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More German than many Germans
271–280 of 545 posts
Re: More German than many Germans
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why not? By no means did I mean Hamburg. If Hamburg was a country of its own I would love to live here to my last day, enduring the social-skills situation. The reason why I do would not like to settle here permanently is more about German politics, which makes one vomit. Additionally, the recent reforms to the pension system here pissed many young people off, and the trajectory says it will only get worse. > Like…
> By no means did I mean Hamburg Ok, from your sentence, was clear to me, you like Hamburg, but you don't want grow old there. > Additionally, the recent reforms to the pension system here pissed many young people off, and the trajectory says it will only get worse. So to leave the system now moving to Norway, will make you get a better Pension? I think it depends of many factors, but I am not sure it is true, specia…
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Re: More German than many Germans
#273"Rules also make normal days easier. Something simple like waiting at a red light even when there are no cars takes away the work of deciding whether to cross. " Ah, he really became german. (It seems I ain't anymore by that standard - when there are no cars, of course I go.)
To me that aspect is a symptom not of a rule-following culture, but of the favouritism given to cars. The car lobby has a lot of influence in Germany. It is why there are no speed limits on highways, trains are in a terrible condition, and finally pedestrians are made to obey rules optimised for car traffic. The rule could be different, like in UK where the rule is that the pedestrian is allowed to jaywalk and it is not breaking any law, and you would still get a rule-following society (in that respect at least). The difference is in the expectation of whether a car is a guest in a human environment or a human is a guest in a car environment.
Re: More German than many Germans
#274[flagged]
Re: More German than many Germans
#275Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some of my favourite movies are German - Das Boot, or Lola rennt. Also series, like Dark.
Do you also have anything from the last 25 years? :D Those are some old movies. I can suggest "Land of Mine" but it's now also over 10 years old.
Also, it's Danish, not German. :-)
Re: More German than many Germans
#276Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would like to hear your thoughts on why that is the case.
German culture is very functional, rigid, and dry, and it serves people with that kind of mindset very well. However, it clashes strongly with typical Southern cultures, so it is no surprise that the parent mentioned this. People who value the "softer" aspects of life are not going to feel at home. There are certainly exceptions, and YMMV.
That's a pithy description of it all. If I hadn't met my (Greek) wife in 2015, I've probably would have left long ago.
And to come of think of it, I think there is another aspect that influences this: Germans are not having as many kids as the immigrants, so the overwhelming majority of the kids in the kitas and schools are from immigrant families or immigrant/native mixed parents. This means that (at this stage in life) any new friends you get to make are likely through your kids, and even there the pool is selected against Germans.
Re: More German than many Germans
#277Earlier quoted context omitted.
> By no means did I mean Hamburg Ok, from your sentence, was clear to me, you like Hamburg, but you don't want grow old there. > Additionally, the recent reforms to the pension system here pissed many young people off, and the trajectory says it will only get worse. So to leave the system now moving to Norway, will make you get a better Pension? I think it depends of many factors, but I am not sure it is true, specia…
Thanks for the note regarding domestic migration, learned something new today. The very last point was meant sarcastically due to the Hamburg-Bavaria beef. Of course Bavaria has some things that are nicer. For example I really miss the mountains, living up here in the north where it can’t get any flatter. Cheers!
The Documentary about Brandenburg and Berlin from RBB [1] is interesting to try to understand (or not!) the problem :)
References: [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxjmvplzeJw
Have fun!
Re: More German than many Germans
#278A very nice read and pretty much my experience. I have been here for a quarter of my life now, I do not think I can live anywhere else now. People may not like me being here because of my skin color or whatever but I do not mind. I keep to myself and follow all the "rules" I can. In fact, I like most of the rules, rules are good because they ensure order, fairness and equality. Will a little bit of empathy be nicer,…
Well, same here. I hate living here to be sure because of the slowness and the way future looks bleak because of inability to change. But.... I am pretty sure I would hate living in other places even more. And the only reason I hate it here is because I see how good we have it here, and how much better it could be if we just got off our fear of change and actually tried to move with times.
Also, Germany is one of the few countries where I have rarely been told to go back to my own country when I criticize something here, instead people say "Yeah, it is shit, but it is what it is eh?"
Re: More German than many Germans
#279> People seem to think a German passport is handed out easily now. It isn't. You have to prove you paid into the social system for at least five years. You have to pass the citizenship test. You need German at B1 level. You need a sustainable livelihood while your application is running. And most importantly, you have to accept the democratic values of this country. That is still relatively easy. 5 years is not a lon…
pass score of 52%*
Re: More German than many Germans
#280> People seem to think a German passport is handed out easily now. It isn't. You have to prove you paid into the social system for at least five years. You have to pass the citizenship test. You need German at B1 level. You need a sustainable livelihood while your application is running. And most importantly, you have to accept the democratic values of this country. That is still relatively easy. 5 years is not a lon…
This is a lower requirement than permanent residence in Switzerland for comparison.