Guest alex Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Filth peddled by your masters. If you are an intelligent wide awake person, as soon as you travel you should be aware of 'difference'. Recent cultural differences are fine and I do recognise them - "race memory" and Genetic tribalism is bullshit. Tell that to the Bosnians or the Albanians or the Kashmiri or the Irish or the....etc.. There is a thread of unrealism in this we're all Europeans bullshit we're not and never will be. To be honest, I think that sort of proves his point and relates to something he was saying the other day about 'labels'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) I've had two German managers and over the last two years spent a lot of time in Berlin. When my last company got rid of the country organisations and put everything and everyone into Global Business Units, it was the Germans that came out on top. Now, this may have been different in other business units, am not so sure but the principle was this; all commercial activity in europe can be centralised to one central team, the operational and organisational stuff went to Berlin, the creative and strategic stuff went to Paris. Whether that is cutural stereotyping or not isnt clear to me. As a rule, i dont particularly enjoy working with them, they lack warmth or charisma in general and then expect everyone to be insanely motivated 'for the cause'. I once tried to explain to my first German manager that if he wanted more blood from the stone he had to explain to me why it was worth squeezing and why i wanted to squeeze it with him. His response was 'its not my job to fucking motivate you, its my job to make sure we do everything we can'. Whatever your view on that, he was a cunt. Oh and he lived in South Africa with his parent when growing up too! The German big boss (Fuhrer?) at the last place was very differenct. Still unable to get anyone excited, he ruled with a quiet gentle demeanour. He grew up in East Germany and had been part of their 'quiet revolution'. I really liked him and the lad who took over my function, he was also German and he was cool. Some of the Berlin team though, devoid of personality and any redeeming features. Whatever people say about there being cunts and good people in every country, the reality is more complicated than that, you would not find a team of Brits or Frogs like the one i worked with in Berlin. Anyway i resigned sooon after the Berliners won the political battle, which sort of summarises my overalll feelings on them. Would rather not. Edited December 9, 2009 by ChezGiven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) I've had two German managers and over the last two years spent a lot of time in Berlin. When my last company got rid of the country organisations and put everything and everyone into Global Business Units, it was the Germans that came out on top. Now, this may have been different in other business units, am not so sure but the principle was this; all commercial activity in europe can be centralised to one central team, the operational and organisational stuff went to Berlin, the creative and strategic stuff went to Paris. Whether that is cutural stereotyping or not isnt clear to me. As a rule, i dont particularly enjoy working with them, they lack warmth or charisma in general and then expect everyone to be insanely motivated 'for the cause'. I once tried to explain to my first German manager that if he wanted more blood from the stone he had to explain to me why it was worth squeezing and why i wanted to squeeze it with him. His response was 'its not my job to fucking motivate you, its my job to make sure we do everything we can'. Whatever your view on that, he was a cunt. Oh and he lived in South Africa with his parent when growing up too! The German big boss (Fuhrer?) at the last place was very differenct. Still unable to get anyone excited, he ruled with a quiet gentle demeanour. He grew up in East Germany and had been part of their 'quiet revolution'. I really liked him and the lad who took over my function, he was also German and he was cool. Some of the Berlin team though, devoid of personality and any redeeming features. Whatever people say about there being cunts and good people in every country, the reality is more complicated than that, you would not find a team of Brits or Frogs like the one i worked with in Berlin. Anyway i resigned sooon after the Berliners won the political battle, which sort of summarises my overalll feelings on them. Would rather not. Agree with all those broad strokes. See Chez what will happen in this thread is that people who have actually lived and work with the germans will be quite compact in their opinions and others who are victim to a bland mass media will talk bollocks about there is good and bad everywhere etc...edit Actully Airbus is a living example of how race persona is delianated in how a company is organised. When I was interacting with them it was clear the Franch were the creatives and the Germans were the problem solvers. Good post. Edited December 9, 2009 by Park Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 What?The French created the problems and the Germans solved them? The A380's problems were due to strong unionisation in both countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22001 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. Am I right in my scanning of this thread that Parky believes there is a genetic compnonent involved in these cultural differences though? Classic Parky bollocks if this is what he is inferring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4411 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. Am I right in my scanning of this thread that Parky believes there is a genetic compnonent involved in these cultural differences though? Classic Parky bollocks if this is what he is inferring. Plus race memory (Sorry Parky) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. True. I was really just wanting to say that statements which start 'The Germans are....' can actually hold a lot of truth. As it does for other countries inclusing ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. True. I was really just wanting to say that statements which start 'The Germans are....' can actually hold a lot of truth. As it does for other countries inclusing ourselves. Oh aye, I know that's what you were saying. This isn't rocket science tbh. Something the Germans are traditionally good at, incidentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15719 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I probably have a skewed take on Germans since the vast majority of my encounters over the five years I lived there and beyond have been with girls, gays and kids. All of whom I generally like, although all German 20something women seem to have the same shrill voice, which is peculiar. Some of the straight men are incredibly dull though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. True. I was really just wanting to say that statements which start 'The Germans are....' can actually hold a lot of truth. As it does for other countries inclusing ourselves. Oh aye, I know that's what you were saying. This isn't rocket science tbh. Something the Germans are traditionally good at, incidentally. I can remember the exact moment that my relationship with my first German manager deteriorated. He used to take the piss out of the English quite a lot, always asking me if i was having fish and chips when we were out for dinner (in Spain, or France the cheeky sausage-muncher). Anyway, he'd been at it during this dinner in Barcelona and then in the taxi afterwards he started going on about how beautiful it was, how amaxing Paris was and how shit London was in comparison. I knew he was on the wind-up so i replied 'well if you lot hadnt spent 76 nights bombing it am sure it would be a lot more beautiful today. A bit like Coventry'. An awkward silence like that, i have never enjoyed so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22001 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. True. I was really just wanting to say that statements which start 'The Germans are....' can actually hold a lot of truth. As it does for other countries inclusing ourselves. Oh aye, I know that's what you were saying. This isn't rocket science tbh. Something the Germans are traditionally good at, incidentally. I can remember the exact moment that my relationship with my first German manager deteriorated. He used to take the piss out of the English quite a lot, always asking me if i was having fish and chips when we were out for dinner (in Spain, or France the cheeky sausage-muncher). Anyway, he'd been at it during this dinner in Barcelona and then in the taxi afterwards he started going on about how beautiful it was, how amaxing Paris was and how shit London was in comparison. I knew he was on the wind-up so i replied 'well if you lot hadnt spent 76 nights bombing it am sure it would be a lot more beautiful today. A bit like Coventry'. An awkward silence like that, i have never enjoyed so much. The cheek of a German slagging off London. Not much gothic architecture left in Berlin or Dresden either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Yeah we fucked up Dresden for them big style. Shame like, was apparently magnificent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie J 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 There are definitely pervading mentalities in different countries, no matter what anyone says about us all being the same, and there being good and bad everywhere (which of course there are). I've lived and worked in France, and worked with Germans. I'd far rather work with Krauts... I just got fed up with how rigid the Frogs are. Totally unwilling to consider that there might be a better way of doing things than the one they are used to. The Germans will just do what they need to do to get a job done, and they'll usually do it very well. Also, and this really does sound like a stereotype, but they are usually straight up and say what they think, which was often not the case with their Gallic brethren. At the moment I'm working with Portuguese, and that is pretty much following any stereotype you might have of them - a laugh a minute, completely genuine and helpful, but always at least 6 months behind schedule! And could they give a rat's arse? Could they fuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aren't both points of view correct though? There is good and bad in people wherever you go but at the same time there are cultural differences between countries which are reflected in the way the people behave. Don't kill the fekin thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I probably have a skewed take on Germans since the vast majority of my encounters over the five years I lived there and beyond have been with girls, gays and kids. All of whom I generally like, although all German 20something women seem to have the same shrill voice, which is peculiar. Some of the straight men are incredibly dull though. It's a dullness that comes from not being allowed to make war any longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sniffer 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 If there is good and bad in all nationalities I'm still waiting to work with a nigerian that isn't a bone idle, corrupt twat thats always up to some scam. And i've worked with a lot of them. Lazy fuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 There are definitely pervading mentalities in different countries, no matter what anyone says about us all being the same, and there being good and bad everywhere (which of course there are).I've lived and worked in France, and worked with Germans. I'd far rather work with Krauts... I just got fed up with how rigid the Frogs are. Totally unwilling to consider that there might be a better way of doing things than the one they are used to. The Germans will just do what they need to do to get a job done, and they'll usually do it very well. Also, and this really does sound like a stereotype, but they are usually straight up and say what they think, which was often not the case with their Gallic brethren. At the moment I'm working with Portuguese, and that is pretty much following any stereotype you might have of them - a laugh a minute, completely genuine and helpful, but always at least 6 months behind schedule! And could they give a rat's arse? Could they fuck! If you hire an Italian designer prepare for the project to be at least a year late while he finds his inspiration..Worth the wait however. Germans on the other hand will deliver on time (they are an engineering race), but don't expect any surprises or creativity,they look on creativity as some kind of illness which Bayer will one day cure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 There's no hope for the German kids either if the kindergarten is anything to go by...Breeding oneness and passivity day in day out. In all my interactions with them they seemed to think they were superior to me in some ill defined way, wether to do with status, drinking moderately, not smoking, doing all their work on time.....They were always agahast when I asked them what these 'rules' actually were... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie J 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 There's no hope for the German kids either if the kindergarten is anything to go by...Breeding oneness and passivity day in day out. In all my interactions with them they seemed to think they were superior to me in some ill defined way, wether to do with status, drinking moderately, not smoking, doing all their work on time.....They were always agahast when I asked them what these 'rules' actually were... To be fair, I've experienced that feeling of superiority with just about all of the other Europeans I've been in contact with, either professionally or personally. Italians, Germans, French (especially) and Spanish, they all seem to instictively think they are just plain better. It often seems linked to the notion of "Brits abroad", getting tanked and behaving badly up on their holidays in Benidorm etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15719 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Aye, I always used to enjoy the surprise you get from someone when you speak their language fluently as a Brit abroad, but obviously that still stems from a kind of superiority complex. Or a cultural stereotype of the British even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I've got the French eating out of my hand (not really) However Richie is right, the Germans are more adapt at finding quick solutions not problems. It boils down to whether inductive or deductive reasoning dominates the thought process. I was told that so am not sure what it means.... That feeling of superiority that you sense is often a reaction to how people (you yourself) come across though. When i first worked abroad i was constantly comparing life to life back home (which is inherently judgemental) and also unable to conceive of idiotic foreign ways (i.e. things done differently to the expected way) being anywhere near as good as back home. Its also often to do with being the 'outsider', which can make you feel like everyone else thinks they are superior. In reality, they are jealous of your command of English and bemused by your friendliness. I do also have to say that most Europeans also feel the same way about us when they visit the UK, its not like we are that different ourselves in that respect. Thats changed now as its nearly 5 years since i started working abroad, i dont compare anymore, i accept differences and and as a result, imo, rarely am i treated in a superior way. Apart from waiters in restaurants but to be honest, when i get a polite waiter i'm a bit disappointed nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15719 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Just proofreading a piece for a company who have chosen to illustrate the page on their UK office in next year's annual report..... with a cup of tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I'll never forget the time I was mistaken for German. Went into the Natural History museum and asked at the counter "what time do you close?"* She asked me to repeat it three times and then said she'd get their German translator. Cockney bint. *It might have been more like "Whendjuzshut?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I'll never forget the time I was mistaken for German. Went into the Natural History museum and asked at the counter "what time do you close?"* She asked me to repeat it three times and then said she'd get their German translator. Cockney bint. *It might have been more like "Whendjuzshut?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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