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I hope I can spare someone the disappointment of coming to Berlin and trying to build a life here, and wasting time and money doing so, by writing this… Warning: this is VERY long
1. Berlin is dirty, poor and ugly, but for various reasons (tourism, capitalism, migrant crisis, globalization, etc) it is becoming expensive and competitive, quickly. The problem is, there is deplorable poverty and ugliness everywhere in Berlin... beggars, refugees, elderly people collecting glass bottles everywhere, etc. There are also a few visible underclasses… the German working class underclass (the people that are quickly turning right wing), the 1st-2nd generation immigrants such as the Turks… it is true that some of them have integrated ok into German society, but many/most live in a parallel society and are a visible underclass, and now the new underclass… refugees/migrants/people who come here through porous borders… Contrast that with the tourists, hipsters, gentrifiers, yuppies pushing around strollers that cost more money than what half of Berlin residents make in a month, etc… Yes all cities have issues with poverty etc, but in Berlin, maybe 50%+ of people are poor, and this poverty can be seen everywhere. The poverty, in my opinion, is not “cool”, and a large part of it I think has to do with just laziness. People here are just lazy and don’t want to work. Germany is not a corrupt 3rd world country. There is no reason to have this kind of poverty on this level, in it’s capital.
The xenophobia, racism, tension between classes, ethnicities and various parallel societies, etc. People like to deny that xenophobia, inequality and racism are not big issues in Berlin, because it’s such a leftist progressive wet dream of a city, but it’s undeniable to anyone who isn’t delusional. These issues are REAL and are not part of Berlin’s “gritty” charm or “sexy but poor” motto. The issues are real. Yet there is this culture of denial and pacifism.
It is becoming expensive very quickly, but there is minimal industry and economic opportunities for a city it’s size. It’s just a clusterf*ck waiting to happen… or rather is happening already. There is this dystopian tinge in most parts of Berlin. Upper middle class hipsters who have never experienced poverty, struggle or even grew up working class, will think this is “gritty” and “sexy but poor”… but the poverty and inequality is f*cking real to anyone who actually experiences it. Again, culture of denial and pacifism. This is why the right wing/nationalist parties are gaining so much support. Because there are very big problems and the problems are being ignored.
Every other person is some kind of a misfit or social reject. Native Berliners are usually strange and xenophobic themselves (and they feel their city/country is being invaded, basically) and the foreigners who come here do so not to pursue a dream or goal of some kind, but to basically escape life and to be as lazy as possible because they think Berlin is cheap. This goes for both migrants and 1st world “expats”… people come here because they think life is easy here. In some way I don’t blame the native Berliners/Germans for being angry.
The faux bohemian “anti-capitalist" culture… people really think they are doing something special or unique here, just by being here. It doesn’t matter if their “art" is sh*t or if they are too drunk all the time to even make art… they think just being here, making some really sh*t music or art, or just being at x or y event, makes them this creative bohemian.
I am not a traditionalist by any means, but in Berlin I think 3rd wave feminism has gone too far… the men look like women and the women look like men, basically. People are flaky, afraid of commitment and even are too mentally/emotionally stunted for real friendships, forget relationships. Yet everyone is lonely and aching for human comfort and touch. This can be felt very acutely during the winter.
The club/party culture is just ridiculous… to get into them, you basically have to wear all black and look like a junkie. People are so elitist about the club scene here, and it’s ridiculous, because at the end of the day, it’s just a party. It’s not a life accomplishment to get into x or y clubs or fit into a certain clubbing scene, but in Berlin, people have nothing going for themselves, so this is actually something they use to measure their self worth and identity.
If you happen to be a person with goals or a work ethic, any sense of optimism, etc, be prepared for both rancid bitter Germans and underachiever loser “expats” with emotional/mental problems try to bring you down. They are just jealous and bitter. People here get jealous and bitter sooo easily. That’s why you have to walk around looking like a a miserable bum, because if you stand out in any way, people want to squash you out.
The drug culture/scene… sorry but my grandfather did psychedelics back in the day and it was hardly cool back then. NO ONE CARES. No one cares that you snort cocaine until 6 in the morning or that you grow your own mushrooms… I remember in my early 20s during university, this was a thing, to think experimenting with drugs was cool, but grown adults here act like they are 21. And they are more like 31 or older.
If anyone wants to ask why I moved here in the first place -- originally for a relationship (what a f*cking mistake!), that ended, and I ended up stuck for a while.. but now am leaving. I think all the above points I made will only get worse in the coming years. It is getting worse and worse here, really quickly.
I couldn't have summarised this better. I usually go on hate filled rants, this right here is the truth.
I'm not some hardcore lefty but I find places which have extreme inequality are usually terrible. Go to areas where everyone is dirt feckin poor Bulgaria, Mongolia, Botswana... lovely people. Go to Monaco, Singapore no chips on their shoulder. Go to places where the poor and rich live near each other... London, Berlin... living hell.
Thank you for writing this down. This is an accurate description. I can't wait until I can leave this capital of poverty and quickly increasing prices. A mess up in the making, and with the avoidant, myopic Berlin mindset nobody will even point it out. They just accept it and distract themselves.
The sheer ignorance of the fact that there is no security in the country like they abolished security for the
I was in an international house party when I noticed a girl who was in the middle, standing alone, without talking to anyone, for several minutes. I asked someone if there was something wrong with her, if she had some social problems or if she needed some help. This the answer I got:
- No, she's from Berlin.
I went to an empty bar and ordered beer at the bar
- Are you going to drink it here at the bar, or sitting at a table?
- I'll sit over there
- (without smiling) Then you cannot order here, you have to order the beer from the table.
- ... the bar is empty, can't you just bring it over there?
- (rude) No. My coworker takes care of the tables.
- Can’t you just tell him?
- No.
Needless to say, I sat down, waited for 5 minutes because the other coworker was cleaning some tables, then he came, and I finally ordered my beer. That was the wake up call that made me leave Berlin few months later.
Today something happened that happens nearly everyday. In this case a woman walked in my way. It was as usually very strange, as if i would have a magnet. It seems she really expected me to walk to the right, just that i was already on the right side. And had i moved further to the right there would been space, just that it would lead to stairs that nobody takes. So obviously i was not interested in her genius idea to handle the situation. So i walk and she pulls over like out of her mind and appears to have no brakes. So i stopped for a moment to try to outcommunicate the situation. By stopping she gained more space and had she dropped her pace it would have smoothly worked out. Now surely she interpreted my stopping as weakness and kept walking being pretty sure i wouild move out of my way. Just that she misread that. I don't know what is her secret, i probably never will.
People here have a problem with sharing space. They want to showcase their dominance. They stare at you up and down and intentionally bump into you.
I especially hate the combo of 2 mom's with their strollers blocking the whole sidewalk just so they can talk, and rthe cyclist riding on a sidewalk without giving much space to others. The people here just do not care and lack politeness. Being polite here is a weakness. As a car driver, I hate it when 2 hipsters dressed in dresses and high heels riding their fancy beach cruisers next to each other to comfortably chat on busy traffic taking half of the lane. The entitlement and lack of common sense of some these cyclist is the reason why many get injured.
i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/why-young-londoners-are-moving-to-berlin
When will articles like this stop perpetuating myths about Berlin?
tldr version:
Article interviews 5 people who don't have parents who can support their loss making projects. They are:
Jesse Tadini Rybolt, 26, Musician and Carpenter
Hannah Logic, 26, Creative
Alexandra Moon-Age, Artist
Lyndsey Lupe, Musician and Filmmaker
Luisa Le Voguer Couyet, 22,
Yep, the people who can't survive a conservative government where you have to work. To be honest, I prefer the Tories in England. At least I know my tax isn't funding these oxygen thieves.
i-d is the biggest journalist trash that is out there. All that they write is try-hard pseudo-art trash and they never, ever criticize anything coming out of Berlin even though they think that London club door policies are "too selective". They don't cover anything remotely important in the music scene, gay scene or art. Edgy angsty teenagers, don't like it, real artists and musicians don't like it, Just people like the ones in the article like I-D, let's see how long they last in the city or if they ever come up with something remotely significant. My bet is that at least one of them will OD and the rest will eventually return to the UK when they become even more broke than what they probably are now. Syphilis for all of them.
Und diese Leute werden auch niemals deutsch lernen weil sie denken das in Berlin nur englisch gesprochen wird... Die gehen mir allen so aufn Sack ... Ich kann sie alle nicht mehr sehen !!
5/10 Jahre in Berlin und können noch kein Deutsch !! So ein Mist !!!
Today I had a quarrel with my German roommate about the correct handling of the kettle. apparently it was extremely wrong of me to simply weigh the amount of tap water for my instant noodles. I should instead measure the water exactly in order to save energy. I hate this pettiness in everything
Its not so much the individual instance of kettle heat waste, it is these little things that they know the better way of... or more to the point, the only way and their need to let you now every time you slip up slightly. Two or three of these a day over years is enough to keep anyone up at night.
"Oh I apologize. But see, my grand Mahavishnu Biohazard-Mahatma appeared in front of me and told me to weigh mass rather than to operate on volume. In return, he blesses the water I am using and he blesses you too. I have to go to work now. You know... work. For money. You know.. to pay for the water. Have a nice day, blessed one."
Living in Berlin is like joining the circus, at first you find the disregard for personal appearance refreshing, the parties are exciting and the sex is kinky. But that wears off pretty quick, and you realise that you're now stuck in the freakshow alongside the bearded lady, while the rest of the world moves on.
Don't drink the koolaid. The place actually IS the idiot it appears to be at first impression when you first get out of the airport. Don't buy all the reasons why it's actually cool or interesting. It's also not that cheap anymore, at least for rent. Prices are skyrocketing. This city has not a single redeeming quality unless you are one of those "vegan poly techno hipster" people. Then living here is like a permanent disneyland for you where you can enjoy the smell of your own farts and be with others who enjoy the smell of their farts, constantly. For everyone else: the xenophobia, delusions of grandeur, poverty, ugliness and stupidity of this city, will kill your soul.
German have to stop to say that they have the biggest ,the better , the best things ...
Wir in Deutschland haben wir der ... ( .... ) größeres der Welt , what happens with this people ? I've pity for u weird people ...
What is consider a trash in third world countries is a cool thing here. A cool place is unhygienic bar that is smelly, full of graffiti, full of chairs/table that look like taken from trash bin because they could not afford one.
Rude people who are much too "busy" to step a foot to the right and expect you to grow eyes in the back of your head reserved for them. Knocking you over and insulting you for it too!