HOW WE GERMANS REALLY ARE

By Sophie Josuttis, moderator

We Germans have a fairly heavily-ladden and well-engrained reputation all over the world – and as it is often the case with a reputation, there lies of course some truth in it.:

We Germans tend to be arrogant, strict, arduous, serious and reserved.
We are also said to be disciplined, thorough, perfectionist and organized.

Both is often true. It seems you can’t have the one without the other.

Really, I know so many people from so many different countries and some of them I know well: It is true. The disposition of people of other countries is more delightful, easy, relaxed, and cheerful.

A few years ago, while regularly having lunch with friends and neighbours, we would easily be overcome with excitement about the loose, relaxed way of life in Italy and how great it would be to live there, about the easy-going positive attitude of the Americans (which, at times, is so remarkably positive that we Germans just can’t stand it), the enormous hospitality and friendliness of people in Great Britain, the great service attitude of people in Asia, etc… If even just a few years ago we had compared ourselves to people in other countries of the world in that respect, we’d and felt that we were missing certain ease.

Then came the year 2006 and the Soccer World Championship.
Living by our chosen slogan for the games “Friends having the World as Guests” we found out:
Yes, we can be friendly, happy, relaxed, we can lighten up and provide warm hospitality. The world could see and experience it, and so could we.
And of course, we always knew that we Germans are not only arrogant, strict, arduous, serious and reserved. Well, we experienced us happy before. But this time it seems that we received a sort of “certificate”, an unmistakable proof of the other, more positive side in us, and that for all the world to see.

I love what the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the Championship:
“People worldwide didn’t believe us to be capable of being cheerful for more than one hour”.
Now they know.

So whenever we Germans again show our arrogant, severe, strict, arduous, serious and reserved side, just please remember that we can be the opposite, too – and maybe do remind us, so we remember as well.