Kultur 9- John Fuerst

Upon reading the three articles from Spiegel Online, I found that a common thread throughout was the Germans' relatively unanimous national opinion on how certain things should be done. Naturally, these articles often tend to stereotype or generalize German behavior, but nonetheless I felt that when it comes to certificates, being a good neighbor or showing partriotism appropriately, there seems to be an unwritten code of ethics present.

I had long been aware of the Germans' dedication to bookkeeping prior to reading the first article, "Bureaucracy Gone Awry: The German Certificate Fetish" but was really surprised to hear that it was commonplace for families to have their own practice of the trend, in the form of the Leitz Ordner. Ich habe das sehr lustig gefunden.

After reading, "Love Thy Neighbor: German Law Tells You How", I was left quite surprised and thinking how little I would enjoy having neighbors that would go so far as to take legal action against a simple barbecue or childrens' play date. I understand the right each individual has to peace and quiet but a compromise must be made, and the fact that there is a national agreement on how guilt can be placed on fun-having neighbors seems a little ridiculous. Es würdet mir gefallen nicht!

"Germany's Patriotism Problem: Just Don't Fly the Flag" was the article I found the most interesting and pertinent to my own life. Having lived in Luxembourg as a child, I experienced first-hand some of the remains of post-war resentment and embarassment about Germany's role in WW2. As an American, Luxembourgish people, particularly those old enough to remember the war, treated me wonderfully. I attribute this not only to the fact that "Bourgers"are genuinely friendly people, but also to the presence of an American cemetery (for soldiers who died fighting Nazi forces) just minutes from my house. Luxembourg was also home to many Germans, some of whom my family became very good friends with and were able to learn about German perspective on WW2 from. It is a sad thing that Germans feel afraid to show outward patriotism. But more than sadness, I feel impressed when I see how Germany has exerted itself to bettering the world and its own self-image through remembrance of what happened in the first half of the 20th century.