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Talking to a bunch of Germans. They all require weeks in advanced to plan any kind of social activity, and if you ask them they admit they would rather just sta

Talking to a bunch of Germans. They all require weeks in advanced to plan any kind of social activity, and if you ask them they admit they would rather just stay at home, and they are really cold to you for a long time (even years). Granted this is mainly scientific people but it’s still way more extreme than anything I experienced in the UK, and all of them also say it’s a general problem with the German youth too. They all value their personal time more than social time

cubefox 3y ago
It's all because of smartphones and social media. We stare at screens for hours a day, and rarely meet up in person anymore. It's a global problem though.
- javajosh 3y ago
  And 90% of the time I see young people together they're all on their phones. There's an arms race to prove who cares less about the person in front of you, by checking your phone, and we're all winning.
- abwizz 3y ago
  i'm reasonable certain that the majority here can stare at a screen for days at a time w/o involving smarthphones or social media. but, yea, i also despise ppl wasting their in-person time with screens
  - cubefox 3y ago
    I'm no stranger to this problem. Quite the opposite actually.
javajosh 3y ago
It may also be a money thing. The bars in Germany are either affordable and filled with old regulars waiting to die, or expensive. If you have an expense account, the clubs are great! But if you don't, they'll break the bank.
- bowsamic 3y ago
  I agree. A few points to add: 1. In Germany, alcohol at home is extremely cheap. We're talking, a great Bavarian beer at home is 1 euro per 500ml bottle, and at a bar here in Hamburg at least 5 euro. Similar for wine and spirits. Also, the bars are often low quality, and full of smokers, and have bad music, so the motivation to go to a bar is really poor. There are exceptions, perhaps if you live in Berlin or Mannheim, but in most cities the social drinking situation is not great. 2. In addition, there is no social taboo against drinking at home or alone like in other countries. Even at work, if you pull out a beer at 4pm, especially on a Friday, no one will bat an eyelid. Therefore drinking isn't really an activity in itself so much as a normal part of life. 3. Many of the newer generation are totally straight edge. There is a trend towards not drinking or taking drugs in general compared to older generations or even compared to millennials. They would much rather have a fritz kola or a mate drink
  - ben_w 3y ago
    > Even at work, if you pull out a beer at 4pm, especially on a Friday, no one will bat an eyelid 5pm Friday drinks was part of my official calendar when I joined. The office kitchen has beer, vodka, sake, whiskey, rum, sekt, and at least one thing I've never heard of before.
  - javajosh 3y ago
    > alcohol at home is extremely cheap Even on the street its cheap! it's funny when you are choosing a drink its like "Well I'll save some money and get a beer" because Coke is more expensive at your typical Doner spot. Another interesting effect of this is you see far, far more public drunkenness, especially on the U/Sbahn. But for the most part there are fewer gross-out incidents than on NY subways. Not none, but fewer. You still get the occasional screaming/urinating lunatic. But not as often as you'd expect given the price of beer.

cubefox 3y ago

It's all because of smartphones and social media. We stare at screens for hours a day, and rarely meet up in person anymore. It's a global problem though.

javajosh 3y ago
And 90% of the time I see young people together they're all on their phones. There's an arms race to prove who cares less about the person in front of you, by checking your phone, and we're all winning.
abwizz 3y ago
i'm reasonable certain that the majority here can stare at a screen for days at a time w/o involving smarthphones or social media. but, yea, i also despise ppl wasting their in-person time with screens
- cubefox 3y ago
  I'm no stranger to this problem. Quite the opposite actually.

javajosh 3y ago

It may also be a money thing. The bars in Germany are either affordable and filled with old regulars waiting to die, or expensive. If you have an expense account, the clubs are great! But if you don't, they'll break the bank.

bowsamic 3y ago
I agree. A few points to add: 1. In Germany, alcohol at home is extremely cheap. We're talking, a great Bavarian beer at home is 1 euro per 500ml bottle, and at a bar here in Hamburg at least 5 euro. Similar for wine and spirits. Also, the bars are often low quality, and full of smokers, and have bad music, so the motivation to go to a bar is really poor. There are exceptions, perhaps if you live in Berlin or Mannheim, but in most cities the social drinking situation is not great. 2. In addition, there is no social taboo against drinking at home or alone like in other countries. Even at work, if you pull out a beer at 4pm, especially on a Friday, no one will bat an eyelid. Therefore drinking isn't really an activity in itself so much as a normal part of life. 3. Many of the newer generation are totally straight edge. There is a trend towards not drinking or taking drugs in general compared to older generations or even compared to millennials. They would much rather have a fritz kola or a mate drink
- ben_w 3y ago
  > Even at work, if you pull out a beer at 4pm, especially on a Friday, no one will bat an eyelid 5pm Friday drinks was part of my official calendar when I joined. The office kitchen has beer, vodka, sake, whiskey, rum, sekt, and at least one thing I've never heard of before.
- javajosh 3y ago
  > alcohol at home is extremely cheap Even on the street its cheap! it's funny when you are choosing a drink its like "Well I'll save some money and get a beer" because Coke is more expensive at your typical Doner spot. Another interesting effect of this is you see far, far more public drunkenness, especially on the U/Sbahn. But for the most part there are fewer gross-out incidents than on NY subways. Not none, but fewer. You still get the occasional screaming/urinating lunatic. But not as often as you'd expect given the price of beer.