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I take back the words "that Geggo was so proud of" and replace them with the words "that Geggo mentioned." You're right. The way I said it before made it sound like I was getting personal. Other than that, my statement stands, though.
Sure, I would never dispute that. The OECD did, however, point out that social mobility is more restricted in Germany than in many other western countries. I just thought I'd point that out after reading some of the posts on this thread. Things have gotten better in recent years, by the way. Nonetheless, one more thing should also be pointed out here: That Anti-Discrimination Law that Geggo was so proud of was not something that the Germans came up with all by themselves, out of the goodness of their hearts. It was something that the EU requested of all member countries and there was quite a bit of opposition to it in Germany before it was finally passed. Just some facts to keep things real...
Germany isn't THAT bad right now for social mobility compared to other OECD countries. Kind of in the middle. According to their study though, social mobility is better in Canada. The US is 3rd worse, just behind Great Britain and Italy. Sweden is higher than the other Nordic countries. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ocial-mobility
I didn't say it was the worst. I said it was nowhere near the top (many other countries better). And the subject of this forum WAS Canada vs. Germany. I also admitted some things had gotten better that weren't so hot in earlier times. But then, I got blasted by a certain user who seems to make a habit of putting people down, as one can tell from numerous other posts. Everything else I posted can also be verified quite easily on the web (at least in German language sources; English might take a little longer).
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This Canada vs. Germany topic reminds me of the England vs. Australia topic that was discussed two months ago.
I would say England vs. Australia felt more appropriate than Canada vs. Germany and it also had a lot more specific characteristics/qualities/questions being said in the original first post.
I guess I will just rank Canada and Germany based on those characteristics/qualities/questions in the England vs. Australia thread:
1. Friendliness: Both countries are known to be a bit reserved at first, but the people open up a lot more once you get to know them.
2. Safety: Probably Germany. Canada still does well for safety.
3. Cultural contribution: Almost a tie but Canada’s cultural contributions is probably a bit more prominent than Germany.
4.Politics: Tie. Both countries politics is still not bad compared to most other countries in the world for Politics.
5. Economy: Tie. Both have some of the best, most prosperous, and stable economies in the world for now.
6. Women: Tie. Both countries have some of the best women in the world. They don't make my top 10 based on nationalities but they still make my top 20 to 25.
7. Environment: Based on environmental standards it is a tie but based on nature scenery and land being preserved it is Canada.
8. Scenery: For nature scenery, Canada wins. For urban scenery probably a tie.
9. Location: Germany because it is close to literally 20 to 30 other European countries in geographic distance and that is nice to have so nearby. Canada only has 1 country nearby in geographic distance.
10. Cuisine: Almost a tie as both countries have plenty of variety in food/cuisine options and is quite cosmopolitan. However, Canada has even more variety than Germany for that. Some people would still be quite surprised by the variety of food options Germany has.
11. Healthcare: Tie.
12. Education: Tie.
13. Affordability: Tie. Both countries have lots of expensive, moderate, to low cost places.
14. Pop culture: Tie. I bet both countries have pop culture that is infinitely better than the trash that is polluting and rotting the USA. In the USA, it should not even be called “pop culture†anymore as a lot of people still don't follow it.
15. History: Tie. Both countries had bad history but they easily overcame that and formed innovative modern identities.
16. Architecture: Canada has more variety in architecture, but Germany might win in historic/classic forms of architecture.
17. Better to live in and better to visit: It depends on what someone wants, so overall a tie.
18. Overall summary: There is plenty to enjoy for both countries, even if they express that in very noticeable variation from each other. I am undecided if I rather be in Canada or Germany more.
Even if all other things were equal, the weather would be a tie-breaker for me. Lack of sunshine year-round is worse than a few months of cold and snow anytime.
Last edited by NomineMalum; 07-06-2012 at 06:11 PM..
Reason: changed wording
14. Pop culture: Tie. I bet both countries have pop culture that is infinitely better than the trash that is polluting and rotting the USA. In the USA, it should not even be called “pop culture” anymore as a lot of people still don't follow it.
English Canadian pop culture is essentially just Canadian knock-offs of American ideas and most of the pop-culture consumed is the American stuff. Most of the biggest artists become big in the USA and get considered part of American pop culture (Justin Bieber, Michael Buble, Mike Meyers etc.) The domestic pop culture is stronger for the French language sector, but there's like ten times more Germans in the world than French Canadians so obviously the German pop culture scene is bigger and better funded. Thus Germans win here, not Canadians.
Even if all other things were equal, the weather would be a tie-breaker for me. Lack of sunshine year-round is worse than a few months of cold and snow anytime.
Are you implying that there is lack of sunshine in Germany year-round? I beg to differ.
Also, I think you underestimate how brutal winters can be in many parts of Canada and the Midwestern US. Ever been there in winter? It is not just "cold and snow". Germany and most of Europe is blessed with a very mild climate and I wish it were that way in North-Central America (US&Canada).
Rob, I also beg to differ. I have lived both in Southern Ontario and in the US Midwest (smack in the middle of tornado alley), for over 20 years in total (plus a couple of years in the US Northeast). I have also lived in Germany for well over 20 years, in total. I know what I'm talking about. The central part of Germany, which is also the most populous part (North Rhine-Westphalia), has a climate which is very similar to Northern England or Scotland (only excluding the Highlands). The Westphalian part of that Province is actually almost equal to Northern Scotland or Northern Ireland as far as lack of sunshine is concerned. I can provide you with a link to the site of the German National Weather Service that will show you just how cloudy it is here. The two weather stations closest to me get an average of 1346 and 1370 hours of sunlight annually. That's slightly less than what Aberdeen in Scotland gets and slightly more than you get in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The so-called "sunny South" of Germany is better, but still only gets about 1700 hours annually (Munich and Stuttgart, for example). That is a lot less than even the so-called rainy city of Seattle, Washington. In addition, it rains on more than half of all days in summer, even in the "sunny" city of Munich. BTW, did I mention that the data I've quoted is from the German National Weather Service (DWD) itself?
I don't mean to be rude, but I suggest that YOU might not know what you're talking about. How long have YOU lived in the places you're talking about? BTW, I'm a Canadian expat. And as far as the range of temperatures here is concerned, you're actually right. But that just isn't as important to me as sunshine, even it's on a bitterly cold sunny day in winter.
Last edited by NomineMalum; 07-07-2012 at 12:54 PM..
Reason: spelling
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