According to a report in The Observer, Germans are boring, and boringly similar to one another. This based on a long report just published in Der Spiegel. You can read the full report in its English version here, but it's boringly wordy. The Observer, being British, sums it all up concisely, and even remarks that after centuries of being non-boring, it's probably a fine thing that the Germans now are.
Being so boring also explains why there is no German literature of any lasting value anymore, for example, and why Germany, while being such a smug and self satisfied place, is less and less important for the general story of mankind. Is Germany the face of the future for the rest of us? On one level, perhaps: boring means lack of strife, peace, satisfaction. On another level, probably not. Hopefully not. The Germans as they come across here (and those of us who know them won't be surprised) have ceased to be dangerous, but they've also ceased to bother: challenges, children, facing the travails of bettering the world. They don't even work very hard: their average work week is 30.3 hours, and tens of millions of them just get by at work, without any motivation to move up - which anyway would be done by sucking up to the boss.
interesssting thesis. as german i agree with that scientifical report. i dont know if every german is boring, but many arent able to be unique and individual. we have a leck of creative people and i dont like that situation here. i really feel lost
ReplyDeleteC'mon, better to be an outlier and lost than average!
ReplyDeleteI´m boring, too.
ReplyDeleteComing from America (SF) and now working and living in Munich, the thing that pisses the hell out of me is that Germans all want to blend in, and not stand out. Pretty bland for my taste. (..and please let customer service and queing up fast!)
ReplyDelete@anonymous...that is what i experienced 2 after comming back from Israel to Germany. It is a lack of taking oportunities and making a change in personal life, in bussiness and for the community. the best is that some people are even supporting this bleind in ...if u wana stand out people look at you like you are an alien. sure it is pretty generalized but that´s how i see many things as well and it is sad.
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