Hi, my name is Christian, I`m from Germany. My English is very bad, so I hope you still understand me. Why I'm writing to you? So my classmate had a student exchange with a dumb in Ohio. He said, the most people think Germany is really backward, and all Germans wearing leather pants. I could not him that believe, so I want to ask you what you think about Germany. Greetings from Germany Christian PS: When you find some mistakes, so please correctly me
Welcome Christian! Ok, well I think we can all read what you are trying to say, but I'll try to correct this one post: Greetings from Germany My name is Christian, I`m from Germany. My English is very bad, so I hope you still understand me. Why I'm writing to you? My classmate had a student exchange with a dumb person in Ohio. He said, the most people think Germany is really backward, and all Germans wearing leather pants. I could not believe that he could believe that, so I want to ask you what you think about Germany? Christian PS: If you find some mistakes, so please correct them. Now for the reply, while it's impossible to generalize what 'all Americans' think of 'all Germans' I'll respond as for my own opinion. For the most part I'd say the Germans by and large are a hard working people, orderly, and many have a tendency towards superiority, though the last may be more a function of Europeans in general. I'd say that while many of us thought Germans had changed since the 1950's, our perceptions have been altered by the German leadership and academics of the last 15 years, especially since 9/11. I think few Europeans actually understand how deeply the US perception of that continent have changed. IMHO I think the change will be long lasting, really little can be done about it, though I'm certain it could get worse. 9/11 seems to have made many Americans lose the legacy of 'listening to criticism from that continent and considering how we could learn & change.' I think that we've gotten past that and no longer will be so quick to think they actually have much constructive to offer, since they have no leadership for positive ideas just a rehash of appeasement, with a generous helping of dhimmitude thrown into the mix. Tell me, how did Germans react to the pulling of a drama to kowtow to the immams?
Alright.....Now I'm off to bed.....Cause I couldn't figure all THAT OUT...... Welcome Christian......See ya later..... Wow Kat....how you figured all that out...........
Hi Christian. As Kathianne implies, the person from Ohio does not represent what Americans think of Germany. Actually, most Americans never think of Germany at all. However, over the years that Schroeder was German PM, relations with the US deteriorated. Now with new PM Merkel, relations have a chance to improve. Some Americans think that the Germans have not been very helpful to America in the War on Terror, especially given the fact that it was the Hamburg cell of terrorists that helped plan the killing of so many Americans on 911. We realize they were not ethnic Germans, but it was Hamburg that was home to much of the planning. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2349195.stm Do most Americans think about this? No. Many Americas do realize, however, that Germany has offered America almost no help in the struggle against terrorists in Iraq. We realize that the media in Germany is often hostile to the United States. This makes Americans unhappy, especially since the US defended West Germany against the communists in the Soviet Union for more than 40 years. America spent billions of dollars defending Germans and Western Europe and it does not seem that most Germans remember that. Many Americans believe that we should stop spending money on the defense of Germany and close US military bases there. America wonders why Germany bothered to recently send its NATO troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, when the German Government will not allow the troops to be deployed in southern Afghanistan where the fighting is located. I studied for a few months in Munchen and Germany is a very beautiful country, especially southern Germany. Americans hope that US-German relations can continue to improve under PM Merkel. Come back and tell us about what Germans think about America.
Hey, CHristian! Nice to see you on this board! First, I want to tell you... ALL us in Ohio ain't dumb. I believe that them Germans is real smart & fashinable people in them leather pants. I live near Cincinati, and ever year we have Oktoberfest which is lots of fun with all the beer and saurkraut and chicken dancing. Anyway, my great-grandpa came over from Germany, early part a 1900s, and my whole family is real smart people, so I think Germans is real smart people, and maybe them leather pants HELPS make them smart. (Christian... this is a JOKE! ) In reality, probably half of my ancestors were German. From what I have seen of these people, the common elements seem to be hard work, drive to succeed, logic and practicality, and adherence to rules and structure. I do not perceive Germans to be backward or uneducated. And I have never heard of the stereotypical leather pants. 'Corse that may be because I'm a dumb from Ohio.
I watched the world cup, and they showed some of the German countryside, beautiful, you should be proud. Personnally I've never thought of Germany or the people as backwards (Ohio on the other hand, I hate driving through that state). Indiana has a large German population and until the second WW many of the road names were German in my area. German Fest is a huge party in my city every year. My husband and I actually would like to plan a vacation there in the next couple of years. I have heard that a lot of Germans don't like Americans and can be rude. True??
Heh...leute im Amerika denk' das alle Deutschers sind rueckwerts. Warum? Weiss ich das nicht. Wir haben das nicht gelernt. Und entschuldigung fuer mein Deutsch, Ich bin nicht so gut mit Deutsch.
Thanks a lot for your replys and for the correctly my text, I think my teacher has a lot to do with me in future :-D I must correctly myself, I used the wrong word for dumb, I meant a small village, not a silly person. Is it not still sexy? damn.. ;-):-D I hope I understood it right: You think the good times are over? And there is no big cooperation with the US and Europe in future? What means kowtow? Sorry, but I don't understand the last sentence. *lol* Oh thanks, but national pride is in Germany after the 2.WW proscribed. The normaly German doesn't celebrate the national holiday. We never sing the national anthem (the most Germans doesn't know the hole anthem), and the national flag are only on Federal Governments.
