You can make nazi jokes in germany if you follow 4 rules: 1. Don't make fun about the victims 2. don't deny or relativate the holocoust (this is a crime) 3. Don't make nazis the good guys in your joke 4. Don't imply all germans are still nazis
@@raistraw8629You should read the book mentioned: Timur Vermes - Er ist wieder da Or just listen to "Serdar Somuncu ließt aus dem Tagebuch eines Massenmörders" And after all, not everything Hitler did was bad. He killed Hitler!
But that's only in extreme cases, more often than not, you're gonna hear "Kann man ihnen helfen?" or "Ist ihnen noch zu helfen?" => 'Can someone (I) help you?', 'Can you be helped?'
There is a saying here: "Fünf Minuten vor der Zeit ist des Deutschen Pünktlichkeit" Translates roughly to: "being 5 minutes too early means you be on time for a German" This "societal rule" doesn't seem to apply that much anymore, but personally I hate being late and I also hate other people being late xD Just don't waste other people's time or call them, when you are being late. Then it is usually not a problem if you are late here and there.
It really depends on the setting. In a video call, if sb is 3 minutes late, the meeting will have started. If it's parents with kids meeting, even 30 min late is still fine unless you had plans to go somewhere specific. If you're going out to dinner, 5 min delay is fine also.
for me there are only 2 extremes: being to late or being way to early. Any on point doesn't exist anymore. Either i overastimate the time i need for a specific way or i unterestimate it (sometimes doe to trucks or tractors on my way). One time i estimates 1,5h for a ride (with picking someone up) and we were 30 min early at that place. But if I want to go half the route to training and start 30 min before the start of it, I'm 10min late...
The party thing is about the noise. If you are planning to have a party and are probably gonna be noisy during night time - better ask the neighbours who will be effected by your noise before hand. Just show a bit respect. They'll be okay with it most of the time - and you won't get water thrown at you.
I don't think you have to ask them for permission per se, but at least let them know beforehand so they can prepare themselves mentally/stay with friends etc. I case they have an important appointment the next day. And I think usually it's enough to just drop off a small note in their mailbox a few days beforehand 😊
@@sannitaeter102 yeah, you are right - a note would usually be enough. ...but... @schnelma605 ...thinking about my grandmother... she was the type to first throw water and then call the cops 😂
You can also just hang up a note in the hallway, that's how it's usually done in my house - no personal interaction needed and you only need one copy of the note 😅
if you are sitting down at exactly 9 o'clock and the meetings supposed to start at exactly 9 o'clock, you are kinda late... you are supposed to be there a few minutes early, say your hellos and stuff and then when 9 o'clock comes around, bam - the ACTUAL meeting starts. No banter, no bullshit, get sh*t done. So if you arrived at 8:59 and just sat down at 9:00... you're slowing down the process. Greetings from Germany! :D
Well, this really depends on the routine settled into. Thing is, everyone needs to be on the same page about it. In some cases it is normal that people will arrive and chat a bit and the "formal" beginning can be as late as 15 minutes after. Other cases they want to start right at the top of the hour. Thing is, to "read the room" - in this case in advance - and to be safe, just be extra punctual.
That's exactly it: The meeting/class is supposed to start at a given time, so the participants are to gather a bit earlier. So it really can start on time. The same applies to public transport where the time table gives you an idea at what time the vehicle ought to appear. If one wants to get on it, they better be early in order to not slow down the process of loading and getting into traffic again.
Oh, now it makes sense for me: I was wondering why american teen birthdays seem to be literal house parties with open invite because this is to us somewhat weird, because in Germany the birthday child tents to just invite people they know cuz they want a fun time with their friends not meet random people in their house 😅
8:07 I can personally report that it is very important not to simply bring other people along after an invitation to a birthday party. This happened to a classmate and resulted in the house and garden being trashed by a whole lot of strangers, and all the beer reserves that were not intended for the party being plundered without permission. The parents of my classmate were not amused.
We have those alerts too. But in Germany the entire warning system is tested as well. So you would also hear sirens and get push notification from special warning apps like Nina and Katwarn
They are using cell broadcast now (as recommended to them years ago) it is an international standard and supported directly by the phones @@khnelli4918
I've never seen somebody deny the +1 when asked nicely. No, we will not break into your appartement or do other crazy stuff just because you didn't inform us about your party. Its just seen as nice to let your neighbours know and (depending on your neighbour) it probably will increase the probability of them telling you to turn down the music before calling the police. (Yes, those people do exist, but even we germans dont like them) We dont like sharing our stuff with total strangers. But sharing among friends or family is pretty common here. The nicest way to ask if you can try some, might be to offer some of yours. Chances are high, they'll return that offer to you :)
Usually couples are invited together, only if someone does not have a partner according to general knowledge is the invitation considered as an individual. And then you just ask if your friend, cousin, brother, sister, etc. is visiting from away at that time.
Well, it depends on the party and the form of the invitation. A wedding party, a reception in the US usually implies a +1 for anyone invited and states explicitly if there's no plus one while in Germany the invite states who is invited. If you invite your third cousin or your coworkers it's often an invite without a plus one while you would of course invite both your sister and BIL. And as a German I know, that if the invitation says "dear xyz" it's just xyz not xyz + whoever else wants to come. A party without invitations is usually more open but then also: young people in Germany are usually more responsible and only invite people they know and will then decide if they trust those individuals enough to allow them to bring some random friend while in the US it's often "we are having a party, come if you want" and anyone can turn up. And in the US it's more often a potluck while in Germany the host usually prepares the food and drinks so not knowing how many people will show up will make it way to difficult. I've been to birthday parties in the US that I wasn't invited to, but tagged along. Since in the US the birthday boy or girl doesn't pay for the party but the guests plan it and prepare everything, it's great to have one more person to share the costs with while in Germany the birthday boy or girl plans and pays so bringing a bunch of people to a party doesn't work well. (Depends on the party too. If it's music and dancing, fine bring one more. If it's dinner and movies with your besties, usually no.)
Well if you have a baby crying every night that has finally fallen asleep… or have a difficult exam the other day for which you’ve been working your a** up for months paralell to work… you will come to understand the people calling the police… or at least appreciate their action! As he said… it‘s all about respect!
@@liweng5492 you can talk to your neighbours first, even then. Nobody said anything against calling the police, if that doesnt work. But a "sry, can you please be quiet, I gotta get up early tomorrow", before you call the police, isnt that hard, is it?
Yeah I mean, I am not the one to call the police nor the one to talk to the noisy neighbours cos I’m not interested in talking to distressed policeman that get summoned every other minute for stuff like that neither do I appreciate getting yelled at by a bunch of immature drunkards shouting from their balcony, throwing their bottles at my door as soon as I am back in after asking them politely to turn it down… (cos that‘s what „party“ obviously means here) So… every one knows the rules in germany that say 10 pm means silence… (if not use your phone and google it) there shouldn‘t be a need to call the police anyways? So I‘m just the one to sit back and watch the police coming on command of someone else, enjoing the silence afterwards 😁 sorry if that doesn‘t meet your opinion
For few weeks there was also a warn test in Germany. The test was scheduled for 11 am CEST. Many people were upset, because the phones didn't ring exactly at 11 am, some 1 minute before, some 15 minutes to late.
Wenn das System deines Handy nicht aktuell ist, sprich du noch ein altes Handy hast, kriegst du kein Alarm, weil es nicht in deinem Handy System ist. 😅
The thing he said about being a role model for the kids at traffic lights - yeah, I do that. Empty road, ennoyingly long red phase:I'll walk. Except if there's a child standing next to me or on the opposite side. Then nope, I'm not gonna be the reason that small human runs into traffic.
Honestly? No. I always stand and wait. Why would I only stand if children are there? If it is red, i wait because I won't come much faster to my destination and I increase the chance of a bad situation to occure. It doesn't make sense to me. I can wait those 10-30secs with ease. If those few seconds would mean the difference between in time and late, the problem is my time management. Find a solution for that and not a faster way to die.
The tipping is especially something else in Germany. Here you will never see a waiter that gets upset whenever u don’t tip them. They are even thankful for anything because it is considered a nice gesture and not any form of obligation. And the waiters earn enough money so don’t have to live from the tips.
They don‘t show you, but be sure that they are not happy getting no tip or pretty small. I worked in restaurants and the stuff is talking about these guests. The ones with the most extra wishes often give norhing- we‘ll never complain to the guest, but it is not nice
They don‘t show you, but be sure that they are not happy getting no tip or pretty small. I worked in restaurants and the stuff is talking about these guests. The ones with the most extra wishes often give norhing- we‘ll never complain to the guest, but it is not nice
They don‘t show you, but be sure that they are not happy getting no tip or pretty small. I worked in restaurants and the stuff is talking about these guests. The ones with the most extra wishes often give norhing- we‘ll never complain to the guest, but it is not nice
They don‘t show you, but be sure that they are not happy getting no tip or pretty small. I worked in restaurants and the stuff is talking about these guests. The ones with the most extra wishes often give norhing- we‘ll never complain to the guest, but it is not nice
17:15 Those are containers that are put up for public use when you have a bit more than fits into your home bins. At least for those bins/containers that you do have at home. Glass is separated into three colors: clear/white, green, and brown glass. Sorting by colors makes sense as glass is difficult to recycle (not impossible, but difficult) if different colors are mixed together. Then there are three containers for paper or cartons (as those get filled up very quickly). So in all, there's only two different major categories here: glass and paper. At home you have a plastic/Grüner Punkt/green dot recycling bin for anything plastic, metalic, laminated cartons, etc marked with the green dot. Some (like me) only use a very flimsy yellow recycling bag, placed at the side of the road one night before collection. Others have a more sturdy yellow bin instead. Most people have three more major bins at home: paper (that's for the normal home amounts, but it does tend to accumulate quickly) in blue, bio-degradeable in either green or brown, and remaining non-recycling trash in black. Theoretically you COULD dump everything into the non-recycling black bin and be done with it, but the county/city/trash collectors charge an arm and a leg for those black bins, to incentivize you to recycle vs the reduced fees for the other bins. The fees for the non-recycling trash go WAY up the bigger your home bin. So in addition to recycling incentive the size of the bin (not the amount you stuff into it) is the deciding factor on the cost. We are talking about at least three times the normal fees, plus a factor for size. So no, you really, really don't want to use a big non-recycling waste bin. The Pfand/deposit on bottles and cans is available at any store that sells those types of cans or bottles. They don't have to be of the same brand; and similar type of bottle or can is ok. They are mandated by law to accept any similiar bottles that are part of the recycling system and marked with the correct symbol. It doesn't even have to be the same store. Of course, some tiny kiosks aren't equipped to handle HUUUGE amounts of returned bottles or cans, so be reasonable. Don't make an ass of yourself and demand that a small kiosk at the street corner take back your 4000 empty bottles you just drove up in your truck. But larger grocery chains like Rewe or Edeka usually have multiple machines for returns, often even with a large conveyor belt at the bottom to allow for the return of full cases of bottles. Yepp, the machine scans the cases for the correct bottles, and empty slots in the case are deducted from a full case of empty bottles (could you follow that, or did I mess up?). The total returns are then tallied up, the machine prints a voucher, and you can get either money from the cashier, or redeem it for other products bought at the store. The vouchers are redeemable only in the store where you returned your bottles. Obviously, other stores don't want to pay for something they didn't receive, right? Cause the stores receive a return when THEY in turn give back the bottles to the correct companies, who can use them again. EDIT: Well, yes, there are cup-holders in many cars now, but they are still frowned upon to be used by the driver. Cause a driver, especially on the Autobahn, should be focused on DRIVING, not gulping on any drink, be it alcoholic or a soda. Drinking and driving doesn't work, didn't you know? Oh, alright, alright, that was a stupid pun, I know it refers to being drunk and driving. But driving at 100 mph / 170km/h and taking a gulp from a big gulp cup might result in looking down at exactly the wrong moment, leaving you no time to react. Or even if you react, to spilling your drink, resulting in an additional reflex reaction trying to grab the drink, to try to prevent it from spilling, which then results in turning the steering wheel, resulting in over-compensation, which may result in a worse accident instead of a controlable accident... You get the drift (pun fully intended). So that would be considered distracted driving, and would result in you being charged with at the very least partial liability. In case of a rear-ender caused by you, maybe even full liability PLUS a criminal charge for personal damages/injuries. So German drivers tend to keep their hands on the wheel most of the time on the Autobahn. In recent times the number of times I've seen the bad habit of drinking any beverage as drivers has definitely risen. EDIT 2: The book you were probably thinking about (at 21:10) was "Er ist wieder da!" / "He is back again!" It caused quite a stir among Germans, because it theorized how a Hitler returning to modern Germany would behave and act; and how the public would react to him. Many would believe he's a method actor preparing for a role, others would consider him a lunatic, some few would actually believe he is Hitler, with some even actively supporting him. Hitler wasn't stupid; he was an egotistical, maniacal, narcisistic, homophobic, xenophobic, right-wing speaker (hmmm, somehow that reminds me of someone, I just can't put my finger on it) with an undeniable charisma. He was also adaptable to a certain point. That's what made him so scary effective at his speeches. There are those among Germans who still support less evil versions of his rhetoric; those are called Stammtischpolitiker / pub crawler politicians; sitting around their traditional table, making stupid, big-mouthed claims of how things should be run in their opinion. Yes, it made fun of Hitler, but it also held up a very provocative mirror to German society, claiming that there are still the fairly uneducated who'd still fall for his (adapted) rhetoric today. So it was a subtle sarcasm, a type of humor that has become rare among modern German authors. Many German authors have a very open, brutally honest sarcastic style of writing; subtle sarcasm less so.
Zum Thema "Hitler": Kein Amerikaner, oder sonst jemand auf der Welt, soll mich nochmal fragen, wie Hitler es geschafft hat, an die Macht zu kommen und uns Deutsche dafür verurteilen! Ich sehe Amerika, ich sehe Trump, und den Sturm auf das Capitol! Trump ist kein Antisemit, oder gar Nazi, aber er hat die Demokratie angegriffen, und die Hälfte der Amerikaner folgt ihm und seinen Lügen bis heute! Überhebliche ungebildete Leute, die nicht in der Lage sind, ihre Verfassung, oder das Wahlrecht zu lesen! Man muss den Hass auf etwas / Jemand nur wecken und am kochen halten, dann muss man die Massen nur noch anstubsen, und schon laufen sie in die richtige Richtung. On the subject of "Hitler": No American, or anyone else in the world, should ask me again how Hitler managed to come to power and condemn us Germans for it! I see America, I see Trump, and the storm on the Capitol! Trump is not an anti-Semite, or even a Nazi, but he attacked democracy, and half of the Americans follow him and his lies until today! Arrogant uneducated people who are not able to read their constitution, or the right to vote! You only have to arouse the hatred for something / someone and keep it boiling, then you only have to nudge the masses, and they run in the right direction.
I normally love the videos of Marc from Wolters World. But in this video are soo many stereotypes that are just completely nonsense or only refer to a small amount of people or the older generation.
I agree. Sharing food is great. Me and my friends order different food to try the other things too. I think that is a pretty normal thing here in Germany. Please correct me if not but that one suprised me.
@@freddyforward I agree. The same with the party and +1 thing - never ever heard or experienced, there are definitely people jaywalking (even if maybe less than in Italy or Spain), not every German likes to follow every existing rule, and I don´t think Germans become upset if you don´t agree with their opinion as long as you can argue in a proper way... etc etc etc.
Idk where you guys live, but for me it felt actually really refreshing to see such a video and to agree with the majority of impressions. Some things may not hold up in shitholes like Berlin or Mainz, sure - and the "not agreeing thing" was poorly explained (I do think that at least in my environment it comes of as pretty insulting if you disagree with someone from a hunch, when they formed their opinion backed with research they did - esp. in a business context), but overall it seems pretty spot on, to me at least.
@@drnkt69 Not sure what your problem with Berlin is, but that you add Mainz to it, sounds already like a totally weird comparison. I mean, fair enough if that´s how you felt... but I lived myself several years each in Germany (also not in your "shitholes"), Italy, Denmark, Croatia and France. And I don´t agree with the majority of points added.
@@HappyBeezerStudios You know and I know, my german fellow. ☺️ I was just joking about the fact that people from other countries don‘t understand our way of „checking“.😉
I always wonder what people from other countries do on a crowded subway. Like, everywhere I try to look there's someone standing and I don't want to stare at my phone all the time as it would feel confining. Staring at people's shoes is weird too and looking at their body even more. I need to look somewhere, you know
If they don't come at all, they are no longer considered being late at all. Such a nice way to distort the statistics of the efficiency of public transportation: don't send bus, all is good!
As a Brit with aspergers I love Germany and German people, it's a very relaxing place for me as the people aren't in your face ,self entitled and belligerent, there's a way you do things and everybody does it and it works. I love that Germans don't question you, because they respect you and assume you are smart enough to have researched to come to your conclusion, and again as someone with aspergers I have over thought everything I do and it drives me insane when someone of lower IQ questions me. Germany is aspergers heaven😆💟
It's because we're all autistic. Just kidding, of course. But as someone with Asperger as well I very, very much appreciate all the quiet hours and the unwritten rules regarding noise here in Germany. I'm very noise sensitive and I need to mentally prepare if neighbors are having a party and it's getting loud in the evening/night.
Except for it being almost impossible to be diagnosed as Aspie. And also your problems will usually not recognized as problematic. So while yes, it's much easier in general, as you'll pass more easily, this also got it's downsides.
Not trying to disagree with the sentiment in general, but how would you know you're questioned by "someone with a lower IQ"? That's a rather rude and arrogant/condescending statement. It's totally fine to not want to be questioned for no apparent reason by someone with no insight into your reasoning or thought process, but you can't just look down on everyone for assuming they're stupid compared to you? That's weird.
@@Scarlett.Granger One aspect that distinguishes Aspergers from other variants of autism is, that aspies usually have at least average IQ. On the other hand, they are often considered below-average IQ by many neurotypical people for their lack in social skills. Especially those "norms" that tend to be prone to Dunning-Krueger. This conflict between some! ignorant-arrogant but emotional "norms" with superiority complex and social-insecure but logical and smart aspies can be extremely frustrating to some aspies. As a result they might react by overemphasizing their own cognitive capabilities. This is NOT intended as sign of superiority, but more often than not is a necessary defense to keep the aspies own sense of self-worth up. The best neurotypical equivalent is the need to ask your friends "AITA?" when facing a Karen.
About the party thing... if the party takes place right over your head or on the other side of the wall your sleeping next to you might wanna know... Dont forget: most people in germany pay rent and live in an apartment of a bigger building (with others)...
...that has comparably thin walls between the apartments (usually a standard brick's width +several layers of coating) so every kind of noise transmits easily.
About the letting your neighbors know and not wanting to interact with them: In the eastern part where I live it is OK to put a notice at the entrance of the building a few days ahead. Maybe put a phone number on it in case somebody wants to complain so they call you instead of the cops.
The story about the water in the apartment is unbelievable. Something like that has never happened to me before. Nothing comparable either. If you want to make a party and you live in an apartment building, then you simply put cards in the mailboxes of the neighbors, in which you refer to the party, apologize in advance for any noise pollution and ask the neighbors to come too and already everything is (usually) good. The story with the water I would not only have taken extremely bad, that would have had consequences for the Lady. I wouldn't put up with that. She's crazy. And if someone asks me an impertinent question, I just raise an eyebrow like Spock while looking deep into their eyes and then simply turn away. That's usually enough. Except in Berlin. There's hardly anything you can do to counter the Berlin snout.
The party warning also offers people to organize somewhere else to stay. For example there was a wedding celebration during Covid at my neighbors place (legally). I chose to stay at my parents place for the night and was very grateful for the heads up. Somebody with early shifts might be able to change them to another time to get better sleep. Also a lot of people who sleep with open windows then know to close them and won't be woken up due to people being loud outside. A litte warning ahead can do a lot of good there. Other than that: I love Wolters World. But sometime like in this video he really hits all the bad clichees.
I have been in a Restaurant with a friend and he stole some food from my plate and i told him don't do it one time. He tried it again and i put my Fork in his hand and he was bleeding from all 4 holes, so Walter is right.
that's a correct reaction. He should at least ask you if he can try a bite. With me he would have only escaped with injuries. My food is mine. I am self-confessedly an egoist. Such anti-social behavior will not be tolerated.
I don't eat a bite of my food as soon as anyone else touched my plate. They are so embarrassed to eat their food while I just sit and watch and pay my not-eaten food at the end, they never do it again. And I'm not the only one around reacting like this.
I've been to Germany and yeah. A lot of these things are like that. But it mostly depends on region and the person. Like in the state Lower Saxony, people are more chill and quite understanding of American culture and also way more open about cultural diversity, but in the state Brandenburg it is a different thing. Much more conservative and the understanding of American culture is pretty much narrowed down to the stereotypes. You have a clear west to east shift in what you can do and what you can't do. So knowing the place before you go there can keep you out of trouble and embarrassing moments.
But to be honest. Why should we be understanding of your culture? This is by far not a requirement. Being open for other people is, understanding your culture, no, absolutely not. You're in our country. You decided to come here, so get used to our rules. And this is not about you having to change everything about you so that you are a perfect German citizen (I am not in many ways even though I am German). You just have to follow the rules of social interactions. This is just logical when going to another country. As far as I am aware this is not a very wild concept or expectation.
@user-xk6jw3wi5u But we have to be understanding of your culture when you're in our country? Nah fam, that's not how it works. Don't lecture me on these things
@@BrittTheFurry So let's see, you ignore that I state a general rule. Great that you think you can have the opinion that I would behave like you do, when I am in your country when I am of the opinion that as a foreigner I have to adapt to the rules of the country. But I guess it matches your entitlement that people have to adapt to you not the other way round. I mean you said that in your initial message, didn't you? The only places that where acceptable were those where your culture was accepted not where you tried to accept our culture, I got that right, didn't I. Nah, bro, that's not how it works. Don't lecture me on these things.
@@user-xk6jw3wi5u Just keep your mouth shut. You got nothing right, didn't even get the context and jumped on me, so of course you get the same shit back. Go back to school kid, instead of trying to act all mature.
I'm german - and some of what he says is simple nonsense. Nobody would say no, if you ask if you can bring a friend with you, unless he had a really good reason for it. I wonder who has friends like that? And never would have ever dared to touch me or forbid me from crossing the street when the light is red. Maybe someone looks disapproving, but nothing more. And that usually doesn't matter to the people who run the red light. It is also rare On busy streets you don't go through the red light, but on streets with less traffic, outside of the main roads, a lot of people do it. But yes, if there are children around, you might consider doing it so as not to set a bad role model and endanger children. And please don't think that something like the bucket of water is normal here, it's just as unusual and disturbing as it is in the USA. It makes no sense to present it as if this were normal behavior. But it's definitely considered polite here to tell the housemates that you're having a party when things get a little louder. And if you're feeling very diplomatic, you can invite their to a big, loud party too. It's true that it annoys us all to be mistaken for Bavarians. There are also different cultures in the different federal states. Especially since Bavaria is not very popular in the rest of the federal states because the Bavarians often (not all, but many) give the feeling that they would like to be better than others. But the reaction, if you make some wrong ist exaggerated. It can happens, there are idiots here too, but that's not the rule, most people are a bit more polite here too. But what he says about driving in Germany is exactly as he said.
Nice video! The book you talk about at the end is called He's Back (Er ist wieder da). There are no jokes about the Holocaust but rather how Hitler would see politics and society in today's world and vice versa how people would see him.
Yes, I agree! It only appears to be a comedic book, but is actually very serious in its undertones and has one of the most scary last sentences/endings I have encountered in a book
Great Book, good movie adaptation (although the book is way better). As already said: the tone of both (book and movie) are kind of bittersweet, the laugh gets caught in the throat, don't know whether there is an english translation for this saying) I once watched it with a class of mine (~15 yo) during a sleepover in school. After the credits I had to go to the bathroom for a few moments for myself, because the ending of the movie is just scary. For those who didn't watch the movie: it shows the right winged radicalisation in Germany which comes in so many dirfferent forms.
I love how the video says "Don't be late!" and then your alarm goes off - right on time! When it comes to parties (just my personal experience tho): Yes, please ask, if you can bring someone else. We love planning and if we end up with double the people, the plan doesn't work anymore. But: If you have a partner or other people who are often with you, we probably ask if they wanna come, too, while we're inviting you. So I think it's rare to even have to ask if you can bring someone else - and even then it's fine. Just a few poeple more won't ruin the plan. I actually don't remember anytime anyone said "No" in that situation. If you're invited, we already like you. If you wanna bring someone, that someone is kinda approved so it'll be a pleasure to meet that person. Just let us know early enough. Jaywalking isn't that much of an issue, but if you see children around, don't do it. Show them how to do it properly. But if there are no children and absolutely no cars, it's okay. I still wait for the green light most of the time, but I don't see that much of an issue here.
There were German tourists in Indiana a few times, I was at the GenCon twice! The whole tipping thing was confusing to me every time I was in the US, because I was only used to it when paying cash.... I remember I once paid with credit card, and put some dollar bills in addition because I had no clue how to do it...
@@adur6400 People stopping and having a chat in the middle of a supermarket. Especially at a busy "intersection"... So inconsiderate, boggles my mind how they seem to think it's normal. Even standing around while trying to find a particular item amongst the shelf can be an issue. I usually try to leave some space so that when someone comes who already knows what to grab can do so. Most people don't though.
That video doesn't make a lot of sense to me as a German. He seems to be generalizing a few bad anecdotes he had. Or maybe he is taking a few things out of context here...
to be honest, as a german as well, i did understand most of his points or have seen them/heard of them. but i guess depending on where u live in germany it does differ.
On the Autobahn, it will not only be Porsche, BMW and Mercedes passing by. It also will be delivery vans (especially delivery vans!). It will be small hatchbacks. It will be family cars and even the occasional minivan.
We had that emergency Test about two weeks ago in Germany. I am German. It is hard for me, not being late. Sometimes i tell Friends that i am about to leave my home, and then i need additional two hours to actually leave. I started to send my live location when i really leave my home. When they start a Party at 6pm, they tell me it starts at 4pm, and then i am there at 7pm. Sadly that's no joke.
my whole family once agreed to turn all the clocks an hour forward cause we were tired of being late because of my mum. it worked for a while until she noticed :D maybe try it for yourself
We in germany have something, that's call "Rechtsfahrgebot" - that means you are supposed to drive on the right side if its free. So the slowest one have to drive Right. The next faster driver is allowed to drive on the left lane. And you are not allowed to overtake from right. Only from left. So its more sorted and safe.
I agree with him, many Germans take punctuality very seriously. German employers also attach great importance to arriving five til ten minutes before works starts and not at the last minute.
Damals beim Bund mussten wir unsere Uhren 5 Minuten vor stellen, dass wir auf der Uhr 8 Uhr hatten, aber 7:55 da waren und vor allem: wir sollten trotzdem 7:55, also 7:50 da sein... 🤣
@@nicobendig6597 Ich hab meine Uhr auch so 2 Minuten vor. Aber eher aus praktischen Gründen. Wenn der Bus um 8:35 kommt, und ich weiß ich brauch 7 Minuten bis zur Haltestelle, dann bin ich lieber etwas früh dran. Insbesondere wenn dann noch was passiert. Schlüssel suchen? Stein im Schuh? Reissverschluss klemmt? Mit etwas extra Zeit lässt sich das erledigen ohne zu spät zu sein.
Absolutely! But in turn, you also leave exactly on the dot. If you're working till 5 you don't "just quickly finish something" until 17:09. In my experience thats way less expected. It says you leave at five, so you leave at five and thats that.
Actually that's not always the case, it seriously depends on the situation. There are several friends, when they invite me, I know they mean me, not the family. Depends on phrasing.
Subscribed! You have such a gentle, friendly way of reacting to this stuff! I always had to laugh when you laughed. It felt almost like we were watching it together. (A little creepy, but hey. :D ) Anyways, thanks for your awesome content! Keep doing what you do! Lots of love from Deutschland.
As a born and german living 20years old i can say, the most points are either not true or at least over dramatic... we are obviously not that stereotyp and every people has theyre own opinion to it...
The traffic light one depends on the region, here in downtown everyone walks over useless red lights, except if there's a kid between 2 and 7 present. Most of the others are pretty true.
@@caesardivifiliusaugustus9685 As a German nearing 50 years of age, I must say, yes, punctuality is taken very seriously... I myself are chronically unpunctual a lot of times and I keep getting chewed out for it, not just by my parents but by my friends as well, so much so that some of my friends would tell my husband to give me the starting time (for a party or boardgame get-together) that was 30 minutes early from the actual starting time... so that I would be on time when I arrived "late".
@@TF2CrunchyFrog that is so me...unpunctual to the point, my friends always told me the meetings would be 1 hour before they actually wanted to meet, so i would just be half an hour too late in the end. :D I never understood why people take it so serious being strictly on time. Most of the points in the video are quite accurate. Describing german people quite right.
@@Super-Godzilla99 Bitte was? Das einzige was Bayern können ist Bier brauen... das wars aber auch schon. Die einzige Stelle auf deutschen Autobahnen wo auf der Fahrbahn gewendet werden darf ist beim Schild "Willkommen in Bayern"...
The adjective is verärgert, not ärgerlich. Ärgerlich means annoying or inconvienient. We had that Cellphone test a few weeks back as well. There used to be a very good video about driving but I can't find it anymore. Yes, pedestrian lights are red and green. Ugly does not mean just being "not handsome", but also unmannered.
I feel like jokes about nazis are usually fine, but making jokes about the victims of the holocaust is what gets you in trouble 🤔 For example a parody of Hitler or his speeches is fine while a meme about Jews getting transported to Auschwitz and making it look like a holiday trip is not. In reality the border is kind of blurry at times but I think it works well as a general rule
Most people who drink their Pfandflaschen / deposit cans outdoors in cities will leave it there so that homeless people can pick it up. On some trash cans you will even find stickers reading: "Pfand gehört daneben!" / "Deposit belongs next to it!"
I'd say 50% of Germans jaywalk and 50% judge others who do 😅 Also, to his party things: Wolter is talking about crazy people here not the typical german
I think, it depends on how "well-bred"/educated you have been raised up. Normally, you learn as a German child in Kindergarten (at the latest) to not jaywalk under any circumstances. You should stay on red lights and only walk on green lights. That is just "engraved in your brain" at this early age (that explains the role model statement "Stop! Think of the kids!"). And some stick to it and wait on red lights even in the night with no cars around. Others relax the rule for themselves, but know when they jaywalk, that they are disobeying the rules (and often only do it, when there are no kids around). Some may think of this as "Alman" behaviour, perhaps they are right, but at last it isn't a wrong manner. On the other side, you have to see car drivers. They trust in traffic lights (too much?). They don't care about a bunch of kids around a crossway, when there are traffic lights. So IF suddenly one or more would run across on red lights (or green for the drivers), an accident might be more presumably than on a crossroad without lights.
@@MtheHell I'm one of those jaywalking germans, but you are right: I always (even at night) look around before doing it, but I'm not checking for cars, I'm checking for kids... if there are kids nearby I ALWAYS wait at the redlight.
I always feel like Germans are more likely to jaywalk when they live in that town/city. The same people who may jaywalk in their own city all the time because they see it as just an expansion of their living room and are therefore more relaxed about it may wait on every red light in another city. And I'm honest, I'm jaywalking all the time. No chance that I just wait there like an idiot when there is not one car in sight and no side street I can't see.
I never jaywalk at traffic lights, but if there is no official crossing and it's not a 4-lane street I just walk across after checking that no traffic is inbound, and no kids are in sight. The most important thing is to impress on kids that they absolutely need to be sure it's safe to cross. If no kids are around, then it's mostly your own safety at risk, so choose appropriately.
I am from Germany, I would say I'm a pretty typical German, but I really enjoy watching videos like that. Somehow it reminds me that we're actually not that bad. 😉I often want to add my two cents, because not everything that is said in the articles is correct. There are simply too many differences depending on where you are in Germany (and how old you are...). I'm from Berlin. But that's hardly different in America. For Americans, all Germans are like Bavarians, for Germans, every American is like a Texan. But there is one thing I envy in America: the abundance of different flavors of Oreo cookies! I know only 4 or 5... So far from me. I'm looking forward to more comparison videos.
If they invite you to a party and you ask if you can bring a friend, I think they're more likely to say sure, no problem. They will appreciate your asking, and you shouldn't show up with someone else without asking, but I found Germans very hospitable and welcoming. The only time they might not like it if you ask to bring someone else is if they're interested in you for more than just a friend. But still, I can't imagine them saying you can't bring a friend if you ask.
Also, if they don't want you to bring a friend they will kinda accept, but tell you their reasoning on why it would be a bad idea (e.g. not enough space etc.) and let you decide if you want to take the risk.
I think the you book you mentioned is called "Er ist wieder da" in English "He is back again", written by Timur Vermes. The book is about him returning to the modern Germany and the book makes fun of him being there.
Nazi jokes are soo annoying. Imagine watching a random german video and someone in the comments writes "Haha typical angry germans, they sound like Nazis". Its just sooo stupid and annoying. I was born in 1990. I have nothing to do with Nazis. I dont make fun of the american history even though they also did terrible things in the past. I mean America only exist cause they did some very terrible things... Here. I'm your example of an angry and annoyed german 🤣
17:00: In Cologne we have 5 different kinds of waste containers: 1. glass, 2. paper (blue), 3. plastic and packaging (yellow), 4. biodregadable waste, such as wood, leaves, cut grass (brown), 5. other waste (Restmüll, black). To me, recycling is a rather serious issue, not only in Germany, because it -- helps reduce plastic waste worldwide. -- helps pull out valuable materials (Wertstoffe), such as metals, glass, paper - up to expensive stuff like Platinum, which is found in catalysts. -- keeps us from drowning in our own waste, non - recyclable stuff is burnt to supply power!
If you plan a party in Germany and you know it will get loud and your guests will be around after Nachtruhe (It's part of nearly every tenancy agreement - and also the law - that you're not allowed to disturb your neighbours between 10 pm and 6 am through unnecessary noise. Some contracts even dictate quiet hours between 1 and 3 pm so pensioners and toddlers can have a after lunch nap.) you should at least place a visible note where your neighbours will see it. Like on your letterbox or the house entrance. They might still call the cops if you disturb their good night sleep but most will tolerate their neighbours partying as long as it's not every weekend or even worse... the night before a work day.
Last week in Italy someone was sitting on my seat. I thought "🙄, but well, whatever...". Eventually it was the ticket controller who told them, that this is not their seat. I said it's alright as there were still enough empty seats. I always worry about not tipping (enough) abroad, even if the Internet says tipping is considered impolite or offensive. Because tipping 10% in Germany is kind of an unwritten rule.
I‘m from a small town and have to admit most of this is absolutely accurate here…some things to a bigger extent than others but they are all true in one way or another at least where I live😅😅😅
nazi jokes with the right conotation and right intention are totaly fine, its just that americans usualy do not have anywhere near the cultural sensitivity or historical understanding to pull that off, its a bit like cliff jumping, its not dangerous if you know what you are doing, but if you dont....dont try.
well I am from germany and I don’t agree with some things like if you have a disagreement with somebody a lot of people they will treat you nicely and will try to explain it to you why they have a different sight of seeing things. 😂Also the people I know like to share their things and I am also one of them . Offering food or drinks is pretty common. 😅Or am I and my friends just different.
When you have a meeting at 9 o'clock be 5-10 minutes before there, greet, maybe small talk and then get focused (with your documents) so everybody can start relaxed at 9 o'clock. It's like in school, when just one person is late everybody else will be unhappy 💀
The book you mentioned in the end is "Er ist wieder da" (He's back) and yes, its funny BUT its also very socially critical. So it shows that we think that we know everything about this time and its impossible that this can happen again, but the book shows, that its not impossible. So its not like stupid nazi jokes ^^
Rule of thumb: If you are a foreigner, don't do jokes which include the words "Nazi" or "Jew" or "Gas chamber", especially in combination. That's a LOT easier than trying to fix the result of doing it in the wrong moment.
Its also a difference if you make fun of nazis, or if you make racist jokes or against jewish people (big no no!). However, better not joke about it in public and don´t make the hitler salut, you could end up in prison for up to 3 years.
You probably don't want to be in those private communities that laugh a lot about nazi jokes. Could be, the community is, well, of the AfD/Querdenker/Reichsbürger/Burschenschaften/CSU/FDP/Rammstein/Boehse_Onkelz/any other "we are not right wing, but..." community, which are gaining more and more power these days.
@@iwilltubeyouall Or those people learned to differentiate between a joke and reality. I think Serdar Somuncu said it best "Every minority has the right to be discriminated against". If you cant make a joke about any minority you are treating them differently which manifests that they are different. So in the spirit of beeing equal to everyone. Why do jews have big noses? Because air is free. And why not joke about hitler? I think there is only one group of people that would hate that. Neonazis, because they like hitler and what he did. Everyone else is making a fool out that devil. And your try at defining your enemies is hypocritical. I remember when the leader of the left wing party was at a panel, and his co- speaker said something about, if we would kill the top 800 000 richest germans, we wouldnt be any better off. On which he responded by adding that they shouldnt be killed but enslaved to work for the german good.
A unwritten Rule : Don't give your children food or drink at the Store if you haven't paid for it yet. Food and drink are only available after checkout.
I think it depends where you come from, because here in NRW I never saw someone opening something before they paid for it, I mean we have a lot of big city's so I guess if you don't know everyone it's more off a rule, because if you're in a small city and know everyone you know they will pay for it later, but in a big city it's just prevention from stealing
@@lucyan319 ich komm aus NRW. Ursprünglich Bergkamen. Is wohl eher ein Erziehungsdingen. Meine Kinder kennen das auch nicht, sehe aber immer wieder welche, die es so machen, damit die Kinder nicht quängeln
The 6 different recycling cans are: Normal glass Green glass Brown glass Paper Plastic "Restmüll" (everything that doesn't fit in any of the other categories)
For number 4 there's a great joke in Germany: Deep night in New York City, no one around. Just one lone man wandering the streets. He reaches a pedestrian traffic light, which is red, and waits. No cars. No traffic. Just a red light. Another man approaches and stands next to him. They both wait for the light to change. Then the first man looks at the other and asks: "Na, auch aus Deutschland?" ("Well, are you from Germany too?"). And as a German I REALLY feel uncomfy if I'm in another country and people regularly cross the street against the light... You just don't!
the thing with sharing is: if i bought something i already have in mind that i can eat it all. i dont mind sharing if we talked about before. damn, i dont even mind buying u a own one i just wanna have a full meal, even if its just 1french fry difference!
Somehow, if you get fries, that seems to be treated as an exception by many people. People (you are with, not just passersby) might just grab a few from you, even without asking. This really annoys me and I usually tell people off who do this. They then act apologetic but at the same time you can tell they are thinking "what's the big deal"... but it's exactly what you said. If I knew there were gonna be others eating from it too, I would have ordered a bigger size.
"what are those things spinning in the sky?" 😂 I laughed so much before rewinding I didn't even notice the "just joking" afterwards. Impeccable timing. Thanks for that, that was a good laugh🥲
Maybe it's just the city I live in, but nobody cares if you just cross the streets! Just make sure that there are no cars or that they are standing at a traffic light. Don't walk if the cars coming need to slow down(they will, but they gonna be hella annoyed). Don't cross big streets like this (c'mon that's just dangerous). Don't dare to do that in front of kids (let's keep the youth safe) and most importantly don't get caught by the police, it's still illegal lol and you gonna get a fine.
Bro stopping someone from jwalking in the US is probably living his last lseconds. The person who got hold back probably puts out a bazooka out of nowhere
greetings from germany:D the thing with telling your neighboors about the party is that we have here something called "Ruhestörung". ruhe means quiet or peace and störung means disturbance. you would disturb the night's peace between 8pm-6am. 10pm-6am on the weekend. on sunday there are no loud noises allowed at all. so when their have the feeling being interrupted by your music and guests, your neighboors can call the police. the best way to avoid that, is to inform the other members of your house. most people are fine with that, if you dont make partys every weekend:D hope that makes the point a little bit clearer:D
#15 Living in Munich I am mostly upset when a pedestrian doesn't respect the bike lane. This is a serious no-go and makes me yell out loudly. Bicycle riding is not a sport and not for fun in Germany (and not in Denmark and the Netherlands) but a real way to commute and grocery shopping and everything for many people, a growing number of modern and ecologically thinking people. PLEASE watch out before stepping on a bike lane!!
Walter has still a few things to learn about us. If a German is really offended by a foreigner he doesn't say "Hello?!!". He says " If you don't like it here you are always free to leave (the country)".
in school in germany we must enter the classroom before 8 a.m. at 8.01 a.m. we are too late and if a teacher comes earlyer you must arrife before them so mostly my classmates and i are 5-10 too early
Okay, that party thing: First, when someone is invited who has a partner, of course the invitation is for both. You do not have to ask, if you can bring your wife or boyfriend or so. Also nobody is upset about a surprise guest who he knows. Just if you want to bring a stranger, you have to ask. This is mainly to have enough seats and food for all which means for the planing of the party. Only when a party gonna be loud, your neighbours will be upset when you don’t inform them, especially when you play loud music until late in the evening. When they are not disturbed, you of course do not have to inform them. Both means to be polite and thoughtful towards others which is expected here.
Much of the stuff he says is very exaggerated. I have never experienced that anybody held me back when crossing the street on red. People rarely say something at all (although that might be different in the more conservative south of Germany). If it is a big street with many cars driving on it and there are children watching, people might say something, otherwise they might think you are an idiot who isn't able to hold himself back for five seconds, depending on the situation, but most of the time, nobody will care. And that party stuff is just wrong. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY will say "no" if you want to bring your girlfriend or wife. There was one single party I went to where the rule was "no partners", but that was because the guy went a bit mad and invited about 50 people to his three-room apartment and we would have suffocated if people would have brought their partners :D
And no, you don't have to invite neighbours to your party or inform them. You just have to ask them if you're still loud late at night or turn down the noise a bit. I've heard neighbours of some people yelling insults because the party was to loud or call the police (who then comes and says "please be a bit more quiet" which the neighbours could have easily done themselves...), but that's it.
The problem with German tourists and tipping is because waiters are paid more or less okay, here in Germany especially since there was a law establishing a minimum wage. So it's not much and we still tip, but they don't depend on tips in the way waiters in the US do.
Recycling is a thing, though. Although the rules are so complicated that most people do it wrong at some point. For example, pizza boxes or receipts don't go into paper garbage because the fat (in case of the boxes) or the special paper used (in case of the receipts) make problems in the recycling process. But there are so many exceptions like this that nobody actually knows what to put to which kind of garbage :D Oh, and if you have an empty bottle and don't want to carry it around, if you want to be nice, you don't throw it into the garbage, but put it next to it. As you get some money for it, there are some poor people who collect them and bring them back, so you can make it less humiliating for them if they don't have to fetch them out of the garbage.
And the last one on nazi jokes: We are doing jokes about nazis here as well, but it's a sensible matter and some jokes are fine while others aren't. I also think it might be that depending on the context, people can missinterpret it. If a foreigner comes to Germany and makes nazi jokes, people might think he does them BECAUSE he is here in Germany and wants to provoke us with our past, although he does nazi jokes at home, too and it's not about us.
Nobody cares about the pedestrian lights here, only look at them when there are children around. But I think the guy lives in Bavaria, where the clocks are different. Here in Berlin I look at the traffic, not at the pedestrian lights.
my Favourite Nazi joke my history teacher used to tell: "Napoleon used to wear a red vest to conceal if he was wounded. .... Hitler used to wear brown trousers." 😏😂 still crackin me up every time.
That's what the guy meant when saying he doesn't mean the middle of the road when yaywalking. It's perfectly fine to cross the road when you need to, just not at red at the crosswalk. And wtf, unless you talk about some snobby ass old people dinner party, the host would say "sure" if you asked if you could bring a friend, but it's true, you should ask. The book you mean is probably "Er ist wieder da" (look who's back) ... a book turned movie about Hitler being back in modern times. Funny stuff
If an pedestrian crossing is in "eyesight" and you cross the road in front of cops you might get a ticket. Know your rules, go a bit further to be save, do it the proper way or be ready to pay.
I think what he might have come across, and maybe not quite figured out, is the difference between an opinion (like "it is very hot") and a statement of fact (like "it is 30 degrees"). While people in general tend to muddy these up, both intentionally and unconsciously, I think that Europeans on average tend to have a better grip on it than Americans. You can disagree about whether it is very hot or not. But both having looked at the same thermometer, you can't really disagree about the measurement it shows. However, some people still want to disagree even in such a case. And I think, among Americans this is more prevalent.
When you pronounce "hello" on the second syllable, it implies a question like "you should pay attention" or "you upset me" (by doing something wrong). Pronouce it on the first syllable it's a usual greeting throughout the day.
Jay Walking is exactly frouned upon because the cars have to watch out for you... you are making life harder for driver... so yes you can walk mostly where you want but you still abide by the rules because you are considerate^^
The jaywalk thing is mostly bullshit. We wait when we see that children are around to be a good role model for them, but else, i just walk maybe a few meters away from the traffic light and then cross the road there. And so do also a lot other people. And for the whole "beeing on time" thing .. are american bosses really cool with it if they have to wait for their employees 1 hour at the meeting ? After all i have heare about the american way of work i can hardly imagine that.
Some comments from a native German on your comments and the video ^^ 1 & 2: Well, yeah, really depends on the people and the kind of appointment. 3: Saying that every German wears a Lederhose, eats Weißwurst and drinks Weißbier is like saying that every American is like a cowboy from Texas. It's a local specialty, as well as a very sharp pronunciation of the "s" in Hamburg, wearing a pullover and a knit hat and looking like a seaman at the coasts. 4: Well, we have that many traffic lights and "Zebrastreifen" (pedestrian crosswalks) over here that there is no real reason to cross the street while there is red. In some cities, there are less than 50m between two crosswalks. 5: Some Germans like to discuss, some not, but if it's about facts and someone has good knowledge about the thematic, they don't really like if you come in with bad arguments or false facts 6: Well, as stated earlier we like clear answers over here, so there is no problem if you as if your girl / boyfriend, husband, wife or whoever can join the party, but please ask and don't bring them without asking, normally if you get a no, you also get a explanation why. And you're letting your neighbors know that you're going to have a party as they can prepare for it to stay loud for the night (especially if they have young children, or they have to work the next day) If you don't the worst that can happen is the police showing up if it's after 10pm, and it's to load, so may get a fine. 7: That's true, but you would also be upset if you know how full the trains normally are (depends also on the route) 8: The "Hallloooo" is like "Hello, is someone at home in this big hollow skull?", also it depends on where you are and what people are around you 9: Well Germany isn't really cheap or very affordable, a college who has lived in the USA for 11 years told me that groceries in the US are quite expensive, but therefore other goods are way cheaper than over here (1 L (0,26 Gallons) Gasoline costs between 1,759 to 2,109€) Also it's normal to give 10% tip if you're fully satisfied in a restaurant as the tip is extra money the waiters get on top of their normal salary (which is at least 12€ / h) 10: It looks authentic as it is authentic, Brezeln were sold like that in earlier days 12: Well, recycling in Germany seems straight forward, but in fact it isn't that complicated, just put the things in the bin with the corresponding marking on it. Also "Pfand" goes up to 0,25€ per bottle or even up to 5€ and more for bottle crates 13: 120 km/h (~75 MPH) is SLOOOOOW, the average BMW is driving at around 180 - 240 km/h (112 - 150 MPH), also mind the rescue lane if there is a traffic jam (blocking it costs up 280€) 14: Well, if you can make jokes about Nazis really depends on the part of Germany you're visiting and the people you have around you.