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A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

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Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#41

Post by robocat »

pizza234 wrote: post #8
deehouie wrote: post #2

Why is this only a German thing. There're nude beaches everywhere. Basic idea of freedom is to be free from the conventional norm.

> Why is this only a German thing. I'd say that German is the sense of comfort towards nudity. > There're nude beaches everywhere. Well, islamic countries are very unlikely to have them. When it comes to European countries, there are, however, some religions (ie. catholicism) are generally more conservative, and in countries with such beliefs, nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy", or strange in general. Someth…

> catholicism ... nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy"

Nudity isn't an issue in Spain, Portugal or France from what I have seen.

I am unsure where you get your categorisation from!

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#42

Post by jashmatthews »

Railsify wrote: post #31
andrei_says_ wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being naked is nice but there are also negative freedoms that are quite important, although seemingly not as newsworthy. Has to be said that Germans enjoy quite a few of those, like * the freedom to not get bankrupt if they have a medical issue, * not get murdered while at school, * not be unable to afford rent and groceries unless working three minimal wage jobs (possibly four to afford health insurance), * not bein…

This is how they drive innovation, to over simplify just a bit, you are either an innovator or a peasant. A bit of devils advocate here: Would we have the MRI machine without extreme competition? I hope so, but I am not convinced. What technological revolutions will/have come from Germany?

They invented the electron microscope, so it’s highly likely. Germany played a huge role in technological development of cars, rockets, radar, nuclear physics. It’s hard to find an area of modern technology that a Germanic country wasn’t part of developing.

ETH Zürich continues to be one of the top 3 CS schools in the world.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#43

Post by muizelaar »

Railsify wrote: post #31
andrei_says_ wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being naked is nice but there are also negative freedoms that are quite important, although seemingly not as newsworthy. Has to be said that Germans enjoy quite a few of those, like * the freedom to not get bankrupt if they have a medical issue, * not get murdered while at school, * not be unable to afford rent and groceries unless working three minimal wage jobs (possibly four to afford health insurance), * not bein…

This is how they drive innovation, to over simplify just a bit, you are either an innovator or a peasant. A bit of devils advocate here: Would we have the MRI machine without extreme competition? I hope so, but I am not convinced. What technological revolutions will/have come from Germany?

MRI is a weird thing for you to choose as an example. Siemens, a German company, is one of the big manufacturers of MRI machines.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#44

Post by meowface »

pessimizer wrote: post #29
meowface wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but from spending a fair bit of time in both countries, America has a lot of advantages over Germany as well. For the poor, working, and lower-middle class, Germany is far better to live in without doubt, but for the well-off, it's a tougher comparison. I would rattle things off, but it's more like an aggregate of small things rather than big things like "free healthcare", and I don't want to seem petty and…

So for 90% of people it's better. For the 10% who are always comfortable, it is still comfortable, but not as comfortable as possible.

Pretty much, yeah. I think there are some advantages America has even for a good 50% of that 90%, but, again, they're small comforts compared to things like being healthy and alive or having an education. I like both countries and could see myself living in either place, but there is something in some parts of American culture that I seem drawn to.

That said, we may not be too far off from a time where America has single-payer healthcare and some change in our education system (maybe free public university, online school, or trade school for all families making under $150k/year). Combine that with some police and prison reform (some of which is already happening), and I think America takes the clear lead. Maybe wishful thinking, but good to have something to strive for. Both countries could learn from each other.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#46

Post by dx87 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #30
pessimizer wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So for 90% of people it's better. For the 10% who are always comfortable, it is still comfortable, but not as comfortable as possible.

USA has many temporarily embarrassed millionaires (or billionaires these days).

You should look up the origin of that quote. Not only is it paraphrasing part of a story and not an actual quote, but it's referring to people that voted to enact communist policies and ended up poor, instead of creating a society where everyone had everything they could want. They didn't want to admit that they'd been fooled by the government, so they were the "temporarily embarrassed millionares".

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#47

Post by stagas »

I also particularly enjoy the "Germanic Stare Down"[0] culture; being free to look at anyone and in the eyes without that being considered hostile is something I consider healthy as well. Compared to other places where lack of eye contact can make you feel isolated and alone, a pair of eyes and a smile in the street can bring a sense of belonging.

[0]: https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down...

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#48

Post by the_af »

chupa-chups wrote: post #3

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

Hey chupa-chups, this thing about nudity is of course a generalization.

However, I'm told all Germans absolutely adore asparagus, are passionate about them, and it is always an appropriate topic of conversation, whether discussing their many variants or how to cook them.

Can you confirm this?

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#49

Post by tdb7893 »

MNreader wrote: post #27

I get the idea that once you've accepted nudity then it would follow that you can do anything at all nude. But nude sledding sounds miserable and cold. Is this a translation issue or does someone actually think laying down naked in the snow on a toboggan and riding through winter's bounty is fun? Germans can be odd, but this sounds dumb.

As a American Midwesterner I have gone out with friends in shorts in the snow before and I know a lot of people who have done a polar plunge (i.e. jumped into a somewhat frozen lake). The fact that it's kinda dumb is also what makes it extra exciting.

Re: A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

#50

Post by vinay427 »

stagas wrote: post #47

I also particularly enjoy the "Germanic Stare Down"[0] culture; being free to look at anyone and in the eyes without that being considered hostile is something I consider healthy as well. Compared to other places where lack of eye contact can make you feel isolated and alone, a pair of eyes and a smile in the street can bring a sense of belonging. [0]: https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down...

The friendliness of a pair of eyes depends quite a bit on the context. This culture seems quite potent in (German-speaking) Switzerland as well, but at least as a visible minority I seem to experience far more less-than-kind stares that wouldn't be acceptable in the US or the UK, for instance. Giving people license to stare can certainly make others feel like they don't belong when it's indiscriminately applied.
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