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    the "kantönligeist"

    posted by  Roger B in Switzerland forum 

    Well, maybe to be a bit more precise, the "Kantönligeist" not only refers to the mocking of others but also to our sometimes extreme federalism. As you might know, our Cantons enjoy a farily high degree of autonomy, which most of them tend to guard quite strictly. Kantönligeist therefore can also mean that we stick to 26 diffferent laws of tax, police or whatever instead of centralizing, and all attempts to centralization are resisted quite fiercly.

    Of course you are right with your example regarding identity. However, I really can observe, with myself and with others, that we really tend to shift between our "identities" (maybe that's even too big a word for this circumstance) while being together with different people. For instance, I work in a very international company with many expats, over lunch I kind of catch myself switching back and forth, being, to tease, the "Oberländer" vs. the "Stadtzürcher" when talking to my collegues from Zurich, but taking a more "national" attitude when I speak to the expats. It must be confusing for someone outside of Switzerland hearing us "bashing" each other, especially if you can't really distinguish whether it is meant to be taken seriously or not.

    Well, and to be honest, there's no other way than confirming that it is quite hard to make friends in Switzerland. Otherwise there would just not be so many stories about it. But at that point, I just want to come back to the point in my first mail: It's not just like that for foreigners. A great many Swiss strugle with the exact same issue. So it's not really something that is geared against foreigners. I even think that sometimes it's easier for foreigners to make friends in Switzerland than it is for the Swiss themselves (you're different, making you interesting).

    Why are we like that, well traditionally we have been rather reserved and cautious. Might actually be the same impuls that creates the "Kantönligeist", but in the end what is required to overcome this reservation is really not to be intimidated by it and try it nonetheless. It's not that we are unfriendly, it's just that we are really cautious and like to play it safe.

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