Comments by "Holger P." (@holger_p) on "Brit in Germany" channel.

  1. Germans always complain towards "I could imagine a better way of doing things", it's towards a fiction, and this can drive people to improve things. But this does not mean, you can improve things by moving, by "it's better in another country". Such a place is still hard to find, Switzerland or Norway is often named as competitors in quality of living. But in worldwide measure, Germany is still quiet on top of the list, gains by moving are rather small, more on the individual/special interest level. But some people forget, complaining doesn't mean "it's bad", it means "I can imagine better". Even in the best country in the world, Germans would find things to complain.
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  2. This was valid in 1918 and 1945 too. There are changes from time to time.
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  3. ​ @ernesto003plus that's Nonsense. Unless they blame you for not speaking english. But i travel all of europe without speaking most native languages and it works fine. It's more kind of optimism than forced expectation.
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  4. We don't see any development towards common policy, common laws, unification etc. This once was the dream. National interest is too strong. Becoming part of something bigger, feels like giving up souvereignity.
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  5. No you don't need to expect anybody is speaking your language, but you can expect anybody speaking English, that's a difference. Cause it's also polite of anybody else to be able to communicate, if they go abroad.
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  6. Income level is close to OK, but it's impossible to ever catch up with accumulated assets. The income difference is compensated by another magnitude of "Do it yourself", people paint their appartments themselves, have no "maids" or other services, there are less interiour architects or Yoga-classes. there are 74% of women employed in the West, compared to 86% in the east. The "One-income-couple" is a rather unknown model. And in return, the low pensions of women, you rather find in the west, because they were never or short time employed. Largest difference is: The existance and acceptance of Kindergardens.
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  7.  @Anri6547  This does not mean, the relatives in this family know what kind of toilet this girl has used in their youth. It is many things/assumptions never spoken out. An indian driving a car has at least to learn to stay in lane and not change tracks. They don't do that in India. It's a million little differences. "uncivilized" is a too hard word, but it's more differences when with americans. Altghough they have different door knobs and falling windows. There are things to learn.
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  8. Language is under permanent change. That's good. Writing "Sale" is more or less just a fashion, like the used colors have changed from 1980 to now also. Oktoberfest and house shoes are not endangereoud.
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  9. With a birthrate of around 1.6 Europe would go extinct. To not have a shrinking econonmy, we need these people. (although we would like to control their count) Culture is always a process in development and you can't freeze it.
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  10. It's the listener, who makes the decision, which case you are currently at. When I tell you "Loose some weight" it can be rude, or it can be a friendly concern about your health. You are rude by judging people, putting them in one box or the other.
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  11. Not to forget, the stereotype itself depends very much on the country you are in. The US stereotypes on Germany are completly different then the British ones. Such jokes like Prince Harry in a Nazi costume is so British, I guess it would not happen in US so easily. You can currently see the comments of British people on the visit of King Charles. ...it goes like "that german bastard" just to quote one.
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  12.  @davidsellars3924  I think a lower quality, esp. of vegetables would fall back on the entire shop. It would ruin the image, the reputation. It should never end with "this shop is selling rubbish". When Aldi started this used to be a little different. Cheap tiles, no shelfs, selling from the carton placed on the floor, and customer saying "I accept this, for the sake of a low price". This has dramaticly changed since kind of everybody is a discounter, REWE is not more expensive than Aldi, it just has more, and more expensive options, additionally. So the setup of "nice shops", with shelfs, and wood, and clean floor and lightning and smell has kind of influenced Aldi and Lidl to raise their standards. And all this beauty and cleanliness of the shop, has to correspond to the vegetables of course. Bad items are sorted out hourly. You need to attract people with those things also, cause this is cheaper in the long run, than lowering the price of cucumber.
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  13. But the experience you made, have the companies and the governement made also, and they learned from. The language bareer for immigration (no getting citizenship) has been lowered. And companies hiring what they can get, in the "everybody is better than nobody" manner. Beeing fluent in English, is a requirement to Germans also, on the other hand. Job ads can be considered a "wish list". Even if you don't fit 100% it's worth trying. But it makes many people hesitate. But see it through companies eyes: If they request very little, they got lot of applications, difficult to pick the best. With high request, at least there is an option to find somebody "I fullfill everything", even if they get somebody fullfilling just 70-80% at the end.
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  14.  @rekkorder  you nibble for correct words. OK, if you expect anybody to speak any foreign language it's English. If a German goes to Thailand, he speaks English, If a Polish goes to Brazil, they speak English. Of course there are people who don't speak English. But this ist first try and best guess. If any, it's English. Expecting is more in the meaning of "having good chances to find somebody to understand you". You don't try it with Russian in Brazil. So in Reverse, native English speakers get along without learning any language pretty good.
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  15. The problem is the idea, the "need of people" would be different in each country.
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  16. Sure, I coudn't either, and you are not very helpful in explaining it actually. For me both is very very bad and not good for anything. It both supports separatism, draws border to neighbors, does not treat all people equally. You can see it in front of each football stadium, fans of one team are more or less in war and hate against the other fans. I don't care whether this is patriotism or nationalism, it can raise war, that's a bad thing. By accidently beeing born in a certain place, that's not reason to be proud on, just to start with.
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  17. No, it's up to each individual to enjoy it or to call it a desaster. I don't see anything negative in it. You can look back with some sentiment, the same way as steam locomotives are lost over time.
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  18. As more ratings newspapers do, as more likely you will appear at one of them.
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  19. Once, when complaining lead to "I know how to do it better, and I do it", this lead to a lot of creativity and founding buisnesses. What has been introduced in the last 150 years into german culture, is risk-aversion. This really parallyses lot of people. Demand for security is too high.
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  20. Sure, as more distance you have to other, as more others have to think, "do we have to donate him a meal", "can we go to a more expensive restaurant together", Do we make you unconfortable when suggessting to go to cinema, maybe you cannot afford it. Many activities get complicated, if you are not in the same social layer. It's like meeting a blind guy. Should you offer help or not ? It's insecurity mainly.
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  21. This can indicate an illegal dealer, not wanting to leave any trace, not paying taxes ..
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  22. That's an indiscrete question.
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  23. The divide is nothing you can really see, it's only in some peoples heads. You will notice lower income levels maybe, but very subtile, by the absence of Gucci stores or Michelin star Restaurants. The implicit "luck" was the lack of money in the East in the 70ies and eighties. In that time old/half destroyed buildings or war ruins were teared down in the west and replaced by the style of that era (brutalism etc). When it came to repair the east in the 90ies, many 'almost ruins' could be saved. The awareness for history had changed.
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  24. Unfortunatly, people don't distinguish, if they have a job or not. Even when hiring a nurse from Marocco, and you see her on the bus, she is put in this league of "unemployed immigrants". And keep in mind, the sentiments are helt by just a share of the population. The number of people coming, or the number of people with working permission and beeing unemployed, you cannot "feel" by looking around; .. only by reading statistics. And if statistics and sentiments doesn't fit, people say statistic is fake.
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  25. But that's normal German history. Sometimes with move. The question is, did your ethnic group ever change, you staid, czech or slowenian, or german, or hungarian all your life I guess. In Germany about 30% of entire population got relocated in 1945, if you remember. My grandma is born in austrian hungary (50km south of Dresden), this was czech republic from 1919, annexed by the Nazis 1937, relocated 1945 (10km north actually), DDR from 1949 and change of state in 1989 again. Normal german biografie, with a 10km move.
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  26. Just been to Luxemburg from Dresden, that's really not a daytrip or weekend trip. It's a 10 hour drive. In a daytrip you might reach any place inside germany. But there is nothing like a best central place in europe.
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  27. France did end the identity of "Le grande nation" much better. Russia has the same dream of an empire, it is in war. So UK is at least on the better side. "Second fiddle to US" might be OK, but speaking it out loud is not healthy. I sounds desperate. The idea it would be good to be "one of a kind" is the core of the problem I think. Going together with others, see neighbors as friends, beeing better than others does more harm than good. This was/is the idea of the EU.
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  28. It really has changed by generation. If 25 year olds meet for the first time, they will use "Du" and since the 35 years olds don't want to be considered old, they do the same. A waiter makes you feel like you are part of the family, you belong here, if he's saying "Du". It would be really awkward du use "Sie" in a gym. The "Du" means you are equal and Germans like to be equal.
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  29.  @harry-james-books  did anybody say, you were wrong? No you were right, and only if you voted for brexit, there are the options of beeing Idiot or racist, not mutual exklusive.
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  30.  @danilomodus5651  It's not about getting "cheap workers", but as you say "get anybody" "whoever may apply" - and why not. There is no other option. But I don't see any relation to Brexit at all, that's done by some crazy nationalist, blaming Europe for anything going wrong in their country. That's a europewide phenomenon. If something good happens, it's due to the local governement, and if anything bad happens, it's to to Europe. This way Europe got a bad image. But it's based on such accussations.
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  31. If you come to work, you are not a citizen. If you become a citizen, you have to speak german. So a non-citizen, is always a 2nd class citizen, no matter if speaking german or not ;-)
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  32. With your arguments, any language on the planet, except English, is dying.
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  33.  @quarrelsound  aber alles verdient auch, gelobt zu werden, wie gut es bereits ist. Denn sonst jammern alle über den Mangel an Anerkennung.
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  34. It's a common use of "the Germans" or "the Americans" to talk about an average, or something that applies to 60% ...a majority. Comments "it doesn't apply to all .." are just annoying, everybody knows hat.
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  35. Avoid risk of your own is one thing. Blaming others for taking a risk is another level. One is to protect people from failure, the other is kind of "holding a criminal back from exploiting people".
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  36. Do it for yourself. And take the chance to have family support. But don't say you do it as respect for others. Impress yourself. For your nephews you may even become boring, if they have nobody to talk english to anymore.
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  37. Germans are more planful. They do things by intention. While Americans are more into taking a chance. They talk to 20 people, to find one interesting maybe. It's more this Try&Error attitude. But I will never getting over asking "how are you" and not expecting an answer. That's the most rude thing you can do. And if you expect an answer, it can be very indiscrete and intrusive. Just like asking "how is your bank account and have you got enough sex".
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  38. Is Scotland really considered a country ? For a German, this has more the feeling like beeing Bavaria. It's clearly ranked as beeing part of the country Germany. And "regional products" germans buy for ecological reasons only, as "not beeing transported more than 50km or so". maybe the "made in Germany" is also taken as sign of quality or supporting economy, but not as a thing of national pride.
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  39. That's not a sentence. Verb and subject are missing. For vacation I also don't learn the language of the country, most often I get along. As a German, I don't mind speaking english with people, I'm proud to be able to speak english and like to help. So blame me, not the foreigners.
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  40. A programmer should write a program, doing his jobs, at least the repetitive administrative ones. And you are entitled to earn the profit from that. The creative job is 24/7 anyway. You can't turn off your head, take problems home, and the best idea you get on a hike or while having a shower. That's scientificly proofen. That's why being paid by the hour is pretty much nonsense.
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  41. no such gigantism, selfishness, or whatever. You sound like Trump or Putin with fantasies of leading the world.
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  42. @ What happens, und what is perceived are completly different, und the perception is more "they are doing nothing". Even worse, only bad news are in the news. Everything good is taken as granted. Local politicians often use the trick, when it's positive, they have done it, and when it's negative, "they are just following EU regulations". That's why EU is perceived as 100% bad (to people, who don't see this trick). When I have no clue, I'm just the representative example, also most others have no clue ;-) But I talked about perception, not reality. Like "green deal" and EU ? People who don't like it put all their hate to the native green party, they don't see it's coming from EU. It's some kind of blaming or brainwashing.
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  43. As soon as a company has international affiliates it's more likely required. And it's tolerated Germans talk German with Germans ... until the first non-german walks in. It might be a little different, whether it's a company like Intel or Tesla, or a german based company like Volkswagen.
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  44.  @kaworunagisa4009  Well soviet ist like east germany. And there, recycling was a need, there was no way to buy new things. Today this is raising environmental awareness. But it's still in the German soul, cause all the ideas of throwing things away instead of repairing them, just started with globalization in the 90ies, the raise of china. A product made in Germany was always worth repairing, cause it's so expensive. But one made in China, is not.
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  45.  @kaworunagisa4009  Yes, but solution for this today is flea markets as mentioned, or more digital "ebay". It turns "someone might need it one day" into "someone might need it today".
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  46. Some things are simply to personal. You don't want to give all the details of your desease. Diarrhea would be such a "too much details" thing with too exact pictures in mind. So you give a more rough description of "something in the gastrointestinal tract", and you don't do it in Latin, but in German.
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  47. It's not possible to have no culture. People eat, they have theatres, they dress. Hence there is culture. "Russian from Russia" is more like an American expression, nothing a russian would ever use.
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  48. You will have a team at work. That's the top way to get in contact. Maybe you join a gym. Everything where you meet the same people more often can be source of relationships.
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  49. Definition is important, just every person is bringin in it's own, everybody a different one. There is no migration into germany, except an employer is hiring you. Anything else is Asyl and refugee. Of course inside EU there are no restrictions. Administration is are, Germany is an unattractive country, difficult language - and relativly low income for high skills. They kind of gave up to attract people, they try since the 90ies, with Indian programmers, who never came. So second best soluttion is, take refugees and educate them. Take the people who are already here.
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  50. I still wonder why british refuse to install one armed faucets. It's cheaper, only one whole to drill, only one crane to buy, easier to use, but they insist in these cold/warm separation. There must be some mentally wrong. Conservatism must be a real thing. I guess they still use shower curtains.
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  51. If you speak english fluent with knowing 10.000 words, it's bad english by definition. There is nothing wrong, it's just reduced vocabular, missing nuances maybe. Even UK native speakers, can speak bad english, it's normally a sign of low education. Your reforms sound nice, but it's impossible to implement this in a democratic way. You can create it with private money, and campaign to use it, but if there is no profit, nobody will invest this.
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  52. Where you expect "efficiency" it's more thoroughness, or attention to details. What could be considered a good thing, if you think about it one by one, can become a handicap if it creates complexity or generally delays. With the mediterranean "laissez faire" (don't care for laws) or with a dictator (we do it, cause I say so), things would be faster. But Germans don't like either one of this. They want thourough plans and guarantees.
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  53.  @luminouslink777  Yes, but for IT Consultants, or university professors, it's rather simplified. There is kind of "green card" program for such people. Still can take 2-3 months for paperwork, but for the first visit, you just come as a tourist.
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  54.  @luminouslink777  now you complain the Immigration rules for pets ? Right, and you cannot bring your mother in law either.
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  55. You learn it by your parents and grandparents, how to celebrate birthday and christmas. It's nothing you learn in school. To perceive something as German, you need to do something else: You need to look abroad and see what others do differently. Then you know what is German. Pride is not a necessary thing. You don't need to be pround Rudolf Diesel was a German, or things like that.
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  56. With cable cars and everything, not with much skiing though, since climate is too mild.
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  57.  @britingermany  He's referring to non-white Brits. And maybe you are unable to represent UK people with Indian heritage ...I don't know. But it's a point to think about.
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  58. I don't see why "national independence" is important. UK and Germany both have a federal system, with local/regional governements, and it's mainly a tradeoff. Yes, regions can decide what to teach in school or what color the police cars have, but what is this good for ? To reflect the local habits ? No. It's not good for anything but trouble, people who move from one region to another get problems in the school system. So for me EU is just another layer of federation, and in the same way as Bavaria lost it's competence for self-defense to Berlin, it would be no problem, to move this competence further to Brussels. With the school system, maybe we also push it one level up to harmonize it.
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  59. No. German learners complain, people immediatly talk english to them, if they notice you are not perfect in German.
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  60. Eastern EUropeans can come without any permission, this is very easy for them, no need to involve politics at all. India (Bangalore) and Pakistan (Lahore) are known as good place for programmers and IT people. Thats why some companies try to hire there. But they are not very successfull. When indians want to migrate, they prefer english speaking countries.
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  61. Keep a simple number in mind: Germany is shrinking by 200.000 people each year. It needs an arrival rate of 200.000 just to sustain the population. So yes, 1 million every 5 years would be OK. And there are hardly more coming. The Ukrainians exceeded the number cause they got unlimited permission. And Germany has no immigration law at all, so Asylum is one of the only backdoors. The only other option is you have a working contract at a german employer.
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  62. @CH-od8ni  yes, but it's huge differences from year to year
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  63. Don't forget: idioms in English is essential part of daily language. In German it's not. It's good to understand them passivly, but it will sound kind of old fashioned to use them. It's a bit like you take the urban dictionary of 1950.
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  64. Do you know any people who "saved their life" (financially) with such an insurance ? It's really quiet rare, you have to pay somebody 5 million for beeing guilty to bring somebody in a wheelchair or so.
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  65. Since the strong link to Canada and US, the UK is almost not perceived as a country or nation of it's own at all. The same as William Shatner is perceived as Hollywood actor, not as canadian, I perceived Sean Connery or Peter Ustinov for a long time as Hollywood actors. They made english movies. Today even language schools move from British english, to American English. Britain is loosing identity, it's loosing the role as the home of the english language. Economywise, I could not name any consumer product I use from UK. I know Rolls Royce - end of list. Even the cheddar is from Kerrygold. Maybe scotch whiskey.
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  66. Using Apps to buy tickets germanwide is quiet useful. Like DB Apps covers most. On paper tickets there is also a huge difference, whether to stamp the ticket or not. In some cities you buy validated tickets just before the ride. In others, like Berlin, you can buy 10 tickets in advance, and just stamp it, if you use it.
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  67.  @reconquista4011  The property restoration effects only a small group of people, also in 1930, 98% of people were just workers or farmers, not "capitalist" who lost something by the communists. This does not explain anything essential. It's more this "Getting used to the new system", that has NOT really happened. Or it's only a getting used to, without having an education , or seeing a manual on it. People were forced into it - although they wanted it - but without knowing the consequences. People who see a "divide" most often just present a significant difference in some numbers. Something is 15% in one part and 25% in the other part. Yes those differences exists, but because of you search for it. If you search for "what is equal", like number of cars per household or so, people would just find it boring numbers. But since differences are a good topic to talk about, they are emphasized by people or the media etc. Search for a "divide" between north and south, you would find the same result. Nobody is searching for it, that's why people don't talk about it.
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  68. In Germany almost the same negative claims are made, and since most of them are exaggerations, I don't take them for serious. But in UK it seems to be serious, if there are UN studies around it. I still think, education is most influenced by your motivation, discipline, engagement, maybe talent. (Unless lessons are really canceled due to sick teachers or whatever). Educated parents most often support with more motivation to learning, but this is not "stupid" parents don't have the chance, they just don't do it, cause they are stupid. In some cases wealth might help with auxiliary teachers or buying a book. A private school is kind of the easier way for personal care for each student, others have to apply self-care, or what I called it: engagement and discipline. It is hard to impossible, to measure chances by results. The difference is, to use the given chance. .. like sitting down do your homework.
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  69.  @jassidoe  I feel old, if somebody is addressing me with "Sie". And actually there is no time to have an opinion on a person, in the second you meet them. It's not so much a thing where you grew up, also when you grew up. If you are unsure, you find workarounds. Instead of "Do you want a coffee" you say "How about a coffee". It's very easy. You postpone the decision or leave it to the other. Also in using the plural (talking to a couple) the problem disappears. Yes it became a problem, cause the rules are not simply and strict anymore.
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  70. No, Katzenjammer refers to this unspecified sound, not really knowing what the lamentation is all about. While Kater is more likely from Khatarr, greek for something like cough or flue. Also known for muscles. In English there isn't really a special term for sore muscles.
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  71. What you are describing is a leak of self-confidence. Could also be a part of a depression. It's actually nothing related to international cultural differences. Yes, getting used to have no self-confidence, might be a point. This results in this "I follow somebody elses rule and shut up".
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  72.  @shelbynamels973  people always stick to their favourite words. You can tell the age of people by the words they choose, same as by first names. Criminals sometimes choose their victims, by going through the phonebook and picking Erika and Horst, expecting elderly people.
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  73. But when it's equally bad everywhere, nobody can complain he's doing worse then others. Communist-like societies do a little better, cause without social classes, social mobility is undefined. There you have a little "the son of a farmer can be a doctor" but that's all. If people are not in a mess, how should they ever "pull themselve out of anything". it's a dilemma of people living in security, missing this experiance. Actually migrants from the 3rd world are more used to such shocks. And at least they are less complaining, the just think, it's normal.
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  74. Actually Germans are just to exact, they don't use the name of a desease for just a range of symptoms and without any diagnosis. So they developed some smooth expression just to give other people (not doctors) an idea of a condition. For having pain in the stomach they would never say diarrhoea, cause this means, you are unable to leave the bathroom. So they invented "MagenDarm" as a more loose description.
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  75.  @AltIng9154  Imagine your income shrinks, but your house stays the same size. You cannot maintain it for long. That's the same as shrinking economy.
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  76. @karenlaterf8088  that's Nonsense. People are mobile and mix. People adopt what they like, like pizza and Döner, and still insist to be different ? The grand grand fathers had different habits cause they were immobile. It was not by purpose, just by external constraints.
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  77. The german term "Auswanderer", (Away-goer) might be less loaded with value then Expat is. I don't think there is a german term, for leaving the country for 5 years with the intention to return. That's just working abroad, most often for a german employer. Expat is just a migrant. And if some football or basketball player, or even you, keep migration in mind - they did once, they can do again - they are mentally not accepted as permanent fellow citizen, more as visitor. That's different to refugees - it's more conclusive they stay forever. You are able to leave, you have to emphasize you have no intention to do so.
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  78. I think I'm able to separate being productive from working long hours, doing a job in 4hours, where others need 8 hours, is my justification to deserve free time, not toll fill the other 4hours necessarily to not be called lazy. But this needs a lot of self esteem. Beeing a workoholic for 2-3 weeks is also OK, it just shouldn't be the schedule of your life. I'm just having difficulties to put "gone jogging" on my "achievement of the day" list. Cause there is not really a noticeable output. I think it's a mode change, from measure yourself by the hour vs. by output.
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  79. But who cares. Just say people came from across europe and you are true in any relationg. Why pointing out details. You could also say "Blondes" have played a huge part. It's true for sure, but completly meaningless. In the same way, the birthplace is meaningless. But that's a common missconcept.
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  80. In Chemnitz or Cottbus, you would find Hotels or Restaurants, at least 20% cheaper also. But if you pick the most attractive places to visit, of course you will find the smallest price gaps.
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  81. And your experience might be very local. Each city is handling this differently, develops it's own software and processes. The missing centralisation (by purpose) can really be a handicap sometimes. It's really a result of the Nazis, to have the administration constructed without much central power.
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  82. The nation just makes the difference, if something is a dialect or an "official" language. Austria is more taking the right, to define it's own language, than Bavaria. While Bavarian expressions are considered "slang" or "local habit", such variations would be officially called "austrian german" otherwise. So the relation from nation to language at least is mutual. Cause a nation defines, what is considered correct (ready to print).
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  83.  @soitis9028  How threatens Russia by doing what ?
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  84. Who is "we" ? It sounds like "USA - best country in the world" again. A Nation is not a natural thing, it's man made and unnessary. To divide german speakers in Austria and Germany, and not in just one country, or in 3 countries, like Germany, Bavaria and Austria, is completly arbirtrary without any good reason. Now take the language borders away, and you can ask the same question for entire Europe.
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  85. yes, but that's both the same thing, resenting globalism, means making more deals inside EU .. for several reasons.
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  86. @ No, but there is nothing like solidarity. It's either, it's the only one selling you something, like Gas from Norway, or the avoidance of buying at bad guys. It's kind of the only option left, if you can't produce it yourself.
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  87. OK, but health insurance, pension fonds, or unemployment fonds, might be more important.
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  88. But does any German ever think about it ? I never noticed, this would be reason for anything. Is the interest in Katharina the great different from Zar Peter I. , cause one was German the other was not ?
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  89. This way, it's also very easy to impose to have money. It's not so common nowadays any more, but actually nobody can see, if the big car in front of your house is paid cash or on credit. You can just go where rich people go, and they will think you belong there. When I go to a michelin-star restaurant, people can not see, whether I do this once every 5 years, or monthly. But you are considered wealthy there.
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  90. Maybe you include Swiss and Austrian also, so in total you have 100 million people of similiar culture. Americans may travel less, but if 10% of 300 million people do, it's still "they are everywhere".
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  91.  @britingermany  yes, also easy to spot. They are not so much in travelling in average, but it's simply a huge population ( and a rich population). Maybe they are little more in city tourism, you don't meet them on any hiking path
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  92. But remember, this is what makes building so expensive, what makes a house not achievable for everybody. I've seen houses (cottages) in Quebec, they would be considered garden shacks in Germany.
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  93.  @embreis2257  Housing is always as expensive, as people are willing to pay. Somebody must own or rent the houses and appartments. So as long as you pay and complain, nothing will change. So if you ask a higher price, and somebody pays, the price is OK. Market rules. Besides, Germans build for lifetime, so they want more fancy individual things in there houses, it's always now or never. If you intend to live there for 5 years only, you pay less attention to quality. The effect, investors invest in houses just to own it, without anybody living in it, can be found in some capitals. In London it's extreme. Value of the house is raising just because it exists. No need to rent out.
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  94. You miss the why you shouldn't ? That's how America got big, German or Italian immigrants had their own newspapers and communities. Many of the first generation immigrants didn't learn the language. Any bad consequences for anybody ?
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  95.  @britingermany  No, first it says, you can do mistakes 2 times, that should be enough to learn how it's not done. And it says, if you do it more often, you are considered stupid. It only damages your reputation, you are not fired or punished or things like this.
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  96. That's not irony, that's intelligence. You can consider people stupid, but still enjoy stupid people making peanut butter. Even your Netflix/Amazon sample show, it's products in show-business, just for entertainment, nothing "real". There is no American washing machine, refridgerator, car arriving in Europe. Maybe some computer, but they are probably not made in USA. They don't produce anything shippable. American economy is not based on export and never was.
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  97.  @lynnm6413  It's very intrusive, intimidating, inpolite to expect other persons to publicly talk about their deseases. You de-humanize the royal family. I don't see any respect to privacy in you. You proof, shielding is necessary.
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  98. The video was about the difference of not saying "I'm dizzy", if you are dizzy. You immediatly convert it to the more general diagnosis "Kreislauf". Germans don't tell their symptoms, they tell their analysis.
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  99. Yes there are changes. Conservative people don't like changes no matter what. But a change does not mean, it's bad. For case you did not know, Putin closed the pipeline and refused to re-open it, before the destruction by whoever. Windmills and solar are very cheap energy and it's developing well. Greatest problems is local population, not liking the view to windmills or electric wiring, kind of a luxury problem. Old fashioned USA is used to overground wiring even through residential areas. Merkel did not more, than doing nothing. Just keeping the laws as they are since 1948.
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  100. @igottheshaft  I didn't say Merkel was doing well, I told you what she did -" nothing. Don't know your source of second hand information. Both Pipelines where closed at the time of destruction and the german chancellor was begging to open it. I don't mind people migrating, entire USA is 99.99% migrants only, different foods ,different accents in language, nothing bad happening. German workforce is shrinking , Businesses are closing, cause they find nobody to hire, we urgently need more people. 40% of germany is soon on retirement.
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  101. What it makes hard for native English speakers, is get the right meaning of the English word, when used in German. Often there are a few possible meanings in English, but the German use only a specific one. Like Mailing is a noun only, in the meaning of mass-mailing. Or fallout is only used as chemical or nuclear 'rain', never in the meaning of "consequences".
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  102. Germany hardly has any harbour for LNG, and in the long run, we don't want to use Gas at all. Wind and Solar are more climate friendly. If an industry with 1 million people, has a layof off 1 thousand, it's kind of peanuts. In very rural areas, with one industry plant only, this would be hard to compensate, but none of this has happened so far. The effect of Tariffs we don't know yet. You know it's the American people paying the Tariffs, for them products are becoming more expensive. Nobody knows if they are willing to pay more for Porsche and Mercedes. We will see.
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  103.  @arnodobler1096  that has absolutly no relation to definition of terms or permanence of stay. If german leave, its eternal, and returning is like admitting failure. They have more long term plans, and they measure themselves in keeping up to their plans. Americans live more in the present and are easier moving anyway. A move of 2000 miles inside USA is not really a big Deal for them. For germans it's like moving to greece.
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  104.  @pindist15  well " don't get one" and " wait one year " is the complete opposite of one another. It's the normal waiting time for an appointment for a psychiatrist, or for admittance to build a house. It's not efficient, but there is no bribe and you can be sure you will get your turn.
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  105.  @pindist15  if you have an employer, you don't need a visa, or the employer gets it for you in germany. Maybe it's different for students. They are easier to replace if they don't want especially you, the support is limited, i know. I did the same in Kanada, just with a 3 month tourist visa. But for germans it might be easier. But as soon as you are here, and you know one Person, they will be helpful. Right now you might be the anonymous nobody. I worked with people from Pakistan remotly, so far.
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  106. Apothekenpreise, might be more universal.
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  107. It's easier to explain the other way around: Talking to strangers is unusual, not part of the culture. This first step is, what makes the difference. If you meet somebody the 5th time you start to feel to know each other. No matter if in a bar or in the tram. Of course this is much faster in job/university/gym situation, or maybe if you walk your dog. You need a reason to talk. There must be a reason to everything.
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  108. ... even if not "more productive", they are required to maintain productivity. A shrinking population is kind of the worse condition for economy.
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  109. @stampcollector74  why you come up with the Planet? Nobody has control on that. But from what we have learned worldwide, birth rate shrinks with wealth. Turning point is at 11 billion around year 2100. We are not saving the Planet, we are savin human Environment. Planet is used to changes, human is not. We can't stop breathing, we don't recommens suicide, we only have little influence on life- style.
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  110. I don't think so. Which other country would do better otherwise. The difference in UK is only, the social differences were greater in the beginning, so there is more chance, or more need to be mobile. In other countries it's more like: why should we be mobile, where should we go to. If you don't have an upper class, you don't even get the idea to become upper class. But the mobility in low level, son of a factory worker becoming an engeneer or a doctor, that's still possible I think.
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  111. Not really, it's always the effect, people who talk by themselfes are more negative and louder, they bias the perception. But if you ask people directly in a survey, also the 'friends', the positive people speak up.
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  112. It was maybe bad pronounced, but not messed up. To mess things up you would need to know, there is another/similiar word, that could come out in case of misspronounciation. It's the fault of the listener, to hear not the word intended.
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  113. There have been some updates in knowledge since Adam Smith. It's not like nature science, a law once found is valid to eternity. Since only a minority are becoming self employed (a capitalist) you don't need to teach all the knowledge in this field mandatory. And the discussion in the video was not about education yes/no, it was about quality of education. How much money we should put in, and should it be the parents or the society. That's not Smith's topic. Social studies started 200 years later. Karl Marx was in-between.
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  114.  @psikeyhackr6914  For sure not, do they today ? What does payment have to do with education ? You mean people are too stupid to spend their money for the right thing ? Well that's an extreme point of missing education. I thought, first you need education to make the money, don't you. Planned obsolescence is an urban legend. People buy a new T-shirt, although the old one has no hole and is still good. They just throw it away. But sometimes they need an excuse to do so. I have no idea what benefit you see, in teaching people the difference from Deprecation is the process of an asset loosing value over time. Not sure if marx had the same meaning in mind, wording does change over years. But I don't see a benefit of teaching people the difference from current assets to capital assets. Does this help them in their life ? Do you recommend everybody should do double entry accounting and register all personal expenses ?
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  115.  @luminouslink777  In the skilled worker section, meaning engeneers/physicians, with income above 70K/year it's pretty easy. You rather talk about the "nurse" workforce, but there, the employer will help. For EU citizens, there are rather no limits at all.
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  116.  @luminouslink777  it's not cynism, just sarkasm. Maybe bringing your cat might be easier than a human. You are very german, you always find a way to complain.
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  117. I'm wondering what this means to them. Is Expat something temporary, less permanent, for an American ? Of course in immigrant should apply for citizenship one day.
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  118. No, nations don't exist, it's countries, who could unite to bigger countries. People fight for their home, the actual administrative border, doesn't make the difference. If Austria and Germany would unite, you think Austrians or Germans stop fighting for their new country ? I don't think so. That's the european idea actually.
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  119. People are happy about a day off and Nobody is celebrating. Yes there is a central celebration, but that's organized top down, it's an offer to the people, not a demand from the people. And if you live close, and you get Bratwurst and Music, maybe you go, if you have nothing better in mind.
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  120. What should we recover from ? There was a little chaos in price levels, due to war and inflation, it is so recent, was just for 2 years, no recession happened, that's not a big something.
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  121.  @britingermany  Yes, thats right. Germany, has learned nationalism isn't a good option. The pride to develope good machines or cars or whatever is a little replacement for this in the land of engeneers. You are pride on your achievements, but they have to be repeated by each generation. Otherwise it's turning into heritage again. If your clients abroad tell you "you have the best cars" that's more valuable then telling yourself "we are the best in the world". But if the first option erodes, you move to the latter one. Unfortunatly, uniting two countries to one, hasn't happen in the last century at all. But Founding Germany 1871 was such a thing, uniting 10 kingdoms or so. Same as uniting 4 kingdoms to UK 300 years ago ... Uniting is always a success story.
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  122. You sound like "If two people are saying it (you and Boris), it must be true". That's far away from any conclusive logic. So any help from the western world to a single country, is making something a proxy war ?
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  123. Declaring it as official, just means you can communicate with authorities in English. They would offer your tax-form in English etc. Not a big deal actually. The translation work is moved from the citizen to the governement, that's it.
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  124.  @Gert-DK  Yes everything provided by the governement. Road signs are mainly textless, but would be good to be bilingal as a courtesy. Today people are helpless with "Speed 30 Mo-Fr". It's impossible to obey by non german speaking people. I'm not sure how much it infringes local companies. EU has 28 official languages. We have to find a way to unite. Yes, Belgium or Switzerland would be good example. I don't see much french or italian in Zurich. It's not a matter of living somewhere, you can travel 10 hours and pass 5 countries with 7 languages, if you drive from Copenhagen to Paris. You cannot read signs today, you cannot talk to anybody. You have a common phone-number, but not a common language ...is this useful ?
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  125. Yes but on very different levels. Some people dislike people who are against abortion, but others say Americans want to conquere the entire world and make them their slaves. None of the both topics has a natural answer.
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  126.  @CT-uv8os  no, you are paranoid and racist.
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  127. The anti-capitalis-sentiment is more like a strong demand for equality. This means you want to pull down everybody, doing better than you. Equality on the lower level. Not very healthy, kind of envy or jealousy. The loopback "rich people invest and create jobs" is kind of missing. People had no class in capitalism or a positive experience. They just take jobs as granted.
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  128.  @wastaggio  How do you measure "efficient immigration" ? Does it has to be done in 1 year, or 3 year or 5 Years ? And to a 70%, 80, 90%% employment degree ? People notice 100 criminals and conclude immigration of 2 million people failed. Thats complete nonsense. If everything runs well, it's going silent, but when it's bad and somebody dies, it's a big hit in the news. This gives a biased perception. Yes Ghettos needs to be avoided, but "creating exclaves" is kind of heavy exaggeration. There is not even a language bareer coming up. The only complain about entering a shop and nobody spoke German, is in berlin, about waiters speaking English only.
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  129. appearing in a curriculum in classroom, is different from appearance in daily life, in daily jokes in the pub. Prince Harry was kind of the climax. The "hard working" is just a matter of culture difference. An American never ever is talking about working without using the word hard. He is always hard working, you will never hear anything else. While a German is more into understatesment, never praising, glorifying himself, will almost never say he's hard working.
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  130. The term "The British royal family" is hardly used in German, and you talk about it, as it would be the property of the Brits. That's not the case, it's more a world heritage like egyptian pyramids. Or if we compare it to another celebrity like Madonna, she is not perceived as American, it's a celebrity of the world. So first you divide the world in parts and then you wonder why one part is interested in another part ? Or does anybody perceive Einstein as German, or just as world heritage, a Person by itself.
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  131.  @britingermany  OK, just telling you I don't have this association or perception on most actors or singers I had to google where they are from. From what nation ever, they sing in English and I'm unable to distinguish accents. We also say the British revolution started capitalism, but only like "if they hadn't started it, somebody else had started it". Mankind made a step, not (only) Britains. It's history of civilisation. But you cannot see it, when you are too close. You apply too much logic, if you come up with duties and power and ownership. It's a bit like Jesus is no Israeli ;-) Place of living is unimportant for the world.
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  132.  @britingermany  more like I don't wonder people love Beethoven and. beeing born in germany is more a biografic fact, an attribute like his hair color. He has absolutly no relation to todays germany. Same is for rammstein, I would correct it from swiss to german, but not cause I' m german, just because it's wrong. It's not german property. Germans seem to have a special relation to identy. Most are not patriotic. Borders are meaningless. Is the Eiffel tower a landmark of Paris of france of europe or of the world? Everything is true. Cause its unique.
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  133.  @britingermany  it's the pomp and circumstance, the only monarchy with rituals and buildings from 16th century. Like living medeval history, the last living dinosaur. It's unique to the world.the actual function is meaningless. It's not a museum, it's alive.
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  134. Newest thing is, Germans with Germans talk English in a restaurant, cause people don't swap languages from table to table. The waiter had to remember, what table has what language.
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  135.  @britingermany  It's just an impression, but If at all, I hear them from older rural people. Younger people don't know the idioms, don't want to learn them, and excuse it with "old fashioned". As well as speaking dialect is considered of beeing from a remote spot, like a hillbilly. If you want to be young and modern, people rather use english expressions. It's not nice behaviour, but if one German doesn't understand an other, he consideres the other one as stupid. Not himself. So my impression is, it's reducing. Language learners should have a rough idea, but not activly use it. As well as they shouldn't learn Saxonian dialect, unless just for fun.
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  136.  @elab.1413  Germans have more compound words, that replaces the need of idioms. So "Wolkenbruch" is kept "Es regnet Bindfäden" is hardly heared. Or we have a word like "andererseits" instead of "on the other hand side". The typical german long words, enclose a rich meaning. Something you can express in ENglish only with a couple of words, with idioms.
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  137.  @Yoshi-vq3og  Cause they are not necessary. If you see young people in Quizshows you see they are not doing well with sayings. Despite, to get nuances in the language, you rather use english or latin terms. Idioms and sayings is considered more "farmers language". Language of uneducated people. If at all, people are inventing new idioms. The entire rap language is full of them. But it's newly invented. And rap does also not really stand for educated people. Things like "Böhmische Dörfer", "Dreck am Stecken haben", "Pünktlich wie die Maurer", "Da wird der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt", are tremendously reducing. Never heared it by anybody below 40. And I think not used intense in newspapers or literature.
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  138.  @Yoshi-vq3og  Are you German ? Education comes from school and schools don't teach any of these. You can only learn them by talking to your grandma.
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  139.  @Yoshi-vq3og  It's like you suggest reading Shakespeare in original to recover his language. Whom should you talk to in this language ? You weed need a second person understanding it. Nobody is learning terms, just to prevent the terms from beeing forgotten.
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  140.  @Yoshi-vq3og  Die Veränderungen der Alltagssprache bekommt ihr in der Schweiz nicht mit. Genauso wie ich nicht mitbekomme wie sich schwiezerdütsch verändert. In Hochdeutsch kommen Redewendungen ja gerade nicht vor. Sowas wie "Iss mir Wurscht", "Ich bin fix und fertig" oder "ich hab Bock auf" hört man zwar noch, aber das gilt als Gossen-Sprache. Man würde es nie aufschreiben. Die Strasse ist die einzige Quelle für solche Ausdrucksweisen. Und Jugendsprache verwendet eher krass, digga, bubbatz und all solche Dinge. Die würden nie ein Wort wie "Glimmstengel" verwenden. Sprache unterliegt Moden. Selbst die Vornamen ändern sich alle 10 Jahre. Erich, Erika, Gunther, Jens, Uwe heißt heute keiner mehr. Es ist nicht in Mode.
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  141. Depends on what you expect of live, I think. No mountains no ocean, just to start with. Maybe great in parties. And the best place to get around the world, due to the airport.
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  142. I thought you are coming up, with people like from Kenia or Venecuela, speaking neither English nor German. For your example: Be happy communication is becoming easier, people are able to talk to each other. The loss of former habits is just a sentiment, like the loss of native spoken Latin, by time nobody suffers from the loss. There is nothing positive in keeping as many languages on earth as possible. Even the bible says, it's a punishment of god, to have so many languages, isn't it ?
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  143.  @ceciliahanson2283  That's only in team situations with more then 2 people. My neighbors son has a scottish girlfriend, and the only occasion they have to translate is for the grandma. Grandma does not feel disrespected if the girl is not speaking german (yet). An fool in a group of professionals is also excluded, if he can't follow the conversation due to his education. Same thing.
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  144. Cheap food is coming from people, prefering to buy the cheapest option available. So discounters are ruling the country by price. Maybe Germans and Brits are very similiar, to have more a preference on price and are not willing to pay anything extra for quality. Milk is Milk. This gives high competition and low food prices, lower than in France or Italy at least.
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  145.  @TheEulerID  It's the most homogenous product I could imagine. Maybe we switch to butter instead ? If more people only buy the cheapest of the cheap, producers less likely raise the price. Price sensibility is higher, while in France it's more quality sensibility. They are willing to pay 10% more, for a 10% better product. While a German is unable to notice a 10% better product, they are less sensible.
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  146.  @TheEulerID  I was more talking about the reverse. Millionaires shop at Aldi, and something like "premium food" does not exists in shops. For something like a lobster you go to a fancy restaurant. And even normal supermarkets offer things in the price range of Aldi, not to loose customers to them. Something like bakeries, also butchers is still a subject to craft shops. Real bakeries, like 100 years ago. Saving money is so much in genes of germans, it generates lowest food prices in europe. Actually it's the reason why Lidl and Aldi had this inspiration to fight for each cent on each product.' And their first strategy was, to produce everything themselves, and sell it non-branded. And the sold from the forklifter, without putting products in a shelf, for a long time. Germans are just smart enough to understand, any service will result in higher prices, that's why there is no demand for service. They don't want to pay for it.
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  147. But since this is all in discussion, you must admit they recognized the problem. Germany has no immigration law or office at all. Maybe this is not well known. It's either Asyl on the humantarian level.Refugees. Or it's an employer hiring abroad (not vice versa). There is nothing in-between. You cannot come to Germany and look for a Job. With a tourist Visa you can find an employer to hire you, but that's just a detour.
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  148. I would reflect this, as stick to current complexity, not adding another dimension of problems. Literally, don't start to consider the option to move the church to another place.
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  149.  @peadarflanagan9617  There is no "taking over", they just exist in parallel. The same as jews exists beside christians. Don't know where you see any "taking over" ? Are they running the industry ? Well Acelor Mittal is Indian, but don't inflect on the culture. Minister of agriculture is turkish, any problem with that ? Breakfast TV is run by persian descants, but I cannot see any more german then them.
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  150.  @hschan5976  but assets aren't necessary for anything, but your ' emergeny backup' .and that's something only germans complain about. That's why it's a german Problem. If others have a good life, they are happy. Period. Germans worry about "what will be in 20 years , I don't have money for that time right now".
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  151. But you agree on every single data, that is transfered to them, explicitly. They do not investigate anything at all. It's just if you missed to pay one dealer, the other dealer want's to know. That's quiet conclusive and meaningful.
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  152.  @reinhard8053  this is all correct. But to compare it with eval Power and conspirational agencies is not. It's random errors.
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  153.  @reinhard8053  This was not about consolation, but the truth. If you find consolation in false accusation, something goes wrong. Putting yourself on the level with the victims of stasi is presumptuous.
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  154.  @reinhard8053  I also haven't talked about you. I said you are correct. But this here is in a thread of someone comparing it to Stasi. So I make relations not only to your post.
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  155. I wouldn't call it conservative, but everyhting is "well organized" or strongly ruled, and written down in laws, how things have to be, that it's not easy to change. Even Germans themselve notice and suffer from this over-organization. (I look for a recipe to get out of these self-made corsette)
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  156. Something like "public opinion" doesn't exist (any more). It's a rumour, there would be something, all people have in common, and everybody claims they are the owner or knower of the public opinion. They don't realize there are many of them. It's emphasized by social bubbles nowadays by social medias. Second thing is political campaigning goes more and more like "current governement is stupid", that's how different parties adresse each other. Nigel Farage, or Donald Trump in Germany the AfD and Friedrich Merz a little. They are destroying the picture of a working country by intension. 40 Years ago this was more like "we have to change nuances" today it's like "This is all crap".
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  157.  @britingermany  The so called "split" in society, one part thinks we are in a crisis, others think we are in prosperity, is something rather new. We rather have 2 , 3, 4 public opinions, instead of 1. But people don't realize or don't admit. They tend to consider themselve as normal, as the default no matter if they make up 20% or 30% of society. This is were "perception" diverges from democracy. Majorities become a feeling, not a counting of votes. The number of statements, where 90% would agree on, is shrinking. This is how I would define public opinion.
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  158. On a German-British channel, you should consider the difference is hard to grasp for foreigners. Do you talk about greed ? That's the difference between wanting money and having money. But this is actually what drives capitalism, our society, ahead. It's also the source of all progress, definitly.
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  159. That's the intension of a demonstration. 100.000 People go on the street, you think it's many, and don't reallize it's (only) about 1% of population. Why we don't think we have many christian fanatics ? Cause they are not often out on the street, they are bad in public relations.
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  160. I often experience, any way of talking about it, describing something, is considered judgement. That's ridicolous. It's like I say "sky is blue", somebody else perceives it as 'I don't like it'. Don't know why this is, but it is.
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  161. Good description, but that's not much different from women, who have to proof harder, they are able to drive a truck or to lead a company. So an asian male has to deliver more proof. But it's enough to tell, you have been to a concert, and you like chairs better than sitting on the ground, or thinks like that, to break the ice. People see pictures of slums in Mumbai, and programmers in Bangalore, and they conclude, the programmers from the clean offices, go home at night into those slums. 10 squaremeter for 4 persons, sleeping on the floor. Toilet in the bush.
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  162.  @YvonneHoerde  mutual teaching is a way of forming the community and taking care of equality. You are told how to do it right. That's a major difference to criticism.
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  163.  @nalungaagnes1884  Nobody is scared of anything. You are making things up. How would you know, if nobody speaks up ? This doesn't make any sense. Christianity is not a point in Germany, maybe half of Germans would defend it. As long as it's just verbal, everybody is allowed to have an opinion about everything.
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  164.  @TubeYou-kx6yi  They had a choice, but were too stupid, to develop their own written language, like in central Africa, or to find a common ground, like in India. But the point of easy learning, not much conjugation or declination as in almost any other language based on greek or latin, is also a good reason.
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  165.  @gdok6088  i have no idea what you are talking about. The term 1st language didn't came up in your first comment. You derived, why German is a dying language. Now I say, any other is also dying. by the way: The answers are Austria and Switzerland . To remember your arguments were:" is the required language for global aviation, it is increasingly necessary in the world of tech, science and business. And English is the official language of the Internet" Not a single word, of beeing 1st language anywhere.
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  166.  @TubeYou-kx6yi  China is more dominant in economy. They admit to not have an attractive language. Both germany and China keep it inside their borders.
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  167. Why this "dislike" or "adorement" ? Let's just say they are equal, that would be enough. And it sounds a bit like white racist, that America originated from Europe .There were native people, they took slaves from Africa, then came descendents of the Inka from south. You proof it's not a stereotype about Americans. What came from EUrope is the way of administrating a country.
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  168. Language is a fashion victim. As you change clothing style, you also change favourite words, or at least it changes generation by generation. For "great" your heared in the 70'ies 'toll' (dutch origin), in the 80'ies it was "super", in the 90ie's it became geil or krass, don't know where we are today. But you can tell the age of people by the words they are using. And what I found unique to Germany also, they do the same with first names. They change every decade and you can do a qualified guess from first name to age.
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  169. It's nowhere like this "America First" patriotism. It's more love, without downgrading any other.
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  170. Language always has been and always will be, a matter of change. People adopt what they like.
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  171. But perfection isn't necessary for anything, but impressing people. If your are understandable that's fine.
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  172. I think this time is over. If UK people live in South Africa or India, they more likely are migrants and have the citizenship. Those people you don't see at tourist places. Of course you can consider entire Australia as "only British around here". I think you get the nonsense in this approach.
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  173. It's kind of a characteristics of stereotypes, you cannot reproduce where they come from, it's something like manifested gossip. It's also impossible to ever get rid of it. People only forget by not thinking about something OR by death. So if you want to get rid of stereotypes, stop picking them up ....at least if they are close to extinguishment. . if it's overgrown with gras, don't be the sheep eating the gras ;-) ... "Gras über die Sache wachsen lassen" would be the german idiom.
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  174.  @britingermany  It can be everything. norovirus or just lactose intolerance. It's unspecific by intention. You are telling other people "don't worry, I'm fine in 3-5 days".
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  175. Either you or the credit card dealers have to pay the credit card fee. Some dealers decide it's you. Often we have to note, it's not "cash only". They do take cards. But just the European Banking System Cards, not the American Credit cards. So 100% of Europeans can pay by Card.
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  176. No, first they do is eat at McDonalds. Cheepest coffee in France, just to begin with.
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  177.  @AltIng9154  Cause all systems rely on stability or growth. The trouble of having increasing share (not number) of pensioneers would even more explode. All remaining workforce would be needed to wipe each others asses, who should be productive ? Industry would leave faster, to get some workers. Flats are OK, Urbanization and the trend to have a single live cause some problems. If 5 million people would marry tomorrow and move to a common flat, there would be 5 million free flats over night ;-) Germany has almost no increasing population. It's just stable. (+1 million in 30 years). Unlike UK by the way, with more like +15 million.
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  178. Man muss niemandes Meinung ernst nehmen, Du brauchst auch gar nicht hinhören, gilt für dich und für mich.
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  179. Yes, but it's more a matter of speed. Invented news are faster, are faster than news based on reality/facts. It's not just about bad news, it's about made up bad news.
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  180. No, you forget beeing socialist is something wanted, welcomed and enforced. That's not a bad word at all.
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  181.  @Stand663  Maybe you intended to, but you didn't. Many democratic political parties have the S for social in their name today. No matter if left wing or right wing. The important thing was more the "national". This you don't find any more, and patriotism is nothing considered positive in Germany.
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  182.  @michaelburggraf2822  that's really something I wouldnt use for 5 years, but it's definitly temporary and most often with strong links home.
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  183. Income is almost the only scale to evaluate people. So by publishing the number, you join the contest, you could feel as looser, you can make others feel as a looser, and people try to avoid that. The difference in Germany, is the strong tendency to equality. You want to be considered "normal average" not sticking out in one or the other direction. Somebody with a high income is not considered an idol, it's more despised. You seperate yourself from society when becoming a millionaire. (you want to become one, but you are telling nobody). Instead of trying to get up, Germans try to pull everybody down to their level, to gain equality. That's a little self destructive.
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  184.  @britingermany  Karl Marx was German, all the Social Insurances were first established by Bismarck 1881. It's deep in mentality. Some say, it's coming from Preussian Militarism, all soldiers are equal. Germany is more based on huge employers with masses of people doing a similiar job. In school or public reception, founding a business or making career is not a topic. Planing of life most often ends with getting a job, and literally keeping it for 45 years. Which is going to erode ...
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  185. Another difference: If you report headache , the German would offer you a glas of water, the American rather an Aspirin or Tylenol or whatever. They are much more easy going with medicine.
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  186. The intention was to make you a little hesitate to go to the doctor, if you had a moskito bite or whatever. The collection of the money was actually more expensive, than the collected money.
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  187. @ As long as people have 8 children per family, you can efford it. With 1.4 children per women, families decide to shrink population. What you want to do with all the empty space ? Or you mean you need Holocaust again, to clean the race ? That's your ideal world ?
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  188. Sure, people need a full time job, to make a living. What is a house keeper ? A janitor ? Or a gardener ? If there is low request in a service, there are no agencies coming up solving the demand, by hiring fulltime, and organizing their staff for different objects. You will also have a hard time finding a babysitter. That's not a commercial job. And you konw if you become the employer, you have to pay health and pension insurances etc.
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  189.  @DerParsifal  That's the american way, based on the tradition of slavery, or on the nobles, having maids. Here we pay taxes for an agency, bringing them in real jobs. Actually I don't like the idea of having other people running around in my house, or wash and touch my clothes, that's a strange idea to me. I have a garden to have something to do on the weekend; not to pay somebody doing something. That's reverse logic. The thing is paying taxes is an obligation, everybody is equally charged. It's not like "I do it, when I like it". The "millions" are actually on a low level. Half as much as 20 years ago. And don't forget about 1/3 of them are like handicapped people, unable to make their own living.
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  190.  @britingermany  Sleeping a night over a problem, or over a contract before signing it, is a german saying, to use the fresh mind in the morning. It's a little like step back and start over. There is no other way to "unload" the brain.
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  191.  @Fuerwahrhalunke  The discussed term was "considering disrepectful". This is going too far for me. Maybe I would consider it lazy. The thing is, as better you get along without speaking german, as less motivation, as less need you feel to do it. Rememebering the turkish immigrants in the 70ies, huge communities often make it unnecessary to learn german, especially the wifes never got contact with germans (they regred today), but disrespectful is the wrong term for this behaviour. I lived in Quebec for some time, first language french, but since I could communicate in English, I never learned french. And I don't feel myself as not showing respect to the country. This idea is not coming up inside me. But somebody pretending to not speak english, to make me feel bad, like you propose, that's really strange.
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  192. Im Gegenteil, sie wissen und analysieren zu viel. Das macht sie entweder gelassen, oder zu Hypochondern.
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  193.  @scarba  But still, there are more or less appropriate words. And this Warmduscher thing would fit, if Germans use their "illness language" to mainly complain about their condition. But no, it's also a way to calm yourself or others down. Headache ? Have some water. Stomach problems ? Try fennel tea. You know, maybe all these "home recipe" is still more alive or common than in other industrial countries. Serenity would be the complete opposite of beeing a wimp. That's internal strength. General rule for humour: It's funny cause(if) it's true".
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  194.  @scarba  That's right, Brits have this sometimes Gaga humour as I know from Monthy Python. But the rest of the world does not follow this approach. An American sitcom will rather take a real world situation, puts it in an maybe fictional context and create laughter. A blind person saying "I see" might be funny. Mr. Bean "cleaning" whistlers mum is funny. Everydays possible situation.
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  195.  @SalznPfeffer658  we are on an englisch- german channel here and there might be already problems in wording. What's a country, what's a state ? In german state is the legal term ,country the colloquial term for the same thing. Besides there are provinces ( in france or canada) or a land in german which corresponds to a state in USA, all with it's own parliament. In uk it's actually 3 kingdoms. In matter of football they all have their own national team, unlike any other country. So it's hard to find the appropriate terms for everything.
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  196. Mastering anything without speaking it, is kinda impossible. If you don't use your skills for 20 years, they get lost. And yes, learning cultural things maybe considered part of language class, but it's a few songs or poems, special festivals, maybe geography and economy, but not "ticks". And with English it's extra complicated anyway, with having UK, US, Australian version etc.
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  197.  @hwfq34fajw9foiffawdiufhuaiwfhw  Do the same. Be proud on what you know. You learned something in school ? Pass it on to others, present what you know. Also: Don't be ashamed of doing mistakes. I think that's a reason why quiz-shows are so popular in Germany.
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  198. @ No. That's whats any commenter here is doing. Commenting without beeing asked. So world consists of rude people only ? I don't know where this idea is coming to not speak without beeing asked ? That's what you do in presence of a king ? It's subservient or submissive. Anyway, there is no global definition of beeing rude, it's culture dependent.
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  199. But it's quiet normal to consider words like "sale" or "Public Private Partnership" or "Bachelor" as german words and part of german language.
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  200. You may have missed the introduction of "minimum wages" in 2015. It worked quiet well in the industrial age since unions were strong in Germany. But less and less people are in unions, and industries developed differently, the lesser educated job kind of fall off that system and they needed to do something.
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  201. "Doch" is a logical reversion of a rather negative statement. "Something is not". "Yes - it is", would be said as "Doch,ist es". It does not work direktly positive statement. "Sun is shining", "No, it isn't". "Nein, tut sie nicht", could become something like, "Nein, tut sie doch gar nicht".
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  202. You help Germans a lot with putting their identity in words. They cannot do it themselves cause they have nothing to compare with. If society is based on mutual trust and there is kind of natural mistrust to strangers, maybe we understand a little more the problems of integrating migrants. People have trouble to trust them just the same. Which is the more moderate, and maybe less protest raising form, than saying "they are all criminals".
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  203. I think it's a general deny of strong patriotism, something like "best country in the world" or "gods own country" gives kind of an chauvinistic or arrogant attitude. It's more topics like, considering Americans stupid, to refuse general health insurance. But just to emphasize, the "dislike" in Europe is a completly different (lowest) level, compared to the arab world.
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  204. OK, but it's not really a Germany related observation, that smartphone was first published in 2004.
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  205. yes, yes, we are in danger to go extinct ...if you have nothing to worry about, you make up problems. If you go extinct, it's because of missing children, there is no other reason.
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  206. @ He is talking about migration, if you don't get that. People from outside becoming Europeans. And he is a racist and sees the former european culture in danger.
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  207. In american measures, you are right. But they simply have an exaggerated view on how bad socialism or communism is, it's kind of a brain wash starting with world war II and the McCarthy era. When Obama toured Europe during his campaign in 2007 or 2008, there was a fictional election/survey in Germany, coming out 95% of people would vote for him. This is unfortunatly on decline right now, since the Trump-style got some fanboys also. The deep split we can see in USA, has started in Europe beginning around 2010. I think social media has a big role to that.
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  208. You have to note, advertisements for medicine is prohibited. So they only advertise self-treatment for minor conditions.
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  209.  @scarba  From the adverts you see, I conclude to the channels you watch. On "younger" channels, you might rather see wick/vicks products for cough and flu.
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  210. When it's either-or. Yes. But it never is !
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  211. If you have many people saying "don't trust the governement" it's becoming a self-fullfilling prophecy. It is very hard to gain trust, but very easy to destroy by just anybody. Even by you. People who trust the governement, and reading your "many don't trust", start thinkging "maybe I'm wrong".
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  212. But that's only an aspect for Brits, "how british is the king". It's a question asked nowhere in the world. It's like the question how much relation have todays egyptians to the pharaos. Do they identify with them, or not ? Nobody cares, nobody notices.
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  213.  @gargoyle7863  Why, to please 30% stupid people and to do the opposite of what 70% of people want ? That's the AfD narration. You enforce populism over democracy.
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  214. Dialects for me is more like formal and informal language. In english comparable to say " is not" vs. isn't. It nowhere ever was a big topic in school or anywhere to modify the dialect. Maybe in the mountains the difference is more obvious, but by influence of tv over 100 years, dialects are going to disappear sooner or later.
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  215. I notice, as you mentioned 'Hörsturz', Germans seem to have more native german expressions for things, while in English often you use the original latin doctors language in daily life. German doctors almost speak two different languages with patients or with fellow-doctors. Terms like "appendix", "thyroid" or "tonsils" are not used by German folks, but by German doctors. Simpler terms maybe a reason Germans are more familiar with a number of deseases.
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  216. Yes, but it destroy intuition, emotion or empathy. If you are unaware of something, by reflection you become aware of it, and you loose your naive intuitive innocence.
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  217. But be aware of , how much you just reflect the mood of people, or how much you observe something in reality. Bad news, create bad mood, but it doesn't mean anything is getting worse. Like every 20-30 years there is a phase of inflation, in the moment it happens, people feel bad, but in the long run, it had never had a bad effect.
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  218. Both countries have no history of coalitions, it's more about absolute majority or not. That's a strong difference to Germany.
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  219. I think, it's more difficult on what things to leave behind or to get rid of. There are often so many memories attached to items. An emotional value. To move abroad you really need to learn how to cope with these emotions. Taking photos maybe. Give things in good hands, etc.
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  220. "Canadian" remembers me on the very same discussion in Montreal, whether to be french/english bilingual or not. Maybe the Quebecian separatists can be put in the same group ? But for now, AfD hasn't discovered any Anti-English as a topic, they have enough to do with Anti-Gender language. The analogy to the pronoun-thing in US.
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  221.  @archibaldprimrose1848  It's not really speaking english, it's modifiying German. If we import Computer or Restaurant, we consider this fully german now. So why not doing the same with "sale" or "cringe" or whatever. It just might take some time to consider it regular german.
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  222. This depends, if you learn from speakers by listening, or from books by reading. But if you involve speakers from US, UK, Australia, you will find differences and none of them is wrong, it's just local. Even inside UK, you can hav love in RP and luv in Devon. Non english speaking countries inventing english words, is another phenomenon.
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  223.  @OfficialSalemSaberhagen  Pizza is also not an english word, and there isn't an english word for it. It's imported and used.
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  224.  @OfficialSalemSaberhagen  this is not the meaning of beeing english, dictionairies describe the using. A Pizza made in uk is still an italian dish and an italien word. The word revolution is latin based, but used in many languages. This science is called etymologie and miriam webster does not Cover this. When I use the word computer in german, it's not becoming a german word. Check the meaning of ' english ' in your Oxford dictionary. You will not find ' used in england" among the meanings. It refers to origin.
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  225.  @OfficialSalemSaberhagen  It's more like an Italian American. Migration is OK, but you keep your origin. Speaking an italian word, does not mean speaking italian language ;-) But we are on knitpicking terminology.
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  226.  @DNA350ppm  it's a difference from Software only companies, to others who only develope aside. But it's often described as the Google principle, many of their projects derive from this freedom.
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  227. Isn't there a term to summarize the F-Word or the N-Word ? That's kind of an unwort, it's inappropriatly applied. Mostly they found something derogative in it. So "not a word" is not really the meaning.
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  228.  @britingermany  just thought about the word food/ futter or a word like dairy has no simple word in german. Futter is only used for animals. Thinking about literal meaning of Lebensmittel, could be interesting too.
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  229. This is not about treatment, it's about thinking. Americans are great in thinking one thing, and saying something else. They say "see you", and think " I don't want to see you ever again". And if they say "let's have a coffee one day" they don't mean "call me tomorrow for appointment". They even ask you "how are you ?", and are OK with not getting an answer. The only thing you learned hear, is Europeans are more open and honest, they talk about their real thinking.
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  230. Do you feel any complains of Germans ? Do they miss anything ? I don't think so. The urge to shop on sundays is quiet low. And many research found, people do not shop more in 7 days than they do in 6 days. Cause there is no additional money. And there is a "live and let live" policy. The shop owner or even his staff is a fellow citizen. You grant them a day off. It would be inhuman, not to do so. As soon as you deal with big companies, this idea is lost, you depersonalize them and want to squeeze the last cent out of these, assumed rich as hell, companies.
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