Kultur 5

For this assignment, I read two articles; the one about Germans saying "exuse me" and the one discussing how to flirt in Germany. I thought these two were related by the fact that they both hold a focus over mannerisms in Germany revolving around politeness. I thought it was ironic that German men seem much more polite than Americans when seeking out a women, but when walking down the street they can be ruthless. I thought the "hey baby" pick up line was a little over steriotyped to depict most Americans, but I suppose the general idea is effective. Maybe Americans just let their emotions get the better of them when trying to impress a girl, or maybe we just can't hold our liquer as well as the Germans so we come off like drunken assholes that holler "you are looking FINE" and expect it to come off as a compliment. I won't go into my personal experience too much with women, but I personally feel like the German men are depicted as too subtle to be ladies men. Yes, I know that it is rude to "holler" at girls the way many Americans do, but the author brings up the very important point that girls are way more interested in guys if they think he's interested in her. I digress. I thought it was interesting that a young German man will give up his seat to an old woman, but there is no sympathy on the street when walking past eachother "unless blood is drawn". This again seems ironic, like the Germans care about some acts of chivilry more than others. It definitely seems like it could come off as awkward, a German guy hitting on a girl, but if ain't broke, don't fix it.