5 ms·

Seems interesting but with a notable number of mistakes on the US, how much can I trust what is said about Germany? and how much has changed since he moved to t

by sfall 14y ago

Seems interesting but with a notable number of mistakes on the US, how much can I trust what is said about Germany? and how much has changed since he moved to the US?

maebert 14y ago
Mistakes yes, but I think he got most of the core motifs right (on both the US and German side (I grew up in the latter)). With which points (concerning the US) to you disagree / which points to you find questionable (BRD)?
- sfall 14y ago
  Well writing about high speed trains or lack there of, we have one of the best freight systems in the world, but it makes high speed rail difficult, Europe has gone the other way they have high speed rail focus ref: http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 and this is only one point.
eru 14y ago
I read that document a few years ago. The stuff on Germany is basically right, but of course there are some differences in opinion, and some things have changed by now. If you want to talk about different culture, email me. I'm a German living in the UK, working for a multinational American company. I also spent some time studying in Turkey.
cschwarm 14y ago
The description of Germans and German behavior seems to be mostly correct, in my opinion. Some points I disagree with: - I never heard someone discuss the environmental impact of microwave ovens. - I have some doubts if the public TV stations are still the biggest. - Unions appear to have lost some power in the last twenty or thirty years here in Germany. At least, the amount of serious strikes seems to have decreased. - The requirement to be a "Meister" to be able to open a shop have been dropped in recent years, for almost all trades as far as I know. I disagree mostly with the German description of aggression and violence. Sometimes, I wish he'd expressed a point a little bit more nuanced.

by sfall 14y ago

Seems interesting but with a notable number of mistakes on the US, how much can I trust what is said about Germany? and how much has changed since he moved to the US?

maebert 14y ago

Mistakes yes, but I think he got most of the core motifs right (on both the US and German side (I grew up in the latter)). With which points (concerning the US) to you disagree / which points to you find questionable (BRD)?

sfall 14y ago
Well writing about high speed trains or lack there of, we have one of the best freight systems in the world, but it makes high speed rail difficult, Europe has gone the other way they have high speed rail focus ref: http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 http://www.economist.com/node/16636101 and this is only one point.

eru 14y ago

I read that document a few years ago. The stuff on Germany is basically right, but of course there are some differences in opinion, and some things have changed by now. If you want to talk about different culture, email me. I'm a German living in the UK, working for a multinational American company. I also spent some time studying in Turkey.

cschwarm 14y ago

The description of Germans and German behavior seems to be mostly correct, in my opinion. Some points I disagree with: - I never heard someone discuss the environmental impact of microwave ovens. - I have some doubts if the public TV stations are still the biggest. - Unions appear to have lost some power in the last twenty or thirty years here in Germany. At least, the amount of serious strikes seems to have decreased. - The requirement to be a "Meister" to be able to open a shop have been dropped in recent years, for almost all trades as far as I know. I disagree mostly with the German description of aggression and violence. Sometimes, I wish he'd expressed a point a little bit more nuanced.