are Britain & Germany friends or foes?

[Garrick]

I like Germany!

I also lived in Lübeck for half a year and have studied German language for a number of years, so there's that.

But I'm a Yank so cheese on toast.

 

[WA Toffee]

aye...there's the stereo-typical stag-night Brit lads thing going on...I work in an office right next to a brewery, and on the friday night if working late often hear Three Lions and cries of "wwwwaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!" from below.

All part of the fun of being a Brit on the piss abroard, I suppose...but the interesting thing is groups of other nationalities don't do things like this.

Ever seen an Australian in Bali?

 

[Garrick]

Ever seen an Australian in Bali?

Yeah Thailand is a pretty popular destination for this kind of behavior, for many Western nations.

 

[magicjuan]

The ordinary people suffered in the wars, plenty of people got very rich out of them, the idea that we should hate a nation is ridiculous.
My old man fought in WW2, I asked him once if he hated Germans and he said "why? They were puppets just like us".
War tends to not 'just happen', there are reasons, usually financial, like the chasing of resources, and backed by corporations, either funding politicians or stoking flames via the media. The concept of nations is used to provide opposing sides when realistically they are trying to feed and protect their kids the same as we are.
We understand this and we put aside our differences and we stop having wars too

 

[SerenityNigh]

Don't mention the war

 

[Bruce Wayne]

People of whatever nation tend to have many more similarities than differences. I mean think about the different personalities we have on GOT. Is it possible to define what a Briton is like? Of course not, any more than you can define what a German is like.

Take people as they come, regardless of any label they may fit under, and you can't go far wrong.

 

[Kurt.]

We will bite them on the features !!

 

[The Esk]

Germany is my major export market and I have to say doing business in Germany is very straightforward.

Initially it is usually difficult to build relationships but once you have their trust they become remarkably loyal. There is however no tolerance of poor quality goods or service.

The Danes and the Dutch are the trickiest

 

[EFCNIK]

Not fond of them tbh. Ace country though and I like their pm. She seems to 'get it'.

 

[Moomin]

Not fond of them tbh. Ace country though and I like their pm. She seems to 'get it'.

More importantly, would you??

 

[EFCNIK]

People of whatever nation tend to have many more similarities than differences. I mean think about the different personalities we have on GOT. Is it possible to define what a Briton is like? Of course not, any more than you can define what a German is like.

Take people as they come, regardless of any label they may fit under, and you can't go far wrong.

I get what you're saying but to other nations we will all have similar characteristics and to us so will people from other countries. It's different on the outside looking in and it's natural to generalise. No biggy.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I agree that reductive reasoning is common but it's not right. You don't represent all English people. Duality doesn't represent all Bulgarians. Chico doesn't represent all Nomads.

It's easy to generalise that all Brits are this way or all blacks are another way, but it's really dangerous to do so. I'm well aware that it goes on, and is quite probably the automatic way our brain approaches things, but it is dangerous nonetheless.

It's also common I suspect to notice differences a lot more than we notice similarities. I mean I dare say we could go to many countries and their cities wouldn't be that different to our own.

 

[The Esk]

Interesting as there is as strong a regional identity in Germany as there is in the UK. There is also a large economic "bias". As with the UK there is a huge concentration of wealth and commercial activity in particular areas.

Much of former East Germany still remains relatively poor by comparison.

 

[EFCNIK]

I agree that reductive reasoning is common but it's not right. You don't represent all English people. Duality doesn't represent all Bulgarians. Chico doesn't represent all Nomads.

It's easy to generalise that all Brits are this way or all blacks are another way, but it's really dangerous to do so. I'm well aware that it goes on, and is quite probably the automatic way our brain approaches things, but it is dangerous nonetheless.

It's also common I suspect to notice differences a lot more than we notice similarities. I mean I dare say we could go to many countries and their cities wouldn't be that different to our own.

I don't think it's 'dangerous' to call all Germans humourless sunbed stealing bastards anymore than it is for Germans to call us fat umbroshirt wearing bastards with bad teeth.

Who cares.

 

[fatshark]

I wish I was German as they have an ace country, ace footie set up, ace beer, ace fraulines, ace cars and most all ace sausage.

That. Incredible nation.

Only dodge thing is wearing suspenders with shorts, and sandals over socks.