Kultur 9-Michael Griffin

The Kapitel 9 Kultur articles gave me a lot of insight into the organization that dominates German everyday life, on every level. The nit-pickiness that it takes to function in Germany, based upon these articles, is amazing. The domestic dispute cases brought to court, and the resulting rules regarding how people can and cannot live their lives, are rigid and pertain to things even as basic as washing your car. While in some ways it makes sense; it helps neighbors who perhaps have different lifestyles to get along with one another, it also intrudes on what Americans would define as personal freedoms. Conflict is part of American life, especially in regards to those with whom we interact on a daily basis, and it speaks to difference in German and American mindsets that the average German would be willing to sacrifice their own enjoyment for the collective good.
Furthermore, it is interesting that Germans keep track of every single facet of their lives from the time they became part of society by going to school. It would indicate an interest in order and organization that does not necessarily exist in America. It also indicates that accountability is important to people in Germany, otherwise there would not be such an obsession with proving every achievement that might be mentioned on a resume is legitimate.