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Jiminy Krimpet posted:Every TV show on German history is "Hitler and the Occult", "Hitler: Was His Dog a Secret Zionist", etc. Just like the German history TV shows on German TV.
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Aug 30, 2011 16:10
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Hungry Gerbil posted:Just like the German history TV shows on German TV. If Hitler would know on how many TV shows he would be weekly 70 years later, he would certainly be a smug dead bastard.
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Aug 30, 2011 16:55
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DeusEx posted:The same goes for Australians. Vacation mode equals often enough rear end in a top hat mode. It's not just for vacations
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Aug 30, 2011 16:58
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I forgot to mention that I'm a Russian. But I was raised and went to school in Vancouver. Through some family friends and extended family I understand that Russians and Germans still hate each other. I don't have anything to do with these rivalries and I'm politically neutral. I haven't even been to Russia since my parents smuggled us out of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Will I have any problems?
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Aug 31, 2011 02:45
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Jiminy Krimpet posted:
Square Pair fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 02:46
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Germany = Bayern
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British tourists are also often loud, obnoxious and drunk. (But they wear soccer jerseys)
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Aug 31, 2011 08:52
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Kraftwerk posted:I forgot to mention that I'm a Russian. But I was raised and went to school in Vancouver. Through some family friends and extended family I understand that Russians and Germans still hate each other. I don't have anything to do with these rivalries and I'm politically neutral. I haven't even been to Russia since my parents smuggled us out of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. In short: No, you won't. If your family friends and extended family told you about this hatred between germans and russians, I'm assuming either they or their parents were in some way affected by the great war, but then you should also take their opinions with a grain of salt. When I went on my first student exchange to France in the mid 90s, you'd feel how the really old geezers would still hate your guts just for being german and I'd assume there are similar sentiments (if not worse) in Russia, but that generation should have all but died out these days.
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Aug 31, 2011 09:09
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I understand that you're probably not identifying with all these points you're mentioning, but rather describing them, so this is really not meant as a personal rebuttal. I've seen several of these points before, so I thought it interesting to address them.hankor posted:That's sort of a complicated issue, in general people from east germany hate you for being imperialistic assholes and people from the west will hate you for not having "your own rich and diverse culture". hankor posted:Students will hate you for both of these and dislike your systemic racism (since we don't really have any significant amount of brown people we have no opportunity to disadvantage them more efficiently than you ever could, loving over the turkish population is fun but they are simply not dark enough). hankor posted:The average working man will hate you for the phrase "old europe" and the classic intellectual (pseudo or not) will hate you for what you do with our mass-media and our language. hankor posted:I think there are two main dividers, from a german point of view your whole political system is all kinds of hosed up and your constitution is far too lenient when it comes to changing things, hankor posted:when we hear things about political groups in the US they always bitch about the constitution being violated and misused, most germans don't know what actually is or isn't part of the constitution because they don't have to care about it . We just don't get your approach towards your political system. While you seem to hate and distrust everything your government does we are pretty satisfied with ours and have been for decades, while it's not all peachy you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that is afraid of the police or that thinks that a state run health care system is a bad idea. And I don't know if East Germans were so satisfied with their government over decades (Though the argument has certainly been made that East Germany was "more German" than West Germany.) hankor posted:The other major divider is probably the attitude towards our own country, you'll not find the average german using "Germany, Germany, Number one"(which is eerily similar to a part of our anthem that is no longer in use) as something to shout when he's feeling particularly patriotic, as a matter of fact it's generally seen as pretty stupid to be patriotic in the first place. Don't get me wrong, the people are glad they live here and while they think of nice weather and great beaches most will never really think twice about actually living elsewhere. But actually saying that we are the greatest country in the world? That's completely hosed up, especially if you are in no position to actually compare it. hankor posted:since traveling to europe is a privilege for assholes that think it's going to make them more cultured and conservative idiots, the americans that actually come to germany can , for the most part, gently caress off. hankor posted:Before I forget: We universally hate you for asking if we are still Nazis (gently caress the family that made a friend of me a swastika cake for her birthday when she went for a student exchange), your inability to drive stick, your ignorance towards european culture ("it's basically one little country, right?") and we especially hate you for asking if anybody in our family knows your great great grandfather Hans and that you "feel" german because of him. On any trip you're bound to be confronted with some idiots or funny situations. You just filter them out or categorize them differently if they're your compatriots. I certainly grew up in Germany with different attitudes around me: First, we didn't really hate Americans or any specific nationality and even if somebody comes from a country that did bad things, we still tried to see him as an individual who might not have anything to do with that. Hatred of people for their origins was frowned upon. Executive summary: Cultures are different, the Third Reich has profoundly impacted German culture and you can't expect people from countries who didn't have to go through that to behave like those who did. Hating people for their origin is petty.
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Aug 31, 2011 11:26
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Kraftwerk posted:I forgot to mention that I'm a Russian. But I was raised and went to school in Vancouver. Through some family friends and extended family I understand that Russians and Germans still hate each other. I don't have anything to do with these rivalries and I'm politically neutral. I haven't even been to Russia since my parents smuggled us out of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Where did you get the idea, that we hate Russians, or that they hate us? Actually, both sides like each other quite well, and there is a difficult to explain fascination going on between the two countries. Even though WW2 was quite gruesome on the German-Soviet Front, there's a lot of respect on both sides floating around. Putin made a famous speech in the Bundestag (the German Pairlament), where he said, that the ocean of blood spilled between the two people in WW2, connects us today. Though in your case people, will see you as a Canadian and not a Russian anyway.
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Aug 31, 2011 11:52
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flavor posted:Is this really your opinion? Americans who don't go to Europe are bad because they don't go and the ones who do are bad because they do? I guess some people just can't win with some others just because of their national origin. I really only wanted to give a list of what to me are the most common prejudices against Americans. It's not that I generally dislike Americans, it has more to do with the fact that I dislike the "gently caress your culture, I'm a tourist! Now put on these Lederhosen, play some Hasselhoff, bring me a Strudel and show me the way to the Autobahn!"-attitude, which is not exclusive to Americans but since it's relatively expensive for them to travel to Germany compared to other Europeans, you are bound to run into these stereotypes more often with Americans than with other nationalities in Germany (Asians tend to stick to tours so you barely meet any, South Americans get thrown into a pot with Portuguese and the Spanish so it balances out). Oddly enough I have never had this problem with Australians or New Zealanders but that's probably because quite a lot of them come to study abroad and not exclusively to piss me off.
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Aug 31, 2011 12:36
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Square Pair posted:What I mean is that when in Europe I can always spot American tourists. Loud, obnoxious, drunk, etc White socks. I was made fun of relentlessly for wearing white socks the first time.
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Aug 31, 2011 16:19
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Jiminy Krimpet posted:White socks. I was made fun of relentlessly for wearing white socks the first time. And rightfully so. /E: It's not just white socks, it's white socks in sandals.
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Aug 31, 2011 16:27
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^ Well that is laughable even here in the USA. For the poo poo I got I may as well have been wearing a full tracksuit and a cowboy hat. Oh well, I learned my lesson. Never again. Also, a question. I'm taking Business German right now and we're talking about the job application process. Two practices were mentioned that I found a little strange. One is that a Handschriftsprobe is sometimes required, and the other is that it is customary to attach a photo of yourself when applying. I gather that the former is a bit unusual nowadays but the photo is still pretty much compulsory. How does it usually work? Jiminy Krimpet fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 16:43
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Socks and sandals is a German thing. The mandatory uniform for americans consists of white socks, tennis shoes, shorts, a print t-shirt or a striped polo shirt and a baseball cap.
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Aug 31, 2011 20:18
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Jiminy Krimpet posted:^ Well that is laughable even here in the USA. For the poo poo I got I may as well have been wearing a full tracksuit and a cowboy hat. Oh well, I learned my lesson. Never again. No one requires a Handschriftprobe (something handwritten) nowadays. If they do, I would seriously reconsider, whether you want to work there in the first place, as they probably want a ringlet also, you know, for the voodoo doll they need of you. Yes, the photo is almost always compulsory. Make a good one at a photographer that offers "Bewerbungsfotos" and look like the soulless corporate serf you aspire to be.
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Aug 31, 2011 20:30
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Jiminy Krimpet posted:^ Well that is laughable even here in the USA. For the poo poo I got I may as well have been wearing a full tracksuit and a cowboy hat. Oh well, I learned my lesson. Never again. It's not really compulsory but it is unusual not to have a photo. I have only done digital applications, but in them I just had the photo on the first page of my cv. Like a proper photo, taken by a photographer of you dressed business style. This is mine 
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Aug 31, 2011 20:30
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Are you hiding a mohawk on the cropped-out part of your head?  Regarding the Russian-German relationship: The only russians that are (or were) kinda disliked are the "German-Russians" that immigrated during the 90s, mostly because they had a hard time finding jobs so the kids hung around and formed gangs and started some trouble. But I think that isn't really much of a problem nowadays anymore. It's weird, back in Russia they were "the Germans", here they were "the Russians".
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Aug 31, 2011 20:45
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niethan posted:Do you work in a creative profession? Otherwise some would deem the earring, the over enthusiastic smile and the cropping to be a no-go. While it's stupid and is changing right now, making a proper "Bewerbungsfoto" is an art in itself. vvv If the T-shirt wasn't showing and the shirt didn't show too much neck without the t-shirt, the lack of tie in itself wouldn't even register. hankor fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 22:49
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hankor posted:Do you work in a creative profession? Otherwise some would deem the earring, the over enthusiastic smile and the cropping to be a no-go. Pretty much. Lack of tie, excessive showing of teeth and the earring are usually things that, while individually, could be let slide for good credentials, would collectively be a business-dealbreaker. Jiminy Krimpet posted:Also, a question. I'm taking Business German right now and we're talking about the job application process. Two practices were mentioned that I found a little strange. One is that a Handschriftsprobe is sometimes required, and the other is that it is customary to attach a photo of yourself when applying. I gather that the former is a bit unusual nowadays but the photo is still pretty much compulsory. How does it usually work? On a somewhat related note, I've heard some ramblings about something of a german-exclusive equivalent to the TOEFL which is applicable solely to students, can anyone confirm that?
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Aug 31, 2011 23:06
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Yeah uh that's not really me i just googled some fly guy, this is how a more conventional bewerbungsfoto looks
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Aug 31, 2011 23:18
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niethan posted:Yeah uh that's not really me i just googled some fly guy, this is how a more conventional bewerbungsfoto looks Things that make this a great Bewerbungsfoto: *perfectly groomed *determined but non-threatening eyes (He'll scare the poo poo out of the working class but he's too afraid to gun for your position) *friendly but not manic mouth area (look at those tender lips. You know you want to ruin his sweet little mouth with a corporate dick) *professional look that hits the spot between being overdressed and looking like a bum in a suit *great framing of the face (if I can see your whole head I know it's the only one you have and you're not hiding some freakish twin brother on top of your head) *not straight on (doesn't look like a criminal) Things that make it a bad Bewerbungsfoto; *The background is too busy, while it shouldn't be completely plain it shouldn't go through such an extrem change of colours, if you do it like that at least make the side that shows your ear the darker one so that your face doesn't look distorted due to the colours. *red ties are far too loaded to be on anything that isn't upper management (should this be for an upper management position the glasses are too cheap looking) *Someone teach this man how to tie a tie properly! Judging by the colour of the tie and the suit I'd say this photo was taken around the mid-90s for a middle management position. hankor fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 23:32
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hankor posted:I really only wanted to give a list of what to me are the most common prejudices against Americans. hankor posted:It's not that I generally dislike Americans, it has more to do with the fact that I dislike the "gently caress your culture, I'm a tourist! Now put on these Lederhosen, play some Hasselhoff, bring me a Strudel and show me the way to the Autobahn!"-attitude, which is not exclusive to Americans but since it's relatively expensive for them to travel to Germany compared to other Europeans, you are bound to run into these stereotypes more often with Americans than with other nationalities in Germany (Asians tend to stick to tours so you barely meet any, South Americans get thrown into a pot with Portuguese and the Spanish so it balances out). Oddly enough I have never had this problem with Australians or New Zealanders but that's probably because quite a lot of them come to study abroad and not exclusively to piss me off.
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Sep 1, 2011 01:47
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hankor posted:Things that make this a great Bewerbungsfoto: Anyway, hello institutionalized prejudice. With the exception of fashion models, actors and possibly some other professions, people shouldn't be judged on how they look. It's also a really good way to check someone's ethnicity. Another strike against Germany being "holier than thou" about racism.
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Sep 1, 2011 01:58
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Here is a fun fact, it's actually ok in Germany to not hire people because they are ugly, not hiring them because you aren't into their gender, race, sexual preferences or age group is a big no-no, but if some cave troll wobbles into your office and asks for a job you can send him right back under the bridge and flat out tell him he's ugly (don't tell him if you'd do him, that's discrimination). In all seriousness while the defacto mandatory photo is bullshit it can be a good indicator of how professional your future slave might be, a while back I was involved with a big hiring push in a pretty lenient company but some of the applications we got were simply atrocious. The mugshoot, while subliminally influencing the hiring process (which is not even completely unreasonable since a good office environment, with people you don't find espescially hideous, helps productivity) can be a good indicator for how much a person understands proper business etiquette. Nobody cares if you wear a nice shirt without a tie, depending on who is hiring this can even be a big plus, as a matter of fact it's not even really necessary to wear a suit if you are applying for manual labour but it's simply not ok to attach photos from your vacation to an application, neither is being drunk/stoned at the photo-shoot while hoping nobody will notice. As most goons have a technical background, professional appearance doesn't matter that much since techies usually are kept far away from clients they could scare away but if you can't be bothered to wear proper clothes and groom yourself for a single photo and an interview then I have some serious doubts about your interest in the job. Looks don't matter, appearance does.
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Sep 1, 2011 04:42
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There's no such thing as a completely objective, prejudice-free hiring process. The only thing you can do is limit discrimination as much as possible. Not having pictures gives some people a better chance to at least get interviews. And it's relatively easy to quickly get a qualified person to dress a certain way, while it's not so easy to have someone who doesn't possess the necessary skills to get them real quick. Mr. Smile Face Hat fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Sep 1, 2011 |
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Sep 1, 2011 05:43
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I doubt that not including a picture significantly decreases discrimination given that there are so many other things that give away ethnicity/nationality/race. Chance is you can find a picture of the applicant online anyway. Either way, the potential discrimination is only delayed to the interview. It's a nice idea and everything, but it really seems pointless. That said, I think pictures on CVs are silly. There are several rather odd things that Germans (used to) list in their CVs, like religious affiliation, parents' professions and hobbies.
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Sep 1, 2011 08:19
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Well the thing is that the hard skills aren't the only thing relevant to a being good employee in some/most jobs.
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Sep 1, 2011 08:49
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Previously on GBS posted:I doubt that not including a picture significantly decreases discrimination given that there are so many other things that give away ethnicity/nationality/race. Chance is you can find a picture of the applicant online anyway. Previously on GBS posted:Either way, the potential discrimination is only delayed to the interview. It's a nice idea and everything, but it really seems pointless.
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Sep 1, 2011 09:03
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niethan posted:Please outline your political opinions unixbeard. 
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Sep 1, 2011 23:43
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Just discovered this thread. Wife and myself along with 3 friends are going to be heading to Germany for a couple weeks starting Sunday. I do have a couple questions: - Speaking terrible German to Germans: Apart from a couple of basic phrases, I've been unable to learn much of the language, sadly. Is it better to just find out if they speak English first rather than broken, awful German? - We're going to be staying in Freiburg im Bresgau for several days and wanted to go hiking, but I'm unable to find any maps of trails or anything. I assume there are maps available there, but does anyone know of any online resources to plan ahead? - Wife (who is pregnant) has a scrapbooking friend who said that German women switch to dark beer when they're pregnant. She couldn't tell if her friend was joking or not. Just curious about this statement... edit: Thought of another question. -Traveling between Germany and Austria. Any difficulty moving between them? We're going to stop at Innsbruck, Salzburg and Bertesgartes, and the roads wind back and forth between countries from what I can see. Glass of Milk fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Sep 2, 2011 |
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Sep 2, 2011 01:23
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Glass of Milk posted:- Is it better to just find out if they speak English first rather than broken, awful German? quote:- I assume there are maps available there, but does anyone know of any online resources to plan ahead? quote:- Wife (who is pregnant) has a scrapbooking friend who said that German women switch to dark beer when they're pregnant. She couldn't tell if her friend was joking or not. Just curious about this statement... quote:-Traveling between Germany and Austria. Any difficulty moving between them? 
westborn fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Sep 2, 2011 |
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Sep 2, 2011 01:49
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Glass of Milk posted:-Traveling between Germany and Austria. Any difficulty moving between them? We're going to stop at Innsbruck, Salzburg and Bertesgartes, and the roads wind back and forth between countries from what I can see. Pro advice: For the love of god, don't exceed the speedlimit in Austria.
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Sep 2, 2011 08:35
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American tourist attire: flip flops plaid, khaki, or striped shorts polo t shirt massive aviators edit: the number 1 tell tale sign that someone is American, regardless of whatever else they're wearing, is if they have a baseball cap on. Muddy Terrain fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Sep 2, 2011 |
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Sep 2, 2011 16:30
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Glass of Milk posted:Just discovered this thread. Wife and myself along with 3 friends are going to be heading to Germany for a couple weeks starting Sunday. I do have a couple questions: This can go either way. I always start with asking in German if they speak English. 98% of the time the response is "Ja" or "of course I do". Very rarely do I get a "no". Some posts say that just asking that is stupid and insulting - I don't think so and feel it is more polite at least opening in the native language. Besides, most Germans know we are dumb so it's ok. Glass of Milk posted:-Traveling between Germany and Austria. Any difficulty moving between them? We're going to stop at Innsbruck, Salzburg and Bertesgartes, and the roads wind back and forth between countries from what I can see. I'd seriously recommend adding Garmisch-Partenkirchen as a quick stop on your way to Austria. Stop and see the Zugspitze at Garmisch then take the back roads across the Alps directly into Innsbruck. The scenery is amazing (well all of Bavaria is amazing). You'll travel down some steep declines and through some tunnels - but the view is stunning. the road is a back road - but very well maintained and was no issue driving at night in a drat snow storm. Take it during the day so you can see the beauty of southern Bavaria. Also, you probably know this already but you'll rarely get pulled over for speeding in Germany/Austria. More than likely you'll get a ticket in the mail with your picture behind the wheel. It goes through your rental car company and they charge you a fee to process the ticket.
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Sep 2, 2011 17:50
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I'd rather talk to someone in fluid English than in broken German.
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Sep 2, 2011 17:55
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Square Pair posted:This can go either way. I always start with asking in German if they speak English. 98% of the time the response is "Ja" or "of course I do". 98% of the time the response is "a little bit."
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Sep 2, 2011 19:03
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Square Pair posted:Also, you probably know this already but you'll rarely get pulled over for speeding in Germany/Austria. More than likely you'll get a ticket in the mail with your picture behind the wheel. It goes through your rental car company and they charge you a fee to process the ticket. The most personal thing that can happen to you is them working in two teams, one measuring the speed, the other pulling you over and taking your money. But that only happens on 'Landstraßen', if at all. 
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Sep 2, 2011 19:03
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Square Pair posted:Besides, most Germans know we are dumb so it's ok. Square Pair posted:I'd seriously recommend adding Garmisch-Partenkirchen as a quick stop on your way to Austria. Stop and see the Zugspitze at Garmisch then take the back roads across the Alps directly into Innsbruck. The scenery is amazing (well all of Bavaria is amazing). You'll travel down some steep declines and through some tunnels - but the view is stunning. the road is a back road - but very well maintained and was no issue driving at night in a drat snow storm. Take it during the day so you can see the beauty of southern Bavaria. Sweet-we don't have any set schedule, although I've found that most hotels are very interested in you arriving before 5pm. Square Pair posted:Also, you probably know this already but you'll rarely get pulled over for speeding in Germany/Austria. More than likely you'll get a ticket in the mail with your picture behind the wheel. It goes through your rental car company and they charge you a fee to process the ticket. Two of my friends are actually going to Nürburgring right now to race for a couple days before I arrive- I'll warn them when we drive around the rest of the country in case they decide to relive it with us in the car.
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Sep 2, 2011 21:42
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Glass of Milk posted:- We're going to be staying in Freiburg im Bresgau for several days and wanted to go hiking, but I'm unable to find any maps of trails or anything. I assume there are maps available there, but does anyone know of any online resources to plan ahead? I've lived in Freiburg for a long-rear end time by now so I'd be happy to answer any questions you have by PM/e-mail. It's a great place to hike and especially in early fall. You must go to the Schauinsland. You take the tram to Gunterstal (the very east of the tram line on, I think, Tram 2) and then the bus to (IIRC) the second-to-last stop, I believe called "Talstation". There you can pay around 10 € for a round trip on a 2km cable car to the top of a nice hill with a lookout tower with a great view. It's also very possible to take the cable car to the top and hike down, but if your wife is more than a couple months pregnant it might be a bit much. Kaiserstuhl is also highly recommended for hiking, which is an area of vinyards, hills and small villages on the Rhine a bit northwest of Freiburg. Also easily accessible by train and bus. Another place with lots of nature is the Black Forest, just take the train out to Titisee or Schluchsee and walk around. The weather is still OK here to swim there as well, but there might be naked old people around. Lastly I'd recommend taking a couple hours to go to Lake Constance and/or Schaffhausen right over the Swiss border. The latter is a little like Niagara but less touristy and you can walk right up to the falls. You can get tourist information once you arrive in Freiburg. There's an official tourist information office that will be happy to help you out (I think it's on the other end of the Eisenbahnstraße from the main train station, but it might have moved slightly), and Rombach (a bookstore) has a decent-sized section with all kinds of books on what a tourist can do in the area. Finally, even if you have a car, with 5 people you are the exact correct group size to buy the Baden-Württemberg-Ticket. 29 € for up to 5 people, and with it you can travel as much as you want for one day with any of the RE (slow) trains within the federal state. Each Land in Germany has a similar deal, as well as the "Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket" on weekends for all of Germany (costs a little more), but traveling outside of Baden-Württemberg will take 4+ hours and several transfers if you're traveling RE.
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Sep 3, 2011 10:15
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Hey someone from berlin tell me what clubs I want to go to. I like electronic poo poo like BoC for music, etc. Also, how do I get into Berghain. People seem to say it's the place to go and apparently it's hard to get in, please enlighten me.
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Sep 4, 2011 21:13
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