Wieners

For about three months, I was a wiener, and by extension I like to think I'm an honorary wiener- a junior-varsity wiener. A wannabe wiener, if you will.

Being the immature young man I am, I giggle after each execution of the word "wiener." In American culture wiener has come to describe many things- it's primarily known as a pseudonym for sausage or hot dog, or something one might call a man of weak or compromised confidence. It's also used to describe a number of other things which span beyond the scope of this blog and extends past my desire to elaborate on their childish nature. Americans have come to use wiener in a variety of contexts, with the exception of its proper one.

A Wiener is someone from Vienna- a male from Vienna, to be more specific (the -er at the end of the word denotes the sex of the pronoun) and can also be used to describe something Viennese in nature- such as Wiener Schnitzel. Vienna stands as the capital of Austria- the one without kangaroos. The region in general has been occupied for upwards of 2500 years, first colonized by the Romans- of course it had a different name at the time. After the Napoleonic wars in 1804, Vienna became the capital of Austria-Hungary, (now Austria and Hungary, respectively) and has held this position since.

The denizens of this historic city aren't hot dogs- they're people. The word itself is something to laugh about- in modern society it's taken on various ridiculous meanings, but at the heart of the word lies much more than processed meat products- rather there stands a wealth of history and beauty.

Saturday with "Germany vs USA"!

I discovered these guys while snooping around on the internet and I thought they were funny. Their vlog gives a candid view of some of the cultural differences between Germany and the US that many have probably experienced and/or will find amusing.

I'll post new episode every Saturday! 

The concept of 'openness' in Germany and the USA.

We’ve all heard the stereotypes. Something like “Germans are all so closed off and private” or “Americans are such loud and shallow people”… “Germans never smile” or “sometimes Americans seem too ‘friendly’, it can be off putting…”

Our concepts of openness and privacy come off as quite different, and often lead to unfair judgments being made. Yet are our values of openness and privacy really that different? Let’s look at the concept of friendship to help illustrate this comparison.

Friendship. Freundschaft.

Both words have the same dictionary definition, yet what is considered a “freundschaft” in Germany is not the same as its American counterpart.

Here, becoming ‘friends’ with someone is often as simple as knowing the same person, sitting next to each other in class, or even clicking “send request” on facebook. …“My friend knows her!”, “A friend of mine has that-”, “One of my friends posted such-and-such on facebook”…

We call so many of our acquaintances our ‘friends’, yet how well to do we really know them? And where is the line drawn between friendship and acquaintance? In American society, it can often become quite blurred.

In Germany, freundschaft can be much different. It involves a serious investment on both sides. If something stressful happens in your life, your friend is there for you and vice versa. If you need to talk, your friend will make time to listen and if you want to hang out, your your friends will be sure to make time. Friends are very open to and trusting with each other as well and rarely keep anything from each other. It takes a little while to actually become “friends” with someone, but after that you’ll probably be friends for life.

This is not to say either meaning is better, or that Americans are shallow, friendless people to the German eye, just that the word ‘acquaintance’ just doesn’t have much of a place in our society. And again, this is also not to say all Americans have such “friends”­; I’m American and find myself leaning more to the German side of the definition. It is simply, as our instructor Sabine said, a different social code. Just like the notion that Americans can be very superficially friendly and smiley, even to those they don’t know, or the assumption that Germans are cold and closed off.

We’re both closed off to an equal extent, it’s just that Americans keep their personal lives personal through the use of “small talk” (leading to accusations of superficiality) and Germans don’t really use such a social device (leading to accusations of being cold and closed off).

Neither culture should be considered more superficial or closed off than the other, and upon consideration, we’re not that different after all. It just comes down to different social codes.

My dad attended a university in Munich for two years during his young adulthood. Throughout my adolescence, I heard my dad tell more stories of his college days in Munich than of any other period in his life. He would speak of the Olympics that took place when he was there, of his many nights spent at the Hofbräu Haus with friends, of his jogs through the English Gardens, and mostly, of the Oktoberfest festivities that he will remember forever (he is still amazed by how many massive beer mugs the servers could carry at once!). While my trip to Munich last spring didn't fit the Oktoberfest timeline, I figured I could experience something similar to the real deal in Seattle this fall. But, unfortunately, I wasn't in town during Leavenworth's Oktoberfest nor for Fremont's First Annual Oktoberfest. However, while I may have missed the Oktoberfest celebrations in Fremont and Leavenworth this fall, it doesn't mean that a chance to take part in the fall festivities is over yet!

The Plattdeutsche Verein of Seattle is hosting an Oktoberfest at the German Heritage Society's House on Capital Hill this Saturday night. How awesome is that?! The best part about this festival (in comparison to Fremont and Leavenworth's) is that it may have a more authentic vibe since it will be filled with Germans. Even though it may have a more genuine feel, it seems odd to me that they would host the event after the German Oktoberfest dates. While so many people who don't know much about German culture tend to think that Oktoberfest is later in the month of October, it seems odd that the Plattdeutsche Verein would host the event so late in October, because they know that it's typically in late September-early October. Perhaps they wanted to allow those who so desired to go to Germany for Oktoberfest and then come back to a celebration in Seattle. Who knows? Regardless, I'm glad they're having it this late. Maybe I can finally make it to this celebration.

Here's the flyer the German Heritage Society posted for the event in case you're interested in joining the festivities:

Who Wants The Taxes?!

Why is it that the United States and Germany both democratic-republics of excellent relations have such opposing views on Socialism?  Germany is very socialist. National healthcare, Kindergeld, crazy good welfare..and then you have the USA.  Only first world country with no national healthcare, parents receiving money because they have a kid? Ha, great joke.  And every time there are budget cuts it's going to be the social welfare that goes first. 

I believe this great divide is because of monarchy and by default, taxes.  Monarchy in Europe and especially the regions now known as Germany has a long history of absolute monarchies. Monarchies in general have a very strong centralized government with heavy taxation armies(aka. protection) and expanding rule.  Up until the first world war Germany only knew Monarchy and it is my theory that the German people/culture is used to having a strong central government, and therefore, socialism is not opposed as socialism too requires a strong central government.  Even the idea of heavy taxation is a good one as long as it helps the people.  

Citizens of the United States of American however have a completely different view.  Although the US original colonies were under British rule, which had a strong central government the spark for independence began because of that governance.  It proved to be ineffective.  The colonists had been so heavily taxed that it was harmful.  Taxation the sword of a strong central government became what Americans began to fear and in turn monarchy and strong centralized governments.  The US federal government was built to be weak as the colonist did not want to be taxed.  This fear of taxation and centralized government is the root of American aversion to socialism.  The US government is week full of checks and balances, but mostly checks.  Things move slowly and socialism while sounds nice requires heavy taxation. It just ain't gonna happen.  No thanks!

Heritage

As of late, the topic of conversation in UW's German 322 class has been cultural influence between nations- and a clever metaphor was used in one of the texts assigned this week to describe this phenomenon. The US was described as a "Salatschüssel"- a salad bowl- of cultures. I feel as though this parallel is more appropriate than the stereotypical "melting pot" term typically used to describe the makeup of the American population.

I'll continue with the corny metaphor (if you keep reading, this statement will eventually serve as a pun.)

Think of a cob salad- delicious, right? It has the proper components to be considered a salad while still having enough unhealthy elements for it to be edible. Each ingredient works together to provide a salad-tastic explosion of flavor in your mouth- yet they each stimulate your senses in a different fashion. Lettuce doesn't taste like chicken, but with a dash of corn and half-a gallon of thousand-island, you've got a super-studly salad ready for consumption.

In a similar fashion, the cultures of Americans aren't always melted down and mixed with the flavors of every other people- some groups keep strong cultural traditions, and in this sense they stand out on their own as unique elements in our society. America isn't a bowl of squished tomatoes, salt, and a bit of oregano boiled into an indistinguishable crimson paste- it's people are unique ingredients with unique traits and flavors.

Exit Grexit

In light of some new Euro Zone developments.

(For those who don't know, Angela Merkel has confirmed that Germany does not want Greece to exit the EU. Term "Grexit" was coned by The New York Times)

Octoberfest

Leavenworth, a town nestled in the Cascades just on the fringes of the Wenatchee National Forest, celebrates the famous holiday of Oktoberfest every year in its own pseudo-Bavarian style.

During October. Just October.

See, most people fail to realize that Oktoberfest isn't just a weekend-long rager. In actuality, the Bavarian holiday spans 16 days, starting in late September, and lasts until the final kegs have been tapped by the first weekend of October. It may just sound like the perfect makings of a dope grad-trip, but Oktoberfest's roots are buried in tradition. German nobles married in 1810- and as celebration of their consummation, King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen invited the entirety of Munich to celebrate on the lawns in front of the city gates. The celebration was held nearly every year after- though the event has been cancelled a total twenty-four times, primarily as a result of cholera outbreaks and war, neither of which make a very solid party.

After the mid 20th century and the establishment of Oktoberfest as the place to be, people became quite comfortable with the image of Germans clad in lederhosen and Dirndls, stereotypes which stuck through to modern times. Nowadays, party-goers come from far and wide to celebrate the festivities and overestimate their drinking abilities.

Fun fact: only certain brewers meet the criteria to vend their wares at Oktoberfest, and thus an elite six organizations peddle their concoctions at the Bavarian celebration.

Oktoberfest, at least from what I've heard, (in Leavenworth, anyway) is an awesome weekend-long party of kegstands, beer-bongs, and drunken mischief. Yet nobody realizes that this American adaptation doesn't really hearken back to a long-standing German tradition. The purpose of this holiday isn't just to get trashed and wake up with a phallus drawn on your face. It's about tradition, the tradition of a proud people, a people of whom I am not a part, but respect nonetheless.

Here's a link to one of my favorite blogs. This particular post is about showing Seattle to German visitors: http://blog.4culture.org/2012/05/germans-on-a-one-day-seattle-tour/. I am an avid follower of this blog (It's called "4 Culture" and it serves to advance community through culture) and I bookmarked this post a few months ago in case I ever needed to show Seattle to foreign visitors. I bring this up now because, as fate might have it, I received a call yesterday from my German friend who said she is coming to America to do an internship and would like to visit me in Seattle!

When I began to tell her about the things we could do in Seattle when she visited, I realized she didn't just want to explore Seattle as an American would want to explore it, but rather as a foreigner who is eager to learn about what it's like to be an American in Seattle.

When I look back on my experience visiting her in Germany last year, I noticed that Kim and her family transformed my visit into a cultural learning experience. When I arrived in her town called Schifferstadt, I was welcomed into her family's home with an abundance of german flair -- heaps of Kinder chocolate bars were scattered on my pillow, the breakfast table was lined with fresh Brötchen, Marmelade, Nutella, soft-boiled eggs, all kinds of sliced wursts and cheeses, and German words flowed freely from Kim's parents' lips as they hugged me with welcoming arms. Kim's family took me hiking in the Pfälzer Wald and her mom, Ute, taught me to make Flammkuchen. I tried Lieberknödel for the first time and got to meet dozens of the family's friends at the Frühlingfest in downtown Schifferstadt. Not only did I learn what the game of Handball was during this visit, but I also got to watch Kim's boyfriend play in a real Handball game. I am so thankful that the Büchner family took the time to show me not only Germany, but German life.

Kim, Taylor (me), and Ute making Flammkuchen at the Büchner home

After remembering all these oh-so-German activities I got to experience at Kim's, I realized I would need to make Kim's visit in Seattle just as oh-so-American. The preceding blog post was a great start to helping me plan my week with Kim in Seattle. It suggests things to do like the Space Needle, Pikes Place, and especially the Ballard locks. I do think, however, that this list falls short of some very important American things. While I must remember that Kim will be here in late Spring, I began to brainstorm. I decided it needs to an experience in which Kim can take part in family traditions and Seattle culture. Here's the list I've come up with thus far: taking Kim to a barbecue at my family's lake cabin, taking her to a Mariner's game and eating hot dogs, teaching her to make Puppy Chow (also known as Muddy Buddies), taking her camping with my family, and going on a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula.

I'm just so excited that I get to share my American experience with my friend from Germany. What a special opportunity!

Hello World.  You are (understatement of the year) a controversial place, or more along the lines of: we humans make you a controversial place.  As much as I would love to believe in Thomas Jefferson's overly optimistic Beatles' catch phrase, "all you need is love" future(the foundation of Western 20th century social revolution but that's for another day), the pessimistic realist in me recognizes that world probably won't ever completely lay down every social and political controversy to join hands and sing John Lennon's "Imagine."

Speaking of "Imagine" I would like to speak to you about religion.  Don't worry, I'm not hear to harp, my religious views are my own. 

Religion has been present since the dawn of our evolution and is still heavily present within today's society, specifically Christianity within German and US demographics.  About 60% of contemporary Germany identifies as either Protestant or Catholic compared to 75% of Christian Americans.  The difference of these numbers isn't so important to me as how big they are.  Let me give you a little idea of the sheer size of that number.  It's about 285,011,000 people in Germany and the US ALONE who identify as some sort of Christian.  Why is it that Christianity/religion prevailed for so long.  What makes religion so attractive?  Why did humans suddenly decide they wanted a divine being?

My personal theory is that religion is man's earliest form of government.  It gave people a sense of order, a moral code in which a community could mutually agree upon.  Furthermore, religion also enforced order.  Love thy neighbor, live in eternal bliss or kill thy neighbor, and you are going to get it.  Then as prosperous communities tend to grow and become over populated...things start to break apart with raising fractions and without a strong authority possible anarchy may rise up.  This is where I think religion permanently sank it's roots into human society.  Divine right: to be appointed by all knowing and powerful divine being as an envoy of sort to over see said beings will.  Emperor Constantine of Rome, the first Christian Roman emperor claimed that he ruled with the protection of God.  Eventually divine right would evolve into a leader's absolute authority. Now as history goes on in Europe many more empires will raise and fall, giving way to nation states as the Enlightenment folds out, religion while not as strong still prevails in everyday society.  Take the US motto "In God We Trust," isn't the US supposed to be religiously unaffiliated?   Germany a much more secular country of 30% atheist shopping districts completely shut down on Sundays and the church bells can be heard miles away.  Religion won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Annnd, because I wish I had a little more Jefferson in me.

All You Need is Love, photo montage

   

Denglish!

Here's a goofy song about the growing influx of English words into the German language. Although it's penned in a joking manner, it still brings to light an important concern– with all of the cross-cultural interaction these days, what will the German language be like 25, 50 years down the road?

Some argue that the use of English words is unnecessary, as they already have their own German equivalents, while others argue that using English shows an "international openness".

Either way, this issue causes one to ask themselves– when does a word from another language become part of ones own? For example, in English "gesundheit" is as common as saying "bless you" after someone sneezes, yet "gesundheit" is most definitely also a German word.
Just the same, "cool" has a place in the German vocabulary just as much as it does in English. These words seem to have become parts of their respective "new" languages, but what separates them form any other? And how long will it take for more words to do the same?