4 ms·

I was born in Germany and I literally can't tell if you're joking. During the war (and still for a significant time after it!) you literally had to hand your p

I was born in Germany and I literally can't tell if you're joking. During the war (and still for a significant time after it!) you literally had to hand your personal ration booklet over to a merchant who'd stamp your "quarter pound of butter", hand you the butter and your ration book back. It's the most German system I could think of. Everyone's grandparents used it, and everyone's parents probably heard about it. I find it baffling that you consider it baffling.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> During the war Exactly - I thought German's extreme distrust of things like credit cards, identity checks, surveillance, etc, was a strong reaction against that part of their history?
- ThePadawan 5y ago
  Well yes - this is why the food bank creates an identity card for you. So no citizen has to show them their actual national identity card. Imagine if you had to show your one ID (the one with your biometric data on it) to every single company you interacted with. If that card and data leaked, you would be ruined.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    But why should you show identity to any company for something like groceries? Mystery to me.
    - ThePadawan 5y ago
      ...Costco?
      - chrisseaton 5y ago
        I think they're a private club - but nobody needs to shop there.
- suction 5y ago
  "German's extreme distrust of things like credit cards" - that's how you know someone's got their knowledge about modern-day Germany from American website aimed at teenagers ;-)
  - ThePadawan 5y ago
    Could you elaborate? I grew up in Germany in the 90s, and I think from a US perspective, describing what I would call the German reluctance towards credit cards as "extreme" seems about right. As in, your bank doesn't try to push credit cards on you constantly, you have to ask in restaurants and shops if they take credit cards, etc.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    Just from experience of the looks you get trying to buy a coffee or lunch using a credit card in Germany. Didn't they make the €500 note basically just for Germany?
    - southerntofu 5y ago
      Didn't they make the 500€ note basically just for fraud and money laundering? Only half joking here.

chrisseaton 5y ago

> During the war Exactly - I thought German's extreme distrust of things like credit cards, identity checks, surveillance, etc, was a strong reaction against that part of their history?

ThePadawan 5y ago
Well yes - this is why the food bank creates an identity card for you. So no citizen has to show them their actual national identity card. Imagine if you had to show your one ID (the one with your biometric data on it) to every single company you interacted with. If that card and data leaked, you would be ruined.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  But why should you show identity to any company for something like groceries? Mystery to me.
  - ThePadawan 5y ago
    ...Costco?
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      I think they're a private club - but nobody needs to shop there.
suction 5y ago
"German's extreme distrust of things like credit cards" - that's how you know someone's got their knowledge about modern-day Germany from American website aimed at teenagers ;-)
- ThePadawan 5y ago
  Could you elaborate? I grew up in Germany in the 90s, and I think from a US perspective, describing what I would call the German reluctance towards credit cards as "extreme" seems about right. As in, your bank doesn't try to push credit cards on you constantly, you have to ask in restaurants and shops if they take credit cards, etc.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  Just from experience of the looks you get trying to buy a coffee or lunch using a credit card in Germany. Didn't they make the €500 note basically just for Germany?
  - southerntofu 5y ago
    Didn't they make the 500€ note basically just for fraud and money laundering? Only half joking here.