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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

#71

Post by pvorb »

emmelaich wrote: post #58
b2ccb2 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, it's "Nacht/Nackt Wandern". No such thing as wandelen (Apparently Dutch, as noted below). German OCD kicking in, please ignore ;-)

No such thing in German; wandelen is Dutch.

Well, German actually has the similar word "wandeln", which means something like "to stroll" and is often used in phrases like "unter den Toten wandeln", which can be translated as "to walk among the dead". So this is quite similar to the Dutch "wandelen" but used in different situations.

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

#72

Post by psc2 »

emmelaich wrote: post #58
b2ccb2 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, it's "Nacht/Nackt Wandern". No such thing as wandelen (Apparently Dutch, as noted below). German OCD kicking in, please ignore ;-)

No such thing in German; wandelen is Dutch.

maybe it was a typo? Wandern is german for hiking.

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

#74

Post by pvorb »

meowface wrote: post #26
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…

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…

Unfortunately Germany gradually turns into the US: The "Soziale Marktwirtschaft" is slowly being replaced by predatory capitalism.

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

#75

Post by wolfgke »

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.

> 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?

I know Germans who indeed find this very funny. But afterwards, better put on warm clothes or even better go into a sauna. So it is clearly not a translation issue.

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

#76

Post by wolfgke »

chupa-chups wrote: post #11
postit wrote: post #4

You only break into the culture if you get into FKK and our nonsense passion for David Hasselhoff.

David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :) Since this caused around -10 points until now I guess I offended somehow :) What I said is true for anyone I know, so I guess there's something I don't understand r…

> David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D

> Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :)

No, what causes the unification of Germany was not David Hasselhoff's song Looking for Freedom, but Scorpions [1] with their song Wind Of Change [2], [3] (yes, I am aware this song is actually from 1991 - let us ignore this historical correctness, just as we do for David Hasselhoff).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scorpions_(band)&...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(S...

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ

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

#77

Post by scarejunba »

Ididntdothis wrote: post #38
daenz wrote: post #17

Anecdotally, if you have body-image issues, spending some time nude around others (like at a nude beach) can actually help alleviate them. Seeing other peoples asymmetrical, weird and quirky bodies makes you realize that it's the norm.

Most nudists are not that perfectly built so you probably get a pretty realistic impression how people really look. My body image got shattered on a beach in Santa Barbara... No nude people but everybody almost perfect.

Equinox is the same for me. Very motivating since everyone looks good.

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

#78

Post by cat199 »

Railsify wrote: post #62
muizelaar wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

A poor example indeed. I'm a globalist so I don't personally care, I just truly want to believe the Americans extreme capitalist model has accelerated global development. Their impact after WW2 has been hard to deny, I also sometimes think that the rest of the world was decimated so they had a long period of insulation and defacto dominance simply because the rest of the planet was beat down.

> simply because the rest of the planet was beat down.

Or, also, because your currency was established by treaty to be the de-facto means of exchange to stabilize the postwar economy and then later became the defacto means of procuring energy security so that all countries would be enticed to trade with you in order to obtain some of it. Plus NATO cold war defense against commies.

.. but that might poke a hole in the whole notion of an 'extreme capitalist model'

(if one means this in the smithian free market sense)

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

#79

Post by [deleted] »

pvorb wrote: post #71
emmelaich wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No such thing in German; wandelen is Dutch.

Well, German actually has the similar word "wandeln", which means something like "to stroll" and is often used in phrases like "unter den Toten wandeln", which can be translated as "to walk among the dead". So this is quite similar to the Dutch "wandelen" but used in different situations.

[deleted]

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

#80

Post by andrei_says_ »

meowface wrote: post #44
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.

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 si…

All of these are a possibility But we need to significantly step up our citizenship game.
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