Germany forum < Racism in Germany - how bad is it?

  • General thoughts on this topic

    posted by Deleted user in Germany forum 

    First of all, "hello" to everyone. I was doing some research on racism in my country and somehow I landed on justlanded, lol.

    So I am originally from Colombia, but I have been living in Germany 2-odd years. I have never experienced racism. If someone has said something about me, it has been behind my back. Well, I remember this janitor we had in my previous living place and he was an idiot; I guess he didn´t like foreigners much. That was in East Germany, where I lived for a year or more. Some classmates of mine did experience racism, at times ,violence at the hands of young gangs of extremists. I was lucky to never experience that.

    As a latin american, I have found Germans to be respectful, tolerant and friendly (in their own way). I dare to say I would have more problems in Spain, which is reportedly a very racist society.

    If we want to adress the causes for racism, we should also mention the fact that many foreigners, especially of Arabic and Turkic descent ,haven´t quite integrated themselves in the German society and are more interested in criminal activities than in studying and generally being useful to the country.

    As of now I am studying Psychology at a German university and am satisfied with the acquaintances I have made in my 6 months in this city. They are on the way to be friends. What people from other parts of the world should try to do is stop wanting Germans to understand them, but start trying to undertand Germans. After all, you´re in their country and you need to learn their language as well as you can, and try to like the culture. It´s got some cool things, albeit not many.

    Last but not least, here´s a handful of tips to make your stay in Germany more comfortable, if not more endurable:

    -Respect the law. The German police is very polite and they will help you with adresses and whatnot.
    -Be friendly, but not too much. Germans don´t like pretending, nor people who do that.
    -Be disciplined and punctual. You are not in your homeland. "Culture" is a very flexible concept for a foreigner in Germany willing to integrate, so ignore your impulses and imitate Germany´s worldly known love for discipline and punctuality.
    -Learn the language and immerse yourself in the country´s history and culture. Although language is not the only requirement for a succesful integration, it surely plays a big role. I don´t think you will impress anyone by mixing words from your own language with the German language. Instead of being patriotic and thinking people are interested in your language, impress them with your command of a language they themselves acknowledge to be difficult, confusing and demanding. Once your German is good enough, read German literature ,read newspapers.

    That´s all I wanted to say. I hope it´s useful for someone.

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