Germany: Unraveling an Enigma

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Germany Unraveling an Enigma

• By Greg Nees

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How I Spent My Time

• Started from the beginning
• Read the first 3 chapters completely
• Skipped through the remaining chapters and read
  some particular topics of interest after that

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To The Reader

• The author starts out by saying he will do his
  best to be unbiased
• Gives a brief description of his life and how he
  is connected to both the German and American way
  of life
• Attempts to explain German culture to an American
  audience (without offending either group!)

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To the Reader

• I was born in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1949 to
  working-class German and Anglo-Saxon
  ancestorsthis areainfluenced me more than I was
  aware of.

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My Thoughts

• I think it is extremely important to read this
  section of the book
• We learn how objective (or subjective) the author
  is
• This will play a role while we read the rest of
  the book
• Can we believe what he says?

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Ch. 1 Introduction

• What does it mean to be German?
• The author does not answer the question, but
  rather gives the reader a wide range of German
  topics to think about
• The first real Germanic hero to how Hollywood
  needs the Nazis to politics
• Very brief

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What does Google think?
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Did you know?

• The Legend of Hermann
• Lead Germanic tribes into victory against the
  Romans in 9 AD
• Story became popular during 1871
• Why?

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My Thoughts

• An interesting chapter that gets the reader to
  start thinking about German culture
• The author often compares American and German
  culture (like Omaggio says!), but also uses Asian
  culture as a contrast occasionally throughout the
  book

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Ch. 2 Who are the Germans?

• He is speaking solely about those in Germany
• Mentions that Germans tend to focus more on
  history than Americans do
• From there gives a mini-history lesson about time
  periods in German history
• Continually relates the history to modern trends
  or culture

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Something interesting

• BRD was divided into two time periods, before and
  after 1968
• Nachkriegsgeneration- Generation of 68
• Their movements resulted in big changes within
  Germany
• Education reform
• Childcare changes

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Ch. 2 Who are the Germans?

• The author also includes a section called A
  Patchwork Community where he discusses
  differences within Germany

• Historical reasons for these differences
• Heimat trends
• North v. South
• East v. West
• Urban v. Rural

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Not just East and West

• North v. South Protestant v. Catholic
• The Rheinlanders are thought to talk more and
  are considered more cheerful and extroverted than
  the dour, serious, Protestant Swabians,
• who are famed for their
• thrift and industry.
• Differences in familiarity

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My Thoughts

• This was my favorite section of the book!
• Having a historical background about a
  country/people/nation is not something people
  generally have
• Dealt well with the Third Reich
• Explored regional differences

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Ch.3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Nees says that in order to communicate
  successfully with people from another culture, it
  is important to understand how they interpret a
  given situation and what their intentions are.

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Ch. 3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Ordnung muß sein
• Seen in all aspects of life
• Rules and regulations
• Not chaos!
• The class system

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Ch. 3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Clarity and Compartmentalization
• Set boundaries for
• Homes and work places
• Relationships
• Daily activities

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My Thoughts

• Autumns comment last week made me nervous about
  this chapter
• Seemed to be very explanatory, providing many
  small examples
• Could probably be summed up in the word Order

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Ch. 4 German Communication Patterns

• Du and Sie revisited
• Nice explanation with diagrams comparing many
  different types of interactions
• Connected back to last chapters examples

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Self
Unconscious
Most Personal
Most Public
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Ch. 5 and 6 Business

• Skipped around here
• 60 pages out of 170!
• German attitude toward business
• Banks
• Staying late to impress the boss backfires

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Ch. 7 Creation of a New German Identity

• Ends looking into the future
• Germanys role in the EU
• Changes for women
• Problems with the current higher education system
• Amerikanisierung

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Last Thoughts

• A little more academic in style
• Provides reasons in a serious way for why Germans
  are they way they are
• More factual than personal. Maybe unbiased?
• Luckily I am interested in German culture