Kultur 5

I thought the article "Rules of the Street: No Blood, No Entschuldigung" about how Germans walk down the streets/interact with one another in public transport places was really interesting. Germans have this reputation amongst other countries for being rude, curt, and just generally unfriendly. This article provides an explanation for that interpretation--at least partly. The writer of the article says, "Walking down the street can often feel like a rugby scrum." It's part of German life, and instead of stopping to mutter the laborious 4 syllable mouthful of Entschuldigung every time they bump shoulders, Germans have simply incorporated this hustle and bustle into their social contract. It's not rude to not say anything, in fact its expected. And that is hard for other cultures to understand, but it might be kind of nice to not have to say something every single time you accidentally bump into a stranger on the street.

Another article of particular interest to me was "German Erotica: The Land of Beer, Sausage, and Sex Shops." I mean, with a title like that, it's kind of hard not to enjoy the content. Apparently the sex shops there are found in the most mundane, average of places--something not common in America, where they are few and far between and often well hidden from the rest of the community. But in Germany--right in the Marketplatz! Where all the cute German families go to buy their sausage! It seems funny to me, but I guess there it is just culture. Either way, it was fun and cool and interesting to read.