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the british can be bittingly ( while at the same time funny ) sarcastic , i thought the germans were harshly direct , minus the injection of sarcastic humour
Yep, that's more accurate I'd say. Germans don't beat around the bush but just tell you what's up. If they like something, they'll tell you, but if they don't like something they do so, too. Which is not a bad thing in my opinion, at least you always know what is going on, no fake friendliness. Germans also like to argue a lot. I had many interesting discussions with another German in the US and our American friends always thought we almost hated each other because our arguments were pretty intense.
I've never had a bad encounter with ANY nationality. I treat folks with respect and politeness and I've never been mistreated.
I think its dumb to try to stereotype an entire group of any nationality.
As an aside, the only people that have treated me rudely were American (customs) crossing the border from Canada. But I've also encountered nice customs folks.
I've never had a bad encounter with ANY nationality. I treat folks with respect and politeness and I've never been mistreated.
I think its dumb to try to stereotype an entire group of any nationality.
As an aside, the only people that have treated me rudely were American (customs) crossing the border from Canada. But I've also encountered nice customs folks.
Its the truth. Its a no brainer. When you travel you respect local traditions and be polite. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out.
A nice positive thread and bob has managed to be sarcastic and anti-Scottish as ever!
True. It's experience must be different, esp. with that amount of sarcasm. I can honestly think of the 40 plus countries I've visitied and non stand out as being esp. negative. Of course, I have encountered an unhappy person here and there, but this was not the norm and you can't judge an entire country based on the exception.
Americans can be jerks, quite frankly, but a little less so in the rural South and rural Midwest. Now, older Americans (older boomers through living WWII-era people) are often gracious, kind and generous. But the younger Americans are, shall we say, very "entitled." Young American women, in particular, are generally some of the meanest-spirited, arrogant and spiteful people in the world and have all but rendered themselves undateable. If you don't believe me, just leave the house a little more often!
I know the Brits don't always have the best reputation, but I've great experiences with the Brits anywhere in the U.S. Japanese are awesome! Canadians are generally very polite but the friendliness quotient can be a mixed bag. Germans and Chinese are a mixed bag. French seem to live up to their reputation.
I've never had a bad encounter with ANY nationality. I treat folks with respect and politeness and I've never been mistreated.
I think its dumb to try to stereotype an entire group of any nationality.
As an aside, the only people that have treated me rudely were American (customs) crossing the border from Canada. But I've also encountered nice customs folks.
No it's not. Why is it such a problem? There are cultural, social, historical and anthropological reasons why certain ethnic groups are different from others. Let's dumb down the political correctness.
And it was the Canadian customs folks who have repeatedly been idiots to me. When I lived in Seattle, I used to go up at least once a month ... just for the heck of it. I was constantly (over)questioned, sometimes to the point of harassment, as to the purpose of my visit, being that I was a SINGLE occupant in a car. Let's see. The car looks decent. I look clean-cut. And when you scan my license plate, nothing illicit appears. So what's the problem?
Yep, that's more accurate I'd say. Germans don't beat around the bush but just tell you what's up. If they like something, they'll tell you, but if they don't like something they do so, too. Which is not a bad thing in my opinion, at least you always know what is going on, no fake friendliness. Germans also like to argue a lot. I had many interesting discussions with another German in the US and our American friends always thought we almost hated each other because our arguments were pretty intense.
I don't dislike Germans. I've had some German friends from grad school who were hilarious. However, MANY Germans in Germany appear to be quite somber. Yeah, everything works well in that country, but it's not a HAPPY destination and I like a more unbridled social atmosphere.
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