# Have you found this to be true about Germans?



## SchwarzesMaedchen

I've met a few native Germans online (gotta love WKW) and while I personally have found that Germans from all over on the site have been nothing but kind, I've been told (by some of these same Germans) some good and not so good things about Germans from a particular region the general consensus has been: 

North Germans = arrogant
East Germans = racist
West Germans = indifferent
South Germans = friendly

Is this simple a case of people just stereotyping their fellow countrymen who live in a different part of the country (I think all countries have these stereotypes, like how we have in the US) or is there any merit or truth to this? Have you had any experiences?


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## Verdande

IMHO - That type of thinking is a big waste of time. I don't live in Germany but spend time there several times a year as I have family in Germany and I have travelled all over. Germany is extremely diverse, in all ways - difference between city/country, various traditions based on Catholic or Protestant bagground (of course there are many other religions too). The landscapes range from windy northern beaches to the Alps and lovely forested areas - the Rhineland is wonderful. Personally I love Bavaria (also the richest region) Bavaria is much more similar to Austria than to the northern part of Germany. Germany has so much to offer - I hope to visit again this summer.
Don't waste your time on stereotypes





SchwarzesMädchen said:


> I've met a few native Germans online (gotta love WKW) and while I personally have found that Germans from all over on the site have been nothing but kind, I've been told (by some of these same Germans) some good and not so good things about Germans from a particular region the general consensus has been:
> 
> North Germans = arrogant
> East Germans = racist
> West Germans = indifferent
> South Germans = friendly
> 
> Is this simple a case of people just stereotyping their fellow countrymen who live in a different part of the country (I think all countries have these stereotypes, like how we have in the US) or is there any merit or truth to this? Have you had any experiences?


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## expatgal

SchwarzesMädchen said:


> I've met a few native Germans online (gotta love WKW) and while I personally have found that Germans from all over on the site have been nothing but kind, I've been told (by some of these same Germans) some good and not so good things about Germans from a particular region the general consensus has been:
> 
> North Germans = arrogant
> East Germans = racist
> West Germans = indifferent
> South Germans = friendly
> 
> Is this simple a case of people just stereotyping their fellow countrymen who live in a different part of the country (I think all countries have these stereotypes, like how we have in the US) or is there any merit or truth to this? Have you had any experiences?


I agree with Verdande,
However, I wonder why you posted this query.
If you had posted you had this distasteful experience..I would understand.
You have even divided it up into regions.
AND not all the US is like this.
What I usually say when someone is way off.....Back Up and Back Off.
I am sure you can think of something to contribute to this forum, besides this garbage.


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## SchwarzesMaedchen

expatgal said:


> I agree with Verdande,
> However, I wonder why you posted this query.
> If you had posted you had this distasteful experience..I would understand.
> You have even divided it up into regions.
> AND not all the US is like this.
> What I usually say when someone is way off.....Back Up and Back Off.
> I am sure you can think of something to contribute to this forum, besides this garbage.



I posted this query because I was curious as to why I would be told this by natives, why there would be threads in other forums talking about the apparent No-Go Zones in Germany, and gain some insight into the experiences that black expats that watch/follow have discussed in their blogs. Maybe that doesn't matter to you and perhaps that is "garbage" to you as well but as a person of color it matters a lot to me. I'm not trying to offend anyone on here and if I have then I apologize. 

I too have a saying when someone is way off...slow your roll.


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## MrTweek

Well, people are different, state by state and city by city.
But then, also people move to different parts of the country and the whole thing is mixing up.
In the cities you will have more people from other regions, from other countries, from other continents.
If you have any specific questions about this, feel free to ask them but saying that it seems that there's a general consensus that half of the country is arrogant or racist sounds a bit harsh, just to not say stupid.


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## Maple Sugar

MrTweek said:


> Well, people are different, state by state and city by city.
> But then, also people move to different parts of the country and the whole thing is mixing up.
> In the cities you will have more people from other regions, from other countries, from other continents.
> If you have any specific questions about this, feel free to ask them but saying that it seems that there's a general consensus that half of the country is arrogant or racist sounds a bit harsh, just to not say stupid.


I agree with you. If you look for something, you are going to find it.


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## SchwarzesMaedchen

MrTweek said:


> Well, people are different, state by state and city by city.
> But then, also people move to different parts of the country and the whole thing is mixing up.
> In the cities you will have more people from other regions, from other countries, from other continents.
> If you have any specific questions about this, feel free to ask them but saying that it seems that there's a general consensus that half of the country is arrogant or racist sounds a bit harsh, just to not say stupid.


I agree with you that it sounds stupid but those are the answers I've gotten in the past. "Don't go there, the people there are like this that and the other, go this place instead." That's where this is coming from, straight out of the proverbial horse's mouth. You hear and read it often enough and you start to wonder whether it's wise to brush these statements aside. When I first thought about visiting Germany I wanted to go to Leipzig. I had heard the city has an amazing industrial music subculture I was all like :whoo: (I love industrial music, please do not laugh), but then I read about the East and how foreigners had been treated and I was like :bolt: and squashed that idea. I was pretty disappointed.

God I fricken love the emoticons.


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## Maple Sugar

I am sure, coming from Houston, that you have heard many references to what people from the deep south, north, mid-west, etc. of your country are like. Europe is the same. Areas rival each other and, in the main, it is a friendly rivalry that says more I like where I am, rather than that other place. For example, I am in Lyon, France and people will say things about Paris but they really mean they like Lyon. You have to take these comments with a grain of salt until you have experienced the place for yourself. 

Generalizations about cultures, people and places are silly. If one can discover documentary evidence to support an attitude, then perhaps there is some truth in it. But, I suspect that it would be difficult to find anything that would support the attitudes expressed in your original post. Hearsay is not documentary evidence and that leaves it just what it is - gossip and nonsense.


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## Bevdeforges

I lived in Germany for a few years before coming to France (and actually, I speak better German and am more comfortable using the language than I am with French - even after almost 20 years of living here!).

One of the weird things about the Germans is that they really do focus on the various "states" within Germany. Read one study that remarked that Germans usually tell "ethnic" jokes about the people in other states in Germany rather than about foreigners. (I long ago figured out that ethnic jokes are pretty much the same from one culture to the next - all that varies is the group that is the butt of the joke!)

Lived in Baden-Wurtemburg for a couple of years, and the Schwäbisch are the first to make fun of themselves and their reputation for being really, really cheap. The story is that the Scots come to Schwabenland to apprentice. And while I was living there, I saw some hysterically funny advertisements on the TV satirizing exactly that side of life there. (German, spoken with a Scottish accent is funny enough in and of itself!)

I think you get some of that anywhere in the world. Here in France, they tell Belgian jokes - because the Belgians are supposed to be really bad drivers (you didn't need a driving license in Belgium until the 1970's or so), and not as "sophisticated" as the French (think they are). And when I worked in Europe for the first time, I was shocked at first at various international meetings to hear how the various nationalities joked with each other about alleged national character traits. But, in a way, the Germans are sticklers for rules, whereas the French treat most laws and rules as a "challenge" to be gotten around. I suppose it's related to local history and social customs. Take it at face value and find out for yourself to what extent there is a grain of truth in whatever you're told.
Cheers,
Bev


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## MrTweek

SchwarzesMaedchen said:


> I agree with you that it sounds stupid but those are the answers I've gotten in the past. "Don't go there, the people there are like this that and the other, go this place instead."


Well, you surely hear things like that everywhere in the world. There's always some rivalry between cities, regions or countries. That does not mean that one is better than another.
I'm sure you have the same in America.



> When I first thought about visiting Germany I wanted to go to Leipzig. I had heard the city has an amazing industrial music subculture I was all like :whoo: (I love industrial music, please do not laugh), but then I read about the East and how foreigners had been treated and I was like :bolt: and squashed that idea. I was pretty disappointed.


I'm not sure what you read, but it's not that bad that you can not go there. There surely is some racism present, but that is somewhere deep in the countryside and not in Leipzig. "The East" is huge.

Generally, the bigger a city is, the more cosmopolitan it gets and the more unlikely you will encounter problems with racism or nationalism.



> I was shocked at first at various international meetings to hear how the various nationalities joked with each other about alleged national character traits.


Yeah, we love making fun of each other. But that's just for fun, really. We do get along very well


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## SchwarzesMaedchen

Thanks for everyone's answers. Again I apologize if the original post was offensive to you. 

I agree with everyone who said the grain of salt thing, I should know better than to believe everything I hear/are told. In that case I can make plans to visit Leipzig  

Gotta save, save, save!


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## Maple Sugar

Good luck and happy planning! MS


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## bluesaturn

A couple of comments:

1. Your statement is simply not true (at least from my point of view being from the north).
2. Stupid people can be found anywhere in the world. There is no gurantee being a German, makes you less stupid. It makes me said if it is true another German told you this. 
3. You will find No-Go Zones in other countries, too. Just apply common sense wherever you go. 

@Bev: Shall I ask you now in German in the future?


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## Shivaya

Of course, there is differences in mentality (I am German, but have lived overseas for half of my life). The North Germans appear (!) to be arrogant, because they are not very talkative. Hamburg is the city with the most millionaires, which is why you will find that there are a lot of upper society events going on there. However, the people there are wonderful and non-judgmental. 

The East Germans are lovely people. Much more easy going than most Germans. Very genuine and down to earth! Leipzig is a wonderful city and having traveled all over it is my favorite! Dresden is beautiful, too, but if I had to choose a city for living it would be Leipzig. 

South Germans are reserved in general... it takes longer to make friends there, but once you know them they are so supportive. 

West Germans.... At times I have a feeling that at least 50% of West Germans suffer from burnout... very hard working, very disciplined, punctual, precise and all the rest. Again though, they are wonderful honest people... 

In the end we are all the same: we all have a soft core... and just try as best as possible to adapt to the living and working conditions we are in. 

Enjoy your time in East Germany.


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## lumierre

SchwarzesMaedchen said:


> I posted this query because I was curious as to why I would be told this by natives, why there would be threads in other forums talking about the apparent No-Go Zones in Germany, and gain some insight into the experiences that black expats that watch/follow have discussed in their blogs. Maybe that doesn't matter to you and perhaps that is "garbage" to you as well but as a person of color it matters a lot to me. I'm not trying to offend anyone on here and if I have then I apologize.
> 
> I too have a saying when someone is way off...slow your roll.



I think visible minorities has the most right to discuss racism and discriination issues... despite verbosity on "all are different" - which is true, there is a crude reality out there where "common things and beliefs are making different people reacting the same" - and those are true, also, and they reflect as stigmatization, insults, negative treatment, threats... etc etc... I am not a visible minority but still agree that the general appealativs on german zone appear to be true, on an average level. My visibility as expat here was my car, that had foreign plates and got the worst treatment in my own vicinity and allways got the parking tickets while the other cars next to mine, clearly parking as me, without ticket, were no ammended at all. 

The economic problems that start to affect also germany appear to worsen this more, and I must say I thought really bad things about my kinds... at home, regarding discrimination of roma, for example, but I never met and understood what rasism and xenophobic attitude is, till I get out of my country...


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## Guest

*Yes, we are all that and also we are not.*

Of course stereotypes are not the "academic" way of talking about people. But stereotypes help us to simplify our life. And: anyone does this all the time, whether it is good or not.

To make it clear, the stereotypes you mentioned are not totally wrong.

As some before already said it right:
The unemployment rate in some Eastern German regions is very high, whereas in Southern German it is in most regions very, very low. So people in Eastern German might be anxious to lose their jobs because of foreigners. It is not a rational feeling, of course. But it is the similar all over the world.

People in North German are often thought to be detached. Probably because the sun is not shining so often and the weather can be rough. 

In Southern German the sun is shining very often, that might be the reason, why the people are often very friendly.  But be careful, although (or because) they are very catholic, they tend to be hyporcritical. They are friendly to you, but when you are gone they love to gossip about you.

Western Germany is very different to explain. There are regions which can be called a "melting pot of nations". That might be the reason, why those people are very open minded but don't get very excited about foreigners. 

That's my personal, utterly non-academic description about my compatriots.


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## Nash000

SchwarzesMaedchen said:


> I've met a few native Germans online (gotta love WKW) and while I personally have found that Germans from all over on the site have been nothing but kind, I've been told (by some of these same Germans) some good and not so good things about Germans from a particular region the general consensus has been:
> 
> North Germans = arrogant
> East Germans = racist
> West Germans = indifferent
> South Germans = friendly
> 
> Is this simple a case of people just stereotyping their fellow countrymen who live in a different part of the country (I think all countries have these stereotypes, like how we have in the US) or is there any merit or truth to this? Have you had any experiences?


Meh, I don't care. (I'm from Düsseldorf, btw.)


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## Sirtravelot

SchwarzesMaedchen said:


> I've met a few native Germans online (gotta love WKW) and while I personally have found that Germans from all over on the site have been nothing but kind, I've been told (by some of these same Germans) some good and not so good things about Germans from a particular region the general consensus has been:
> 
> North Germans = arrogant
> East Germans = racist
> West Germans = indifferent
> South Germans = friendly
> 
> Is this simple a case of people just stereotyping their fellow countrymen who live in a different part of the country (I think all countries have these stereotypes, like how we have in the US) or is there any merit or truth to this? Have you had any experiences?


I can tell you, in my experience, Germans LOVE to stereotype people in their own country. I sometimes get the feeling they don't want to stereotype people from other countries to avoid appearing judgmental (of course, some will do, but you get *******s everywhere). Therefore, poking fun at people in their own country is totally fair game.

My grandmother always said Berliners talked the talk but never walked the walk.

Schwaben, well, they get a lot of suffering 

People in Hamburg are more reserved and cold, but will be loyal friends. If you can get that far!

People in Cologne have been referred to as Mediterraneans of the north.

People in Bavaria aren't _really_ German. 

Anyway, from the time I have spent in Germany I can tell you that, like in most other countries, you get some of the nicest people and some of the worst people.


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## Les Abers

That is nonsense. Germans are a cold breed of people and especially standing from their stained history you can see why. There is not one reagion that is better or worst than the other, but the people themselves. I am an American Expat living in BW germany for 12 years and I can honestly tell you that in baden Wüertenberg they have some of the rudest and coldest of all the ones I have met. Northerners tend to be very warm and westerners even warmer. Then you have the age factor, you will find people from 15 to 40 quite fridnelier than the older ones, because for one thing, they are trying so hard to be hip and American lol-


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## Nash000

Les Abers said:


> That is nonsense. Germans are a cold breed of people and especially standing from their stained history you can see why. There is not one reagion that is better or worst than the other, but the people themselves. I am an American Expat living in BW germany for 12 years and I can honestly tell you that in baden Wüertenberg they have some of the rudest and coldest of all the ones I have met. Northerners tend to be very warm and westerners even warmer. Then you have the age factor, you will find people from 15 to 40 quite fridnelier than the older ones, because for one thing, they are trying so hard to be hip and American lol-


Maybe they are just pissed that you still can't spell "Baden Württemberg"... Just kidding, I am sure you are right and all those rude and cold Germans tend to cluster around you.


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## Les Abers

Nash000 said:


> Maybe they are just pissed that you still can't spell "Baden Württemberg"... Just kidding, I am sure you are right and all those rude and cold Germans tend to cluster around you.



You are obviously a kraut and so you take offense. LOOK at your history, no other nation has murdered their own people and have murdered so many millions. If Germans were solid people with solid foundations they would not have had to murder so many. Germans do not like to talk about the past because they are ashamed. Most Germans I know and belive me I know a lot, all have HANG UPS about their stained history. Face it, its fact. If Germans were strong natured people they would not have been so easily brainwashed by one short man from Austria. The hate and coldness carries on from generation to generation. So I made a spelling Typo big effing deal.

Germans do NOT know how to relax, the only time a German is overly friendly and chatty is when they are UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL which is one of their favorite pass times. ITS PROVEN, you all drink more than any body else and only time Germans can chill is when drunk. Americans are noteably friendly WITHOUT ALCOHOL


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## James3214

Les, although it's nice to hear your views, I can't say I agree with them. I have been here just as long as you and although it's true they may not be the friendliest in the world, I don't recognize them as you have described. Perhaps it time to move and change your environment.


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## Sirtravelot

Les Abers said:


> You are obviously a kraut and so you take offense. LOOK at your history, no other nation has murdered their own people and have murdered so many millions. If Germans were solid people with solid foundations they would not have had to murder so many. Germans do not like to talk about the past because they are ashamed. Most Germans I know and belive me I know a lot, all have HANG UPS about their stained history. Face it, its fact. If Germans were strong natured people they would not have been so easily brainwashed by one short man from Austria. The hate and coldness carries on from generation to generation. So I made a spelling Typo big effing deal.
> 
> Germans do NOT know how to relax, the only time a German is overly friendly and chatty is when they are UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL which is one of their favorite pass times. ITS PROVEN, you all drink more than any body else and only time Germans can chill is when drunk. Americans are noteably friendly WITHOUT ALCOHOL


Not sure if trolling, or just stupid.


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## Nash000

Sirtravelot said:


> Not sure if trolling, or just stupid.


I, for one, am off to get drunk as usual at noon and then will start insulting random people to celebrate my German heritage. At least I have you as a shining example of (I presume) US-American friendliness...

/thread hijacking

To SchwarzesMaedchen: How was your Leipzig trip? I've never been in this particular city, but only heard good things. Did you have a chance to travel around a bit? Erfurt and Dresden are great!


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## Sirtravelot

OK! Let's take a look...



Les Abers said:


> You are obviously a kraut and so you take offense. LOOK at your history, no other nation has murdered their own people and have murdered so many millions.


Britain killed 3 times more Indians than Germany did from the Holocaust. 
In fact, Britain invaded(killed and raped) 90% of the world.
Britain also put the Jews in Israel. Worked out great, didn't it?
The British invented concentration camps.

At least the Germans still talk about their past and understand the gravity of it. The British? Hell, most I talked to either know nothing of their history or are proud of their colonial past, but somehow, it's perfectly ok to rip on the Germans?  

Also, cue in Stalin's death toll, Alexander the Great's, The Mongolians', Hannibal's, etc, etc, etc.



Les Abers said:


> If Germans were solid people with solid foundations they would not have had to murder so many.


Unlike the "solid people" with "solid foundations" of the US? They never killed anyone ever, right?

...they never almost wiped out an entire continent of its Natives, right? And they don't celebrate that act every year by eating a turkey?
...right?



Les Abers said:


> Germans do not like to talk about the past because they are ashamed.


That's ironic.

It's people like you who are very keen on guilt tripping us on what our grandfathers, and more commonly today, great grandfathers did. Can we please build a bridge and get over it?



Les Abers said:


> If Germans were strong natured people they would not have been so easily brainwashed by one short man from Austria.


They were "easily" brainwashed by one short man from Austria who promised to lead a country that suffered greatly by the Great Depression AND the punishment imposed by the Treaty of Versailles imposed by the Allies. 

At least he was real. How many Americans are still brainwashed by the bible? Or was Hitler a Fairy Tale?



Les Abers said:


> The hate and coldness carries on from generation to generation.


lol Where are you meeting these people? 



Les Abers said:


> Germans do NOT know how to relax, the only time a German is overly friendly and chatty is when they are UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL which is one of their favorite pass times.


Mate, have you been to Scotland?



Les Abers said:


> ITS PROVEN, you all drink more than any body else and only time Germans can chill is when drunk.


Err...mate, seriously, come up to Scotland. Go to Russia. Go to the Czech Republic. Germans are harmless.



Les Abers said:


> Americans are noteably friendly WITHOUT ALCOHOL


All Americans are fat and stupid. It's not true, but it's fun to be a generalizing idiot, is it not?


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## Puluke

My wife and I have lived in GE for the past seven years. I have not see this to be true for the German people. I live in Stuttgart, GE where even most of the Germans regard them as being a bit snobbish. But all in all, I cannot complain about the folks we have met here and locations we have seen.


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