Life in Germany - Ep. 54: Cultural Differences

That we don't talk about money is true but religion or politics are totaly ok to talk about and discussable
I talk a lot with my friends in Germany but also here in France about politics and religion tbh whenever there is the possibility

If you talk with very good friends, you normaly tell them more the just how is it going
But I know many people, who are not talking about details in their life when they just got asked how are you or how is it going

Btw I love your videos they are very interesting, to know what americans think about Germans

I'm sorry for mistakes, have to speek 3 languages per day and i mix everything up😂

Honestly, I wouldn't categorise the US stance on religion "open" I would call it pushy :P People ask what church you go to, as small talk, and assume as a matter of course that everyone is religious and goes to church. Leaving no or very little room for other viewpoints. To be fair, this is regional, but still very prevalent in a lot of places. I prefer the German (or for me Dutch/European) way of not talking about each other's religion unless you are very close.

Differences between what? Is your country perhaps the center of the world?

Pretty good observations, dude. Agree on everything except the money issue. For the salary it's totally true but you surely can compliment someone on their expenses for the house.

The part about our (US) government being a complete wreck was funny. It's in a far worse state now than Sep 2014.

The problem with talking about money is that it can be (and most likely will be) perceived as bragging, and people here usually don't like that.
My favorite answer if someone asks me what (aka the amount of money) I have spent on something, it's "Money, 'cause they wouldn't accept bricks" (sorry that I had to write that down in a rather awkward way, but otherwise the joke wouldn't convey to English). Discussion terminated without offending anyone... ;)

With that hair you kinda look like young Ryan Gosling

In another video, I heard that talking about the price of rent is what a lot of people do. Thank you for the information.

Caught my Drift? odd English a boat Drifts .

Talking to strangers?
You need to have an issue,
like asking for help or for directions.
People will gladly help you.
Boom - ice broken.

As a german i have to say talking about Politics and politics is no Problem in Germany atleast with all the people i've met. ^^

We don't cut our meat into little pieces because than it cools down faster. Also we do not switch fork and knife between cutting and eating our food. We always have the knife in our dominant Hand. That's why it's not more work to do it the "formal" way (for us just normal way)

....you can expect a full report and analyses.Ich lach mich kaputt :-)

actually it's the other way around. Especially people from Baden Wuerttemberg are pretty much known for avoiding small talk and foreigners :) And by foreigners I mean people that live like 70 miles away. The most open-minded area will pretty much be the Ruhr area (Ruhrgebiet). Germans are a bit weird about how much they make, I give you that... but not complimenting anyting of monetary value might be a southern German thing, but in other areas of the country it's perfectly okay to ask what something cost because you might want one for yourself :) Germans like to brag about their bargains, so yeah... you can ask that.

I think that you have one Point totally wrong! you can talk about everythung in Germany and in fact, everyone is always welcome to do so. we have a great debating and discussing culture.!

So you never use wie ghts? :(

I believe generalizing culture is just nonsense it so much depends on the region and what social class u live with.

With me you can talk to at any time and im not gonna look strange back at you.
Well one thing can be said though: Germans are a lot less religious than Americans

USA: They smile in your face...but backstabbing

So here is the weird thing: Anarchism strongly relates to Communism before Marx. It seems to me that right-winged people like skin heads like Anarchy, while right-winged people in Europe prefer order.

Well, you should be happy to be only asked on your opinion of Snowden. I can't believe how it can irritate you, don't take it as an offense though. I have been for an exchange year in America and people had constantly confronted me with very unconfortable topics like World War II or casually asking if I am a Nazi. I have gotten used to it after a few months, but I still really didn't like it. It is just absurd to think that everyone is the same after all those years.

1:44 they want SEX :)

If I'm not supposed to talk to strangers how do I make friends in Germany?

#german

i dont feel like its weird to talk to people about politics in germany because, at least in my opinion, its much less of a personal topic to talk about here in germany, than it is in the us

Talking about religion got "killed" as the roman empire killed those ("Germans") who did not converted to christianity... no kidding...

But your facts are true.. except one thing: If you know somebody for decades and since your childhood.. you can talk about money... since this person is like a famaly member ;)

about GERMANY: a lot of prejudices. Not really the truth.

1. Most germans find it ankward!
2. Smalltalk is a waste of time.
3. Politics is a total fine term if you know the person well.
4. Religion is fine if you not talking to extremist-
5. You are right some point, but you are not allowed to talk about your loan by contracts.

Hey Sam, I just started watching your episodes, and I like them. What you say here about having been prompted for "the opinion of an american" (representative) on the NSA-spying-others-affair reminds me of similar experiences I made when abroad.
Oh, I am german by the way, that is why I like watching your episodes.
When I was abroad and beeing recognised as a german citizen I was also confronted with whatever was the current topic with Germany involved one way or the other; and I often had the impression that my conversational partner might believe that I am some kind of embassador for the german people as a whole, and that I cercainly know Ms Merkel personally.
This was funny somehow. In such situations when people expecting confirmation from a german for some statement or using me to tell it "directly" to the german politicians, or better to Germany as a whole, I sometimes made a joke by saying the next time I'm in the Bundestag I will inform Angela Merkel about it. (as if I really had the chance to do that) Hoping that people would get this joke. I believe you must have felt similar when beeing asked about "how dare they to spy on us" questions.

of course you talk about salary ingermany. especially the youth does. but its maybe the number 20 topic of things german people talk about because its not interesting.

I´m sorry, but I didn´t see your cooking video, but I saw one where you sad you like/love kartofellsalat, so why don´t you try to make it from schrach (from zero). And in Stuttgart I noticed taht its often together with maultasche (sometimes also bacon), so you make your kartofellsalat and make in pann already made maultasche, so thats easy, but not too easy. and boilg potatoes and pealing them will take you the most time, but the rest you can make in few minits

when you ask someone in German how there are goong there say im fine.I dont now what people you have meet , but im german anf it happend all my life for me.I mine I do it top

If you don't want to be seen as a inbreeded dumb ass, you shouldnt talk about religion, or tell us that this and that is immoral.

God, how I love it. No stupid small talk, no mindless chatter with strangers I couldn't care less about, no superficial smiling at every turn. That's the German way. And it is glorious.

dude looks like a turn of the century hipster ... NICEnfrogen!

good vid, one point I disagree: I don't like when people coming to close. I feel uncomfortable when someone comes closer than an arm's length. This is probably from the Stone Age, but is generally so.

Don't they like to talk about their cars a lot in Germany? That implies that it is ok to discuss how much it costs?

hehe well i always talk about money and salaries and stuff. But you´re right the elder people don´t like to talk about money.

Can you talk with german lenguage in your video?

The Youtuber WantedAdenventure has a complete different opinion about what you can talk about with a german and she has a different and more correct view on it ... despite this smalltalk thing you said wrong things mostly sorry

Yesss im so excited to go there I hate small talk and people asking me "How are you?" without even waiting for a response!! it bugs me sm

We have small talk! but "how you doing" directly translated to German is a serious question a doctor would ask you , ... so you will get a report like that xD also in the south it is all a bit more conservative,.. next time you meet an elderly person talk about the weather, and he /she will open up, .. and with younger people talk about thinks you like or dislike,.. if you see something they are wearing ,like headphones or a cool jacket tell them so, and you will start a conservation ,..

and if you ask "how are you doing" in a more casual way like "Wie geht's?" to friends or colleges they will simply say "good" as well , just don't ask a random person,..

and about the religious thing, ..come to the north!! especially Berlin, and you won't be able to stop the conservation xD

but yes the religion question is touchy , because there is still discrimination , that or /and they don't want to deal or have to do with religion and people's different viewpoints at all

The proper translation to: "How are you doing?" as a small talk would be " Alles klar?" or " Alles fitt?". That´s very different form the direct translation " Wie geht es dir?", this one leads to a deep talk about the others condition.. And usually people do not tell all their problems to strangers, but to closer friends for sure.

This video just popped up as a recommended videos and it's interesting, because I just watched a video by Dana (Wanted Adventure) some days ago, where she described, that politics, religion and money are some non-small-talk themes in the US whereas in Germany it is completely normal to discuss politics with someone, you just met at a party or something. And that Germans don't mind to talk about money and how expensive their car was, for example.
That's what I experience too. But I think, it might be a difference whether you talk to students (which are always out of money and so it is kind of a lifestyle to mourn about the expensive costs) or to adults or around teenagers, where the amount of money has much more to do with your social status.

Dana Newman on her you tube channel “wanted adventure”  said the most avoidable topics talking to an American are:
- Never talk about politics
- Never ask about his/her income
- Never ask what he/she has spent to buy a certain thing
So, are there cultural differences in these topics? ;-)