Diposting di forum Jerman
I just read a story on Spiegel online which shocked me: According to a new study, more than 14% of German teenagers can be considered as "anti-foreigners", while more than 5% fall into the category of the righ extreme with Nazi-tendencies.
Surprisingly, the bad reputation of foreigners seems to be higher in those regions with little foreigners (so those regions where people don't even know what they talk about!!!).
The original article is here: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,613844,00.h
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To me - this is just another example of human ignorance, but for a foreigners living in Germany, these numbers are pretty scary!
What are your opinions and personal experiences with the way Germans see foreigners?
Freedom
diposting oleh T Y di forum Jerman
Freedom offers choices, it's up to the individuals to decide what they want in their own lives because everyone is different. Once you start forcing one and the only way onto the rest of the people, it creates an environment for fascism. Even Germany gives a freedom to NPD to express their nazi mentality. But it was the exact nazi dogma that prohibited German people from speaking up in the past.
I see your point though. I also get offended to see some immigrants not willing to learn the language because it reflects on how the society sees immigrants as a whole. But if you look at younger kids, second generation, third generation Canadians, Americans, etc, they speak English as their primary language. Things are changing.
it depends
diposting oleh Pengguna yang sudah dihapus di forum Jerman
I think Spanish speaking people are taking things from English, which makes it even worse because now they can't speak proper Spanish either. I remember one guy from Puerto Rico once told me:
"voy a vacunar la carpeta". He meant to say, I'm going to vacuum the carpet, but in reality what he said was "I'm going to give a shot to my binder".
That is taking this mixing to the extreme, but it was shocking so it's what I remember the most.
What Latinos say a lot too is "te llamo para atras" to say I'll call you back, but that really translates into I call you while I'm walking backwards.
I have to admit that sometimes even I take words from English and use them as Spanish. So many times I say 'voy a aplicar...' when I should actually say "voy a solicitar..." (to apply to something/somewhere)
I don't see the same thing in English speakers, besides '5 de Mayo' and 'cojones'.
So Daniel, now I'm curious, would you like it if when you called your bank the automatic message told you " For German, press one, para español, presione el 2". Or for Turkish but I don't know how to say it in Turkish :-)
Or if you went to a store and you saw every sign in German and Turkish? Does it happen in Germany at all?
I have friends that have been living in the US for years, and still can't read a book in English. To my, that is very rude. If it was up to me, I would have a rule, if after 2 years you can't speak English at a level that you can comprehend what you are being told, you need to get out. With exceptions of course, but as a general rule.
I'm not a politician though ;-)
Dora the explorer
diposting oleh T Y di forum Jerman
Have you watched Dora the explorer? It's a very popular cartoon series for kids, I highly recommend it.
I'm not sure of her background or where it's supposed to be taking place, SoCal perhaps? but she speaks English and Spanish, some of her friends speaks only Spanish and others only English. But they all play together.
I don't see anything wrong with picking up words from other languages at all. My daughter speaks English with me, German with her mom, and picking up Spanish from watching Dora. Awesome!
what? let's get real
diposting oleh Pengguna yang sudah dihapus di forum Jerman
"Claiming that Miami is dirty or messy because of the Latin community which is ridicules"
Then why do you think it is? because it is dirtier and messier. What else is different?
"That illegal Immigrates are prone to commit more crime, which is absolutely not true."
Well, as far as I can tell from TV most if not all of gangs in big cities are made up of blacks or Latinos. This is just a fact. And they commit crime. Same goes to jails, mainly full of blacks and Latinos. Is this not true? I'm not being racist, just not masking reality." but a melting pot of people from over a 140 nations "
That's the problem, that there is no melting anymore, now it's like water and oil, each one on its own side doing its own thing, no melting.
"in many of the china towns only Chinese and very little English if at all"
And that is good? Main stream language is English, and if you don't speak it, you are no doubt not melting at all, not assimilating, and not being part of the country. Another fact. How could you when you don't understand what's being said? And if you think those people see America as their country in their hearts you are kidding yourself.
"Our tolerance and diversity is our strength. "
NO, divided we fail.
"I cannot figure out what could possibly be offensive about seeing Spanish in US."
You only see Spanish everywhere because the people that came from outside didn't melt enough to even learn proper English. That is not good for the country.
Language defines who you are more than you think. I am from Spain, remember? 4 official languages and each region with a particular language thinking itself above the rest of the country and wanting their own independence. Not good for Spain.
People identify with the language too much. People that share a language see themselves as a group apart from the rest, and I believe that it is better for a country when all its people see themselves as part of the same, and not as different from the English speakers etc.
Please, I have a friend told me that I should watch 'our' TV channels, and not the American ones. Pretty clear this person living in the US doesn't see herself as part of the US. The us versus them is there, and in my opinion, it comes in part from the language.
Believe me, different languages in the same country only works in Switzerland.
This is not the UK, but it was founded by the British and they spoke English, what language does the declaration of independence use? English.
About the Spanish language in the USA...
diposting oleh Pengguna yang sudah dihapus di forum Jerman
...I don´t know if I remember this correctly, but hasn´t there always been a number of Spanish-speaking people in Texas, New Mexico and California?
I would be very interested to know if it is like two languages parallel to each other, so to speak, or if they are mixing.
I have noticed the same with my children, they pick up words from the native languages of their friends, e.g. my daughter uses several turkish words, some polish and russian, etc.
Same or even more than just a few words in the US?Women
diposting oleh T Y di forum Jerman
@bandon,
Women in Germany are very good looking.
While I don't deny there are Germans who appreciate African American immensely, but to find these people will be just as difficult as finding Germans are willing to become true friends with foreigners. And I know there are a large number of girls who are into Asian guys are in Germany! But in reality, i have yet to meet any one of them.
I lived in Paris before and I just can't see why African are any more loved, liked and appreciated in Germany than France. In fact, I read a lot more about violent attacks against Africans in Germany than in France.
Your motives seem a bit misguided. No one country will treat visible minorities any better just because you are African American, Asian, Latino, etc..
A little perspective
diposting oleh John Lovejoy di forum Jerman
@GN
To quote you
“About the Hispanics and the US, I don't see Spanish being used so much as an advantage at all. I know there is no official language, but I think countries are better off having only one language used in the public sphere, official or not. And in the US it should be English. As I have said many times, I didn't come to the US to speak Spanish. And it bothers me tremendously when people come here and don't learn English because there is so much Spanish around that they don't have to. That is very rude.”RUDE?
I am kind of taken aback by your narrow opinion and some other statements of yours in other post and to paraphrase…
- Claiming that Miami is dirty or messy because of the Latin community which is ridicules.
- That illegal Immigrates are prone to commit more crime, which is absolutely not true.America is not a mono culture or an Anglo Saxon country but a melting pot of people from over a 140 nations all bringing their cultural influences, values and languages.
Latinos are huge part of OUR American Culture( over 50 million) and also our neighbors.
We are not English, the UK where you only speak English but America.“America, come as you are and be who you want to be”
That is everybody’s right granted under our constitution.
There are regions where people speak German.
In many of the china towns only Chinese and very little English if at all.
Yes, you do have the right to built your own community and neither the state or other citizens don’t get tell you how live YOUR life.
FREEDOM!
Our tolerance and diversity is our strength.
There is enough space for everybody.
If you don’t like it in a particular part or a state, you can move to another one.
You don’t even have to register with the government where you go or live.
No einwohnermeldeamt like in the Germany.
But you also don’t get to deny our Latin community their culture and language.
Making rules over others.
The freedoms you seek to take from others you will ultimately take from yourself.
I cannot figure out what could possibly be offensive about seeing Spanish in US.Again we are not English but American.
thanks.
diposting oleh Brandon Hayes di forum Jerman
I actually just returned to school and I'm 28. I'm majoring in finance at a business school and hope to do a similar things where my line of work carries me over there.
as for the social aspect, i feel the same way as you do. Me personally, i really have a strong desire to try something different. Being an american and especially being an african-american (depending on the environment) can be very taxing.
take a look at this article.
http://intellectualexpat.blogspot.com/2010/06/to-asians-who-
think-america-is-open.htmlinitially i was thinking France because i like French movies, but i heard negative things about France. I dislike the idea that romani, africans, and arabs get discriminated against. but i also heard other negative things too. but hey there are forms of dysfunction in all cultures.
a former friend of mine lived in germany and had a relationship with a british-indian woman there. he kept saying to me that he missed being germany and that washington d.c. - metro area " is some bullshit" "damn it brandon i could be in germany right now!" "i shouldn't have got married and moved back to the states"
but i get the impression that african-american men are loved, liked and appreciated in certain parts of germany more or less. i heard positive things. the being black in germany presentation and the multi culturalism spot i just showed confirmed this.
infact i want you tell stay in touch, let us know how it goes. i also keep hearing this stereotype that german women are ugly. this can't be true. when you go there please disprove this.
but clearly in germany its a question of geography and where you live. stay away from east germany the same way you would i avoid certain areas of anacostia or P.G. county
My Profession
diposting oleh Tony Swope di forum Jerman
I am a Senior IT Systems Analyst. I have been working with IBM as a Defense Contractor. I have been offered a position near Weisbaden.
Brandon,
I will tell you this I heard similar stories the first time I went to Korea. I heard that Koreans don't like black people. There was not any neo-nazis of course however there was extreme political groups. I had heard stories of foreigners be attacked by certain Korean nationals. When I got there some was true some was not. I focused on learning the language the culture my profession and networking with people who were into me.Sure there were people that did not like me but I had plenty of Korean friends that would stick up for me and the others who may not have liked had to respect me or either have nothing to do with me at all.
Bottomline I had good times and bad times but I had more good than bad. All I know is that in my experience of traveling the world there are people who are thrilled to meet us and not because we are black but because we are american. For other people it is cause we are black americans and others hate us or discriminate against us for the same reasons.
Germany has more immigrants than in Korea and Japan however, in Germany I am sure that you will find people that will be down for you and vice versa no matter what you do in the words of Dr. M.L. King it is truly about the content of your character. In addition there was someone in the thread who said some wise words. You must understand what may drive a german to think and feel a certain way and I am sure these thoughts and feelings vary depending on the person and their experience.
Like I said before this is going to be a good experience for me and I choose to deal with every person, experience, and opportunity on a case by case basis. Besides the only way you ever find out anything for sure is to get out there and do it and while you are doing it you must have the flexibility to roll with the punches and surround yourself with people that have your back period. This applies wherever you should happen to go.
The most important thing for me is now I have some initial information about germany I am not walking into the country deaf, dumb, and blind and now I have to let te pieces fall into place and like I said. If people stare at me or if I date white german woman and they stare or if I go take a piss and they stare I'm like this LOOK BUT DONT TOUCH LOL! So long as I am minding my own business and being aware of my surroundings I will be fine. Again good luck to you bro.
Again good luck bro!
Glad to help.
diposting oleh Brandon Hayes di forum Jerman
if you don't mind me asking. what line of work do you do?
because i share a similar desire to go to germany myself. the hard part for me is i keep hearing conflicting things. Some people say germany is aweful, other says it isn't.
here are some more disussions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPd6CP8EmQQ&feature=relat
edhttp://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t209487.html#