Germany forum < German men

  • Nadine Santos

    posted by  in Germany forum 

    Hi everybody! I just found the following article on the web and think this might help some of the American ladies to deal with German men. Of course, if you come from South America or another more "emotional" place, things might be different ;o):

    For most people whose sweetheart is German, a foreigner, there are plenty of cultural nuances and minor difficulties resulting sometimes in an alienation. Why not try to avoid it?

    For the most part, you don't need to worry particularly about any major differences, mostly because gender roles here aren't significantly different from what they are in the States. For the most part, you can treat him pretty much like you would almost any Western man. For example, if you're the old-fashioned type, he's quite unlikely to complain if you expect him to pay for most of the dates; he'll probably half-expect it. But if you happen to be a supporter of women's rights (and the responsibilities that go along with that), feel free to pay for the dates sometimes or half the time. It might surprise him a bit, but he will most likely appreciate it, especially if he's on the pitifully low budget that most students are on. He'll probably try to pay the bill anyway, as Germans often fight each other for the "privilege" of paying the bills, but you can then secretly pay the next bill when HE's not looking. Or, if he's the real old-fashioned type, like some American men are, he might have the perverse response of thinking that his manhood's been insulted. But if he's as young as in his 20s, that's highly unlikely. So feel free to follow your normal instincts in this regard. If you feel unsure what his attitude might be about such things, feel free to ask him! Direct questions rarely offend Germans (assuming the question isn't too personal), and they're typically more than willing to give straight-forward answers.

    Germans and Americans have a few different standards regarding what constitutes "politeness". Americans tend to define politeness in terms of "friendliness": smiling, telling "white lies" to avoid hurting people's feelings, pretending to like people even if we don't, saying "Hi, how are you?" whether we really care how they are or not, etc. Germans, however, tend to consider "respect" to be the proper way to show "politeness", and "respect" assumes that the other person wants an honest answer, not some pretty little "white lie". So, if you're really wanting your ego stroked, DON'T ask him, "So, how d'you like my new dress?" You might not like the answer that he gives. Likewise, DON'T EVER say anything to him "just to be nice" if you don't really mean it; he is too likely to take you quite literally at your word and then be terribly hurt later when he finds out that you didn't really mean it.

    Don't try to make too much "chit chat" or "small talk" with him. Most Germans know little or nothing of the art of talking about banal, superficial topics as a way of "breaking the ice" with new acquaintances; that custom belongs to American-style "friendliness" and is not part of German "respect". Germans also often react negatively to the shallow, superficial quality of casual friendships/acquaintanceships in the U.S., and so he might react negatively towards you if you engage in much "light" conversation. If you're looking for good topics for conversation, try: politics, current events, philosophy, or any subject he's studying in school.

    Don't be afraid to voice opinions that might be different from his; if your opinion is at least logical, well-reasoned, and well-informed, he will more likely respect you for having your own mind, rather than be offended by you for having a different opinion.

    And if you DON'T know much about international politics, news, current events, foreign cultures, etc., then LEARN! FAST! Americans have an international reputation for being extremely ignorant about the rest of the world -- because most Americans ARE ignorant! Germans, however, usually are NOT!!!

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