Berlin is a poor, boring, dysfunctional place - in fact it is the place that comes to existence when you re-unify two separated halves: one having been ruled and ruined by Socialists for 40 years, and the other one having been a heavily subsidised (therefore equally inefficient), corruption-ridden outpost of the Western world. Putting the two together certainly won’t get you a positive balance. In the meantime, these conditions have become deeply engrained into every aspect of Berlin’s social, economic, and political existence. Just think of ineffective and inefficient public services, the expectations of entitlement of many Berliners, and its useless political class (I am talking about Berlin’s own politicians here, not the national parliament or federal government). However, it seems that no German politician ever considered that appropriately - instead, they thought making it the capital again was a good idea… Former chancellor Kohl still deserves to get his wheelchair punctured for the epic historical failure he has caused.
Important note to foreigners: Berlin is luckily not reflective of Germany. Go somewhere else (e.g. Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt) to see what this country is all about - and why it is a lovely place to be. Berlin is just a failure in German history, again…
Important note to Berliners: No, you are not living in a great city, certainly not a true world city. You cannot compare yourself to London, New York, Shanghai, or Tokyo - because your city simply cannot compete with these places. While these places are true alpha cities, where future is made, where creativity resides, and where the economy is buzzing, your place is a gamma city at best. Anyone who says the opposite is caught in a misconception trap (read about Plato’s allegory of the cave to understand the philosophical underpinnings of this issue). Yes, your city is cheap - but you know what they say: “Cheap city, cheap people!”
Needless to say, I cannot wait for the moment when I am going to leave this city. I also might write a book: “Berlin - Streets paved with shit”
I just wanted to share this. Why Berlin is not an alpha city. Berlin is a Beta +, although it seems a little overrated because it shares the classification with the likes of Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Montreal. But it also shares it with Cairo and Beirut so what do I know.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
Here people can see the global indices of the cities around the world.
I have read a crazy bunch of posts from here, and sadly I can related to pretty much all of them.
I hate this ridiculous city and I wonder if the "Berlin is awesome" bullsh*t is ever going to stop.
I totally get with the posts are anonymous but it's too bad we have no way of getting in touch with each other. I always get the most suspicious looks ever whenever I say that no, Berlin is not cool and that no, I don't like being here. Like I'm the only one in this sh*t city to understand what's really going on. It's impossible to make friends here, or even acquaintances, I am getting lonely and depressed as sh*t. Therefore I think it would actually be awesome to hang out with the people who are expressing their feelings on this website.
What do the germans always f*cking stare at people like this? Don't they know that it's not polite?
I am sick of being stared at like I'm a f*cking strange animal in a zoo.
In any other countries, this sick starring would initiate arguments and fights, but here it's just normal. They stare because they have NO IDEA how to interact with people, they are too f-cking stupid to understand the most simple and basic rules of politness. But wait, to understand this they should be human, to my point of vue they are nothing but disgusting robots.
Normally you expect that being motivated, self-driven, hard working & polite will make you appreciated in many places. This is not the case in Berlin, it's better to be a bum living out of the government than working hard, you only need to be alternative, or an artist, or a DJ.
The "people" living in this country are like mosquitos. They probably are needed in the biosphere, but still, they are ugly, freaking annoying, black (like nazis), they just want to suck your blood, they love lakes, they make a very annoying sound and you just want to smash them every freaking time they are around. Merde schifose!!!
I hate when Berliners say:"Oh, you don't like the city, so why don't you just leave?", ignoring the fact that in my home country I would have no chance whatsoever (I'm Italian), that I had to leave the city that I used to call "my true home" (Madrid) because of lack of jobs. Do they really think we are all coming here to freaking Germany by choice? If I could choose I would live in a place full of human beings, not this filthy idiot full of brainless robots. Stupid, useless, annoying filth. I hope that one day you'll go on holiday to South Europe and every time you order food people poop in it. They wouldn't even see the difference anyway, they love eating shit!!! Oh God, I hate these people so much...
Oh I feel you so much man, I'm depressed as hell since I step foot in this sh*t hole.
I am exasperated every time I hear "oh Berlin is so cool!" are you f**king blind not to see that this place has no soul whatsoever? That the people are behave nothing like humans, they're just fuck**g androids with not a pinch of humanity within them.
This place makes me fuck*ng sick, and like you, I'm stuck here for now...
Every Berliner is cheap, whiny, stubborn, greedy and useless. Must be a Yiddish Curse.
Job market: basically hundreds of firms offering unpiad or very little paid internships to students abroad who has to ask fo his parent's money. At the end all the EU is subsidizing Berlin companies with cheap labour so they can sell around the world. Incredibly nobody feels the scam, so people stay there for years in crappy internships. Moving out meant that my first wage was three times what an intern used to make there (now like five times this amount).
i want to thanks all local ppl who learn me hate.
Housng is either original or loose.
Original means toilet or shower in the kitchen, guys tht look like Russian mobsters, people who cmpulsory has lunch together, etc
Loose means no Internet or a shared old desktp computer for five people, no elevators anywhere, polluting coal heating or a flatmate that complains because you want to keep your room over fifteen celsius degrees, etc.
I remember this time when I took a bus and I was soaking wet because, you know, wonderful German weather. I sat on the bus, and in a normal city that would have been the whole story right? But in Berlin this is what happened. Two women approached me asking if I was alright to which I replied, ehm yeah? Then they told me, "I think you might have a problem please get off this bus, this is disgusting". Hey, I stopped them, what the f*** are you talking about? I was feeling attacked by these two strangers. Then they hollered leave now! (classic German attitude from chill to hysteric in less than 5 sec.) Why? what the fuck? I replied. "You are peeing yourself!" they said. What? I took a look down at the floor and there was a small stream of molten snow from my jacket I took off trailing towards the seat where these two strangers were sitting. I gave them a grave look and told them: "dude, it's just water can't you see it's raining/snowing outside". They mumbled some shite and sat again but like three sits behind the one they there were originally sitting at. That's what I call how to start a day like a champ, the Berlin way.
I can't wait to leave this freaking poop city. When I'm done studying: Sayonara forever!
This site just socks as much as the city. People who have nothing to do but complaining about things you find in every bigger city around the world. Boring and dirty places with cold and unfriendly people.
People need a space to vent their frustrations and disillusion about the most hyped city of the 21st century. Nothing wrong with that. Nobody hypes Prague that much anymore because everyone is now hip to Prague's bullcrap. People are just starting to wake up to the overwhelming negative energy and fraudulence of Berlin's "culture," which really died decades ago. Now the city is just running on hot air, smoke and mirrors--take all that away and Berlin's "scene" won't last another week.
As someone who has lived in major cities throughout the world (New York, Tokyo, London and Toronto) I can honestly say that Berliners are most definitely a very special breed of cold, unfriendly, xenophobic people. So much so that even Germans themselves have name for their disgusting behaviour: Berliner Schnauze (The Berlin Snout). This site is actually quite fabulous as it not only allows people to vent their frustrations in a safe environment but also shows new visitors that they are not alone in their negative experiences of Berlin.
This site also warns potential newcomers about what they might encounter in the city. That is mainly the reason why I keep checking this site from time to time, to help others not to make the same mistake I did. Some would say that "Berlin isn't for everyone" but how I see it is more like "you will end up hating the city sooner or later, just give it some time."