Kultur 6 Blog

The article that I thought was the most interesting was the one about the magazine/tabloid. What made me interested in it was the crime of libel and how strictly it is enforced in Germany. It says they got reprimanded many times in one year but is there some type of punishment that goes with it. I know they are very strict in England about it and if you say something that is true to intentionally harm someone or someone's career it is libel. Are the laws in Germany that loose, because if they are than it seems ridiculous and that tabloids must thrive there. Imagine if magazines were able to publish absurd things like "Barack Obama has affair with Miley Cyrus."

Kultur 6: Callie Chappell

Sex, Smut and Shock: Bild Zeitung Rules Germany: I thought it was interesting how the Bild hyperbolizes actual events, rather than just inventing sensational stories. Personally, this seems better than publishing outright fiction. I also thought it was hilarious that the motto is "we form your opinion so you don't have to."
German Privacy: Come On In, My Door Is Always Closed: This aspect of German culture encapsulates many aspects of the culture in general. In line with what we've learned about German privacy. Here  in the US, people seem to rarely keep their doors closed. It's good to understand the cultural norms in a world where door-knocking is actually a valuable skill.
Division Hell: Worshipping the Garbage Gods: I definitely noticed this when I was in Germany. Even my host families had up to 4 different waste bins under their sinks for different kinds of waste. It was rather overwhelming. Everything had its exact place, and way to dispose of it.

AMD 6 - Philip Picon

One of the main reasons I decided to take German besides the fact that Mary Hennessey is amazing, is that my dad took German in college and studied abroad in Össterreich. Since I was home for Thanksgiving, I decided to do my AMD by having a conversation in German with my dad. Let's just say that it was an epic failure. My dad, 31 years out of college, was unable to string even some of the most basic german phrases together. Instead of recounting the miserable conversation, I will instead bring tell you a little about the words he remembered. He remebered "ja" and "tschuss." He didn't know how to say my name is and didn't know how to answer how are you. I learned one thing important from my dad though, language is fickle and in order to remember it you need to constantly practice. For that reason, I will be sure to speak in German for at least an hour a week over break in order to not become rusty when I come back for German 102.