[Befuddled23320]

What Germans are really obsessed with is punctuality. However, if you look at German history and the history of German society, you will notice that for many centuries, it was messy, dangerous, confusing, and whatnot. Many German cities were filthy, polluted, overcrowded cesspools with little sanitation and security. Many wars were fought on German territory by others. The area of what is now Germany was divided into many small fiefdoms in which local potentates reigned supreme and exploited the populace. If you ventured outside the city, highway robbery was common, or some marauding army summarily conscripted or raped you. The German nation state did not appear until 1871, and my contention is that because Germans could never have clarity and stability in the political realm, they created it in the personal realm by keeping their stoops clean and their neighbors in line. You control what you can. At the same time, a German today would ask: Why do Americans litter so much?

User Detail :  

Name : Befuddled23320, Gender : M, Religion : Unitarian, City : Tulsa, State : OK, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts