Is Germany going Downhill?

[jamesnj]

Is Germany going downhill or is it my misperception? I've noticed many things in Germany that have gone bad. Many people tell me that Germany hasn't changed, but I have. I started going to Germany 10 years ago with my family. We go about 3 or 4 times a year, but mainly spend only two or three days there since the main purpose we're in Germany is to make connections in Frankfurt Airport.

What I've noticed is that there are now quite a few rude people in Germany these days. Many people appear to be lazy and sour-tempered, especially airport workers, restaurant staff being the most noticeable. People no longer dress as nicely as they once did. I should add that older people over 65 still seem to be very German---- very nicely dressed, polite and kind-hearted.

Some people tell me that my perception of Germany has changed because I'm 21 years old and no longer 11, I no longer see the world through rose-colored glasses and the Germans who once thought I was cute when I spoke German now see me as a nuisance. Many Germans now pretend not to be able to speak English and I have no idea why.

All this comes to mind because I was in Frankfurt Airport changing planes alone last week. I had 6 hours to kill and became depressed as I observed the disheveled German passengers and their tattered luggage(when I was a child, even up until a couple of years ago Germany seemed so rich, and the people so healthy in comparison to the USA). I was really taken aback by some of the rude answers airport staff gave me when I asked questions in English about my flights. Their attitude wasn't just lackadaisical, it was mean-spirited---I wished I were at Kloten.

I'm really wondering if this downhill attitude is also being felt in car factories. Is this one reason so many people are straying to "quality Japanese" cars? Very little team spirit in Germany today.

PS I shouldn't generalize. This sour attitude I'm talking about is something I've experienced mainly in southwestern Germany, what I call the "Rhein towns". There's still plenty of cheery, helpful people in Berlin and Hamburg and elsewhere.

[Landy]

The whole economic situation in Germany is really bad at this time. Maybe that is why the people are so rude and unfriendly.

Our (bad) government tells the people everyday that they will have less money in their pocket than the last year - this causes a very negativ mood in the population.


I don't think this affects the car-companies, they are too much international.

I hope it will go upwards with a new government soon

[Gustav]

Also the diplomatic relation between USA and Germany (and EU) is the worst in decaedes.

[Ages]

I have had similar experiences latley.To echo the above points, I think it boils down to world opinion of Americans right now & their lackluster economy.

I really try nor to generalize though, back in the states I do encounter one a-hole after another. That doesn't mean the population is a bunch of a-holes. I find that genrally the most vocal people in any given group are the negative unhappy ones.... (and the salesmen.)

The events of post 9/11 have really illustrated how much power the US has in the world theater. This does not settle well with many foriegners. Western Europeans most notably.

It gets worse before it gets better.

[vadas1]

You do get rude people at a lot of airports. I was at LAX and trying to get a soft drink. The girl ignored me. When I asked to be served she said she was busy talking to her friends. When I finally got the drink she said it would be X plus airport tax. I told her to drink the drink herself and walked off. No doubt she thought I was rude.

I didn't get the same feeling in Germany but then again I was driving through not using the airport.





ralph (vadas1)

[jamesnj]

I do have negative experiences in the US, but they're not near as dramatic as the ones in Germany.

Last summer I was visiting a friend in Liege(Belgium) and he drove me to Trier(Germany). We found a nice place for lunch and went to the parking garage to park. He has a big car and had to keep driving around to find a space. Finally he found a space and parked, then this woman who works at the pay station in the garage comes running toward us screaming like she was going to attack us. My friend said, not to worry, she was upset because he parked his big car in a space designated for smaller cars.

Then there was the taxi driver who started screaming at my taxi driver because he was driving and talking on the phone, then there was the heavy lady in Koln whose job it was to sell people tokens to use the rest rooms. My friend speaks fluent German but the woman just wouldn't respond when he asked how much the tokens were. I could go on and on.
Someone told me western Germans are bitter because they are basically supporting the Germans in the east.

[Landy]

Someone told me western Germans are bitter because they are basically supporting the Germans in the east

That is definitely not a topic for the Germans - some from the west make some bad jokes about them, but that doesn't affect the relationship in any way.


The rudeness comes from our whole background and especially now because of the bad economic situation. A lot of people are afraid of loosing there jobs and they feel that they get less money every month.

[jamesnj]

LANDY, do you think joining the Euro was a mistake? So many Europeans complain that everything has become so expensive since the adoption of the Euro. Maybe Sweden is right to keep the Krone.

[Backe]

The Euro wasnt good for the situation here, but it was only one of many things going wrong here.

We have a big problem with unemployment, so the state gets less taxes, so he rises the taxes, rising taxes means more costs for the companies, so they fire some workers, and again less taxes for the state, and so on and so on.
Then we have much illegal workers from the eastern states(poland, russia) they work for 4 Euros or less per hour, its illegal, but many companies dont care, and so more unemployment again.

The mood of the germans is bad, it couldnt get worse.

[Danish]

I lived in Germany for over 6 years (moved there from CA) and now am back in the US. I am a Danish citizen and Germany has definitely experienced a rapid economic decline over the last 4-5 years. The boom from 1995 to 2000 was not noticed as much in Germany as it was in the US. But the following downturn was a lot more serious due to the labor market, unions etc. You don't see as many luxury cars on the autobahns now as you did before. Germans travel less outside the country for vacation. Last but not least it also seems like people are getting a lot more rude in their behavior. The worst thing is that there are no signs of a turnaround yet.

Michael

[ExplDeleted]

Very complicated socio-economic subject. I don't have the time to put too fine a point on it right now, but yes, Germany is in a sense” going downhill", and it's not entirely due to the current economic climate either.
But then the same can be said of other western countries, most prominently the United States (whose head-shaking recent antics some people liken to the decline of the Roman Empire).
If one takes a step back, grumbling are also being heard in similar conversations (by those in the know) regarding Japan and Japanese society.

Basically, the world is slowly changing and standards in the former "model" societies are dropping. The west is in decline - the power is shifting to the east.

Though to be fair though, I wouldn’t necessarily say Germans have gotten ruder – in my experience, quite the opposite is in fact true. Consider that the tough economic times have forced many people to adopt a more friendly approach (ultimately beats joining the unemployment lines).
Most important though is that BMW is still independent and in rude health. Long may it continue to be so.
(Just my €0.50)