Why I've Learned To Respect GERMANY For This!
After completing University in the UK I moved to China where I taught English for two years. I’ve learned a thing or two about cultural integration, language learning and everything else that goes with upping sticks and moving to a foreign country. I make videos about Germany, cultural differences and tend to pose a lot of questions. Join me on my exploration of life abroad.
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Sometimes a view through the glasses of a foreigner helps to understand the own country better - thank you!
Thanks Mike. Have a great Sunday!
germans have highly developed meckerkultur. But that exist to a smaller degree also elsewhere. issue exist and need to be addressed. But never forget issues exist everywhere. I.e. current recession, high energy prices etc. So many germans complain loudly, and it is all the goverments fault (die da oben) and if we had putin .. or beatrix von storch as reichskanzler all those problems would not exist. However, show them the problems are not domestic, but global - because of the war, and sanctions and china etc - then they run out of steam and change the subject. Tunnelvision. education not further than the toiletbowl in front of you....
@@zoolkhan right. Better to focus on something you can actually change than worrying about those at the top
indeed, sometimes thies kind of videos pop up, things about i dont`t see before.
Huhu? I'm not foreign, I was born here in Germany.😄
I grew up in Germany and as a teen fell in love with a guy from Rome and spent all my holidays there. Later I studied in Rome. My then boyfriend used to make fun of me, saying I "grew up in an Easter Egg", meaning that I was so naive and trustful it was dangerous having me move around alone in Rome. Later I moved to Greece and live on a very safe and very touristy island and Germans are known for being stunningly honest and correct here (and for complaining constantly too 😂). From my experience I'd confirm that Germany is a country where there's a lot of trust within society. But I've also noticed it's become less over the last 25 years.
Yes I think trust is handled a little differently in Italy 😉. I would agree that it is declining but at a much slower rate than elsewhere
Yes grew up in USA but my parents were German and I was also Naïve about the dangers
@Luciferome - Where do the Irish figure in? German population never truly sank significantly because of exmigration to the new world but Ireland STILL has less people than it had 200 years ago (although there are, of course, way less Irish than there are Germans).
Haha yes I guess the Germans do like to complain - there must be a reason that “da kannst du nicht meckern” or “nicht gemeckert ist genug gelobt” are idioms in German (the highest praise in German being that there’s nothing to complain about)
@@synkraut9633 - Oh yes. "Ned gschimpft isch globt gnua" was my grandmother's motto. :)
My indications for a society based on trust are: - Walking around through the city feels save even in the middle of the night. - you can buy some items just by piicking them and leaving the money in cash. E.g. some Farmers plant flowers, place a knife to Cut them and a Box for the money at the side of the Road. When passing by you may stop, walk into the field, cut some flowers and put the money in the box. Once in a while the farmer will come to take the money.
Yes good point. Although actually people sell all kinds of thing like that (eggs, milk, candles) in England where I grew up. Maybe it’s more of a countryside thing.
The "walking around feeling safe at night" feeling (which was just such a no-brainer in the 80s and 90s) has started diminishing a few years ago. Too frequent are the news about criminals just doing what they want without consequences (latest example is the incidence on that train where a Palestinian with several "contacts" to criminal justice was just walking free... just murdered two people)... the trust in "the police doing their job" is severely reduced by now.
@@anniestumpy9918 Heavily depends on the area you‘re in i guess. Here where i live i have absolutely no issues walking around at night, even tough the part of the city i live in is considered the „Assi-viertel“ and a few weeks ago i was walking/riding bicycle at the outer cityborder of Hamburg at night with no problems aswell.
@@anniestumpy9918, there is less and less crime but more and more media spreading fear as a business model.
first one. Not true. Something you can only do in a small village. Second one. Never saw one in germany lmao.
Being from Denmark, I can fully recognize the major positive value of a high level of trust (even higher in Denmark than Germany). When the people and institutions we deal with are shown to actually deserve the trust, things are just so much easier, and less trouble. A simple example of trust is when shops place many goods outside the shop (obviously to attract customers, especially in good weather), and people browse the selection there, pick something, and go into the shop looking for where to pay.
Good point. Also a common sight here
As a German I was stunned and fell in love with the Denmark, when I saw these normal people who sold their gardening harvest next to the street. Just a box for the money, danish flag and the goods. Not only could you just take the potatos and run, no, you could also take the money with you. But it works and that is amazing. Its really not up to socialism vs. capitalism, its the people. Good people make everything good, bad people make everything bad
@@Gleichtritt Yeah, that worked reasonably well, only a few would steal. Of course it is common knowledge that very often children are taking care of these roadside stands, and stealing from children is a major no-no. By now, it has mostly been modernized, as nearly everyone has an app "MobilePay" on their phones, allowing for easy transfer of money to the phone number on the sign. I think that this was mostly due to it now being normal for people to not carry any cash, and becoming sad they could not buy the sweet cherries on sale 🍒 I see this as a good form of capitalism, a market works best when people want to be fair to each other, instead of ripping each other off.
i saw a video of parents in denmark just leaving their babies in their strollers standing in the park or in front of a store. it's so safe there and the people trust each other so much, that this is possible
@@JohnnieHougaardNielsen Yes. Capitalism essentially is freedom. Good kids will use freedom for good. Bad kids will do bs even locked in a room
Grown up in Germany and been living in Japan for 15 years now I would say Germany is not a bad place when it comes to trust and safety. But Japan just blew my mind and still does, because people here always leave their luggage unattended in restaurants and other places, purses with smartphones ans wallets inside, and nothing happens. If you drop your wallet on the street, people will chase you to give it back to you. 😃
Hi thanks for sharing. Interestingly enough after having this channel for a year now I can say that many Germans do seem to have an affinity for Japan. I think there are certain cultural traits that are very similar…at least that’s what I’m getting from the comments I’ve read. Unfortunately I’ve never been there myself.
@@britingermany I dont. Japan has hostage justice, beware
@@britingermany From a visitors' perspective Japan is pretty much a better version of Germany. Everything is built on trust and courtesy and everything you get to look at (until you try to live there for a longer period of time) just fucking works. There's this one example from my first visit which always blows people's minds (well at least people who grew up/spent a long time in Germany): In the morning they started construction in front of the place where I stayed at, at 10am half the street was ripped apart. When I came back at 5pm the street was perfect again and I managed to catch the workers take a group photo in front of their neatly packed together equipment. I don't think I have to explain how utterly incomprehensible this would be in Germany, where, in the best case, they would need 6 months for a job like that. Ofc an utopia like this cannot exists in all aspects of society. Their bureaucracy is even worse than in Germany and their work culture is miserable in comparison (though it's slowly getting better). Their school system is even better at robbing students of all individuality and creativity, and much worse at teaching English lmao.
@@KacKLaPPeN23 Iam sorry but Japanese work culture is not what you described. In Germany you work 8 hours and then go home. In Japan you work 12 hours but actually sit around 6 of them doing nothing and just act busy.
@@Naikomi603 Interesting. Are you orginally from japan?
As a German: thanks man. Its amazingly analytic. Like the way i grew up and how i experienced it after teen-stage, loosing somebodys trust is one of the heavyest Things that could happen in any kind of relationship. Work, Friends, Family, etc.
Thank you. Yes I think we underestimate its importance.
Your point about trust is true and I have lost all trust in German leadership, education and media. As a German, I have lost all respect for my country (and its people, to be honest) after the US started economic wars against us and ultimately blew up our pipeline in the worst terrorist attack against European infrastructure since WWII... and our politicians and media are in denial about it and try and make it go away. And our people believe them instead of overthrowing our government, throwing these traitors in jail, and banning all US-collaborating media. We must sanction the US and decouple from the US, they are our greatest enemy. Yet people keep licking the American boot. How can anyone respect a society like that? I just can't. I have since moved to China, a truly amazing country. Far more democratic and progressive than Germany, too. It will overtake everyone once it has caught up economically to the imperialist countries of the West, which is only a matter of time.
making friends is near impossible here though, people easily break your trust imo. I never had friends where I felt I could trust them to not turn their backs on me, and I was never disappointed. I do anything for a good friend, but I never got anything in return
@@lynthThere you said it. Both Biden and a white house spokesperson said they would make sure Russia will not profit from exporting fossil fuel to Europe when they start a war and We (the U.S.) will stop that with any means at our disposal. I am paraphrasing here. If you want to find thise videos I thonk they have made those videos unfindable in the search function. The media is a slave to goverment and big corporation intereats. Free press is only pretended to exist.
Brit people don’t give a damb. The govt. is responsible for a lot of this bad attitude
I'm an American living in Germany now most of my life. I came here at 19 and I'm now 57. I can't agree with you more. I love living in Germany and would never go back the US, from what I've seen and know. What saddens me currently is how the crap being shared in social media is weakening the trust the younger generation have over almost everything. They are becoming a generation of sceptics of practically everything, just because the "crap" in social media seems to propagate more than intelligent reasoning. Nobody wants to hear the boring truth. Everyone is out for a scandal and a conspiracy theory to talk about. Sad indeed.
Yup! Drama attracts eye balls😉I think we have many reasons to be positive!
In Germany there is a saying - trust comes from trust... It is precisely on this principle that coexistence in Germany is built. When I am trusted, it is easy for me to trust the other. This is not naïve, but a very long experience.
That makes a lot of sense to me
Love this saying!
@@AmericasGotGermans Na du solltest es doch kennen.Übrigens deine Popcorntüte war extrem süß - vor allem der Inhalt.👋
@@britingermany and it works.
it's a deal. part of the social contract. and there is a german word I really like "redlichkeit" wich means something like decency... but not quite. it literally means that you don't do anything you can't talk about in front of a court of law (rede und antwort stehen). at least I feel need to be redlich. I take pride in it. not to be a shitty person if I can avoid it. not to be a "Kameradenschwein". to be trustworthy.
As a german the thing with trust is this: You give everybody a base level of trust in advance. As long as there is no reason to suspect that this trust is being betrayed you can continue to put that level of trust in that person. And of course if the person shows through their actions that they are worthy of trust you may place even more trust in them. It's actually the same as with respect.
I hate in when people say that other people need to win their trust. I work the other way. I trust everybody. And I've never had my trust betrayed.
@@ianlang6058 You are very lucky then.
@@ianlang6058 Yes and No, i made positive as well negative experiences as well. Here in my German cultural background I agree to trust (other Germans) in advance and as a matter of course. But times have changed, more in latets years. I am much more carefull when there is no clear common base of mutual trust. Sure there are a lot of people who see naive victims in us for offering them our trust in advance. Even in recent years there are more and more fraud victims as well in individual interactions as in governmental social transfer payments, while German pensioneers need to collect empty bottleres for a little more income. There is something going wrong in this country, it is time that certain things need to change back to our true original German identity.
Agreed, although Germany has it's problems, i feel safer in Germany than I have ever felt in the US. Having grown up in Germany, it made me actually oblivious to the dangers in the US, while I lived there. I learned the hard way.
Well I hope nothing serious happened!
I remember being out with friends as a 7yo running through the neighborhood. I took that for granted, never thought about the fact how special that is
After having witnessed a gay couple being beaten up by a group of Arabs at Karlsplatz in Munich three years ago, I knew I was better off moving to Switzerland. I‘ll never move back to Germany and having a Swiss partner, I‘ll be eligible for Swiss citizenship in two years, so I can denounce German citizenship and return the passport.
@@Sir_Typesalot Oh wow! That sounds pretty extreme. Then we will be Landsmänner. I also have the Swiss passport, and the British one...I would like the German one but I don't want to give up either of the other two
@@britingermany With a Swiss passport, there’s really no purpose for another one. Having studied in five and lived in seven countries so far, I never had issues with a German passport, but neither did my partner with his Swiss one. He lived and worked in the US for a while and has a permanent green card, but since we decided to settle down in Switzerland, there’s really no reason to hold a second citizenship. And if we were ever to travel to places which require tourist visas, with a Swiss passport it won’t be an issue. Beside our personal safety, the motivation to move permanently to Switzerland was of a pecuniary nature. And neither in Germany had my healthcare been „free“. I’ll never understand why people spread that myth. I still keep my income sheets (Lohnzettel) and when I see what I paid into all these funds over the years, makes me wonder what I’ve gotten out of it. Two years ago I had to make an appointment at an ophthalmologist for my annual check. And after being rejected by twenty-three (!!!) in the Munich area (they all said I could get an appointment in six to eight weeks) I went to a private ophthalmologist and paid €189,- to have my eye nerve checked. Germany is a paradise for those of lower income with many children. But singles with a university degree, who earn above minimum wage, are being taxed into poverty and treated like third-class citizens. I pay a lot to keep my living standard in Switzerland, but I also earn three times as much as I did in Germany. Germany? Thanks, but no thanks.
We have a saying: "Was ich nicht will das man mir tu, das füge ich auch keinem anderen zu" - trust in institutions and strangers is something that only works if the majority lives by that saying. Respect each other person as you want to be respected by them.
Right! It seems very simple at its core doesn’t it? At least in my very small circle this rings true and that’s all we can really do. Focus on the people we know personally😀
Right. That's essentially the "kathegorische Imperativ" by Kant, which again emphasises the philosophical influence on (german) society.
@@fairgreen42 Das ist die goldene Regel aus dem Christentum und nicht der kategorische Imperativ. Kant kritisiert diese Regel da sie nur auf einer subjektiven Ansicht beruht. Ein Masochist mag vielleicht Schmerzen und dürfte nach der Regel auch anderen Schmerzen zufügen. Ein kategorischer Imperativ ist: „Handle nur nach derjenigen Maxime, durch die du zugleich wollen kannst, dass sie ein allgemeines Gesetz werde. “
@@Brien831 Ah! Das leuchtet mir ein. Danke für den Input!
@@Brien831 der kategorische imperativ hat den selben charakter wie der reim. ein ausreichend wahnsinniger masochist kann den schmerz auch zum gesetz machen wollen. da wächselt man von stümperischen wahnsinn zu intellektuellem wahnsinn, aber das system bleibt das gleiche. der kategorische imperativ ist nur abseits des wahnsinns tauglich, und dafür muss sinn und wahnsinn tiefer ergründet werdenum bicht wieder in der beliebigkeit zu landen. mein ansatz dazu: eibe jede wertschätzung benötigt bewusstsein, die freiheit diesens zu werten und die fortsetzung des bewusstseins im werten. damit ist bewusstsein und seine kriterien bedingung jedes wertes und damit egal dem wert logisch notwendig wertvoll, da sonst kein werten zustande käme. damit kann der wert des bewusstseins an sich als tatsächlich universelle basis genutzt werden um die sinnigkeit oder wahnsinnigkeit von weiteren werten in ihrer vereinbarkeit mit fortlaufendem freiem bewusstsein zu prüfen. ein hypothetischer wert der die wertung eliminiert kann nur weniger wertvoll sein als ein wertungsfördernder wert, da er die eigene wertschätzbarkeit verhindert.
This is a great video because as a german growing up in this country I dont think you really notice this level of trust or at least you don't think much of it without this kind of perspective you bring. As a german you only really notice the downward trend in trust and the way society is splitting further apart every year. But I believe that is more of a wider spread trend in the western world and less specific to germany. I can definetly notice all the things you brought up here first hand and hearing your perspective on it makes me think of it as something more precious that I want to hold on to as much as possible. So thank you for that :)
Thank you. Yes I agree that the last few years have damaged trust throughout much of the world, even in places like China. What amazes me is how resilient Germany is and that trust is still as high as it is.
Stupid right wingers don't represent our society
Speaking of not noticing the level of trust ... My baseline assumptions about random people (strangers I suppose?) has been one of the hardest things to kinda convey to people from elsewhere .... and this sort of trust might explain a big part of it?
@@britingermany German stupidity still impressed German thinkers in the 19th century. You are not alone.
There is a flip side: Helmut Kohl, when required by law to report the names of several large donors, refused, citing that he had given his personal word to them not to do so, and he saw his trust as being above the demands of the law.
There will always be those that deviate from what is expected and desired.
@@britingermany Like....Donald Trump?
@@macdieter23558 🤮
As a German, thinking about what you said... I have to say that while we might mistrust individuals and gripe about our politicians, we firmly trust that there is someone in a position of power who knows what they are doing...
well that's more than can be said for a lot of other countries
Thats what you always did. That is also why Germany is going down the toilet further and further. Germans never learned anything from history and that is well known around the world. Actually psychologists even here in Germany write books about this phenomenon which is partly the result of brainwashing. Its related to stockholm syndrome.
You have nailed it with a remark on surveillance. "If we need public surveillance, we should ask ourselves why are our cities so insecure?" You then immediate realize that they aren't to that degree.
Well I just think it’s one of those things that is always sold on the positives while ignoring the possible negatives.
@@britingermany But you do know we have constant surveillance at gas stations and supermarkets here in Germany as well? Then again..... you can first fill up your car with gas and THEN pay..... another point regarding your trust vector.
@@320iSTWEdition yes I know and also in public transport. But it is a lot less than in the U.K.
I can agree with every word you said. I moved to Germany from Russia 6 months ago and am still amazed that society like this exists on earth. Germany
Glad to hear it 😀
@@bluefoxvenus man, it's a matter of human relations. I'm not from Syria (as u mentioned). I was having a good time in my home country, getting about 4k$(which is much better than average) per month but not having that level of calmness and happiness that a have in here
@@aleksandrjdfffjv Welcome to Germany! Nice to have you here :) Where here in Germany did you move?
But dear Aleksandr, comparing any western country with Russia will always be the West winning. Russia is the pits, at least nowadays.
@@rainerm.8168 thanks for reminder)
Personally, I'm a little proud to hear that from someone who comes from somewhere else. Because it confirms a piece of what I do. For a few years now, it's really been my goal to be a positive asset to society with my behavior. I think that brings a little bit of being an adult with it. In my opinion, no matter where in the world I live, one of the most important aspects is the community around me. And I can create something with just a little work and motivate others to do their part.
Fantastic! Such a positive message 👍🏻
The German random train controls are still frequent enough to leave you in constant dread if you don’t carry a ticket. At least in urban areas and high speed trains
Sure! But at least when compared to the U.K. it is much more trust reliant.
Ich sehe soooo gerne deine Videos, weil sie meinen Blick auf Dinge und Situationen lenken, die ich sonst vielleicht nicht wahrgenommen hätte. Außerdem ist dein Englisch so gut zu verstehen, daß ich auch fremde Vokabeln gut zuordnen kann. Danke.
Vielen Dank Gudrun. Das freut mich sehr 😀🙏
Ich würde fast sagen, der Akzent ist dem Deutschen mittlerweile etwas angepasst, deshalb so gut zu verstehen lol
Engländer sind für uns aber meistens gut zu verstehen wenn sie nicht zu weit weg von London stammen. Wir lernen ja mehr oder weniger Oxford-Englisch in der Schule.
why would you use public transport as your example? what shocks americans most usually is that german children go to kindergarden and school on their own. also, there are random controls to see who has a ticket in the busses and s-bahn and u-bahn in hamburg. usually in the overland trains there will be a person making their way from the front to the back of the train asking for people to show them their ticket as well.
I don’t know what it’s like in the us at the moment but like I said in the U.K. you can’t get on a train without a ticket…if you really want to avoid getting a ticket in Germany it’s pretty easy. I went to school and kindergarten myself as well so this is not shocking for me…I guess that’s the US/U.K. difference
@@britingermany That seems to have mostly disappeared from the UK now. When my family moved back to the UK from Germany, my 12 year younger brother's primary school wouldn't let him leave without being picked up by an adult. All the parents (or older siblings) would queue outside the fence and wait for the kids to come out one by one when the teacher saw their adult at the gate. The majority of the parents would arrive by car so the streets weren't particularly safe for kids to cross during the "school run". When I told people that these kids would be walking to school or even getting an underground train by themselves in Germany, their response would sometimes be that they can't picture German parents of all people being so "irresponsible". Older parents would sometimes mention that it was like that in the UK when they were a kid in the 60s, but the world has gotten less safe. Most UK transport companies seem to have a policy that a child under the age of 13 has to be accompanied by someone who is at least 16, while in Germany, a child under 6 has to be accompanied by someone who is at least 6. All types of rail seem to be psychologically considered less appropriate for kids than buses, regardless of how local as brits tend to use the term "bus" in place of "öpnv" and "train" in place of "fernverkehr". The idea of primary school aged kids using an underground train by themselves wouldn't typically be assumed possible without putting them at risk of getting lost or abducted as brits mostly know underground trains as a London thing, with dangerous levels of overcrowding, while the ones in German cities often aren't much different in experience to using a local bus and usually even accept the same tickets as the buses. There are parts of German cities which only have an U/Stadtbahn route for radial journeys into town, with buses only operating that route at night, when the rail is closed. That's never the case in the UK as bus fares are cheaper and they go everywhere, while the small amount of available local rail is treated as more of a premium service. Many brits from outside London are appalled to learn that the tube has no on-board toilets or conductors but don't have the same feelings about the buses in their town not having such things. As far as I know, there are no laws against children walking outside by themselves but it is widely considered dangerous and irresponsible parenting and would draw attention from concerned strangers.
Nice! Well. We are Germans and we learned from the history. I am 47y old and raised to be nice to any other ppl. It dosent matter your social backround, not your religion, social status or gender. Everey one is welcome here! Sure there are some idiots out here. But there are more ppl´s who help others when ever they can! I am proud to be a German! And i am proud to have friends all over the world! Sry because my english is so bad. We are one world. Stay together. :)
Thank you for the very nice warning words. 😀and your English is fine by the way
My personal interpretation of the situation regarding trust in german society goes like this: Germany suffers the same phenomena of rising distrust in democratic institutions like many other countries on the planet, but there are two major differences to those others. First, we are usually a couple, like 5-10, years behind when it comes to global socio-economic trends, which are commonly lead by the USA. It just takes longer before they trickle into our society, and in the meantime it leaves us as citizens some space to reflect on the effect a certain trend might have, and how we want to go about it. Second is, we know our history, and our history has taught us a lot. A lot more than just "hating/scapegoating minorities is bad". The hysteria of the maga-crowd or the brexiteers reminds many of us of what lead to the rise of fascism here in Germany, but a large majority of our population deeply values the stability and prosperity the democratic, constitutional state provided for the past 3/4 of a century. My whole life I've been quite critical of the socio-economic situation in Germany, thinking seriously about moving to another country when I was younger. But the past 10 years have taught me that besides all flaws and problems that exist here, Germany is actually an island of bliss in a global comparison.
Hi there. That’s an interesting point about Germany lagging behind in terms of global issues. I’ve not really thought about it like that before…gives me some food for thought 👍🏻thank you
THIS
@@britingermany are there still people in the UK who believe Germany and our failed (and partly stupid) tries to become a world power were the reason for the fall of the British Empire? I think the only reasom is your own former colony which became a giant at your back and you didn't notice while staring at Germany and a handful of battleships (which were more pretending toys than useful weapons). As they broke Spain's neck should have been a warning.
Same, same. ^^ As I grow older and spend more time in teh English-speaking internet, I have come to the realization just how nice Germany is in many ways. :)
I was working for BMW in Spartanburg and Oxford and I experienced that our "German" mistrust is waaay more conform than you might think. I had an american friend who had some assault rifles "if gouvernment goes south and he has to defend his house". And I was told that was quite normal in SC.
Very interesting point that I never noticed (grown up in Germany). However, I came across the next level of trust in Scandinavia: In trains in Norway, they offered self-service coffee etc - not by a sophisticated machine, but simply a thermo flask, a sign like 'Coffee 10 Kroner' and a box for the money. I was impressed!
Very cool
Trust is like a credit. A person having experienced a lot of trust in advance will mostly pay back in trust. This attitude comes up, when people recognize that we all are sitting in the same boat depending on each other. When Margarete Thatcher remarked that there is no society in GB, she forgot that the Island has been inhabited by landowners and working class people. But the landowners believed that these people could be treated like a property and depended on them. This feudal mindset is still alive in the UK. Inequality gap will destroy a common goal within a society. Germany must take care not to follows this me-first attitude, because many business schools teach this economic disaster. Only a healthy distribution will lead to a healthy contribution. Have a nice Sunday, enjoying a warm home when looking into the rain. 😻
Thank you Ilse. The sun came out here this afternoon 😀
The German scholar Michael Richey wrote in 1724 in his weekly "The Patriot" that "a patriot is someone who is honestly concerned with what's best for his fatherland", someone "who is actively striving to serve the common weal". The German high school teacher and principal Johann Moritz Gericke wrote in 1782 that patriotism was "that inner drive which is concerned with the best for the State and seeks to further its welfare by any means". The Hamburg "Patriotic Society of 1765" distributed lightning rods throughout the city, established libraries, schools (some of which later became universities) and job boards. That was the concept of patriotism before the developments of the 19th century painted it over with nationalism. Germany learned the hard way how destructive an attitude in which you are passively proud of what you have while looking down on everyone else is. Cheering and flag waving is cheap. Actively doing something to make your country a place to be proud of is something else entirely. And if it is buying a ticket, knowing fully well that not doing so would not only risk increasing prices for those who do pay, but may even threaten the service for one or the other underused line. I think a lot of things would be better in the world if we went back to that older concept of patriotism through service, through lifting each other up and steadily improving ourselves instead of celebrating the status quo and declaring any notion of change heresy...
Well I agree with the idea of raising each other up. It does get complex when talking about in service of the state because for that you have to trust that the state is ultimately a force for good…
@@britingermany Well, I think the State in this context is not to be seen as the specific organization in place at a given point, but more like the construct of the city, the country etc. as such. The Patriotic Society is still around today, while Hamburg has evolved from a free city in the Holy Roman Empire to a city in the German Empire to a Federal City-State in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Nice to hear you feel so safe here and that you experienced trust on so many levels that it was worth a whole video to you. Since you mentioned public transport, I recall another anectode by another Brit who was amazed to get back his bag including everything that had been in it after he forgot it on a train and later got a notification that it had been brought to a lost-property office at the next station. Interesting to hear you connecting Brexit to trust issues. I follow closely how it "happened" and how it evolves since but I had not made that connection so far though it makes a lot of sense. Regarding the comparison of the NHS and the German health system: I think the German system can and should also be improved in various ways but at least it still delivers the basic functionality that it is supposed to deliver and patients are treated quite well usually because German politics still wants to maintain it to keep a healthy population that can then also contribute to the economy. From what I see in Britain, the Tories seem to want to run the NHS down on purpose to install a system of private healthcare instead like in the US so that their donors and friends can profiteer from it which is a very different approach. Enjoy your Sunday and keep exploring life in Germany!
Thank you😀. Well I believe the connection between Brexit and trust is coming to the forefront now as no one could really predict what would actually happen and I believe some people are disappointed with the way it’s going - hence have become more cynical and less trusting.
@@britingermany That's one aspect of it. Initially, I understood your comment in the way of people voting for Brexit because they did not trust "those up there", be it those in the EU or even those in the UK since I think many who voted to leave actually voted that way to teach Cameron a lesson while they didn't think it would lead to Brexit since they thought it would never happen and their vote would not tip the balance.
@@PEdulis ok. Well I think ultimately the vote was to regain national sovereignty. Which I think underlines the individualistic nature of British society. It was about putting Britain first…obviously with a Union like Europe often individual countries have to make compromises. At least that is how I understood the rhetoric at the time.
@@britingermany That's how I understood it as well but as it turned out by now, the UK gave up the newly won "sovereignty" immediately again, e.g. by signing the so-called "trade deal" with Australia which gives Australian businesses the right to sue the "sovereign" UK government should it dare to change or create laws in a way that might diminish their profits. Unfortunately, people were fed slogans instead of actual information and they fell for them. Nobody explained where that sovereignty should come from and how it should be maintained while at the same time doing "great trade deals" with the rest of the world.
@@britingermany becoming more dependent on Washington instead of Brussels is "regaining national sovereignty"?😂 I think Brexit was a stupid decision in REALLY EVERY F*CKING WAY. Can see not even one single upside of it, sorry.
Speaking of social cohesion, when the floods hit some of the towns in Germany and filled the main streets with meters high detritus, the townspeople started cleaning up immediately after the floods. They didn't wait for the authorities to start cleanup, but got out their brooms, mops and shovels. I saw videos where just a few days before the streets had been unpassable and they were already cleared and driveable. I thought, man what civic spirit! This was where the German live of order and a horror if chaos really stood out.
Thanks for your nice video. I'm German and I'm interested in other Cultures and like to travel . But I'm happy to live here. I'm grateful for some thinks. Democracy, social System etc. Have a nice sunday.
Thanks Conny. You too😀
That was an interesting analysis and very insightful. As a German I never saw it that way (probably because I'm so used to it and have not spent much time outside of Germany to get a comparison), and I think, most Germans don't see it that way either. But I'm sure, that now I will be more appreciative about some things. Thank you. :)
Thank you and I’m glad to hear it 😀. It’s often more of an effort to focus on positive aspects but I think it’s worth it
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
No worries!😉
Never thought about this! Good video! Well done!
Thank you🙏
Yes, we spend a lot of time trying to see the "big picture" with our toddlers from a very early age. We talk, we explain, we try to convince and we discuss with our adolescents. There's the argument "if everyone did that..."
It’s the only way…but it’s not easy
The original sounds much better: "Wenn jeder das täte...."😀
My German nephew likes to remind me 'Versprochen ist versprochen und wird auch nicht gebrochen.' There doesn't seem to be that same expectation in other countries. I think the origin of the saying is biblical and in the context of a promise to God. But in Germany it's a promise made to anyone.
I like that saying. Thanks 😀
I never make promises lightly. Only when I'm very sure that there is a high chance that I'll be able to keep them. Even then I usually add - or say from the beginning - that I'll try my best.
@@thb3306 Yes a promise is not to be broken. You should also strive for honesty when talking normally, but let’s be honest we are not, even in a comparably honest Germany. Yet making a promise is for me drawing a line to say “ I will everything in my power to hold true to my claim”
A promise in a sense is trust in yourself to keep it, if you can't keep trust in your own words and action how can you trust anyone else or be yourself trusted by anybody?
Read "Das Versprechen" by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Promises can be horrible.
Morning All. For better or for worse cultural stereotypes are still ingrained in all of us…the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. I’d be interested to hear your own thoughts. Happy Sunday
Thanks for the video. Short question. I'm a German living in Switzerland, which I like better (I don't have Swiss citizenship yet). Why did you chose Germany?
The thing about stereotypes (yes i know probably an unpopular opinion), is that there is/was some truth to some of them, so in my opinion, its not really bad to have them, there are also what i would call positive stereotypes, but as long as you only keep them in mind and not think that because that person is xyz, they must be abc, i think its alright, like you said stereotypes will probably never be gone, but as long as you dont take them serious i'd say that shouldn't be a problem.
@@ManuelSteiner well I never actually planned to move here. But the reason I ended up staying is that there were just too many reasons not to. Many of them personal as in friends, where I live, standard of living etc
@@peterbrot5765 I think there is a little truth on most stereotypes. But the actual reality is always way more nuanced.
Very interesting! I had never thought about my country that way! Thank you so much for your insights!
Glad you enjoyed it!😀
A very interesting perspective - thanks a lot.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Happy Sunday to you, too. What strike Americans most re "trust" is the fact that we pay after we filled our cars with petrol, not before unless it is a petrol station without service. And we normally trust our police to act according to the law after decades of being told that they are our " Freund und Helfer" which of course has historical reasons. :)
Right, yes generally I think the Police are still respected here. Even though trust has dipped a little in recent years it is still way higher than the US or U.K.
I completely agree. One of the best things about Germany is the widespread trust and the general degree to which Germans operate on "the honor system." This differs from America, and I have often wondered about the precise reasons.
I think some of it is based on Germanys philosophical tradition and the greater focus on the community…but I haven’t read enough to really go into it in depth
@@britingermany, Yes, American and British societies orient themselves more around the individual's rights. Part of the answer is also the homogeneity of German society compared to American and British cultures - but social homogeneity as an explanation feels superficial to me. There are many homogeneous societies in the world. Not all of them are orderly. I must be missing something important.
@@peterplotts1238 As a German I think we just have very low rates of desperation, since we have a mostly functional public medical and social security system that guarantees a decent minimum living standard. If tomorrow my life breaks down and I become depressed, broke and very ill, I can recover a few years later and have a new start and become a successful member of society again.
@@britingermany Philosophically the main difference between Germany and the Anglosphere is the distinction between the deontological ethics of Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative and the teleological ethics of John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism. The latter asks about the consequenes of an action to others. As long as there is a moral absolutism through religion for example, the interpretation of what constitutes a good or bad consequence is relative homogenous. When societies become increasingly individualistic, the interpretation of good and bad become subjective. So I have a harder time to trust you because I don't know yet how your subjective interpretation of utility is. Maybe it's different from mine and thus your actions could have negative consequences for me that you think are good. The deontological ethics of Kant only asks about the intention of an action and judges that based on how the motive can be transfered into a general principle for everybody. In practice the good old question: "What if everybody would do that?" So if I assume that your intentions are based on a general principle and thus similar to mine, I assume your intentions are good and that's by definition trust.
@@sualtam9509 yes I have read a little of Kant and also Nietzsche which I find quite fascinating. Obviously the vestiges of these philosophies are still there in German society but as they were formulated before nazism and everything else I sometimes feel like Germany has changed fundamentally. At least from what I’ve read Nietzsche seemed to be a proponent of Individualism and self creation and was quite vocal about going against societal norms. That’s not something which I would necessarily associate with modern day Germany.
Thank you. I hope we can keep it for the future.
I’m sure we can 😀
Enjoyable and informative observations. Wonderful ambassador of good will and news.
Thanks a lot 🙏
Outside perspective is helpful in both identifying areas where one has room to approve but as well in readjusting one’s view on issues not much appreciated because it is so normal or because one tends to see the flaws rather than achievements made.
That is so true! That is why I love to watch his channel. It helps me to readjust my view and I have learned so much!
Yes I also find outside perspectives to be very insightful.
Aww thanks Anni😀
Danke! Danke, dass Sie das bemerken was den meisten Deutschen gar nicht bewusst ist. Vielen von uns fehlt das was Sie haben: Den Vergleich mit anderen Ländern.
Sehr gerne. ich finde, dass Deutschland einiges richtig macht
Hi. You convinced me. You got a like and subscription. Thank you for sharing your honest opinions.
Thank you King Arthur...what a name 🤣
Very interesting point. Thank you!
Thank you. Glad you liked it
Did you know that Germany's rich and super rich petitioned their government twice (2008 financial crisis & the recent pandemic) to increase taxes on them and their companies? They said they could easily afford it and it would help out the country as a whole. Ultimately it did not happen but that is not my point.
Yeah I’m afraid I’m a little sceptical of those arguments. I know that Bill gates has also been in favour of higher taxes. I don’t understand enough about money making and tax law to really comment but it just seems a little off to me.
@@britingermany Germany already has higher taxes than many and Corporation tax is the highest in the World. It also has more billionaires than any other country except the USA and China. Tax revenue per year is roughly 3 times that of the UK and frankly it does not seem to hurt the economy in any way. There are some other differences ie anybody with their main residence in Germany is liable to pay German income tax regardless of where in the world they make that money and similarly any company HQ'd there will pay German corporation tax on any profits created anywhere. So while VW and BMW make vast profits in China from their factories there servicing the Chinese market the profits will be taxed in Germany. It is up to the individual to make sure they are not taxed twice. On the other hand Bosch and ZF the world's largest and 2nd largest automotive suppliers pay no taxes at all because they are wholly owned by non-profit charitable trusts and their profits go towards good causes like hospitals, meals on wheels, youth clubs, OAP homes etc.
I completely agree with you - born and raised in Germany, I took it as a common thing for a long time - but now, after several visits and contacts to foreign countries within Europe and overseas, I see the things as you did in your vid. Unfortunately, the foundation is crumbling away: people are getting more selfish, more narcissitic, and less trusting in other people.
I hope, and I think we may have reached a tipping point. There’s definitely a growing focus on community/regional/local when’ll comes to things like food, events and culture in Germany but also in the the U.K.
@@britingermany Let's hope we are at a tipping point. It seems that neoliberalism is somewhat in an explanation crisis and a new ideology is developing. When I hear about the silent but dramatic change of course like corporation tax being standardized in the EU, that gives me hope that finally community will be placed in higher regard again and the time of this toxic individualism is over.
@ henrikhaas6980 Social media is part of the problem (just my opinion)
Nice done. Thank you.👍
Thank you too!
My experience of travelling through Germany is one of how safe and tidy it is. I was often struck by the number of ladies walking home at night alone. Trust and personal safety go hand in hand.
I’ve certainly experienced it as being very safe
The phenomenon is called "trust culture". It is even more developed in Switzerland.
Thank you👍🏻
Yes, there are high trust cultures vs low trust cultures. High trust cultures are more cohesive and probably function better.
Each country has its advantages/ disadvantages. We just have to learn to adopt the advantages from other countries to make our life’s better
Very true👍🏻
Was für ein toller Kanal! Deine Beschreibungen unterscheiden sich wohltuend von zwar freundlichen, aber oft oberflächlichen Beschreibungen des Lebens in Deutschland. Danke. Ich habe Deinen Kanal sofort abonniert.
Aww vielen Dank! Und herzlich willkommen 😀
I could listen to that voice the whole day. Very good video too!
Thanks a lot 😀
Thanks a lot for another great video. I think because a lot of Germans like me will watch it simply because it comes with Germany in the title its probably unintended purpose is to make us aware of what we have! Phil, the owner of the youtube channel "A different bias" quoted an elder tory polititien back in 2017 saying that many gentleman's agreement were broken in England during the Brexit saga. And most people are not aware how important these agreements were to make the English society work. I think your video is a very welcome tool when it comes to discussions with right wing nut cases like the AFD. Yesterday in an MSNBC video the news anchor summerized it nicely when he ask why most MAGA fans who claim to love the "best country in the world" are constantly focusing on often just made up and factual wrong aspects of the current state of the US. strange times indeed
Hello Sinbad. Thanks for your comment. I do think it’s easier to focus on the negative and what’s gone wrong. We’ve kind of inherited this evolutionarily. That’s why I find it sometimes useful to compare situations in other countries as it helps to put things into perspective 😀
Just try Fox news or the Rubin report for a change.
@@rainerm.8168 Faux news, seriously? you must be kidding, hopefully Rupert M's dirty mouth gets shot once the dominion case is settled
The thing with using transport without ticket (schwarzfahren) is that when you get caught the fine is like 5 times higher than the ticket.
That is true.
@@britingermany My guess is, though, that "regular" passengers are more afraid of the humiliation if being caught without a ticket than the fine itself.
Nice. That is a comforting video as i am about to move to Germany . I thought of listening to the experience from a foreigner to the country as myself. I wonder if you made/about a vlog about Trier .
Thanks Radwa, No I haven't made a video about hat. I went there last year though. Beautiful cathedral and old town
Totally agree. That struck me as naive when I first moved here. I was trying to imagine how it would be back home if public transport were based on an Honor system. Unimaginable, people would abuse it to failure. But here it works and I've come to enjoy that relax and trusty attitude and I honor it myself. I would miss it if I had to move back.
Must remember the bureaucratic difference that enables the honour system: you will carry a Personal ID card with you at all times in DE and you will register all your addresses. None of this applies in the UK: so no honour system and CCTV everywhere….
Great video! I only have to disagree on one point: I have just read a survey by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) which says that the level of trust has gone down in Germany and the fear of crime has increased in recent years. Nevertheless, I have to say that I feel safe in Germany.
Thank you😀. Yes trust has deteriorated a little but less and at slower rates than in the U.K. and US. I think the last 2-3 years were really tough on everyone. I just hope we can move forward slowly.
Far right morons that are financed by the us and Russia have done their job
Do they state why?
I'm English, London born and bred and I work in Frankfurt from time to time, occasionally travelling to Nurburgring. I don't think there has been a time i have felt on edge or cautios walking around on my own in Germany. The term RESPECT has been forgotten in England. England is changing, and changing for the worst. I don't particularly want to be here anymore, I found your channel helpful in making me push to move to Germany and live in the sticks, in peace and quiet. I still feel they don't like us very much, they don't seem as friendly and welcoming as the dutch 😂 having said that, you know where you stand with ze germans (they dont share our sense of humour unfortunately but who does?), I LOVE their work ethic and their hospitality when you travel out of the big cities. Its a clean beautifl country and I can't wait to go back.
Hi James! Interesting to hear from another Brit. You’re right about the sense of humour. I think it’s one of the hardest things to learn, just speaking the same language isn’t enough. You’ve got to give it time.
@@britingermany It depends on where you're living in Germany, the North, where I'm living and from, the South or wherever, all quite with different mentality. My London born spouse is doing quite good with the "dry Northern German humour". Greetings from Bremen 😉 Edit typo
@James "The German's" mostly love the Brits 😉 But, most of them have this image of : "Miss Marple, Rosamunde Pilcher, great fashion, fantastic music, lots of fog (even though it was smog, but that "info" never arrived over here "gg"), Pubs, etc" in their minds when thinking of Brits .... unfortunately Brexit is on that list now as well ... One thing could be a point: the language. Most German's are speaking English (like the Dutch), but what isn't liked so much is, when a foreigner lives in Germany since years, but still just speaks the own mothertongue. At least one should show good will to learn the German language. My London born spouse has been doing quite well with the German language... All the best to you with greetings from Bremen 😉
@@saba1030 Hi mate, thank you for your reply! "Ze Germans" comes from an old British film called "Snatch" which became a bit of a saying in England when referring to Germans not meant in a derogatory manner just a bit of comedy 😁. I can't argue with Miss Marple, music and fashion 🤣. I did vote for Brexit, I didn't vote for our current government though. It wont be long before the country implodes i think. I totally understand that, and out of respect I do my best to speak German, you will occasionally catch me walking round with google translate. I am in the process of looking for a tutor as there is only so much one can learn from KZhead without needing to ask questions. I do have some German family quite well known in the Wolfsburg area, I may have to reach out to them 😁 I wish you all the best SaBa!
@@james3547 Hi James 😉 Ze German's have a problem with the "th", I still remember learning it at school, we had "pronounciation training" saying "th" without the tongue "hanging out or spitting" at the person you were talking at LOL. Therefor "ze" is the "accident free" version... We have the so called "community colleges/Volkshochschule", subsidiesed by Gvt, where one can do courses from painting to languages, all sorts of sports or whatever, cheap money, good quality, available up to the "smallest villages". If moving to Germany living in the North, the German language is pretty "clean/Hochdeutsch", therefor good to learn. Good luck and all the best with greetings to London from Bremen 😉
Thank you for this words. ♥ 😊
You’re welcome 👍🏻
@@britingermany I feel welcome ... #trust. Your vid touched my heart!
When someone thinks that "trust in government" is naive and could be abused, it's more a reflection of their own ethics than a neutral assessment. Trust goes both ways. If you're not trustworthy yourself because you'd take advantage of a position if you could, you'd see this differently than if you were not *and* grew up in a society where said trust is rarely misplaced. When you speak of the UK and US being more "individualist" than Germany, you are 100% right. Although I would not use the term "individualist" which is just a cover for egoism of a few who lord it over the rest and tell them to accept it while they, themselves, do not abide by any rules or accept any limitations of their freedom while pushing limits on everyone else instead. The "individualism" in the UK and US is, from my point of view, just a legalization of the strong and wealthy to do as THEY please, while forcing the rest of the population to go along with it. And many go along because they are in a position where they can lord it over someone else. It just get's really bad at the bottom of this, when you have no one to be superior too.
Well that's actually not how I see it at all. Individualism is in my mind the freedom to become whoever you want to be and do whatever you want to do provided it is honourable and does not cause harm to others. it is about realising your full potential rather than being satisfied as just a cog in a well oiled machine. Some people will never be happy playing a small part in someone else's game just as some will not be happy with the freedom to choose whatever they want...it can be very overwhelming...I think there are positives and negatives of both. I think what you are referring to is that the current system tends to reward people with obsessive or extreme personalities...although I think that's going more into crony capitalism and isn't just about individualism...
@@britingermany - Bah, just think about monarchy. The bed is made because of who you were born by. No further achievement on your part is needed. Now think about working class people. Wrong pedigree, wrong accent - you don't belong! That's why the US/UK pretense (!) of individualism is not what YOU want it to be. I am totally with you on what individualism SHOULD be - but it isn't. The strong always abuse the weak, ensure their privileges remain and get larger. So this type of individualism is just a renamed version of egoism, sugarcoated for the masses to swallow and not detect the bitter pill in the coating. Along with it goes, of course, the weak social security systems because, hey, they're responsible for themselves - individualism, individual responsibility! OK, it might be a tad tough for them that the cake is on my table (thanks to my parents and their parents) and they only have crumbs but ... Individualism isn't just about rights - it's also about responsibilities (at least in the continental concept of it). And the ruling classes and well-offs have made sure for a few centuries that their obligations and responsibilities are next to zero while the responsibility of the 90% is to ensure that the status quo remains and the 10% can live in their preferred, privileged way. A Trump or a Johnson didn't become head of state thanks to how good they are/were at their job - so much for individualism and individual responsibility that goes along with it. (Yeah, I know that the Queen/King is head of state but I think you know what I meant to say).
Buying a ticket for public transport because I see the bigger picture and the need to support the system? That might be a rational explanation when I try to explain myself, but in reality it just "feels" right. In a more extreme comparison, you might also just punch the next guy you see in the street into the face, there is no check in place that would prevent you from doing this (not in the moment, there are consequences of course). Yet few people actually do it, because it is just wrong.
Right! However I think a lot of that is cultural. In most of Europe we respect property rights and so in general don’t have to worry about being robbed or having our house broken into…that’s not the case everywhere.
I also think that trust plays a big role in German society, particularly when you are comparing the situation with UK. Not sure I agree with your translation of Vertrauen ist gut, Kontrolle ist besser, though 😉 It isn't so much "control" as checking up on someone/monitoring/supervision, oder nicht?
Yes right - the two words are not quite the same…but I thought it sounded better that way- short and succinct 🤣
@@britingermany I was only being facetious 😆
@@anglogerman2287 how rude! 🤣
I agree, more like "to believe is good, to be sure is better". As in it's nice to believe something works but it's better to check/be sure it actually works.
"Kontrolle" meint ja Überwachung mit einem heftigen Einschlag von Repression (GeStaPo-like), "control" heißt zwar auch Ein-Auge-drauf-haben, Richtung-einhalten (das, was auf dem Schiff Aufgabe des Lotsen ist), doch das unterdrückerische Momentum scheint bei der engl. Vokabel deutlich schwächer ausgeprägt - oder täusche ich mich da?
Always impressed by the quality of things in Germany. I remember back in 1976 I got an eye infection in Munich and was seen immediately at a modern hospital, but as a student had no money.
Would be interesting to analyze your sentiment on trust with the emphasis on bureaucracy (process mindset) in the German psyche, i.e. this institutional trust being a prerequisite for totalitarianism (see Hannah Arendt on this). I would be curious to know where to collectively strike the balance here, perhaps in the strict separation of the political and social sphere. Great video btw.!
Here in Hanover, good luck getting on a subway train without a ticket. The density of ticket controllers is phenomenal. Not that you can't get away with it, but the chance of you getting shaken down by one feels like it's about one in three. For every three train rides you take, there's going to be one ticket check. Being the law-abiding German that I am, those odds just seem too dangerous to me, so I always make sure I buy a ticket 😉
In the german countryside, you can basically assume to get Controlled, since there rarely are enough other people to share the train with you, so a Controller can't really justify skipping one or two passengers.
Ok. I lived in Frankfurt for over 10 years and have only been checked a handful of times…never been checked in any other cities…
@@britingermany Lucky you, those who regularly use public transport have a good chance of being checked at least once a month. Usually in the days around the turn of the month. Sometimes on the train or bus, but sometimes all checks are made at the station exits. (HH; SH)
Is it really about "law abiding" or avoiding to pay a 60€ (Berlin) fine? Just asking.
@@rainerm.8168 Remember, even if you pay the first fine and get caught again later, you could still face criminal charges.
I deeply respect Germans, I feel extremely sorrowful beyond words how deceived they have been, how we treated them. i only hope when all this censoring ends and we are allowed to tell the truth, that Germany can be made whole somehow.
Ok I’m not sure what you are referring to exactly…retribution?
@@britingermany That's my point, you don't know and most also do not know and the Germans continue to suffer. If I was to tell you, you would not see my comment, it would be ghosted, therefore the lies and deception continue. Those who say they believe in "love" yet they censor everything that is truth, truth sets us free, deception keeps us in bondage. May God forgive us what we have done. May heart breaks how they were deported from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Prussia, Genocide, and Ethnic Cleansing from Europe, persecuted, democided by the millions to approximately 15 million dwight d. eisenhower reign meadows death camps One day the heartbreaking truth will come out, one of the greatest crimes and deception of the 20th century Now we are all paying the heavy price, i'm afraid of what's coming.
What?
What I noticed in relation to "corruption" -> it seems to me that the debates on the subject have ensured that fewer and fewer people say thank you with small gifts in business life. While we regularly received chocolates, wines, coffee, etc. as a thank you from all sorts of customers for Christmas up until the beginning of the 2000s, today it’s all year round for a team of around 20 people, what used to be 1 employees to take home for Christmas. And yes, today you (actually) also have to enter the single flower for 1.50 euros in the gift list and report it to the control department.
Oh yes that’s interesting. I know that from my previous company as well. Although I don’t know how much that has to do with Germany than it does with large international cooperations…I was working for a British and then a French conglomerate. Sometimes the clients would want to tip us quite a lot of money (over 100€) and if we declined they would just leave it on the table! This was a massive red flag…and was always a huge headache…there was a strict no discussion policy when it came to money…gifts could be registered in the system but not cash🤷🏼♂️
I'd be so grateful for any information about the following. In England there is a vast waiting list for allotments - small strips of ground in a designated area where people without gardens can grow their own vegetables and perhaps even have a little shed. Many years ago I used to visit people who lived in a huge apartment in Mannheim, and they'd take me to their "garden". This was in a beautiful park-like area with lovely pathways between the "gardens", overhung by trees dripping with black cherries. At the very least the "garden" would have a good amount of ground with a cottage-like shed in which deckchairs could be kept, with a table, chairs, cupboard, etc. Some of the gardens had cottages two storeys high, sufficiently equipped to spend an entire weekend. Green areas are so important and I wondered whether anything like this still exists, that you know of.
Sounds like a rather luxurious Schrebergarten. I’ve not heard of two storey cottages but there are definitely still small ones. Perfect for a BBQ in the summer
What you believe/expect has an influence to your life and what is happening. At least in my opinion. Not saying being overly naive is going well. 😁
Of course. Beliefs and expectations are key because they ultimately inform actions and behaviours. I believe Overly naiv is just as bad as being overly cynical
Good video! I think we germans usually have a good amount of trust and sense of community, although it pales in comparison to something like Japan. I think often this is related to efficiency and convinience. Like the public transport thing you mentioned. Having ticket checkpoints at every station or even the busses/trams itself is annoying, inconvenient and inefficient and trusting that the majority of people buy tickets with some occasional controls is much easier, cheaper and efficient. There are some exceptions though. One of my biggest gripe as a german is all the hoops you have to jump through to rent an appartment nowadays. You have to provide a security deposit of 2-3 month with of rent which is fine and makes sense. This has been the case basically forever. But nowadays for have to prove employment, your salary history, credit score and reference letter of your previous landlord and sometimes even more. It is ridiculous. All of this because of the idea that there are some renters that don't pay their rent and destroy the place and then move out after a few months ("Mietnomaden"). Since Germany's renters are pretty well protected by law and a slow legal system, landlords can't get rid of these and overcompensate way to much. These kind of people exist, but they are such a miniscule and rare problem, maybe 0.1 % of all renters. Having to provide all these documents is super annoying and expensive and the people that the landlords are afraid of fake these anyway.
Interesting point about renting. I assume it is this way because of the protections that renters have here. It’s way more „fast and loose“ in the U.K. meaningless easier to get the place initially but there‘s little recourse if the landlord decides he wants you out or needs the apartment for something else.
I'm in the same rent situation right now, I agree, it's ridiculous! Not trustfull at all
@@elab.1413 In many places rents are controlled - if your potential reward is limited, you as a landlord *have to* limit your exposure to risk as well. Just basic economics...
@@turboseize yes, but my complete curriculum vitae for example isn't something a landlord needs to know and my Schufa is normaly the last thing to give befor you sign the contract and not first. I don't want to give these Informations to random strangers I don't know. 🙂
As a German at first sight I was a little bit critical about the issue just being a clickbait. But as longer as I watched your analytics, it somehow opens my mind aswell and I could easily confirm a lot of your ideas and feelings. Being a PhD in history as well, I am really supportive of your ideas of the German culture and the natural grown cohesion of trust in society. Even though you mentioned there are a lot of factors attacking this kind of freedom nowadays, the core was always there and hopefully will be in the future.
I hope so too
Actually, the title is pretty clickbaity because it leaves open what it was exactly that made him respect Germany. That's called the curiosity gap and is part of every good clickbait.
bro filmed in Heidelberg lets gooo! I can see the Bridge from the Bismarkplatz etc... 😄
Yes love it there!
i live in germany and yeah trust is really important but in the case of the public transportation for example i do occasionally abuse that trust, i would stop doing that if they stoped increasing the prices for public transportation out of their backside every half a year
and before someone says "people taking public transportation without paying is the reason the price goes up" thats not how it works, im not stealing goods from them in which case it would make sense ot increase the prices for things to make up for that loss, the train is gonna run wether i pay for it or not, even if a train line is empty and i mean 100% empty for an entire day start to finish its still gonna run, and yes you could make the argument that because i am in the train without paying technically it costs more energy to move the train however my 65 kilo dont make that much of the difference, the current weather probably has more of an impact on that energy consumption then my weight
I would be really interested to see the balance sheets for that. With the 49€ ticket it sounds like it will have to be heavily subsidised!
@@britingermany yeah that ticket is going to be allright, however i want to add that they advertise that ticket as having a starting price of 49 bucks, meaning they are leaving the door open to increase the price later on however that ticket is also only worth it if youre actually using transport frequently, i personally only need to use public transportation once maybe twice a month on average so that ticket is not worth it for me and people like me so when we have to use public transportation were stuck with the abysmal prices for regular tickets, obviously its good and im happy that people who travel alot have an option (soon) that they greatly benefit from, however i would like to see an option that people who dont travel alot can benefit from, especially people with social benefits struggle with public transportation especially because they have to go down to the job agency every once in a while and then your sitting there like "hmm i could either pay alot for a single ride, i can pay even more for unlimited rides, i could also just walk 5 KM there and back or i dont pay at all and take my chances"
Actually, the trust in train stations is a new thing. There have been platform tickets in Germany some decades ago and there is that quote from Lenin "Germans would buy a platform ticket if they would start a revolution." But you are right, Angela Merkel once said: "There are benefits if a country like Germany has a nation wide trust and solidarity in contrast to other countries were solidarity is only executed towards the own family." I am not sure to what extend the nazi regime and ww2 have their part on that, but like the english were forged together by the german air raids, the german individual was urged and trained to put his interests behind those of the country from early age on with kids trained in nazi organizations, to young men working in labor camps to women clubs and men in the army. I felt that that feeling of solidarity held on after the war and is there still today. One of the best examples thereof are the many clubs or "Vereine" were people work together as a community.
Not everything has its roots in the 3rd Reich. Not everything has to be compared to Nazis. When I read such comments here, it sometimes seems to me that for Germans there was no history before or after. Clubs existed much earlier. Before the 3rd Reich we weren't savages without cohesion.
Yes, we work together in clubs. But most often you go to a club because you need something the club provides: gear or a sports facility or the option to take part in actions organized by the club. You might find friends but most people are quick to leave if they don't need it anymore. Often you are not there to help somebody (which might happen, too), but to get help. And for tickets: it might be more of a risk avoidance, to get controlled and pay a fine.
Yeah where it comes from was a little too complicated for this video. I actually made an entirely different one and then decided to bin it. I think German philosophy and people such as Kant and Nische also played a large role in promoting the importance of trust and social capital…but I haven’t really read enough yet to go into that in any capacity.
I don't think everything can be dated back to the Nazi regime. I rather think that everytime german speaking people as a whole suffered due to some reasons, that engraved in the "german" collective awareness. And since the german speaking countries are in the center of europe, there isn't a lack of historical evidence where foreigners waged war on german (speaking) territories. I believe the 30 year war is probably as much present in german mentality than WW2, maybe even more.
The German tradition of clubs and societies predates the Nazis by far. Most of it started during the early 19th century.
im a german and i never look at the things u told in this way. pretty good video, gives a great view of things u seem to be "normal" in germany. thanks for your point of view!
Glad to hear it. I appreciate that!
You have a great voice!
Thank you 🙏
As regards private CCTV in UK, it seems that the concept of a police force that will patrol the streets and deter crime is sadly a thing of the past. Even reported crime is rarely investigated, people have to largely fend for themselves
Is that the case? I do remember reading about the “extinction of the Bobby on the beat” and that police work used to be much more community based. I suppose that is one advantage of that system. If you have a crime on camera you are more likely to get help solving it.
My father frequently traveled to New York City for business from the mid-nineteen sixties to 2009. He built up quite a bank of stories about the misfortunes the unwary could experience on the streets of Manhatten in the sixties and seventies. By the mid to late nineties and two thousand, the City changed, becoming much safer. The change didn't come out of nowhere. First, the City initiated a policy of putting cops on the street in numbers with a mandate to keep the public order. After visiting the City several times for a decade, beginning in 2001, I can confirm that it worked. I was as safe and secure on the streets of New York City as I had been on the streets of Berlin or Munich. At no time did I ever feel unsafe or observe a single disturbance in New York, including the wee hours of the morning. Then, for reasons I find hard to comprehend, the City government ended the policy of heightened police presence. It gave up its duty to keep the public order by enforcing the law with predictable results.
Tbf u will nearly always meet a ticket inspector i use the train daily for school and u got like a 50%+ chance u will encounter him 😅 so while u can get on without ticket they dont trust u enough for less frequent controls and make sure u have one 😂 on the other hand with modern technology u can actually just go on ur phone and buy a ticket once the inspector reached ur cart and he wont notice 🙃
Really?! I almost never am checked. I suppose it is very random. But yeah valid point about just buying it with your phone.
I shared this with two friends of mine. We are all US born ex-pats. This was an excellent perspective. It certainly gave more context to my decision to move here.
Glad to hear it. Thanks for sharing :)
Yeah i can confirm the whole train ticket thing. When i went to UK and visited Manchester i was surprised at how restricted it is to even go anywhere without a ticket you had bought before. I saw the same thing again in the Netherlands when going to Amsterdam. It was such a culture shock and i felt like a prisoner with limited mobility, having to scan tickets before passing through a gate, in order to even reach a certain part of the trainstation. I also felt the whole ticket system in UK a little confusing as well.
Herded like cattle 😉. It’s actually not been that like for too long. They started implementing it nationwide when I was still at Uni.
@@britingermany Yeah it didn't feel like it was been like this for a long time but more like a recent addition. Like so much of these crazy and scary things we are somehow expected as normal in the "modern" world.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to most parts, Germany is also a very liberal society regarding individualism. That said, like every coin it has two sides, and there is also an inherent tendency to get people in line or not knowing what to do with people who deviate from the standard. That can manifest in things like a more general undertone in an aversion regarding entrepreneurship, and the weirdos who don't want to be employees etc. but also very heavily when it comes to adapting new things, or how schools or the bureaucracy handle things / or the tendency to equalize people in general. It has advantages and disadvantages. But might be also a point while also a lot of people - often people with skills that are sought after anywhere in the world - are migrating away from Germany. Personally, I moved away. That said, as pointed out, the Anglo-American mindset has also a side that has much potential for improvement. The best case is to combine both approaches and get the best things out of both in my view :-) At least as best as possible, since I think whatever you come up with, there is no perfect system, or society, especially since people are different and have different needs.
Agreed. Definite advantages and disadvantages to both. I think some of us just want a change which is why we move country…it’s not always better elsewhere just different which can feel really refreshing!
Indeed there is a growing brain drain in Germany. Statistics are not clear on the reasons why.
@@rainerm.8168 I tried to look into this and I’m not sure that’s actually accurate. Some Germans are leaving but there are also highly skilled workers coming here. One thing that is very rigid in Germany is certification validation. You can be highly skilled at what you do (doctor, dentist, engineer) but if you haven’t received your qualifications in Germany you have to do everything all over again…hence why many immigrants just end up working in a shop or restaurant…
Living in The Netherlands this video was so interesting, Dutch culture really seems to be somewhere in between the English and German cultures, and very much like the Scandinavian cultures too. Like a laidback, non-conformist German culture but more informal than either the English or Germans. I'm glad YT recommended this video out of nowhere.
Hi there. Yes I think I would agree although I don’t know the Netherlands that well…isn’t it one of those countries that often ranks highly on happiness surveys? Glad to have you 😀
Accurate assessment I would say. I (German) lived in Amsterdam for 15 years and I wished we could be a bit less formal here. Dropping the Sie in favour of the Du would be a great start.
@@rainerm.8168 in my experience the Sie is on its way out…most young people and business who cater them refuse to use it. Apple springs to mind here
@rainerm.8168 Sorry, but I don’t want to get rid of the „Sie“. I don’t like to get “du’ed“ by random strangers. Some people say how supposedly horrible this “Sie“ is… To me, it mostly represents a respectful distance.
If you can't trust yourself, you'll never fully trust others. You often see this from people who grew up in an abusive system or familiy. They don't trust, they control people. But they also unconciously don't trust themselves. So it's a really great and also weird change when they start trusting themselves and thus, finding trust in others. To trust, you need to be trusted first. cause this is how you learn to trust. And if you look on playgrounds here. And if you see how children are being trusted with certain things early on, you'll understand.
Fair point. It goes both ways
This was a rather enjoyable disquisition. While I do not necessarily agree on all points, I still understand your reasoning behind them.
Glad to hear it 😀
0:50 Yay Birmingham! The finest and friendliest of all the English cities. Luckily the rest of England believes the negative hype which keeps a lot of the arrogant riff raff well away. I moved here from Berlin (West as it was at the time) and had no real regrets until the country went insane in 2016.
Haha. Yes I come from the midlands. So not too far away from Birmingham.
@@britingermany A yam-yam per chance? :)
@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 nope lol
Birmingham, Sir Simon (Rattle's) city. Must be great.
@@rainerm.8168 He was then poached by Berlin the city I grew up in. That said Simon himself is technically a Scouser, not a Brummie.
I lost my wallet 3 times in Germany (I'm clumsy), got it back without something missing 3 times
Wow that is amazing!👍🏻
Thank You 🙏
Bitteschön😂
🤣🤣
Thanks back 🙏
@@tasminoben686 Hi Ben, wie geht´s deiner Frau? Besser hoffe ich.
B Danke der Nachfrage Arno. Wenn du Zeit und Lust hast kannst du mich auf dem Handy gerne anrufen. Ist nichts für den Kanal hier denke ich mal.
I am member of an initiative that likes to rebuild the old Schauspielhaus in Frankfurt, even though I live in Hamburg. I like architecture and Frankfurt did a good job of regaining some of it‘s old beauty. Römerberg, Alte Oper, Krönungsweg are all reconstructed. Also they will build the tower of the city hall new when they reached 1 Million Euro. It has been destroyed in WW2 and was rebuild much more simple. So, soon, the tower "Alter Franz” will appear in new glory. Concerning the Schauspielhaus, maybe you like to support the initiative 🙂
As a disabled person, with an upbringing in a poorer, lower class of the German society, I almost daily experience the excluding side and keep wondering, what the hell are you talking about?
Hi there. I’m sorry to hear about your experience of the excluding sides of German society. Obviously our immediate situation will influence our experience of the world around us. As I am not disabled our experiences are probably going to be a little different.
As expected the comment section is 90% Germans 😂 But its nice that you feel that way about Germany, thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Thanks Bono.
Danke❤️❤️❤️
Danke dir 😀
We tend to complain about things in Germany VERY often. Sure, there are really bad things, but because of this we sometimes loose sight of what is really nice here. And about CCTV: There was a good quote I've once heard: "There cannot be 100% safety without completely loosing freedom. And there cannot be 100% freedom without completely loosing safety." Governments in gerneral love safety, so most governments (even in Germany) try to push CCTV. Its thanks to organizations for the public good that this has not gone too far yet.
Yes good point. It's all about getting the right balance
Vertrauen ist wirklich die Grundlage jeglicher Interaktion. Unter diesem Gesichtspunkt ist insbesondere auch der Vertrauensbruch Russlands mit dem Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine so schwerwiegend.
Ja genau!
4:30 Well you are a men! As a woman I always feel unsafe in Germany, especially in the evening or in dark places!
Sorry to hear that. It is obviously a subjective experience.
I used to do so when I was younger, say, in the 1990ies and 2000s - but I seriously think that nowadays, things are better than back then. Mostly because nowadays German men tend to behave more respectful against women than they used to do back then. Eg: Last summer, I witnessed a young man shouting after a young woman on a bike telling her something „nice“ about her butt. 1) I realised that it had been ages since I had witnessed such a thing 2) I myself has called him out for that even before I had finished this thought. When I was younger, this was pretty common behaviour and people would have laughed about it at best. As a girl, you were supposed to take that with good humour. And if you didn’t, the blame was on you. That has changed, I feel, and hence, I feel a lot safer today than I did back then. Okay, I am not young anymore. That might be play a role. But, as I said - there is a lot less overt sexism and sexual harassment today than it was 20, 30 years ago, and I feel more respected and safer than I did.
I have to agree to @Kessa S. in so far, however, that from my observation, women still tend to feel less safe than men - not only in Germany, but generally speaking. Talking to women from different countries, however, I get the impression that the situation in Germany is quite ok. On the other hand, of course there are vast regional differences. I myself never felt too well at Frankfurt‘s main station, eg, and there are other places I would not feel too well to go alone at night, too, while „back home“, in a small village, or in the place where I live now, I feel perfectly safe.
On the topic of public transport: Yes you can enter and use it without getting a ticket because your ticket will not be checked when boarding. You might and on inter-city trains will be asked during travel to show your ticket to the controller. Not having a ticket can come with hefty fine starting at 60 € and for some people ended in jailtime because they just COULD not pay.
@britingermany : I cannot do else than agree to your points. BUT (yes, I am a German so there is no agreement without a "but" ): I admire the UK for the discussion culture. It gets degenerate when it comes to legal/lawyer issues but it really thrives and makes me envious everwhere else. If this strikes a chord in you - it may be interesting to hear your opinion about the discussion culture in the UK.
I would say, this trust in society or more precisely the representatives of society as well as media has been eroding for about the past 10 to 15 years in Germany. Especially within the rather coservative-orientied (not talking about right-wing) portion. The one where actually politicians put their trust on for decades.
I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that. I just think that comparatively it is eroding much slower than in the U.K. or US
And I would add that there are some right-wing individuals and groups (who have been using - esp social - media) who have started a anti-democracy campaign at a large scale. And people, instead of having a critical look where some ideas are coming from and who is propagating them - just lap them up because they seem so nice and simple and 'logical' - at first glance! Look at Bannon and Breitband when and how they choose to meddle with European politics.
Ich kann dir in jedem Punkt zustimmen. Klar, es gibt immer Sachen über die man sich aufregen kann, aber viel in Deutschland wissen nicht, wie gut sie es eigentlich haben.
Ganz genau! Das ist der Punkt
I agree with many points, and here are my two cents to this video: 1. Yes, we germans are rather conformistic and proud of our bureaucracy. At the same time, we love to be annoyed by it when it doesn't work. Perhaps it's one way to reciprocate with it in order to keep it functional. 2. Yes, trust is very important and a big simplifier when it works. But control precedes trust, and without it trust would slowly erode away. So not only do we need control, the control must be in good faith and in the goal of a better well-being. 3. Public train stations, trains and gas stations have afaik always or at least very often cctvs installed. 4. Community service heavily depends on the area you live in, it is rather localized and very different from neighborhood to neighborhood. Usually, the middle class neighborhoods tend to do best, because the wealthiest just shut themselves off and the poor don't have the money or means to participate in community service.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
In my experience we as humans are subconsciously aware that we can only lose something that we already have. Meaning: We don't really care if we disappoint people who don't trust or respect us in the first place. We can only lose those things if they give us that in advance. Some security measures are fine and needed, but I feel the more paranoid we get as a society with rules and CCTV, the more people will become criminal, since they are already treated as such.