popular traditionally, but a growing number of students are studying Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Italian now as well.

-Germans appreciate holidays. This is something that applies to much of Europe, but on holidays everything closes down. If it is Christmas Eve and you run out of flour for that dessert you were going to make, you are out of luck. The gas station will be open and you can buy frozen pizza, fresh baked bread, cigarettes, beer, wine, chips, candy, porn, or gas there, but you cant just run to the nearest big supermarket chain to pick up essentials. You just have to make do. Stores are closed on Sundays as well, and it is well known that Europeans in general enjoy more vacation time every year than Americans.

Common stereotypes about Germany that I have heard in America
- Germans have no sense of humor. No, they have a sense of humor, I just don’t get it at all.
- Germans are cold people. Yes and no. Initially they are, but once they warm up to you and call you their friend, you can pretty much rest assured that they are a true friend.
- Germany is a Nazi-State, and all Germans are Nazis. No. That is one of the most offensive things I have ever heard. Just no. I have not seen a single “nazi” since I have been here, but I have seen protests of thousands of people against fascism and Naziism.
- Germans value education. Yes, they value it so much in Baden-Wuerttemburg that they would like it to be free. As opposed to 500 Euro/Semester, which, to an American, is free. That being said, I prefer the University system in the United States, and will gladly pay the price.
-Wurst, beer, sauerkraut, and schnitzel. All things I have consumed (with the exception of sauerkraut, I dont like it) on at least a weekly basis since arriving in Germany. And it is delicious.

Lastly, a few good old American things I miss about home:
-Spicy food, particularly Mexican food. The extra-hot salsa you can buy here is what Americans would consider mild.
- Driving. Public transportation is nice, but can also get pricey when there are long distances to travel. And I like being behind the wheel. However, gas here is almost 5 Euro/ gallon.
- The US dollar. The Euro is strong, no doubt about it. And I cannot wait to go back to the US and take full advantage of how cheap stuff in America is.
- Cell phone plans/texting. We have this one on lockdown in America. For a measly 60 USD, I can have 500 minutes, unlimited texting, free nights and weekends, free network to network, and insurance on my cell phone. Here I pay 9c/minute, 9c/text, but some people pay 18c/minute, 25c/text…

Well that is my very long post. It is all just my observations, and I know many people will find somewhere to disagree with me. That is fine.

LG,
Robin

Alright, I know that this is going to come off as a stereotypical American arrogance thing, but the fact of the matter is that the United States plays a major role in the continued globalization of the world, especially economically, which in turn influences foreign policy. We DO play attention to international news, at least we do in New York City, but every country has to admit that their national news is usually a bit more applicable to the lives of their citizens.

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It’s always good to know what others think of you. That doesn’t mean you have to do anything about it.

My answers to “Top 10 Prejudices about the U.S.”:

- Fast food: Yes, but Germans eat currywurst (hot dogs, basically) and fresh fries drowning in ketchup and mayonnaise. If U.S. food is so bad, why is Wolfgang Puck (and the best European chefs) over here and not in Europe ?
- “You like to watch people die, but not how they are made”. Some truth to that. But I also saw my share of violence on German TV.
- “Americans are war mongers”. Interesting coming from a German. Every other edition of “Der Spiegel” has Hitler or some war theme on the cover.
- “Beer will kill you, guns won’t”: well, Europe does have a much higher liver disease rate than the U.S. And Switzerland, Norway and Finland all have more guns per capita than the U.S.
- “Americans are religious nut jobs”. True. But there are plenty of people in Germany who believe in “rebirthing” and reincarnation and all manner of New Age junk.
- “Americans don’t give a shit about their poor people”. Translated: the government does not run charity. In the U.S., the poor are much more helped by churches and charities. The European governments put a monopoly on that and then criticize the U.S. because we don’t. And there are plenty of Asians who come to the U.S. with nothing and become rich. We have a president whose dad was an impoverished African, for example.
- “Everything needs to be XXL”. Germany is the size of Montana. If we had 83 million people crammed into Montana, we would also put a premium on having smaller things.
- “Americans are self-centered”. Ever been shopping in Germany on Saturday at 3 PM ? Find out who is self-centered as they elbow their way by you to shop, or creep up on your ass on the Autobahn doing 100 miles and hour. I have been bumping into countless times in Germany, without the German having the sense to even say “excuse me”.

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Wow..Well being born American but from Swiss German roots I have to agree with some of the stereotypes of Americans on here, but I can also disagree that not all of us American born citizens are fat or war mongers..I currently work out 3 times a week and diet regularly..Unfortunately we do have a lot of temptations here with all the fast food places but we also have grocery stores to go and buy vegetables, and I do that way more than going through a fast food lane..LOL..I have met a few German men who were very attractive physically, but seem to only want to come here and experience sexual encounters with American females.. I am sorry to say that the impression Germans gave me is that they dont really like us and are judging us on typical stereotype hate towards the U.S..Not everyone here is a war monger and not everyone here is fat..We do need better changes here though and would love to see more attractive blonde hair blue eyed German men come to the U.S who can get past the prejudices and maybe even give a better impression of “themselves” too..

veryone here is fat..We do need better changes here though and would love to see more attractive blonde hair blue eyed German men come to the U.S who can get past the prejudices and maybe even give a better impression of

Unfortunately we do have a lot of temptations here with all the fast food places but we also have grocery stores to go and buy vegetables

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Interesting post! I am just learning about Germany. I am a 35-yr old American female, but of German decent. Unfortunately my family didn’t pass on much of the German culture (to my knowledge) so I have been interested to learn more about my heritage. And just today I met a lady who grew up in East Germany thus what led me to this post. Anyway…

Here’s what I have in my head about Germany…mostly based on whatever I’ve heard or learned and from what I’ve seen in my own family. I’m just one American…this is certainly NO blanket statement of what American’s think.

1) Germans drink beer (Oktoberfest!)
2) Germans are very exact & precise! I cannot imagine living under the pressure of having to be so perfect! My grandfather and father were so precise, and gosh, now I see where it comes from! My dad was an engineer, my grandfather a school teacher.
3) Germans are musicians. We’re all mucisians! Some call us the Von Trapp family!
4) Germans are into food made with vinegar for some reason…German potato salad, sauerkraut, cabbage (my dad loved making this, now I know why), cucumber salad, 3 bean salad…
5) Germans are opinionated!!! Ugh, I cannot tell you how annoying that is - my mother in general, God bless her, drives me nuts! They are ALWAYS RIGHT. I have fights with my mother on this - she always thinks she’s right.
6) Germans are always striving for what is “better” - we have to make it better, it has to be THE BEST. It’s too big a blow to the ego if it isn’t exact, right, or the best perhaps? We are our worst critics. View imperfection as an enemy.
7) Dry sense of humor, loving word puns - yep, that’s how we are!
The sex thing…that’s crazy! I think this must be true because of some stuff I saw at my Aunt’s house that shocked me. It seemed they had an odd affinity to some weird sex stuff. Never knew this about Germans…interesting! And scary!
9) Germans live in cute houses in quaint villages and there are beautiful mountains there.
10) German architecture has a chalet feel to it? Not sure if this is true!
11) Loyal friends - yep, we’re that way too!

I found out this past Christmas that a family tradition was to make Springerle cookies at Christmas time. Is that really a German thing? What’s with Germans being Lutheran? Can’t wait to visit Germany some day. I hope it’s not as critical-spirited as it seems! That would just scare me.

Oh, our family has been in the US for over 100 years. My grandfather was born here in 1908. I think it was his parents or grandparents that came over in 1860-something. My mom’s side of the family came here in the late 1800’s too. They were farmers when they arrived, but were very enterprising & industrious.

Quick answer to the fast-food question since no one else has said this:
- It came about as a result of capitalistic thinking. It was a way to make money in a style that was like the industrial revolution, think assembly line, mass-production. And it was done with food instead of auto parts for example. And then it was franchised which brought more money in to the mother organization. The “fast food” concept provided value to the consumer (a quick meal) and income to the vendor (mass-producing always cuts cost of production). It was just a money-making idea someone had, and it took off. So there you have it!
Here’s some info I found online…

In many ways, fast food seems the perfect companion to Americans’ “on the go” lifestyle. Prior to the rise of fast food in the 1920s, most Americans ate together at home most of the time. As the United States became more modernized and industrial, the pace of life sped up, helped in part by the growing use of automobiles. By the 1920s, more Americans were busier going from home to work and to all kinds of leisure activities than they ever were before. This made it harder to find time for home-cooked meals.

Now, the FAT thing being completely connected to the FAST FOOD is a misnomer. They are connected to a degree because fast food is unhealthy food, in general, and eating too much of it without exercising will make you fat. But mom’s homemade cooking can be just as fattening!! The problem with so many fat people in America is our lack of living an active lifestyle. In the majority of the country, we drive everywhere so there is very little walking or bicycling. And like the lady said above, most of the time folks are too busy to work out, or they’re just lazy and would rather do other things than that. And for the record, there are many skinny people here too! I think more young people are fat today because they don’t go outside and play. Most kids waste their days on video games! Kids don’t play outside like I did in my childhood. And in the poor neighborhoods of the city, I’ve noticed there is a lack of education on what kind of food is healthy. So eating fast food is a staple, and since it’s cheap, it’s consumed a lot. That compounds the problem. There is just so little physical exercise done by the average American, so many people just get fat from sitting around too much. So you can’t blame it all on fast food.

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At about the age of 18 I discovered that my last name was German. Never a word about it from my parents - I read it in a book that my grandfather wrote about our family. My great-great grandfather came from the Hannover area in 1840. This was news to me, until then I thought I was just a boring white guy with little ethnicity - the news was that I had actual ethnic roots and I was damn proud of them. Now with the internet I can see how common my family name is in Germany, something that still amazes me. And I feel that understanding my own ethnic background makes me more respectful of the ethnicity of others. Native Americans where here before any of our ancestors so lets keep it all in perspective.

Well getting back to your main question. I have traveled to Germany three times and I have a cousin who has lived in Frankfurt so long that Germans have asked him where he learned his English, so I have a little exposure to Germany.

I spend several weeks in the Landstuhl area in 2005 and 2006 and never had a bad experience with the people or the country really. Friendly helpful people everywhere and even got up the courage to try a few German words now and then. The Autobahn was great fun to drive on but I do have a critical comment about German traffic signals. Why are the traffic lights on the corners nearest to you? Very hard to see, I had to twist my neck to see the lights through the corner of the windshield. In the USA the traffic light is across the street, easy to see, just look straight ahead. In fact my cousin told me that while visiting the USA his wife tried to drive through the intersection to “stop” at the corners with the lights, funny.

German beer is super but in the US we can get those imports or a fine US microbrew beer.

There is a part of me that wishes I grew up in Germany, maybe less hangups about sex, nudity, etc. Many Americans do feel that religion must rule their life. Thanks for the interesting blog.

Good to have bumped onto your blog and met you.

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Germans love beer
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USA does have an irritating prejudice towards Islam in general. There is nothing wrong in others having prejudices towards USA.

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