Final Reflection

The German speaking countries that we researched this quarter are all first world, industrial nations. The major linking cultural trait for these countries is of course the German language. The current culture of these countries is fairly similar to the rest of modern western civilization. This is of course from a birds-eye-view. Each country in the German speaking world has its own flavor, quirks, and cultural traits which are idiosyncratic on the world view. I would still characterize most of the German speaking countries in Europe as having Central European culture. I believe that it’s hard to differentiate the history and what I know about Europe’s past from the current culture of German speaking Nations in Europe. I will say that the cultural aspects of German countries are so varied that it is extremely difficult to really zero in on a certain facet of current German culture.

When I look at each individual German speaking nation, it is easy for me to say that things are very different in Germany than they are here in the United States. At face value, this is very true. The language is different, the currency is different, and national personalities are different. Although the each German speaking country is its own sovereign nation, and each country has its independence on some level, German speaking European nations are just as varied their culture as different regions of the United States. So although it may seem like both German and American culture are different, I think that they are very similar. At the end of the day, both Germans and Americans both want the same things out of life, we just go about things slightly different. I feel that mass communication and connectivity through things like the internet really have made an impact on both cultures becoming more similar to each other.

At the beginning of the quarter, I had some fairly common stereo-types concerning German culture. I believe that I pictured German history in Europe, and let that form a picture of German culture in my mind. I did learn that while Germany is steeped in rich history, both good and bad, its history is not necessarily its culture. I still have a feeling that when I visit some of the German countries, the setting will be fairly similar to what I experienced in Prague. I will say that I was surprised to discover Switzerland was more conservative than I originally believed. I guess as a whole that surprised me, because I always pictured the German world as a liberal society whose citizens all practiced socialism, which is very far from the truth. Liechtenstein is a monarchy and Switzerland is a direct democracy! Overall, my view on German culture has been enhanced with new ideas, yet I still hold onto the fact that life in Germany is not too different from life in the United States.

Hunds in Österreich

I chose this article because I thought it sounded interesting. The title of the article is, “Dog Driving License demand in Vorarlberg.” To be honest, I pictured an Austrian street filled with dogs driving cars. That is not the case, however, as the article focuses on licenses for owning dogs, specifically “dangerous breeds.” Culturally, this is an issue I would expect to see in any first world western nation that owns dogs as pets.

I know in the United States, we have some similar concerns regarding dog ownership and certain breeds. I do believe we have a list of canine breeds which are classified as dangerous. I don’t think there are any laws requiring special licenses to own dangerous breeds though. I believe that we stop with special insurance.
Reading this article did not change or reinforce any concepts or ideas I had of Austria. It seems like an issue that would be common in a modernized country like Austria. I do remember when I was in the Czech Republic, which is a Central European country like Austria, that dogs were fairly common, so maybe the Austrians have similar values for their pet dogs.

The article referenced in this blog post was written by the Austrian Times and can be found at
http://www.austriantimes.at/news/General_News/2012-03-16/40243/Dog_driving_licence_demand_in_Vorarlberg

Die fünfte Jahreszeit

http://0.tqn.com/d/gogermany/1/G/y/1/-/-/Andreas-Cappell.jpg -Here is a picture of a man celebrating Carnival.

http://cdn2.spiegel.de/images/image-188711-galleryV9-bkrd.jpg - I think that this picture sums up the celebrations of Carnival.

http://www.thelocal.de/images/gallery/825/7277.600.398.jpg - Here is a picture of a Carnival float.

Carnival in Germany is called Die fünfte Jahreszeit. In the US, Carnival is celebrated on the night before Ash Wednesday. The Germans have a whole season for Carnival. This was surprising to me, because I really can’t think of Mardi Gras getting spread out over several months. Before I read the articles I didn’t think it was more than a giant bash before giving up fun for spiritual reflection during Lent. Culturally, Carnival reaches way farther back than I expected. I had the feeling that the style of celebrations during Carnival were seeded in ancient pagan ceremonies, however, I didn’t realize that the name itself could be derived from pre-Christian styles of worship and celebration. I thought it simply meant “Farewell to meat,” and had nothing to do with ships and fools.

I think that there will be floats of Greeks crying and begging for more money, and possibly one or two of the Iranian President as a caricature.

Gay parents discover limits of partnership

In Switzerland, homosexual couples are able to gain legal recognition with civil partnerships. They have been able to get most of the same rights as married heterosexual couples have regarding property, next of kin, and inheritance. This article isn't about those rights though, it covers a major hole in the rights of civilly partnered gay and lesbian couples. Gays and Lesbians are not allowed to adopt children as couples in Switzerland. This is a controversial and confusing legislation because homosexuals are allowed to adopt as individuals.

Here in America, there also is controversy over whether or not gays should be allowed to marry. In this article, the author quotes a group that feels that gay marriage devalues the institution. That argument is used often by American anti-gay rights groups. I was surprised by the Swiss law. To me it seems absurd that the couples are denied the right to adopt as couples, when it's perfectly alright for a single gay or lesbian person to adopt. I can only see how this would lead to traumatic circumstances for the children if a something would happen to one of the parents in a gay civil partnership. I can really see why it is so important that gays in America be allowed to marry instead of just being given recognition through civil unions. In Switzerland gays are not allowed to marry, but they are given Civil Partnerships. While this seems like a good deal, it isn’t a marriage, and therefore does not give the same rights to same sex couples.

My vision of Switzerland was one of fairly liberal ideals. I see Switzerland as a very progressive country, in regards to human rights. I would think that a country that has fairly liberal marijuana legislation would be even more liberal with its Human Rights legislation. I am surprised that a country that uses direct democracy would still be battling with giving all of its citizens equal rights.

The article analyzed is written by Clare O'Dea and can be found at
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Gay_parents_discover_limits_of_partnership.html?cid=31765058

Poultry Farmers respond to "Super Bug" Accusations.

This article describes what seems to be a growing concern over agricultural practices and food safety. Culturally this is a major concern for German’s because of the tainted food outbreaks that have been popping up in Europe over the past 15 or so years. Although this article specifically focuses on chicken, you can still sense that the Mad Cow outbreaks have the German people touchy when it comes to food issues.

I chose this article because I wanted to see how the Germans viewed a problem that we have been having lately here in the US. There has been fairly extensive media coverage of factory farms here in America. I wanted to see how this issue is viewed from the point of Germans. I was surprised that the article reads just like an article concerning the same topic here in the States. Germans seem as focused on the dangers of over medicating the livestock to reduce production costs. The one difference I see in the article is the response from the agricultural industry. In Germany, the farmers seem more compliant with the consumer’s wishes and concerns. Here is a quote from the president of the National Association of Chicken Producers, “I haven't used antibiotics for half a year now.” I really don’t see our national body of chicken farmers reacting that way. I think here in the US the factory farms would treat the consumers like we just don’t know any better and should shut up.

The price of chicken, like in the US, is still a concern in Germany. This is shown in the article by comparing the cost of regular chicken with organic chicken, and then stating that the percentage of organically raised chicken sales has stayed stagnant at 1% for quite some time. This shows that the Germans desire affordable food prices, like we do here in America.

This article (written by Friederike Schulz) can be found at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15658748,00.html

Culture Blog #1

In this first posting, reflect on what you know about German culture. It may include information you have learned in school, stereotypes you have seen or read, music you have heard, German-Americana, as well as any other attitudes, practices or food you associate with German culture.
As you write, address the following:
1. Describe what you think German culture is.
2. Compare what you know/think about German culture to American culture.
3. Hypothesize about the validity of your thoughts.


I really don't know too much about purely German culture. Personally I wrap it up with Central European culture. I visited the Czech Republic a few years back, and I imagine that Germany would be fairly similar to that. When I think of German Music, I used to think about Edith Piaf. That is until tonight when I looked her up and found out she was indeed French. I also think about really loud pounding techno music, the kind you would think to hear in a Discotek. I did learn about the veggie orchestra last quarter, and that was pretty neat.

I would say that German and American culture is pretty similar in that we are both first world industrial nations. Both countries have the same level of technology and quality of life available to its citizens. I think that because both nations have relatively easy to access online connections, that things like pop culture are starting to blend. I think that the differences in the culture are more on the level of "flavor" of the country.

I don't think my hypothesis on German Culture is valid at all. I haven't been to Germany, and I have not spent time with anyone from Germany. My exposure to German culture, aside from the Central European aspect from Prague, can be summed up to Run Lola Run, and Haufbrauhaus. I have been learning a lot in this class though, and look forward to visiting Germany soon.