There are stereotypes about every single country on this planet and even if we associate the word “stereotype” with something negative, I don’t think that they are actually a bad thing. Rather the opposite! They show interests and knowledge about another country. However, we know that most of the stereotypes are not 100% accurate. And this is exactly what we are going to find out today. I asked myself how stereotypically German I am and I therefore picked the 10 most known prejudices about Germans and compared how much I fit into them.
1.Germans are punctual
“Time is money!” Or at least time is something special that you don’t want to waste, that’s my opinion. I have to say that I’m quite punctual. It is always better to be early than to be too late. I hate it when I have to wait for someone, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Especially when you are meeting in public and you are standing around awkwardly because the other one didn’t arrive on time. I am very punctual, most of the time, my friends, sadly, are not.
So I fulfill this cliché, but I am the minority. 1 Point for being stereotypically punctual.
1:0
2.Germans eat Sauerkraut and Bratwurst all the time
Found on: giersch-bratwurst.de
The barbecue season begins when it’s finally warmer than 10°C after a cold winter. It’s time for Bratwurst! I love Bratwurst and I also love to sit in the garden with my friends and have a good, freshly grilled sausage. 1 Point for Bratwurst. 2:0
But for the rest of the German food I got to admit that I don’t like them that much. When I say, “German food” I mean the Bavarian food, because that is the only kind the world knows about. Something like Sauerkraut, Weißwurst, Leberkäse, Haxen and Pretzels. Well, okay, I like Pretzels, everyone likes Pretzels. But the rest? Meh. I should add that I’m not from Bavaria but from Lower Saxony, another state in the northern part of Germany.
I’d rather eat Italian food. There is nothing better in life than pasta!
1 Point for the not-stereotypically me
2:1
3.Germans are direct and impolite
I can totally understand why we seem to be impolite to others. We don’t like small talk and when there’s something we don’t like, we will tell you. It’s not like that in other countries. For us, it is a sign of politeness to not “waste” someone else’s time with small talk, so we get to the point directly. We just want to be honest when something is bothering us. We want to help with our opinion. For us Germans, this is totally normal, but for foreigners it may seem a bit hard when you are not used to it.
I personally am very honest about everything, but I always try to be as polite as possible when I’m talking about my opinion. Besides that, I’m really bad at having a small talk, so I just don’t do it. So, yes, we are direct, 1 Point! But I don’t think I/we are impolite. 1 Point for the not-stereotypically me.
3:2
4.Germans love beer
Found on: buzzfeed.com
That’s true. We Germans love our beer. Well, at least most of us do. There are just so many kinds of beer, there is always something for everyone. Our legal drinking age starts at 16, that’s when you’re allowed to buy beer and wine. This means that for most of us, beer is the first kind of alcohol we drink. There’s nothing better than having a cold beer while grilling some Bratwurst with your friends. 1 big Point for beer! But of course, we are not drinking beer all the time, just like one of my exchange students thought we would do. Most of the time we drink it when there’s something to celebrate or we’re hanging out with friends.
4:2
5.Germans don’t have humor
Found on: buzzfeed.com
I don’t know exactly how to respond to that stereotype. It’s weird to say, “Hey look in reality we are extremely funny you just don’t get our jokes lol”. I think that we just have a different kind of humor than most other countries. It’s either kinda dark or very sarcastic. Like every country, we have insiders that only we understand. We really like to make fun of ourselves as well, which might mean we’re not as strict as the world thinks we are. This image comes mostly from internationally known movies where the Germans are portrayed as unfunny and serious. But I can’t hold that against the film-makers because the most known Germans just weren’t funny guys, like Hitler. (Okay he wasn't German but you get the point)
Anyhow, I think that we have some kind of humor that is just incomprehensible for the rest of the world. Therefore I’m giving us 1 Point.
4:3
6.Germans can’t speak English
This is a cliché that you could say about half of Europe. In the past, we didn’t have English at school like my Grandma for example. However, my Mum did but she never really used it because there was no use in the language for her. Nowadays, every child in Germany starts to learn English in 3rd grade and when they finish school after 12 or 13 years, most of them are pretty much fluent because they are also using English in other parts of their lives, like the Internet.
This stereotype is intensified by the fact that in movies the actors speak with an excessive accent. I would say that my English is pretty ok so I give 1 Point to the not- stereotypical me.
4:4
7.All Germans wear Lederhosen and Dirndl
Found on: Pinterest.com
This prejudice also has its origin in Bavaria, where it’s the traditional costume. There, Lederhosen and Dirndl are still worn to special occasions like the famous Oktoberfest. Here where I live, almost no one owns one. I’ve never worn a Dirndl in my life. Another Point for the not- stereotypical me.
4:5
8.Every German has a dog
When you’re thinking about Germans, you may think about us with a giant German shepherd walking in the woods.
But did you know that about half of us have a pet, but only 21% of them have a dog and 29% have a cat? I myself love almost all animals but I only have two cats- 1 Point
4:6
9.Germans love their cars
Found on: motor-talk.de
Yes, that’s true. If you look around at a German street and our beloved Autobahn, there are more German cars than cars from other countries. German cars just have a good reputation. But you can also find some French or Asian ones. I also drive a German car, finally another Point for the stereotypical me!
5:6
10.Germans are distant.
When you’re thinking about Germans, you are definitely not thinking about warm hearted and kind people. And I can totally understand why you think so. Most of the time we need a while to open to somebody before we would call them a “friend”, while in other countries you know another person’s story after half an hour of lunch. We greet strangers with a handshake, instead of a hug or kisses on cheeks. But when we had the time to get to know the person, we are getting more comfortable and personal. Anyways, there are some big differences between living on the countryside and living in a city. Here in my little village, it is normal to smile and greet everybody you meet on the street, even if you don’t know them. In the city, everyone is running around hectically with an angry face. But I guess, that’s the same in every country. But yes, the world is right, we are very distant at first, me too. Therefore I give myself 1 Point. Anyways, this problem is easy to solve. Just drink a beer with us and everything will be fine! Maybe this is another reason why we love beer so much.
In the end, it’s 6:6. We can see that there are still many stereotypes fitting, while others are out-of-date.
I hope you liked this post. :) Let’s discuss the topic in the comments!
See you soon!
Mylene