Kultur 5

"Rules of the Street: No Blood, No Entschuldigung"
This article wasn't that startling to me. Inferring from the former articles we've read, the Germans don't really care about you. This was about walking in public within large crowds. If they bump into you it's almost as if it's your fault for being in the way. Being American, I see this as really rude, but in Germany it's really not. It's just how they are, I suppose. I did chuckle when the author was discussing the drawing of blood and how an 'entschuldigung' might then be muttered.
"German Erotica: The Land of Beer, Sausage, and Sex Shops"
I found it sort of fascinating how open the Germans are about sex. Here in America, it's quite looked down upon to make it known that you've gone to a shop, or god-forbid, work there. In Germany, though, it seems as if it's pretty much an every day thing. They have normal operating hours and everything. It's just like any other store to them. For how much these articles make Germans seem uptight, they can't be that bad if they're alright with this.
"The Loneliness of the Klofrau: Toilet Training for Visitors"
First off, it would be so awesome if someone kept public restrooms in America clean all of the time. To be completely honest, I would have no problem giving a Klofrau some change to keep her job going. I can imagine that people do it begrudgingly. When you think about it, though, she's doing something really nice and respectful. Giving some change to a Klofrau is WAY better than having to go to the bathroom not knowing the last time it was sanitized. I'm sure I appreciate this so much because of how creeped out I get by public restrooms. Go Klofräuen!
"Scoring a German: Flirting with Fräuleins, Hunting for Herren"
Flirting with Germans would suck. How cryptic does one need to be? That would be so frustrating not knowing whether someone was interested in you or not. Not only would it be frustrating, but not to mention awkward. How can you hold a conversation with someone when you aren't sure if you're wasting your time or not? This article mostly just irked me. I guess it's because I cannot stand when people aren't straight-forward. I'd probably just give and be single if I lived there. That takes way too much energy for me. Phew.