@ Ted + Ready to leave

@ Ready to leave: Yes I have actually visited Brazil once. I have visited friends in Rio but I didn't meet any German people. The immigration from Germany to Brazil took place in the past when the economical situation in Germany was very bad. Nowadays only a few rich retired people might move to Brazil because they can buy a house with a pool there for a good price. For them Brazil might seem like a paradise because they have little worries in life. If German immigrants would come to Brazil mainly to work and they would be faced with the hardship of daily work life some might also become disappointed I think. Especially if they had economic problems. So the immigration to Brazil and Germany is a bit different.

My personal experience in Brazil wasn't bad and I even met a some Brazilians who studied German. So proud Brazilians is wrong when he says all Brazilians hate Germans, I guess.

Like you said every place has it's advantages and disadvantages. German people might be in general kind of negative and a bit depressed (I think it's because of the weather, the history and the conservative media) but the good thing is that the German society is relatively tolerant, there is a low crime rate, low corruption, help for people who lost their job etc., the traffic is calm. If you don't like your stay in Germany it's ok and your personal decision.

But I get offended by generalizations like: "All Germans are rude, my people are much warmer etc." Imagine you'd invite someone to your house and he'd tell you that it really sucks and that in his house everything looks better. Or he'd tell you that he has a better character only because his ethnicity is different than yours... Would you not consider that rude ? If some people say that all Germans are unfriendly and they are much nicer it sounds to me as if they want to say that they are better only because of their nationality. Maybe some people need this feeling to blow up their low self esteem ?

In Brazil or the US people on the average might be more optimistic and talktive but those places also have their disadvantages.

@ Ted: I don't think that Germany's reputation was damaged badly because we didn't support the war in Iraq. The attack on Iraq was very unpopular in many countries around the world. Also Schröder didn't support Saddam Hussein or anything. He just said that afterwards the situation in Iraq will be more difficult. I think every country can decide on it's own whether it wants to participate in a millitairy action.

Still I think you are right when you say that some Germans are anti-American because they feel inferior to America because of Germany's history. Maybe if they talk bad about the US it makes them feel less inferior. It annoys me when people are judgemental and tell to people from abroad that only their own culture is the best. But not all Germans are ignorant and anti-American. I know that the US are a country with many educated, kind people, good food, beautiful museums, interesting and pleasant cities.

@ guy from Ankara: teshekkür ederim. I have visited Istanbul and I really liked it.

Alex 17 mrt 2009, 05:55 - Rapporteer misbruik