Kapitel 9 Kultur

All of the articles for this chapter highlight some interesting similarities as well as differences between the U.S. and Germany. For instance, the article 'Love Thy Neighbor' I believe highlights a similarity between the two countries (assuming that the article embellishes a little bit). Cities in the U.S. have ordinances that sound very similar involving times of day one can use yard machinery for example. The apartment complex I live at has its own rules so as not to bother one's neighbors.

The article about Bureaucracy almost made me appreciate the Department of Motor Vehicles. I hate having to keep a bunch of papers straight and remember where they all are. It seems like a nightmare to have to meticulously organize (what I presume is) a gigantic binder of documents.

The most interesting article for me was definitely the one on German patriotism. I think this is a significant difference between the U.S. and Germany. I believe the U.S. is much quicker to dismiss, justify, or hide its wrongdoings of the past whereas the article points out that Germans find it essential to recognize these things. While it is good to have some feeling of togetherness and patriotism with one's country, certainly a blind devotion to it halts all progress and dooms us to repeat mistakes of the past. while Germany's model might be extreme, it seems a lot better than here.