Germans "rude"?

[AndyDT]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13545386

So Germans don't do small talk? What happens when you have to live with other people eg. as students? Is it just a British thing that you're expected to be chatty and fake?

[TheVoxyn]

I think Germans aren't rude. In my experience they are just like the Dutch, formal and to the point.

[LeeHarveyKennedy]

They may not be funny, but they're certainly not rude.

[yorost]

You two obviously don't know rumborak.

[El Barto]

Interesting assessment and almost certainly true, but I definitely wouldn't consider it rude. 

I didn't notice this anywhere near as much in Germany as I did in New York, although language probably had a lot to do with it.  I felt like the rude one in Berlin, but only because I was relying on the locals to be able to communicate with me.  As a Southerner, I felt terribly out of place in New York.  I couldn't break the habit of saying excuse me or holding a door open for somebody.  Aside from the language thing, I felt like courtesy was a pretty common practice in Germany.

[King Postwhore]

El Barto.  That is so true.  NYC can be so matter of factly that it puts you off but I've heard that about Boston also.  Truth is some places are friendlier than others but there a many exceptions to the rule.  I always think it's people not the area that is rude.

[rumborak]

We just don't do fake interactions, just not our culture. Nothing rude about it I think, it just might look that way for people coming from a culture where that is expected.

I think Germans aren't rude. In my experience they are just like the Dutch, formal and to the point.

Well, the differences between Germans and Dutch are pretty small to begin with

rumborak

[bosk1]

Nothing rude about it I think, it just might look that way for people coming from a culture where that is expected.

That's kind of my take as well.  Culturally, there is just an air of...I'm not sure how to describe it, but to outsiders, especially those in more outwardly gregarious cultures, it can come across as standoffish and cold.  My uncle is an example.  My mom's side of the family are all Jamaican.  Culturally, they are VERY loud, gregarious, and outgoing.  One of her brothers married a German woman.  And while we all love her, it took the rest of the family a long time to warm up to her because, culturally, they perceived her as cold and standoffish.

[ich bin besser]

Hey, shut up, strangers! We are NOT rude! Got it?

 

[Adami]

I don't know about rude, but when I was there LOTS of people gave me dirty looks, that is until I accidentally tucked my Jewish star into my shirt, then they stopped. They resumed of course once I realized I had tucked away, and took it back out.

[bosk1]

I thought you said it was your pink triangle.

[TheVoxyn]

I think Germans aren't rude. In my experience they are just like the Dutch, formal and to the point.

Well, the differences between Germans and Dutch are pretty small to begin with

rumborak

Agree, but don't tell that to the Dutch  . They don't like being compared to Germans.

I remember an American tourist faking interest in the Dutch when I was in Scotland. He said 'You guys speak German right?', must say I was slightly offended  .

[King Postwhore]

German's make the best beer around.  They can be as rude(Though their not) at me any time.

[AndyDT]

We just don't do fake interactions, just not our culture. Nothing rude about it I think, it just might look that way for people coming from a culture where that is expected.

Is there a way of breaking awkward silences (politely)?

[Zydar]

German's make the best beer around.  They can be as rude(Though their not) at me any time.

I want to go to Oktoberfest one day

[JustJen]

My ancestry is Swedish and German.. my mother was 100% Swedish and my father was mostly German with some Swedish thrown in. I do genealogy research as a hobby and have for about 8 years now, which includes collecting family stories. There was one story about a great aunt or great grandmother of mine who everyone thought was standoffish and stern until they got to know her, and the anecdote ended with something like "it was just the Swedish disposition".

I've been accused of this myself. 

Interesting thread, as I'm also from New York (not city, upstate) and everyplace I travel I marvel at how much friendlier people are ANYPLACE else but here.

[axeman90210]

German's make the best beer around.  They can be as rude(Though their not) at me any time.

I don't know, the Belgians give them a pretty good challenge on the beer front.

[King Postwhore]

German's make the best beer around.  They can be as rude(Though their not) at me any time.

I don't know, the Belgians give them a pretty good challenge on the beer front.

I was thinking that too but 1A or 1B.  I've never say no to either.

[Lynxo]

My ancestry is Swedish and German.. my mother was 100% Swedish and my father was mostly German with some Swedish thrown in. I do genealogy research as a hobby and have for about 8 years now, which includes collecting family stories. There was one story about a great aunt or great grandmother of mine who everyone thought was standoffish and stern until they got to know her, and the anecdote ended with something like "it was just the Swedish disposition".

I've been accused of this myself. 

Interesting thread, as I'm also from New York (not city, upstate) and everyplace I travel I marvel at how much friendlier people are ANYPLACE else but here.

Oh, you're swedish? Yes, we too can be accused of being silent and introvert.

Unless it's graduation time off course. Then it looks like this:

[alirocker08]

I went to Germany on a foreign exchange, and I have to completely disagree with this whole thread. I have never met a nicer bunch of people than the Germans, not only the family that I stayed with, but everyone I talked to. All of the students were incredibly nice to me, always smiling, being polite, asking if I was Ok, things like that. The shop keepers lovely as well...

Maybe it helped that I spoke German though >.< Or maybe Herzogenaurach is a strangely nice town ^^

[contest_sanity]

Germans are always courteous, even when they're dropping 48 points on you:

[rumborak]

Germans aren't rude. We just have an implicit "or else" at the end of each sentence. We don't say it, but we mean it.

rumborak

[Sigz]

German's make the best beer around.  They can be as rude(Though their not) at me any time.

I don't know, the Belgians give them a pretty good challenge on the beer front.

Belgian beer is best beer.

[bosk1]

Germans aren't rude. We just have an implicit "or else" at the end of each sentence. We don't say it, but we mean it.

rumborak