AMD 4 by Josh Crane

In AMD 4, I observed at German and American stereotypes. Language was one that I came across. Die Deustch Sprache is sometimes thought to be a harsh spattering of long words, where even the most tame thoughts sound like barking commands. Er haben nicht the reputation of a romance language. However, I am finding that in reality the language does have a flow to it. Each word does not sound like a harsh movie quote. It also has a great amount of practicality, in that more business discussions and transactions take place in German than Spanish, or French. Another I was confronted with was how much the Germans lieben ihre Autos. While that is a large stereotype, it was stated that many Germans use bikes much more than cars, especially in large cities. They are more practical, and do not require fuel, which is more expensive than here in the States. The last German stereotype I viewed was that Germans come across as efficient robots that never stray from the perfect system. It was brought to my attention that they, like America, have construction projects that run behind schedule, or funding that falls through.

I then went to view how Germany views America. I was reminded first that we rely a ton on fast food. McDonalds and Burger King is about where fast food ends in Germany. But they are constantly amazed at how much we consume. I would have to say we do consume a lot, but it is emphasized by many Americans not working out, and being lazy. This goes hand in hand with the obesity of Americans. Not so much a stereotype, but a fact that Germans find crazy, is that we can drive at 16, but drink until 21. Germans are very much the opposite, and so find this absurd. Another was that Germans feel America is very dangerous. I would attribute this to how much violence is on our media outlets. It’s what people are most interested in, so it’s what everyone hears. Very large sizes offered here also make them feel rather out of place. Food portions, cars, and houses, and fridges. I will concede that Americans like things bigger, sometimes unnecessarily. Sometimes I wonder about that. The last is that Germans see that Americans are self-centered because we show news of mainly America, and not so much other countries. I would say that this claim holds no water. With the recent fad of “’Merica” quotes and phrases, it could seem that way, but really America is just getting excited to be America.