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In public, I get nasty stares and glares from others. Some of it are hate glares and some annoyed "f*** you" death glares and it really has started to get in my head to the point where I wear sunglasses and headphones just to block out the microagressions from these people.
This is normal in Berlin, they just stare, and you're not sure if they're looking for a punch in the mouth or just admiring you, of course in my case they're admiring me :o) but I give them a smack in the chops anyway, just to help them know they're actually alive
I ask myself How People can live their whole life in this Hellhole ?
Easy.If they leave Berlin they may have to interact with people from other cultures who know 1. How to work hard. 2. Find pleasure in working hard and with others to get the job done. 3. Being German does not automatically give you the right to a job which you are clearly poop at. 5. (Now you know why they stay put)
Can anyone tell me why do Germans tend to pout their lips when they talk? It looks so darn stupid. Why do they do that!? WHYYYY?! :@
I feel sorry for the children. Raised in state supported misery.
This bloomberg article on deutsche bank perfectly sums up the attitude of everyday berliners - if its good for me, than F*** everyone else, I deserve it: www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-01-19/how-deutsche-bank-made-367-million-disappear
Your friends and family who occasionally visit you in Berlin and don't understand why you can possibly hate it.
Germans support blind order and strict, inflexible laws. They love borderline compulsive societal norms. But then they all seem to think that, at an individual level, the rules shouldn't apply.
And then they're all so neo-luddite. They curse the state (and private enterprise) any time any mention of video or cyber monitoring are mentioned. But then they engage in witch hunts and rejoice when people's lives are ruined for even minor offenses that aren't compatible with their pseudo-post-modern liberal views (e.g. Benjamin Sch. and the drowned refugee). Accountability is something only for the alt-right, not for those mindless leftists burning cars, destroying trains and spraying graffiti on every flat surface in this city.
Most of the people here under 30 have never even worked a full-time job. They don't know anything about hard work, humility, dedication or responsibility. They just know how to pass German school (easy), pass German college (even easier) and collect government handouts along the way (Subsidy for "kids" until they are 26? Explains their emotional development). But somehow hey can still find the nerve to criticize southern Europe, Africa, Asia and, most happily, America.
At least the rate of measles infections in this country rivals that of the developing world. When enough of these unwashed snowflakes lose their kids to a treatable disease maybe they'll consider rethinking their worldview.
And then when that German trade surplus disappears (very soon, thanks Trump), expect things to decline rapidly. Wages here haven't risen notably in 15 years. Their mindless trade unions won't let them fall further, so when foreign demand for German products inevitably falls, they'll hold out for too long and German firms will fail. The government will be overburdened. The end of this decade will be a difficult time in Germany.
It will only be a difficult time if people recognize it as such...the Mama Merkel propaganda machine will NEVER admit tough times or reality, as will the average Berliner will NEVER admit that thinks in Grun-land are the best, they will probably yell at you, yes, starving in Berlin is better then living well in West London...and actually truly believe such a statement!
So true - especially the part about them being neo-luddites. I have never seen a more conservative place than Berlin and I've lived in Poland and Ukraine as part of a doctorate research program. Yes, they tolerate certain things... to a point, then it's time to get a unionized job, start popping out kindergeld babies, and walk the dog on the weekends. Anything different, anything foreign is the worst thing ever. Worst of all are the auslanders and their stupid job-destroying techonology. The world is changing - people are expected to learn new things, change jobs, move around - all of these things the germans hate - how will the function in this new world? What will happen to the millions of germans who went into apprenticeship programs so they only know how to do one job? What happens when that job is gone to robots or the developing world?
Of course, they will cry for the government to give them money. But the government doesn't have infinite money.
Also "starving in Berlin is better then living well in West London" is sooooo true. Most berliners you meet will agree with you how horrible this city is, how bad the weather is, how there arent any jobs, etc. but they will all proudly proclaim that it's still better than "stupid brexit UK", "fascist trump america", "poor eastern europe", "stupid asia", etc.
"Accountability is something only for the alt-right, not for those mindless leftists burning cars, destroying trains and spraying graffiti on every flat surface in this city."
And there's no far-right in Berlin? Not even in Marzhan? Alt-righters always need to cut in their buddy Trump on every single thing. Screw Trump.
I especially hate it how some righteous Germans look down upon Greece. The Greek people are suffering while the parasitic bankers, German corporations and eu elites profit.
After WWII, Germany received major support to rebuild its manufacturing base and infrastructure. The Greek people have not started a war and have not killed millions of innocent people.
How dare Merkel to suggest the Greeks to be economical like the Swabian hausfrau who receives help and support especially for every extra baby she pops.
I have nightmares that Shillary Cunton won the election, at least under Trump people can have an opinion without being called a racist or misogynist etc etc etc etc etc. People brand others with labels when thy have nothing constructive to add to the conversation. uck political-correctness.
Newly settled germans from west germany, who fled their provincial towns and try to adopt a cosmopolitan attitude in berlin. They are usually found in mitte, prenzlauer berg and friedrichshain. Acting design savvy, phony, rude and really just as intolerant and nationalist as the fellows from east Berlin, who they look down on with disgust. These people regard themselves as open minded, vote for the green party, they attend hip art events, but their attitude and language is still full of subtle forms of racism.
Nordic hipsters are the worse. They live in a fancy ghetto devoid of authentic variety to life. The moms with their over priced strollers congregating at a cafe are the worst. These 30+ usually in marketing who tries to be cute and perfect on the outside but neurotic, envious and bigoted on the inside.
Just four more months until we get a glimpse of sunshine and are able to stay outdoors for longer than 30 minutes.
I thought it'd get better the second time around, but I'm just as depressed as I was last winter.
^ I am leaving :^). See - instead of moping around all my life how bad things are - I just vent my emotions here, but I take action outside of this site. Leaving germany soon, never coming back.
I have a theory that so little sunshine does some kind of damage to a person's brain. Their emotions die, they become territorial, aggressive, especially towards outsiders.
Week 12: Come come back to BLNHTR.de to remind yourself that it's not just you.
I'm sure all the ex-Stasi where snapped up to work in the BVG shops. I've never come across a more miserable lot.
BER Airport delayed another year :o))))))
There's so much to do. I can get drunk every day, have fun every day, I can work my PoPo off or dance to great music. I can live posh or cheap, I can do business or be a chilled out lazy bum. Whatever I like. It's hard to stay disciplined here. But yeah.. it's possible.
Remember-1 in 6 East Germans were part of a masssive informant system in the Stasi 80s. Berliners are trained in the art of Zersetzung, If you live in Berlin and are experiencing pervasive rudeness, understand that you have been targeted by the locals, that they discuss "you" with each other, identify you using whats app groups, and deliberately attack you covertly. You have to know that the East Germans carry the Nazi Legacy of their Grandparents. They actually truly enjoy harassing foreigners covertly. They are a culture who teach their children to have hatred in their hearts.
That is why they never invite you home for dinner, because they were taught to never bring anyone into the home in case they saw a Rolling Stones record, a pair of Levi Jeans or a book by an American author who wasn't a Marxist nutcase and report it to the Stasi. It get's passed down through the generations. Skepticism is rampant with the East Germans. They are unhelpful, unpleasant, unempathetic, unemotional, inhospitable, uncooperative, unfunny and understandably lost in their own over-competitive heads. I think I feel sorry for them more than hate them, maybe this is the wrong site for me :o)
Lol, are you me? Same story. I tried so hard, but after a year I just gave up. Nothing worked, no matter how friendly, inviting, exciting I tried to be, what kind of events I wanted to lure them out to, what kinda trips - I was always treated as the "retarded guest from abroad", so I just gave up.
No german friends, just a bunch of expats.