全 29 件のコメント

[–]pwnies_gonna_pwnWorld 41ポイント42ポイント  (11子コメント)

I am a German-American who grew up in a community of German-Americans that my family has lived in for generations. My ancestry is entirely German and I speak some (rather shitty) German, but I am several generations removed from the "fatherland" (in the words of my grandparents, naturally). Anyway, my half-German descended girlfriend's mother pointed out that my father is a stereotypical "German father". Very controlling, iron fist, orders you around, etc. You do things his way. He doesn't show much emotion, etc.

you are american.

/thread.

[–]0xKaishakuninˈmaχdəbʊʁç 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

No, he has more American fathers per capita than we have, so he is more German than we are.

[–]StopsForKittens 7ポイント8ポイント  (4子コメント)

I'd say the current stereotype is rather the opposite. Joke by some comedian, forgot which one: Three boys, one Turkish, one Italian and one German are on a playground. It's gotten quite late. The Turkish boy's dad arrives and yells: "Hakan, get your ass home or I'll smack you!" Next, the Italian dad arrives: "Marco, get your ass home or I'll smack you!" Finally, the German dad arrives: "Sven, we need to talk."

[–]koullaras -3ポイント-2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Sven? Isn't that Swedish?

[–]MisterMysteriosNordrhein-Westfalen 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

It is at least quite liked here as well.

[–]thewindinthewillowsGermany 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Scandinavian-ish names are very popular here in certain social groups. "Finn" for instance was very much in fashion until quite recently.

[–]rewbossExpat from UK 24ポイント25ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well, it's a stereotype, and stereotypes are often not entirely true. This one probably gains currency because people are thinking of notorious Germans like Adolf Hitler and Otto von Bismarck.

What you describe is more like the old Prussian military class of 100 years ago. But actually, at the time, both Britain and America also tended to value a strict upbringing: being a child in an English Edwardian upper-middle-class family was not fun. It's really more to do with the spirit of the age rather than geography.

As in any culture, there are in Germany very strict parents and very lax parents, and everything in between. True, for a long time northern Germany had the Prussian values of deference, the rule of law, honesty and loyalty drummed into its citizenry, but the general point still stands.

One piece of advice: avoid referring to Germany as "the fatherland". Perhaps somewhat unfairly, it carries with it unfortunate connotations of one of Germany's darkest periods, so if you use it too much, people will start to get the wrong idea.

[–]schmeissmichweg1 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

Most families were patriarchies 2, 3 generations before.

It probably was the cultural norm for most of the western world.

[–]labbeduddelFrankfurter Bub 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

Oh is this going to /shitamericanssay ?

[–]dasamps 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

In America it is common for people to refer to their ethnicity in this manner as well as nationality (I don't know off hand how correct or incorrect this may be). That said, I believe the poster is seeing a stronger connection to Germany than actually exists. I come from the same type of family where my family lived in a predominantly German community made up of German immigrants and their children. I understand how easy it is to feel a connection to Germany. But if you really want to explore your heritage you need to learn the language and travel the country.

If you're young enough, I recommend finding a way to live with a host family. I lived with one for 2 months in college after several years of studying German and it was a fantastic experience. I have since returned to Germany and spent various lengths of time in Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Kassel, Munich, Stuttgart, and taken day trips to other cities. The feeling you have now is a great starting point, and it is very possible to develop your connection to Germany. Until then, it is going to aggravate Germans (rightfully so) when you talk about your connection this way. It is somewhat touchy, so if you are ambiguous Germans (perhaps Europeans in general) do not commonly give you the benefit of the doubt.

[–]madmatt55 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

In my experience this is not very common today. My own father may be the complete opposite of what you are describing.

You have to keep in mind that the country of Germany has undergone huge changes in the last 100 years. After WWII, the following generation (born during or shortly after the war) spend a lot of effort to distance themselves from Nazi-Germany and in many ways from the earlier stereotypical prussian German empire roots, too. I mean we hadn't been in any military conflict until 1998 in Kosovo, which was extremely controversial, as has any deployment of the Bundeswehr ever since.

[–]thewindinthewillowsGermany 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

As for the "iron fist": Nowadays, it is forbidden to use physical discipline on children in Germany, and that refers to any physical discipline, be it "smacking" or "spanking" or whatever nice word is put on it. I think that aspect of the iron fist is more accepted in the US than here.

And, sorry to say it, it seems that your idea of what it means to be "German" is very vague and stereotypical. If your family has been in the US for generations, your "ancestry" does not mean you are still in the German culture of today, which has changed very much.

If enclaves of people of German origin who emigrated to the US or South America generations ago are shown on German TV nowadays, it tends to be a weird mix of time-travel and looking at a foreign culture. It's very much not "Oh look, these people are just like us here!"

Usually, we can't even understand the language without subtitles; it's often regional dialects that have not changed due to little exposure to other German speakers, and similarly the customs tend not to be "German" ones, but belonging to certain regions. The two places you mention, Leipzig and Bavaria (which is a big diverse place in itself) had great cultural differences even before the German separation and have more now.

I grant that what you grew up in isn't "mainstream", more Anglicised US culture, but it's not "German culture" either if you mean the culture of Germans today. It's a thing of its own.

[–]LATR_Lext0nGermany 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

you can't put all people in one bin, i think everyone has a different interpretation of how to raise kids.

[–]Night73 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Traditional values and roles have very much been overthrown. Probably the last time that stereotype was true were the 1950s. I think there were several reasons responsible for this. Among them the most important ones are probably:

  • The situation after WW II
  • Technological develepmont
  • The revolt of 1968

You might enjoy the TV-series "Ein Herz und eine Seele" from 1973 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Herz_und_eine_Seele. In this the father Ekel Alfred is trying to live according to this traditional role, but no-one in the family is taking him serious. That one is over 40 years old and traditional roles have eroded even more eversince.