Joke is on you

One thing that has spawned from US/German contact is the creation of many jokes about the others. These jokes often rely on stereotypes, history, culture and language differences. Americans are portrayed as stupid, fat, and loud in many German jokes, while Germans are often portrayed as Nazis, or very cold and mechanical in American jokes. During my travels I have been collecting jokes from various cultures. Some of the most amusing come from the East/West German split. an excellent example of this is the following: A reporter is doing street interviews in occupied Berlin. First he encounters an American and asks, "What is your opinion of the meat shortage?" The American has terrible German, so he asks, "Meat? what is Meat?" The reporter gets frustrated and moves on. Next the reporter tries to interview a West German. The reporter asks,"What is your opinion of the meat shortage?" The West German says, "shortage? What's a shortage?" The reporter gets frustrated and moves on. Next he encounters an East German. He asks, "What is your opinion of the meat shortage?" The East German replies, "Opinion?"

-Erik

Language

Any student who has studied abroad in Germany or spent a significant amount of time there will quickly notice that English slang has had a profound effect on German slang, in particular among the younger demographics. German seems to have a limited supply of those cruder words that ought not to be mentioned here, but it has gracefully and regularly dipped into English's abundant reserves. This is readily apparent, in that around university campuses, one will often hear German students using English profanities as smoothly and fluently as though they had been German words all along.

But this borrowing of English's less formal vocabulary has also extended to less uncouth words. Dorm mates might regularly inquire as to who wants to "chillen," or even an adult might say "das ist unser Place-to-be."

Some German words have even been formed to appear as though they were derived from an English word, when in fact they were not. One of the most well known examples of this is "Handy," which, although it seems as though it might come from English, does not.

It should also be added that a huge number of English words have been imported into German that deal with more recent technological innovations such as the internet. These things already had English words, and Germans (as well as speakers of many other languages) have remained relatively faithful to them, tweaking them slightly to conform to the rules of the grammar. For example: "Hast du das gegoogelt?" or "Ich wollte das eigentlich besser layouten."

-Alex

Mer schwetze noch die Mudderschprooch

"We still speak the mother tongue!" The Pennsylvania Dutch are a group of ethnic Germans that settled in the USA in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Pennsylvania Dutch are composed of many smaller groups of different religious affiliations. They include: Lutheran, Reformed, Evangelical, Moravian, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, Amish, Schwenkfelder, River Brethren, Yorker Brethren, and Urglaawe. The start of the Pennsylvania Dutch can be traced back to the 1683 founding of the Borough of Germantown in northwest Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. At one point the Pennsylvania Dutch constituted over half of the population of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Dutch was a dominate language there all the way until the second world war. The Pennsylvania Dutch were also big supporters of the American Revolution.

-Erik

Humboldt

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin was founded by Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1810. Von Humboldt was a Prussian linguist and government official who held various positions throughout his life, but was also particularly known for his educational philosophy. The Humboldt Universität was significant for its time because it brought to fruition von Humboldt's ideal of the university, namely, that teaching and research be combined at the same institution.

This model has proven to be extremely influential as evidenced by the large number of universities which have adopted this system. Many European universities follow this model, and American universities as well, such as the University of Washington, which is both immensely active in research and serves a large undergraduate body.

The Humboldt Universität has also demonstrated itself to be a center for the spreading of information and ideas, given some of the intellectuals who have numbered among its faculty and students, such as the philosophers Hegel and Schopenhauer; Marx and Engels; and Einstein.

-Alex 

Barbie

An essential item for every young girl, Barbie came in all different outfits and themes. One surprise is that the ever-so-American seeming doll in fact started because of a German doll named Bild Lilli. The German-American Barbie is turning 53 years old this year, and with over a billion dolls sold the Barbie doll clearly has withstood many years of changes and fashion trends.

The German-American Barbie appears to have been inspired by Berlin fashion; shiny clothes, tattoos and crazy hair. However, the best part of any Barbie doll was the ability to change her look with the new clothing packs found next to the dolls themselves in stores. I remember as a young girl owning a hot pink box of at least 10 Barbies, and too many outfits to count. This trend of Barbie dolls will forever be an icon as well as on every young girls Christmas list for years to come. This fad all originated with a German idea, and Americans took off with it running.

-Amanda

Studying Abroad

According to DAAD, the number of US students studying abroad in Germany at universities during the 2010/2011 school year rose about 5.5% from the previous school year to over 9000 students. The rise in popularity for German universities could be because of the already good yet increasing quality of German schools, the low or nonexistent tuition rates for German universities, and because of increased advertisement and scholarships to American students for such study abroad options. Another factor has been growing number of American students studying abroad anywhere recently (rather than just in Germany). It has usually been the case that Germans studying in the states have always outnumbered Americans studying in Germany, but now the gap has almost closed. German universities are becoming m

ore enticing to American students- hopefully the promise of American universities has remained stable and that the closing gap cannot be attributed to decreasing popularity among Germans for US-study abroad trips. Attracting the world’s best students from around the world is good for the host country, good for the universities in the host country and reflects how attractive a nation is for the world’s most talented people as well. Here in the US we should try to figure out what Germany and its universities are doing right- it’s in our best interest if we want to keep our society successful. More gifted minds coming into our country means more great ideas coming out our country.

-Dane

Christmas!

Best Christmas Markets in Germany:

http://www.europeupclose.com/article/germany-christmas-markets-a-world-of-christmas-magic/#.UKxAFHy9KSM

Chicago Christkindlmarket:

http://www.christkindlmarket.com/en/

Few things make me happier during the holidays than seeing the glittering festivities of a Christmas Market. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, they hold a special meaning for me. When I was writing my application essay to compete in the National German Olympiad  several years back, I mentioned how I had always wanted to visit a Christmas Market. The night before the final competition in Chicago, the proctors at the Goethe Institute had a special surprise for us: a visit to Chicago's very own Christkindlmarket- it really was like a dream come true, as was winning the German competition the very next day.

 I never would have expected Chicago to have a Christkindlmarket, but I suppose its a testament to the transatlantic exchange of ideas we have come to learn about this quarter. I have yet to visit one in Germany, but I suppose having accomplished so much already, it's wise to leave some things for later.

-Yasmin

Conflicts

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/sid_2F7B5A4D68B00D4B28BA4E17EB9DD589/DE/Aussenpolitik/RegionaleSchwerpunkte/NaherMittlererOsten/IsraelPalaestinensischeGebiete/121115-Nahost.html

In order to curb escalating conflicts between the Hamas and Israel, diplomats have scrambled to get in contact with stakeholders on each side of the conflict and hopefully prevent another major conflict in the Middle East to erupt. Notable among these politicians are Außenminister Guido Westerwelle and Kanzlerin Angela Merkel of Germany. On the 15th he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, as well as the Egyptian Außenminister Amr, among others. He did not, however, approach solely from Israel’s side but rather spoke with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas as well. Yesterday (November 1

9th) he flew to the region to help deescalate the conflict personally. Meanwhile Angela Merkel spoke with Netanjahu and the Egyptian president Mursi. Both Germans contacted prominent Egyptians because of Egypt’s position as a regional power with considerable soft power over its fellow Islamic nations. Palestinians aligned with the Hamas would probably be more open to words of reason coming from a friend than the demands of westerners. This news sticks out to me because it depicts a rather recent trend in world politics. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the United States emerged as the far and away the world’s preeminent superpower. People call a situation like this Unipolarity- one country exercising most of the world’s economic, cultural and military influence. While the US still has this position in a way, many other nations have finally recovered from the second world war, or the cold war, or have for the first time in recent history expanded their influence on the global stage. Just as the Roman/Byzantine Empire or the British Empire had their hands in affairs all around the world, Americans have been the world police in recently. This is simply because under such circumstances, unipolar powers cannot afford to ignore crises outside of their borders. Because we have a stake in so many places, most crises that affect countries outside our borders will ultimately affect us. Germany has become an even more key world player as the leader of the EU and one of the world’s largest economies. As more countries let their economic roots become entangled throughout the world, I think maintaining peace.

-Dane

Genetically Modified Foods

In Germany and much of Europe one isn’t able to easily find genetically modified foods. This being due to laws that require the labeling of such foods and consumers, now being informed of them, not wanting to buy these foods. This isn’t the case in the United States, where no such labeling laws exist. With the last election though the US saw another attempt to change this and begin to follow Germany’s lead, with California's proposition 37 which would have been the first US law to require labeling of Genetically modified foods. Surprisingly though BASF and Bayer, both being German companies, contributed large amounts to the campaign to prevent the labeling of genetically modified foods. At the same time many polls of German and American opinions of these foods show that they both agree on wanting such foods to be labeled. Though proposition 37 did not pass, it seems clear that Americans tend to agree with Germans and that this will not be that last effort here in the US to follow in Germany, and most of Europe’s footsteps in labeling genetically modified foods.

-Stuart

Kiezdeutsch

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlG7wh7NgnE

Kiezdeutsch is the name given to a youth dialect of German that is highly fluid, omits prepositions, and incorporates elements of Arabic and Turkish. It is looked down upon for its lack of grammatical correctness, but its defenders say it should be looked upon as the development of a new, simplified dialect of the German language. Simplification of such a complex language, as most students of German would agree, is certainly not to its detriment. However, many others would argue that the German language must be preserved as much as possible to uphold tradition. Both sides can agree however, that language evolves at a very fast pace. The English language itself has made a drastic transformation in the past 500 years, to say nothing of how different German will be 500 years in the future!

-Yasmin 

Döner

Berlin cuisine is especially known for their ever so popular Döner stands. The Döner, originally a Turkish delicacy was introduced in Berlin during the 1960s. This delicious sandwich of sorts is usually served with either chicken or beef and salad like toppings.the Döner is the most popular fast food in Germany! There are over 720 served per year in Germany, creating many jobs and trade relations between Turkey and Germany. In America we usually eat gyros, which are the Greek version of this trend. However, in Seattle there is one Döner shop in a pioneer square, a popular place of seattle for many tourists. The popularity of international food is on the rise, especially in Seattle where a new ethnic restaurant opens daily. With such a large German population living in Seattle I would not be surprised if more and more shops began to open up!

Sustainability

I remember reading a few weeks ago in my textbook for one of my business classes a little Ausschnitt about the term sustainability. It described sustainability as this new made-up word to make some firms look bad. It supposedly had only a nebulous meaning that referred to general do-gooding (social and environmental concerns in particular) and that it was just a veiled attempt by 'radicals' to once again make life tough for poor multinational and multi- billion dollar operating businesses and their right to a free market without any rules or responsibility to anything but pure profit (which I guess is the most enlightened path for society). While reading an article about Bundeslandwirt

schaftsministerin Aigner planting the "Tree of the Year", I noticed a part about something called the SOKO Wald, an environmental program going into effect next year for the 300th birthday of Hans Carl von Carlowitz's term "Nachhaltigkeit" (sustainability). This part struck me because I had one source saying that sustainability is just a trend and we just need to wait for people to forget it and move on to real problems, while another source noting its 300 year history (which after some research I confirmed) and suggesting that it is a central government policy that mostly goes undisputed among Germans. It later mentioned that Germany's proportion of forested area has increased from about 23% to about 1/3 of of the nation's total area within the last 40 years. In the US forest area has been pretty much stable for the last 100 years, at about 2/3 of its pre-European settlement proportion, thanks to many Americans who do take this issue seriously. However stable means that we still haven't restored much of our forests, it just means conditions haven't gotten worse in this area. The main difference I see is that the environment is a primary concern for most Germans but for now only a secondary concern for many Americans. Hopefully we can learn from Germany's past mistakes and current progresses and legitimize sustainability before it becomes an emergency.

http://www.bmelv.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/2012/320-AI-Baum-des-Jahres-2012.html

Euro Crisis

Germany's two strongest post-war commitments have been to democracy and European integration. Up until recently it was always assumed that the two could be pursued simultaneously, but the recent euro crisis has caused quite a few Germans to be concerned that preserving Europe and preserving German sovereignty and democracy has turned into a zero-sum game. An article I found from the economist, which is worth reading for a better understanding of the logistics of these two ideals, describes exactly how. The main issue recently was something called the European Stability Mechanism, which is a more permanent version of the temporary rescue funds that have been used for bailouts. The ESM has been negotiated between euro zone governments and will have 700 billion euros (190 billion pledged by Germany) ready to lend in return for the promise of austerity measures and impose budget disciplines on countries that have racked up more debt than they handle. Although met with resistance from German from the left to the right, the constitutional court gave a (qualified) go ahead to the fund. Germany in general envisions a more integrated Europe with more national powers passed upwards, meaning creditor countries pledging their money without their constituents really having any say. For some this is reminiscent of the well known american maxim 'no taxation without representation'.

http://www.economist.com/node/21562981

-Dane 

Creative class

This is a video tirade against the "creative class" made by a bar owner in Neukoelln that went viral. In this video he laments the gentrification of his neighborhood by "the students, artists, and layabouts" that have changed the scene of many neighborhoods in Berlin. This is a process that has seen many neighborhoods transform from high crime areas populated by immigrants and welfare recipients to so called yuppie districts filled with baby buggies and thrift shops. This process has also been mirrored in many cities across the United States. This new generation of "creatives" in Europe that is wired to the internet, and exposed to the same stores and cultural media that we are exposed to highlights the convergence of youth cultures all around the world, and goes to show how much more similar cultures are becoming.

Offending the Clientele

player.vimeo.com

http://player.vimeo.com/video/16116523

-Yasmin

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk

I’ve long been a fan of electronic music, and often hunt around the internet to find new things I’ve not heard before. When I first came across Kraftwerk, in this manner, my first thought as I listened to “Autobahn” was something like “this is a really cool new group, they have a really unique sound”. It was after that that I learned that “new” song I just listened to came out in the 1970s. This German group was clearly a little different. It seemed evident that they had an impact on the music developing since then. Not being mainstream music their impact on music in the US isn’t seen through people remembering them and their work all around the country. Instead through the artists that refer to them as being their inspiration, or sampling thei

r tracks for their own work, as well as taking a different definition of what a musical instrument is. With this in mind listen for yourself and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gChOifUJZMc

-Stuart-