Kapitel 2 Kultur

               I found the first article very strange yet interesting since I am German decent. I would describe myself as a complainer (and would do so with out any shame as the Germans in the article do). I could really relate with the constant complaint that everything is "going downhill". My family and I complain like this regularly and I guess that makes sense since we are German. My dad is constantly lamenting over the Lion's football team and I am constantly complaining about my homework. I really wonder Americans don't do this as much, probably because Germans sind nicht freundlich.
            The second article was even more strange and made me very happy to be living here in America, far,  far away from Deutschland. The history behind the "Germanic stare-down" and how people would watch each other so they could report to the "Staatssicherheit" does give some reason for this strange happening but it by no means justifies it. The example about people calling the police if you park illegally and not even letting you know was especially bad and made me hesitant to join a foreign exchange program to Deutschland. Ich wohne nicht germ im Deutschland.
          I really enjoyed the third article and I really wish Americans would communicate like this. I hate when people waste my time with fake kindness and white lies. If ich esse Cake nicht gern, denn I should be able to say that flat out without worrying about hurt feelings.
          The final article started off rather boring and only a little odd. I myself am very interested in the statistical makeup of different places, especailly questions like what percent of the population has a cell phone (I think the Germans and I share not liking giant numbers so we go for percents). The end of the article, however, was very entertaining. I love the fact that Germans think we are gun-toting hamburger eaters (because too many of us are). I am always very interested to hear about stereotypes from other cultures.