German perceptions of Americans
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German perceptions of Americans
Generally speaking, I guess Germans have a positive perception of the US and its citizens. This is mainly based on US-actions after World War II, the sciences, and its economic superpower. Also, almost every German I know wants to see the US, at least once. -The 'American Dream' is fed to us right at school (we also cover all the history). English is taught as a second language, US-culture is freely available via cable, US-books and mags are sold and read widely. However, some things are really hard to understand for Germans, such as: death penalty, prisons, cops, guns ... - Overall, the respective mentalities are quite different. For example, young Americans are seen as more outgoing and self-confident than their German counterparts. But Germans generally tend to say what they mean, (otherwise they would be silent),whereas Americans are supposed to be more evasive about certain matters, but do it very elaborately. If a German invites you to stay at their house, it is serious. If an American invites you, it can be mere politeness. If a German asks how you are, he is really interested. If an American asks how you are, he does not expect to hear anything other than 'fine, thanks'. Of course, it is hard to generalize. Every people is made up of all kinds of individuals, right? - Funny perception of mine though: if you are an American band, people will flock to see you play (an AMERICAN band!!). If you are a German band, forget it. It is a lot more difficult for German musicians to attract a crowd than for musicians from the US, or the UK.
