Do Germans really hate Americans?
Oct 3rd, 2007 by B.
In my language class the other day there was a big discussion about how Germans can’t stand Americans. It culminated in our teacher (who is German) advising us that if we’re out at public events (fests, beer halls, sightseeing, etc) it’s better to talk with British accents “to be safe”. What the hell??
I realize I’m the Pollyanna of the expat crew, but I’ll state again for the record that I’ve never really had an issue or encountered overly rude, hostile behavior. I mean, sure, there are grumpy people from time to time, but there were plenty of those in America too. If you suffer from the illusion there aren’t any assholes in your country of origin (wherever that may be)… you’re wearing some seriously rose colored glasses, my friend.
So I’m left wondering, is this true?? I mean, obviously it’s a raging generalization to imply all Germans hate Americans. That’s like saying all Americans hate Mexicans, or automatically think anyone of middle eastern descent is a terrorist, or don’t give a damn about crisis beyond their borders. Not entirely true to be sure, but there IS a large element of truth there, so I suppose the same could easily apply to how Germans feel about Americans.
But has anyone experienced this personally? And for German readers, are you aware of it? Maybe it’s the way I approach situations… always quick to apologize for my crappy language skills and genuinely appreciative when someone is helpful, but I usually end up with smiling Germans asking what I think of their country and telling me about the time they visited Florida or California or Nevada. I’ve never once gotten the vibe someone hated me just because of my nationality. And if they do, damn it, I blame George W. Bush.
Now I’m all paranoid… and if you’ve ever heard me trying to fake an accent you know exactly why. It doesn’t matter who or what it is… Christopher Walken, Vladimir Putin, the Smurfs… I always end up sounding like Captain Kirk from Star Trek- `Spock! Brace. For… impact. Forward. Thrusters. Engaged! I’m. Heading. Straight for. The. Black. Hole. At. Warp. Speed!´
Man, if hatemongers ever decide to target me I am so screwed…
That teacher ought to be reported to her boss. She shouldn’t be spouting crap like that.
I haven’t experienced hatred - rather Germans tell me where they’ve visited in the US and 99% of the time they’ve liked it. Of course, there are some that have no interest in visiting the US, but that’s fine with me. Let them spend their Euros where they want.
B.,
I’m probably not the “best” person to answer this question, because when I talk to Germans, they (unless they know me) have no idea that I am American.
But then again maybe that means I can judge this all the better, because they’d have no reason to candy-coat their views of Americans towards me, thinking I’m one of “them”.
In short: no, I don’t believe that Germans in general hate Americans. In fact a lot of Germans are fascinated with America in general and will engage me in a much longer conversation that I’d often like once they know that I’m American.
But as you said, there are always a few jerks out there. But they’re just as likely to “hate” the Turkish, or the Italians. Or whatever country they have their prejudice against. Just as you will find Americans who “hate” Mexicans.
Keep in mind though that you live in former East Germany, while I live in the West. That might tend to skew the results a little, although to be honest I have no idea whether it does or not.
Come to think of it, I’ve probably met more west Germans who hated east Germans. They blame them for the unemployment, and the inflation, and a lot of other stuff that the individual east German himself has absolutely no influence on.
I don’t think Germans hate Americans at all–in General. There are some specific dislikes, e.g. W, but I usually beat people to the punch by also admitting my hatred of the man.
Could your language teacher just be acting slightly alarmist, perhaps because it makes for a more interesting class discussion?
I would have been less surprised if an American had said this. Germans are so much more straightforward in their views that anyone who is used to the subtler ways Americans insult foreigners might take offense when a German stated outright his opinion about our country’s president, the American religious right, or our prudish reputation, not realizing the German in no way meant to say he hated all Americans. The fact that a German said to watch out for it, however, seems like maybe she’s exaggerating.
Also, in my experience, non-English speakers can very rarely discern between an American accent and a British/Australian/Canadian/South African one. Kind of like I can only sort of tell the difference between my local Franconian neighbors and someone from Austria or Switzerland or northern Germany. I’ve had numerous conversations in English where, ten minutes in, I am asked if I’m from Britain. And I don’t sound even marginally like The Queen.
I haven’t had any experiences to back up what your German teacher said. I have talked to some Americans who have had these experiences though, and they are generally the Americans who won’t learn German, are inappropriately demanding that everyone understand their loud, fast English, and think they can get away with anything as long as they flash a shit-eating grin. I think this behavior doesn’t sit well with Germans or other foreigners and can bring out some negative reactions.
I get asked if I’m British a lot too. I don’t know if they are trying to avoid accidentally calling someone British an American or what. Maybe they assume that anyone who isn’t shouting and grinny must not be American?
Interesting that you should post this today, as I’ve been pondering the same thing! In my entire one-month trip, I encountered two people who gave off anti-American vibes. I think one was just having a bad day and the other was at the only American hotel we stayed at, the Holiday Inn at FRA the night before flying home! And like you, I blame George W for the anti-American sentiment. The good thing is that Germans seem to blame him too and are able to make the distinction between an individual American visitor and the dufus we call our president. They don’t generally blame us, the American individuals, for the travesty of our government.
Would have LOVED to have met you, by the way!
Carol
I think that teacher is being VERY irresponsible. What a very stupid thing to say. When I lived in Dresden in the Neustadt. … when Iraq War started, American flags were removed (and some replaced with Conferate Flags :-). AND some bars around where we lived DID hang signs Americans and Brits NOT welcome. But then again, USA stopped exporting Jelly Bellies when the war started and Germany was not one of the “willing.” Took some time for them appear.
I heard for the first time Peter Paul and Mary´s “Don´t Laugh at Me” yesterday. It would be wonderful if the entire World would STOP name calling!
“Don´t get your pleasure from my pain / In God´s eyes we´re all the same / Someday we´ll all have perfect wings / Don´t laugh at me”
I’m pretty sure it was presented as an east geman sentiment, though I still stand by the fact that I’ve never picked up on it personally. One of the girls in the class mentioned that she was on a tour bus and was chatting with another woman (a german) who liked her until she figured out she was american, and that was how the whole thing got started…
I’m also a little peeved that no one ever asks if I’m British… I must still have enough of a southern drawl to give away my american roots. Damn.
I have been to the Dresden area about 6 times, mostly to the south of Dresden, for a total of about 16 weeks. During this time I have met about 50 people. A few from Dresden but mostly from the area south of there. Of those I probably know 15 real well. I have never noticied any anti american sentiment from any of them. Of course maybe I just have not met the right ones yet. I expect there are, like any where else, some of that type. Personally if I meet any I intend to just ignore them and go on about life.
Jody
After living in Dresden for three years I can’t think of one instance where I’ve encountered somebody who I felt hated me because I’m American. Sometimes people get a little awkward when I say I’m from Texas, but nothing that lasts.
Actually the only time in my life I’ve ever felt hated/discriminated against because I was American was one guy in Malaysia, and that includes a month in Indonesia, time in Thailand, Ecuador, Honduras etc.
I can’t believe a teacher would say something like “try to speak with a British acccent”. Like everybody thinks it’s so clever to put a Canadian flag on your backpack if you’re American. I’m not gonna put on an American flag, but I’m not gonna put on a Canadian flag.
I don’t think Germans (east or west, and I’ve lived in both) hate Americans. I haven’t experienced any rudeness because I was American, no wait, I take that back. When the Iraq War broke out, a guy did yell at me after he heard my accent when I ordered at a food stall. Something about why did *I* start this war and what was *I* thinking. I just told him that *I* didn’t vote for W, so he should go away, and he did.
On the other hand, I have felt that I’ve gotten ill treatment because of my race. I wrote a post about it here.
Any American caught faking a British accent deserves a swift kick to the natcha. That’s bullshit, especially in a place like Germany where we have done so much for the people here in the last 65 years. But that kind of talk is mostly unnecessary as almost all the Germans I’ve met in the last year have been friendly and open minded. That teacher is out of touch with reality and has no business spouting that shit.
I´m not German or American, but it`s a safe bet to say that if somebody hates a certain group (either based on nationality, skin colour, gender, sexual preferences) impersonally, “in general”, he/she has inferiority complex. And not necessary in relation to that group.
I can’t say I’ve encountered anti-Americanism from Germans either. Most of them seem quite interested to meet an American and ask where I’m from and how I like Germany and such. I don’t speak German for poop, but I try. They always tell me about how they’ve been to New York or Florida twice and seem totally shocked I’ve never been either place, lol. (Hey, I’ve been in nearly every state WEST of Missouri, though!)
Not to sound paranoid, but I HAVE been warned by a couple of folks to maybe keep it down in certain company. Where I live, Duisburg, there is a fairly big population of young unemployed gang-types who like to talk sh*t. I’ve watched YouTube videos made by guys in MY neighborhood who call themselves warriors for Allah and rap about how evil the US is, holding guns (real? fake?) and doing karate kicks in front of a burning American flag background. (Ironic, since hiphop is from the US. Duh.) Are they serious or just trying to look tough? I don’t walk around scared or whispering, but in certain parts of town that will remain nameless I AM conscious of the fact that it might be best if the six 19-year-old punks on the corner don’t know where I’m from. Especially if it’s getting dark and I’m alone. I should note that I don’t feel this way in other cities
Let me be the first “confirming” commenter here: Yes, these f*ing Germans DO hate Americans, albeit in more subtle ways than your teacher implied.
Most probably, you will never learn of their irrational hatred… unless you go to an Anti-Globalisaton Rally or similar “semi-covert commie event”. Or unless you engage them in a discussion about socialism, free markets, history, the cold war, corporations, advertising, psychology, Native Americans, nuclear arms (and their historical use) or other topics where Americans are supposed to be morally inferior - according to German folk wisdom. That the political parties who’d be considered the LOONY political left (I’m not talking about the equivalent of the Democrats here - I’m talking about the equivalent of Marxists!) have a combined 55% of the German vote behind them, is a good indicator of zee Dschermans’ views in gerneral.
So, your teacher was both wrong and right at the same time: Wrong in advising you to hide your origin, since Germans are COWARDS and will likely not confront you publicly. Although in a leftie restaurant you might end up with spit in your coke or snot in your soop.
She was RIGHT, however, in that you’d most likely find what Germans talk amongst each other about America quite offensive, stupid and vapid. You would be shocked what they say about the country that restored their democracy and protecetd them from the Warsaw Pact for decades amongst themselves.
Concerning this, there is also a slight difference between older Germans who have been through the war- and post-war-eras (who tend to be more thankful to Americans) and those who were born after 1960 (who TEND to be self-congratulating, self-focussed jerks).
I HATE fucking Germans (as a collective, not each single one). And trust, me, I know them. I AM German, and I was born in 1974.
I’m German, and I don’t think Germans hate Americans. I met several nice people from the US, and we always had nice conversations and fun. You always can find stupid people everywhere - but this is normal. Both nations perhaps have different views on a subject, we made different experiences in history, we have our stereotypical “national” spleens, sometimes there are misunderstandings, but this doesn’t mean, that the Germans hate the Americans or vice versa. We should be interested in others and open minded.
Wow, what an interesting post and thread of responses. I am an American, male, approaching 31, and have lived in Germany twice. Once as an exchange student in high school (Parlamentarisches Patenschaftsprogramm, anyone?) and once right now in Regensburg (since 2004, by choice, via my company).
When I lived here the first time, the CBYX program coordinators warned us (15-18 year-olds…holy crap, half my life ago!) about anti-American sentiment. My own German teacher in high school, a Jewish American (son of Jewish Prussian camp refugees) advised me to get a small Canadian flag lapel pin (like he did during the Vietnam era), else I’d have to answer for President Bush’s war in Iraq.
Odd how that has come back to haunt me.
Working closely with Germans in a giant multi-national electronics conglomerate, and even living among them for the past 3.5 years, the Germans still manage to surprise me now and then — even the ones who have lived in the United States (primarily as students or interns on foreign assignment within this same company). My first summer here in Regensburg, I saw a four-wheeler out on the street in traffic with normal cars and motorcycles and I was really shocked that that was completely legal. When I remarked that that would be 100% un-kosher in Michigan, where I am from, my colleague, who’d spent a year in Colorado, without a trace of irony in his voice said, “Echt? Selbst in dem Land, wo man alles darf?”
Many Germans I have discussed this or similar topics with have given pretty much the same answer:
I think a big part of that might be that the Germans making this kind of statement are only saying this about the Americans who manage to venture out beyond the USA’s borders.
Just this week, a “native” friend of mine was complaining about the passport upgrade he’ll have to pay for soon, thanks to the Americans. I asked what he meant, and he said it’s because the U.S. is requiring biometric data for visitors from visa-waiver countries (such those as in the E.U.) and that will require getting his fingerprints digitized and implanted in his passport.
I said, “hey, that’s not fair. You really can’t blame America for your government or multiple governments not standing up to the USA’s requirements. If your politicians thought it was unwise to implant biometric data about its citizens in their passports, they should have rejected any such change proposal. Maybe you voted poorly. Your other options are to spend a day at a consulate getting permission to come over and play, or if you dislike the rules so much, maybe you shouldn’t come visit at all.”
But that also started me thinking about proof of citizenship. If the USA had a national identity program — like a card indicating citizenship — maybe biometric data in passports from visa-waiver countries wouldn’t be necessary.
And then anyone attempting to take piloting lessons but skipping those unnecessary landing chapters who is also not a citizen of the U.S. could be much more easily detected, because you could make proof of citizenship be one of the requirements for entering the country (like it already is), opening a bank account, buying a gun (as long as that’s still allowed), purchasing large amounts of fertilizer and renting trucks… oh wait, how would we root out the terrorists with U.S. citizenship?
So, do they hate America(ns)? I would say probably not. I bet a lot of Americans would hate America(ns) if they could just get an outside perspective once in a while. I know I do; a little bit, every day, in lots of ways.
I discussed this topic last week after spotting an article from the Spiegel.
I would say there is a definite dichotomy in Germany today. I sense an intense “hatred” of American political decisions when I speak to Germans. This comes early on in encounters with Germans. They seem to assume, without asking, that I despise all American political decisions as much as they do.
But, I don’t feel hated by Germans. In fact most are genuinely interested in my background and the experiences that brought me to Germany and I have made many good friends in Germany.
I would describe this as a hate the sin, but not the sinner attitude. I could go with an agree to disagree attitude, but the feeling I get is too strong for that.
My main concern is whether the rising generation will be able to maintain this dichotomy or the ‘hate the sin, but not the sinner’ attitude that I have experienced here in Germany.
Hi, I just found your blog via Christina. I have not experienced any anti-American sentiments at all over my two years here–and with my poor German-language skills I give ample opportunity! I thought the advice to put on a British accent was funny. EVERYBODY who speaks to us in English thinks we are from Great Britain! I think this is really funny because we do not even use British words for things, much less have anything near a British accent. So if you really want to pretend you are British, you don’t even need the accent. My last post here was about a very good experience I had with a German, so stay optimistic.
Holy Moly - when did all this start. Sort of the pot calling the kettle black, I should think. When I met my husband (german) over 20 years ago, it was not uncommon for stupid people here in Australia (he came as a tourist) to say stupid things to him in reference to the whole wwII topic. He always took it in his stride and it never bothered him all that much. As an Australian living in Germany, I always enjoyed being the token Aussie that people knew. I still laugh today at a comment made one drunken night by a childhood friend of the husband. His friend said “wow I just can’t get over how much you look like a German and you come from so far away!!” - somehow my British Colonial heritage didn’t seem to factor in for him. In all the years that I have been either living of visiting Germany, I don’t think I have ever encountered any ill-feelings towards Americans. No doubt there are some fools out there that like to stir the pot, and they need a good slap up the side of the head. The language teacher should move the to front of that particular queue!
Wow, I’m blown away by all the responses this post has gotten. It makes me want to forward it to one of the many online expat news sources because it deserves more than to just languish here.
Thanks to everyone for offering their thoughts, and it’s good to know I’m not alone in thinking the comments in my class were way off. I also love it when new people comment. Gives me a chance to check out additional blogs!
Also, thanks to Sparky and Tim for offering the German perspective.
I have yet to have a “negative” experience, having just moved to Germany. But maybe I am immune to it…having lived 3 years in England (it’s been a while since we’ve lived in the US). What I have found is that few people “confront” us about being Americans and I believe it is because we try to respect the locals wherever we live. As far as the political side of it, my husband and I try to take the focus away from that…can true understanding between individuals come with that as a starting point?
I’ve had a couple of weird, slightly anti-American experiences (including the apparently requisite Bavarian Brötchen screwup), but they’re far outweighed by the positive.
That said, when I was taking German classes at the VHS, my excellent teacher was talking about neo-Nazis after a demonstration in town. She did make certain to caution the students that looked non-European to avoid people with shaved heads, white t-shirts, army boots and suspenders for their own safety. It seemed kind of alarmist to me at first, but she wasn’t given to making weird comments, so I figured if she felt it was important enough to point out, she had good reason for doing so.
But your teacher’s thing about faking the accent is pretty lame. I wouldn’t go so far as to be offended by it or report her for it, but…yeah, weak.
Just got back from Germany and everyone was wonderful. Best vacation ever.
I lived in Eastern Europe for five years and I’ve spent significant time in Germany. My German is as horrible as you can get. Overall, I found the Germans to be very friendly and helpful. The only real exceptions were the people selling tickets at the Berlin train station, but that probably has more to do with job burnout than Anti-Americanism.
What I’ve found, by and large, is that when you meet Europeans in a casual environment, they tend to be very friendly, talkative, etc. It’s quite trendy in Europe to pretend to hate America, but once you talk to Europeans one on one, you get no sign of it. BTW — if you ever decide to take on this laconic Anti-Americanism in conversation, you’ll find that a) Most Europeans don’t know what the hell is going on in American (or European) politics anyway, and b) They tend to base this America dislike on those light-as-air, bumper sticker-esque anti-war slogans (”no blood for oil” etc.). With such a lousy foundation, It’s really not even a challenge to embarrass them in that respect.
I do agree with a lot of the people here in respect to the accent. Most Europeans can’t tell an American from an Australian from a Brit, etc. They just don’t have the ear for it. I’ve been mistaken for a Brit countless times (after extensive conversation).
Nonetheless, I think you should report that teacher anyway. What a thing to tell their students. But I should caution you that living abroad you are going to hear dozens of similar stories in the academic/language-focused environment. It is surprisingly common.
I’ve lived in Germany 2.5 years and had my first real anti-American sentiment at a bar Friday night
Two Germans started talking to me jokingly, while I walked past their table, saying I looked like a celebrity, I didn’t catch it all and apologized, in German, that I don’t speak very good German.
The girl turned to the guy and said he’s British and the guy asked happily where I was from … I said the USA not Britain
He rolled his eyes looked at the girl and said “that’s not England.”
He then turned to me and said “You’re Gay”
I responded with “F**k You”
He then said something about how “he’d be angry if he was gay too.”
At that point I just walked off, though part of me really wanted to make something of it, because it was entirely unnecessary … I didn’t even try to talk to them and was just walking past with a beer.
Other than that I’ve had very good experiences with Germans and try my best to make a good impression.
First post here, just found the site, been thinking about starting a blog also.
I’ve lived in Germany 2.5 years and had my first real anti-American
sentiment at a bar last Friday night
Two Germans started talking to me jokingly, while I walked past their
table, saying I looked like a celebrity, I didn’t catch it all and
apologized, in German, that I don’t speak very good German.
The girl turned to the guy and said he’s British and the guy asked
happily where I was from … I said the USA not Britain
He rolled his eyes looked at the girl and said “that’s not England.”
He then turned to me and said “You’re Gay”
I responded with “F**k You”
He then said something about how “he’d be angry if he was gay too.”
At that point I just walked off, though part of me really wanted to
make something of it, because it was entirely unnecessary … I didn’t
even try to talk to them and was just walking past with a beer.
Other than that I’ve had very good experiences with Germans and try my best to make a good impression.
lol I encountered some prejudging because I am American and some hatred on myspace by a German so I typed in why do Germans hate Americans on goole and this is where it brought me. lol Form what I gathered it had a lot to do with the war andd our government, I told the guy we don’t all agree with everything that our government does. He said we were all sheltered and didn’t appreciate life, givce me a friggin break, so judgmental of him.
I’m with sparky..havn’t met any germans i’ve liked; however, i’ve met damn few. That probably makes me a bad person, i don’t despute that. On a more vengeful note (we’ll call it the nuclear option) if “jerries” give you shit about being responsible for iraq you can always pin the holocaust on them. It’s a damn dirty trick, but a fair comparison given their extreme lapse of logical reasoning. CHEERS
Ok this may seem odd to you that I would even stumble upon your site, much less comment on it, I hope you don’t mind, but please let me introduce myself and then add my 2 cents worth to the discussion of whether or not Germans “hate” Americans.
One of my best friend’s sisters lives in France and via her blog, I found Mausi’s blog and started reading it regularly, just to vicariously live out what my life would have been if I had stayed in Germany. (I had the pleasure of living in Germany for almost 13 years: one year in Bonn (1982-83), eleven years in Hamburg (1984-1995) and 7 months in godforsaken Soltau (2006-2007)). I was married to a German for 13 years. I had my baby in Germany in 1992. I suffered through my husband’s affair alone in Germany. I got divorced in a German courtroom. I lived life as a German. I speak German so fluently that no one usually knows that I am American, in fact, those who do detect any sort of accent assume I am Scandinavian or from Nordrhein-Westfalen.
I have a very complicated and beautiful relationship with that country and its people. Several of the best friends I will ever have in my life are German and yet, I have never felt so misinterpreted and lonely as I do in Germany.
But…..my opinion? No, I don’t think that Germans, in general, hate Americans. I DO think that Germans, in general, possess a degree of arrogance, disdain and mostly dismissiveness when they deal Americans. In general, I think that they see us as wide-eyed and naive, as ignorant and overly sentimental, as selfish and thoughtless. I believe that they do, in general, have a tendency to challenge Americans to prove otherwise when they meet them. They seldom come outright and say “I think you’re stupid and vapid.” They are much subtler than that, despite their infamous directness. Honestly, having read all of the comments here I really think that most who have written that they have not had any negative experiences with Germans simply haven’t been living there long enough nor do they speak the language well enough to really get whether or not Germans are being dismissive toward them. Honestly, the better you speak German, the more you become a part of the fabric of that society, the more you see, as I did, that there is a deep-seated disdain for Americans. But I think that disdain actually comes from a positive place. Does that make sense? I think Germans wish they could be more like what they perceive Americans to be (fun-loving and light-hearted, optimistic and happy, blissfully ignorant if you will) but at the same time they feel a sense of duty to be serious and contemplative; meaningful and heavy; full of complaints and weariness. It’s complicated. Watch this for yourself. As your German gets better and better and as you gather more and more experience with close German friends, I am pretty sure you will see this.
hi, i am german, so my passport says. but, yes i am not german as well, that is what my ethnic background says. i have been living in the us for about a year and i really think that i can tell that i understand both.
first, of all i have to say that it is not stupid to warn students to fake an british accent. some situations which seem similiar to the us could be far more different in germany or europe. for example, imagine just an american student invited by some german friends to a german soccer game. ever heard of hooligans? it is not like in the us that if you swear you get suspended from the strobing. no, here you could do worser and not even get arrested, seriously. having and american there and some of these retards, who seek trouble, might not be funny at all. these people are fighting every single weekend in at the strobing cause they have no perspective in live, cause their job does not give it them or their wage? but both are limited. they can´t escape their social background?. they are nuts and the governemtn supports it. cause, they need more beraucrats to take care of those idiots, cops, social workers etc. a great thing if you want to hide tax money.
i have also had my experiences with the germans, especially with german pedagogues, some sublte racists, anti-jewish, and most of them really anti americans, anticapitalist, anti live at all. most of them are frustrated, have no children no wives and are just seeking to indoctrinate their narrow minded views on their students. and here, we have the again the root for it. they have no way to climb up the social ladder. germany is a totalitarian system if you view it for the educational system. they fear the free market, cause that would mean that a lot of them would be unemployed. no one can control these teachers, cause if you do someting against it, your children might not achieve another grade, and if you want to do something you have to have money.
i have experienced really taff sublte antisemitsm in latin courses, where the teacher came up at the end with a hidden jewish candle holder in an stylistic device, not to mention the topic of the text. another english teacher was talking about that the dutch have no real language, that it is a german twisted one, that the english language is everywhere, not avoidable for the german consumer…etc. but one thing really was too far, where he presented a cowboy hat with a david star on an imagine of the earth. ” so kids what do you think?” that has nothing to do with english class, that is merely anti american or anti david star subtle propaganda.
another funny one was showing the evolution of technology on a piece of paper with people in at a star-queqe going up a hill. the first one holding up a torch, the second one a bulb and the one at the end the symbol for nuclear energy and the last one is a precipice, with a caveman in it. like if all these achievements were senseless, having the only true alternative, an authocratian third reich:) another
example, we want to travel to italy with class. we are not allowed to buy cheap airplane tickets to get there in a few hours but are imposed to buy expensive traintickets, because of environmental issues. but, there is more. we have to support the german bahn DB rather than flying with the italian airplane. another example of fanatic german museum life culture is the theatre. this has nothing to do with the classsubject but the teacher wants us to go on the weekend with him to the theatre. but, wait a minute, we already pay taxes for that, even no one wants to see it. but if you don´t go there, your mark goes from a to e. that is how it works.
another example. had ecology in us as a subject and biology. really cool stuff, paid 50 bugs and was allowed to disect everything from the lampree to the mammal. learned a lot. here in germany, with the biology class we travelled to a nearby lab with school. on the way back home my teacher talked to me in bus and asked me if i like biology, cause i am so good at it. i said yes i do, and told him about my disect experiences in the us. he looked at me and said, that he doesn´t like americans, cause they are religious. my mark went from b to e. i even had always right in the tests, but somehow he could not read my writings, and using computers is not allowed cause they can´t afford to buy everyone a computer and so, it would be unfair.
i have more such anti-american stories, this was just a brief extract, what psycho shit i had to deal with at school. the society in generel, and that is my point of view, cause i have heard much more and seen by far more is absoulutely anti american. they do not want to show it, of course not.
germans think they should reign the world, everything else is just not normal, not natural.
but the truth is, that they can´t handle the truth, that they are lazy, irresponisble, intolerant and so forth.
there are millions of immigrants living here, working and paying taxes, but noone is allowed to vote. how democratic is that??
by the way, the 9/11 idiots became so fanatic cause they could not integrate into the live here, they were like many other abroad students, without any huge money resources and industry ties (most of them were engineers) going toward a dead end. blinded by this german democracy!
and by the way, the german BND told the cia that there were wmd in iraq.
with these friends, america, you do not need enemies:)
in my opinion, the german society as a whole has many, many problems, the education field being just one piece of the racist cake.
the germans hate america, cause the american government suports freedom, self-determination and democracy and that means liberalism. the germans fear liberalism, cause that would mean that many of them would finally also have to work to make a live, not having the chance to get a bearaucratic official job, where they can torment people, with foreign backgrounds, who do not speak their language and do actually work. competition is something germans do not like, cause that means that they will have to make an effort, but their system is built up that way that only they are allowed to climb up the social ladder. pure racism. in a free world they would have to learn, if they want to get an academic degree, and work for themselves. this is the reason why germany hate the free world. cause it is not social in their way, which is a socialism limited to their national borders (nationalsocialism).
the german government uses my taxes, without my will, to substititute every shit which supports their reactionary system. like their musem culture. germans politicians are trying to built up socialism in countries like france and poland, cause so they could live on the cost of the french and polish people! ever seen a german harvesting something in germany, no, only polish people do it, not anymore cause they get more money elsewhere, but this is just another example of how lazy the normal dumbass german is. the german peasants are all losing their harvest cause there is noone else to work. if you are dumb, irresponsible, and drunk you get money in germany, the only thing you need is a proof of your german race! yes, you do not have to work here, if you are german. but who does the work here, the slaves do it:)
only a free market and a democratic system can stop this luncay, and that is what germany fears. the us and their efforts here in europe are a spine in their eye.
ever talked to a muslim fanatic? it is like talking to a german bereaucrat! it is senseless. smart germans would never tell an american that they hate them, cause that could cause media. but they do!
oh, bye the way. you are probably thinking why is this angry idiot not leaving germany if he hates it so much. the reason is that my folks paid taxes, for years to nourish some incest alcoholics and their racist scum they call children, and now i need to get an degree to leave this wonderful country and therefore i study on the cost of the german system.
it is like this. if you have no money and your parents are from the working class, there is no chance to get a college degree. well, but isn´t it wonderful being a worker in germany?? yes, if you are a german drunk! cause then you won´t realize that this system is fu**** up. but, if you want to leave it and are smart enough to do it (brain drain) than you need some academia!
even the left politicans send their dumbass children to western schools, but they do not pay taxes:)) germany sucks, all germans are mindfu***. do not trust germans. they hate us all!
Can’t we all just get along?
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I don’t think all Germans ‘hate’ Americans as you say… of course, there are many, but people in every country hate America… everyone hates a country. Why make such a big fuss about it? I’m not too fond of America either, but I’m not going around saying why and making a huge deal about it. So do us a favor and shut up. If someone hates your country, don’t make a damn website about it. There will always be hatred for something. And complaining or talking trash about people will NOT change that. And yes, I am a German, and damn proud of it.
Dear ‘Proud Of It’ German-
When I saw your response all I could think was… what a complete idiot. Had you bothered to read through the thread, instead of making one wrong assumption after another, you would have see that I’ve always been a huge fan of Germany and Germans. I thought the whole ‘Germans hate Americans’ thing was complete bullshit, and I said so.
In fact (present company excluded) I’ve found most everyone here to be gracious and welcoming. I’ve pretty much done the opposite of trash-talking. Ironic, isn’t it?
lol. Why do people stoop to low levels all the time. Perhaps I had a reason behind my statement and you failed to see it.
Why do you think I was even talking to you anyway? lol
i think the root of this narrow minded view lies in the german proud. i mean even they do something wrong, and they absolutely now that they are wrong they still are proud of it, even it is absolutely immoral, wrong and just destructive, someway they believe that this false pride turns it to good! in my opinion this is fanatic!
Good advice i may say. Considering the 10% vote for the NDP in my state…. East germany if you wander. Americans are not resented in the West…not really in the East either. But more and more East youth are kindling nazi feelings, and believe me that is a problem. Back to topic, try to avoid bars and such acting (or being) like a Ami in some areas, in East. West shouldn’t be problem you should be treated respectfully. Best of Regards.
Hallo everybody,
I am a latin man and I have lived in USA as is in Germany as well. I know quite good the germans, and my opinion is neutral since I am latin. But whatI have seen is that most of the Germans dont say the things in your face, they hide your feelings. but after a lot of struggle you can find what they really think. As regards for americans, many germans think that their politics is mistaken. Also, they notice a lack of culture as compared to the long history of germans (which is not the best!). So in general, germans will not like the americans system, but after all, we are only persons so if they get to know you well, their will not be a problem