Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sui_generis]

I want to talk about the germans , becuase 2 days ago one german friend of my father came to Argentina with another friend. The case is that he they were very could with the other people. So I asked to my father and he said to me that in Germany all the people was like that, and their social habits were very different than argentine habits, here the peolple in general is sweet each other. So in conclution what I want to talk about is why the germans are like tahat.....

[Anxious Heart]

Hm, I can imagine a situation like that. In general your father is right, people are not that outgoing here. Maybe this is caused by the lack of sun or the stress culture, which developed here. But as every generalisation there are a lot of exeptions. Above all many young people here are more outgoing.
A good example for what you've told is the habbit, not to look at each other on the street. Most people (me too) leave their eyes on the ground. When I catch the eye of someone else by accident, I feel uncomfortable. But there are also people, going down the streets, looking at anyone smiling. I admire these people, but I guess, in other countries it is normal, to smile, isn't it?
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"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind." Mahatma Gandhi

[oinrocinu]

In Spain is normal, yes, overall in the south. In fact, many people greet each other, even if they don't know each other. When I was in Germany, I felt odd there because of that. But I think that they are as pleasant as us when they are between know people.
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[LucentShade]

I think that the U.S. is similar to Germany in that way, we are not usually outgoing/pleasant/affectionate in general. I know I'm not. . .

[liebe]

I disagree with LucentShade. Americans always greet each other ("have a nice day" and all that), even if they don't know each other. The culture in the U.S is to smile to everybody, it doesn't matter whether you like him or not. On the surface Americans are very friendly, but beyond that... I'd say they are often hostile towards each other, especially girls. You can never tell what others think about you and what kind of things they say about you behind your back. As for being outgoing, it's hard to say because some people are more outgoing than others, but as a culture, I think that American culture definitely emphasizes socializing and getting along with other people. But certain parts of the U.S are friendlier than others, and I wouldn't say that all Americans, or even half of them are outgoing as they are taught to be.

I was actually very surprised that Germans don't even look into each other's eyes when they walk on the streets. The Germans that I met (and I didn't meet many, and all of them have lived in the U.S for years) were quite friendly.

[Anxious Heart]

[obelix]

People in large cities all over the world do not meet each others' eyes.
We are each in our own little cocoons...
It is not a peculiarity of the Germans who, in my experience, are friendly, cultured and outgoing, if you involve yourself with them, but a peculiarity of our present culture, where big cities are the loneliest places on earth.
"No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."