Kultur 5

German culture is vastly different from that in America. From sex culture and public aggression to flirting, Germany is almost an alien world. In Germany, sex shops are just a mundane part of daily life. In the United States, sex shops are seen as dirty and where “scum” go for some “entertainment”. But in Germany there is no social stigma. Sex shops are as ubiquitous as 7-Eleven, people don’t given them any thought. Furthermore, Germans are aggressive. While in most of the world, recipients of even the gentlest of bumps expect an apology; most Germans would not even consider such a gesture. For Germans, physical contact is meaningless. They do not seem contact as being rude, but of as a means to get what needs to be done accomplished. From middle-aged men, to elderly women, Germans care less of what they do to you unless blood is drawn, to which one might mutter a simple excuse me. German flirting is unlike that of most cultures. In America, men initiate flirting and “pursue” a women, in German women are in control. All a German woman has to do is give you a long enough gaze to tell you she is interested. Most German women see non-German flirting as too aggressive. To compound this issue, most non-German woman completely misinterpret German men flirting with them, creating uncomfortable situations. The phrase, “When in Rome do as Romans do” is completely applicable to Germany, when there, one must immerse themselves in the culture to avoid being offended or misunderstood.