The first thing you need to know about surving amongst Germans is that they are brutally honest. If you are overweight at all, be prepared for 75% of your German friends to remind you of the fact that you are fat at least one time. In fact if you move to Germany, don’t bother buying a bathroom scale, some acquaintance will always let you know if you have gained a pound.
All around the world children say exactly what they are thinking. Eventually children of every other nationality on Earth learn that some things are best kept to yourself. The concept of a “little white lie” just doesn’t exist in German culture. Germans just don’t possess the talent to let you know how they feel in some sugar-coated way. Simply put, Germans are brutally honest, you have to learn to deal with it.
deutsche Übersetzung für Astrid ein/ausblenden
Moin Astrid,
hier die Übersetzung:
Eine schrecklich nette Gesellschaft
Die erste Tatsache, die Sie über das Leben in Deutschland wissen sollten ist, dass die Deutschen brutal ehrlich sind. Sollten Sie ein wenig übergewichtig sein, seien Sie darauf vorbereitet, dass 75 % Ihrer deutschen Freunde Sie mindestens einmal daran erinnern werden, dass sie fett sind. Sollten Sie nach Deutschland ziehen, brauchen Sie keine Waage kaufen. Einer Ihrer Bekannten wird es Sie sicherlich wissen lassen, wenn Sie ein Pfund zugenommen haben.
Auf der ganzen Welt sagen Kinder exakt das, was sie denken. Nach einiger Zeit lernen die Kinder jeder anderen Nationalität der Welt, dass man einige Dinge besser für sich behalten sollte. Das Konzept der “kleinen Notlüge” existiert einfach nicht in der deutschen Kultur. Deutsche besitzen nicht die Fähigkeit, ihre Gefühle und Gedanken in netter Art und Weise auszudrücken. Einfach gesagt: Deutsche sind brutal ehrlich. Sie werden lernen müssen, damit umzugehen.
Gruss,
John
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April 27th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Na dann mal ganz brutal ehrlich: dieser Blog ist echt der Hammer! Habe selten so gelacht…
Auch wenn ich ja eigentlich beleidigt sein sollte, als Deutsche?!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Man ich krieg mich nich mehr ein! Einfach nur zum totlachen hier…aber hey…manches ist einfach nur wahr. Ehrlich!
April 29th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
i think this attitude isn’t that bad actually. Getting honest responses lets you reflect yourself easier and gives you the possibility to improve yourself. And we surely know what white lies are, we just have a higher inhibition threshold to make use of them. ^
May 1st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I love this about Germans!
I’m like this too…it’s not such a good thing in Canada. People just think you’re really rude! Meh *shrugs shoulders*
May 1st, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Yeah, it is pretty cool, once you get used to it.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Wow!! I´m deeply impressed by this blog, it´s great! I love it! =)
May 5th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
well we can´t be bothered with having to beat around the bush the whole time.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:20 am
After reading all entries i put your blog into “speed dial” (i use opera). now i expect more every day
PS: as a swiss german i know http://www.blogwiese.ch/ and i think you will be putting the same topics as Wiese wrote about in his blog. Simply because we all here are somewhat weird.
May 11th, 2008 at 3:04 am
this is crackin me up because its actually true!!!!
May 15th, 2008 at 9:33 am
MEH!
I am German - and I love your way to tell stuff about us.
But next time you put sweets into beer I will delcare WAR on all of you … americans!
May 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Adrian, I am pretty sure it Germany who stepped over the line on this one with Waldmeister beer. Once you guys started ignoring the Reinheitsgebot, things have gotten way out of hand.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
yup that’s us. in 8 of 10 cases when i go to my classes at university i’m greeted with a friendly “mensch, schaust du fertig aus”
which is cool cause you get to complain about all the stress and rescent illnesses you had. the only thing you have to remember is to try to get away before the person who greeted you in the first place starts to tell you his or her illness-account of the last month
May 25th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
One slightly annoying effect of this is honesty, when Americans say “how are you”, Germans actually think they’re *really* interested in how they are and start to explain how they are. This can be a bit embarrassing for waiters, supermarket checkout staff etc. …
When Germans are telling you you look awful, they actually feel they’re being *polite* in a special way: After all, they’re not ignoring your sorry state but worrying about you.
It can also be an inverted compliment, like “I really admire you for working so hard that you end up looking like this”…
June 19th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Obwohl “white lie” richtig übersetzt ist, wäre Höflickeitslüge in diesem Fall das bessere wort. Ehrlich wie wir sind
June 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Ich fürchte, meine Kollegen hassen mich manchmal für diese brutale Ehrlichkeit… anscheinend schätzen also auch nicht alle Deutschen dieses Konzept!
July 7th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Well, if i got anything in my teeth I really would like to get that information, instead of running the whole day through the city with spinach in my teeth
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Even though I’m afraid to be a typical German Besserwisser, the concept Notlüge is going in the same direction of little white lie…
Just to let you know
La puce (who was told pretty often by French friends that she was not very diplomatic)
November 29th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
That’s definitely NOT always true. While you may find that the citizens of Berlin are incredibly honest, the Schwaben are a tad too secretive for my taste.
January 11th, 2009 at 11:04 am
That´s completely true! We softhearted little Germans love our fellow men too much: we simply cannot look them straight in the eyes and tell them lies!
That is also the reason why we are quite rude compared to other nations. Politeness is simply considered as lying and when you have a bad day it´s an obligation that you let everybody know!
By the way: we love your page! Really!
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:49 am
It’s all about saving time - why explain to a colleague that his idea is really good but should be done in a slightly different way etc. etc. instead of just saying “That’s not gonna work, we have to think of something else”.
But wait, that would get rid of the Americas’ favorite thing -MEETINGS!
But it’s really true, and a reason why some Americans think Germans are rude.
January 8th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
As long your are told the truth you don’t have to worry. Just be aware of getting one-sentence-answears on the favorite American question (How are you?/How are you doing?). Very often this means that one isn’t interested in you at all. In my opinion worse then getting a honest answear
Although there are people that are even more honest then otheres, I am emberassed by them too.
January 11th, 2010 at 9:32 am
In return, Americans appear to be shallow to Germans!
February 17th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Some other European seem to be honest too.
If you just let them do so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSF5YkyabuQ
July 25th, 2010 at 2:01 am
I’ve made it all the way to the end of this blog.
Do i get a prize now?