15 Things Germans Don't Understand About Americans

[@NALFVLOGS]

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[@KlodFather]

When it comes to loud, Americans have nothing on Asians or Hispanics in their respective countries. Loud talk, parties, and karoke all night long. CRAZY! Americans value their peace and their space. Its much quieter in the states than any of the places I mentioned.

[@darktagmaster1861]

NAZIS

[@katiebrunner4376]

I would add a lot of Americans choose not to use vacation time and cash out that vacay time instead or save for sick days

[@TheMrDarius]

Ahhh the whole tax thing in the us. It's because each state has its own tax along with each county and city. The varying tax rates is why they don't include it in because things change

[@RainbowYak]

I always find it funny when Germans complain about Americans being loud because here in Switzerland, we think Germans are terribly loud.

[@lacdirk]

I agree. By European standards, Germans are quite loud and rude. Not Dutch loud and rude, but loud and rude nonetheless.

[@TomGerritsen-o9r]

Everything is relative!

[@punishedblowstein1111]

The Swiss are stuck up assholes from my experience.

[@xaenom]

JAJA IHR SCHWEIZER MIT EURE VORURTEILE IMMER GELL!!!

[@SK-qc6fb]

@@RainbowYak We were visiting the Christmas Markets last year in Germany, and on the train from Frankfurt to Nüremburg, there was American, with like a Texas accent talking so loud everyone could hear him. He was at the front, we were about 3/4 of the way into the back and heard every word. We are from New York, and NYers are considered rude and obnoxious, but this guy won the prize that day! We were actually quite embarrassed that a fellow American could be so loud, so I get it, I understand the Germans on this point!

[@cahinton.]

Every time I hear the "Americans wear shoes in the house" thing, a piece of my soul dies as a Minnesotan. We don't do that here. Shoes are removed at the door, and most living spaces will have a shoe rack right at the entrance.

[@nuclearpoweredbrain2211]

I picked up that habit in Hawaii.

[@christophersmirnoff5222]

Mud rooms exist in rural areas in every state in America for a good reason.

[@Rockmaster867]

Arent alot of Minnesotans originally from Germany?

[@rickschultz9589]

I live in Wisconsin, next door to Minnesota, and I have always taken my shoes off while inside. But this is not the case with a lot of houses I go to.

[@BulletRain100]

If you start living in a desert where scorpions and other critters occasionally get into your house, you will quickly start wearing shoes or sandals.

[@jeffjeziorowski8612]

I was stationed in Würzburg and Stuttgart and was in Germany for most of the 80’s. I accidentally found your channel because I’m planning a trip back soon and I wanted to see what has changed in the 20 years since I was last there. When I was over there I totally got into the culture. All my years back in the states I’ve never felt at home. Germany became my home in my heart.

[@michaelgro5474]

Welcome back to Germany :-)

[@lorwally13]

Same I just left Germany this year feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest 😂 I was stationed in Wiesbaden. I really miss Frankfurt.

[@Tamar-sz8ox]

I hear you . I’m from New York 🇺🇸. When we lived in Heidelberg, I had more in common w. Germany than I did with other states in the USA 🇺🇸 for example , the Southern part of the USA is very foreign to me

[@barfuss2007]

@Jeff the reason is simple. Germany (and all european countries) have a long history and culture. The US "culture" is wearing guns, all is about to make a lot of money and Disneyland.

[@Kidoss11]

You were there in the 80s, we have 2022.

[@woahhbro2906]

Tailgating is one thing I would recommend to non-Americans. Such an awesome experience. A ton of mini-parties everywhere and complete strangers will let you drink and eat all their stuff. Games like cornhole, etc. You're essentially fed and wasted before you even get into the stadium, so you avoid all the insane prices. I used to do it once a week with friends at baseball games, which don't even have that strong of a tradition as football does. So fun.

[@zchris87v80]

My college team is one of the few to allow you to leave the stadium and re-enter. Our tailgate spot is about a 2 minute walk from the stadium (in the parking lot that borders it), so leaving at the half to grab food and drinks before going back in is very convenient.

[@SeldimSeen1]

We lived one year in Switzerland with my husbands work. My son was 5 years old. My son and I discovered a McDonalds in Basel and we went in and sat down for a meal. Of course even though there were many people, it was very quiet. Suddenly a group came in talking very loudly while ordering their food. My son asked, "Mommy, who are those really loud people?" I answered, "They are Americans." He looked shocked and then confused and asked me, "Mom, aren't we Americans?"

[@richardpetek712]

Cute :)

[@brianpinion5844]

thats why i hate restaurants , my nerves are shot ! anxiety problems ! im the one that stands Up hollers shut the fuk up and then gets punched took to jail and then anger management classes, or in the hospital hooked up to EKG thinking im having heart attack, born and raised in US but why are we so damn loud, people tell me everyday ' you need speak up !just shake my head walk off

[@groovinhooves]

There is indeed a tendency in Americans to loudly fill all spaces entered. An ingrained urge or affectation to greater importance than warranted through any actual merit in most cases. Occasionally it is merely very subconscious and only shows forth in music mixing levels and voice EQing that is a bit too live and high-pass (great presentation otherwise - very good copy and reading).

[@Altonahh10]

In my experience, all people who have English as their mother tongue are very loud. British, Australian, it doesn't matter. People laugh too loudly (annoying!), speak too loudly and their voices just can't and won't get any quieter.

[@Dude_Slick]

@@Altonahh10 The loudest people in America are those who's native tongue is Spanish. Fact.

[@bradleyheck7204]

Pharma ads SHOULD STILL BE ILLEGAL in the US. I just barely remember when they still were.

[@ACH77]

Yep. Big pharma is the worst. Attempted brainwashing at its finest. Criminals in suits and ties. Money grubbing power freaks.

[@oswaldoramosferrusola5235]

A couple of months ago, in my Vegas hotel I saw an ad on TV about Jardiance, a prescription drug I take for my heart condition. Jardiance is not for a cold or a mosquito bite, let me tell you.

[@alainaaugust1932]

It was under President Reagan that Big Pharma got him to permit the TV advertising of prescribed medicines. Before that only over the counter meds could be advertised. I still remember Alka Seltzer’s “Pop, pop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.” Big P has even done advertising research to see which pictures, music and cutesy name sells the most drugs. That’s why there’s a similar feel to all the ads. The FDA fought hard against it, but all they won was the mandated “blah blah blah and this may kill you” at the end. They fought for us but Ronnie and friends won. We’ll change it one day.

[@garycamara9955]

They never were

[@tomterry2139]

​@alainaaugust1932 While Reagan was in office, Congress was controlled by the Democrats led by Tip O'Neil. To get that deregulation through, the lobbyists bribed both parties. At that point, the aforementioned was lumped into a single bill with a thousand other things necessary to keep the government running. Congress passed a bill to give the line item veto to presidents, preventing this kinda crap and Bill Clinton vetoed it.

[@tomservo5347]

Having a German mom because of my former GI dad, I grew up with German family visiting us in rural Missouri. (One of mom's brothers came over, stayed, and lived the American Dream.) They're amazed at how isolated we are with neighbors a mile away and nearest town being 10 miles away. We always take them out target shooting which they always seem to enjoy as it's something they cannot do in Germany. They in turn once bought out the entire supply of Budweiser and Bud Light from my small town after going through about 40 cases in 2 weeks. Our diet beer simply has no effect on them as they would point to the 'Rice' ingredient and laugh. My Dad and his old Army buddy said that they had to take a break after about a week of drinking beer with them. They play hard, but they also work hard. When you find yourself with a group of them in full party mode it's some of the most fun you'll ever have.

[@takaetono6773]

...... wtf? of course we can do target shooting in germany. you just cant do it at random places but you ll go to a shooting-range where you can chose from a limited variety of guns.

[@tomservo5347]

@@takaetono6773 Just saying I can go out to the family farm and shoot anywhere, with anything I'm allowed to own.

[@Markus-yz5io]

American "Beer" is like Water to us in south Germany :)

[@tomservo5347]

@@Markus-yz5io My Opa worked for Römer brewery for years and retired from there. I think he was one of the board members. Funny because it was one of my favorite beers when I was stationed there and didn't know this. My German family calls US beer 'diet beer'. Even Jever Fun puts it to shame. One thing I really liked that I can't get here is Karamalz and your sprüdel is excellent.

[@andreasarnoalthofsobottka2928]

What's the difference between sex on the beach and Budweiser light? None, both is fuckin' close to water.

[@tootired76]

Spent 6 years in Germany as a US soldier. Married a German girl. When one of our German friends visited us in the USA she thought all the toilets in the restroom were broken because there was water in the bowls!! 😆😆😆😂

[@josephrkennedy845]

My ex-wife is from the Philippines and I went to the mall and didn't realize there's no 'seat' on the toilets. "Is this one broke, and this one, and yeah..."

[@oldfrittenfett1276]

I grew up in the eighties in Germany and the only automatic car I knew of was that of our nextdoor neighbour because he lost a leg in WWII. For those who do not know: To drive a manual, you need two functioning legs.

[@followp]

You have the best username out of all people who lived in Germany in the eighties bro/sis.

[@oldfrittenfett1276]

@@followp hehe, thank you. I used to read a lot of Karl May.

[@Bananenbereiniger]

not true actually lol. I am only missing my left under-leg. But, even if my knee was also gone, I could still drive manual easily. As a personal drummer I can confirm: it's more about the feeling and timing, less about the stimulated vibration in the foot lol, does not even matter a bit, I've also been driving with some Mercedes Oldtimers and Trucks. Edit: The only thing that does not work is driving motorbikes manual, as I am not able to move my foot and hence, move the clutch. Sucks pretty much as I have not found any driving school offering driving license with automatic motorbikes, they'll rather be like: Get one of your own before doing your license here.

[@gro967]

I'm glad that even in Germany, manual cars are dying out these days.

[@FRITZI999]

@@gro967 klar …... the more Automatic Cars on the Roads, the more Idiots too ....

[@ramonaljensen]

I think the "loud" aspect of being an American can greatly depend on where you were brought up. I was raised right off of the Navajo reservation in New Mexico and have been accused of being VERY quiet after I moved to California. That was until I took my husband home for the first time. He tried to order at a Burger King and was like "It's not just you...It seems like everyone around here whispers".

[@charcat1571]

Agreed. My exposure to indigenous culture is that being loud is to intrude upon others, so speaking softly is to show respect. I have to agree this is the more considerate way to be.

[@jdmitaine]

BTW the vast majority of the US population are from German descent.... just saying

[@markmcgoveran6811]

I think this is another geographic error. How loud are your surroundings? That's how loud you are.

[@Jpeg13759]

@@nuenne2002 Awfull English, but yes

[@Jpeg13759]

@@nuenne2002 Macht doch nichts....Jeder, wie er eben kann. Um die Worte gehts eh nicht...

[@annamc3947]

The 21 drinking age thing is relatively recent, at least for this 60-year-old. States used to have different drinking ages and many were 18, especially on the East Coast. The federal government basically forced them all to go to 21 in the 1980’s by linking highway funds to the 21 drinking age. It did reduce drunk driving deaths. Probably in Germany there are more public transportation options so drunk driving isn’t as much of a concern.

[@DarkDodger]

I didn't know that, and it actually kind of makes sense! I'll add this to the pile of things that are different between US and DE because of how we handle transportation.

[@nehemiahwashingtoniii748]

Heck, I was buying beer, wine and Champale at the age of 13 in South Carolina in 1977. I was 19 when the age limit first came out set at 18. Being sent to Germany in the Army was a drinking paradise at 19 years old.

[@danielstorm6419]

What did I read a few years ago about the US? They allow to go to war and kill enemies at a young age but do not allow to drink a beer.

[@gruffelo6945]

The big difference is - Germans learn how to DRINK before they learn how to DRIVE! The Yanks have their priorities wrong...again...

[@palmercolson7037]

I remember things the same way--the big concern was drunk driving by teenagers. The federal government forced all the states to have 21 be the drinking age. So much for all that talk about local control and freedom and taking responsibility for your actions.

[@wunderkind-7724]

At 19 my father bought me my first car, I used 1971 mercury Capri. It was a four speed manual he dropped me off and I drove it home on the first try. Now manual transmissions are disappearing universally worldwide because of the dual clutch automatics. You cannot order a a Ferrari with a manual transmission any longer.

[@eefaaf]

In the Netherlands it's not only that you as an employee can claim a minimum of a certain number of days off a year, you are obliged to take up at least a single consecutive period of two weeks each year. As you can also save up part of the time, a colleague of mine this year was away for a mont and a half to the walk through northern Spain of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella.

[@PeterLE2]

It is the same in Germany. You must have period off of 2 weeks in a row

[@janishenkel6451]

Yes, in Germany you (with a few exceptions) cant pay out vacation. You have to take the time off

[@norwegianblue2017]

Vacation times vary wildly in the US. Forget the federal minimums, it usually comes down to what state you live in and what company you work for. In California, if you are a state employee, you get a very large number of holidays, vacation days, personal leave and vacation time that grows with seniority. My wife is a public school teacher and she gets 1 week off for Thanksgiving, 3 weeks for Christmas, 1 week for Spring Break and 8 weeks for Summer!

[@WinformsCandVisualBasic-p4t]

I hate the way it is in the states. I've been laid off since June. I'm so much more relaxed and enjoying life than before. Something needs to be done about our silly work ethic where we waste time being at work doing nothing so we can say we put in the hours.

[@ExpatZ266]

@@norwegianblue2017 If you are a private employee they can just not give you time off. I have experienced that most of my life there.

[@gregorrom4405]

Ich finde tatsächlich neben dem Kennenlernen anderer Länder und Kulturen das Beste am Reisen ist das Kennenlernen seines eigenen Landes. Man bekommt ein Blick auf Dinge, die man sonst nicht wirklich wahrnimmt, weil sie vollkommen normal sind. Das gilt für Positives, wie für Negatives. Ich bin jedes Mal wieder überrascht.

[@Rockmaster867]

Dem kann ich nicht genug zustimmen.

[@NoNameYTofficial]

Das würde einigen leuten sehr gut tun , so wie wir uns manchmal selbst betrachten

[@timesthree5757]

Yea I think that's BS. I don't have to go anywhere to know my State ect.

[@gregorrom4405]

@@timesthree5757, naja, sind wir doch mal ehrlich. Der wirkliche Denker und Intellektuelle bist Du ja nun ganz sicher nicht, als dass man erwarten könnte, dir ginge es darum, auch nur irgendwas zu verstehen.

[@timesthree5757]

@@gregorrom4405 Google translate is shit but I got the jest of it. So which is better. The person that has to travel the world to appreciate his/her country, Or the person that already appreciates his/her country but travels to enjoy another culture?

[@The2ndFirst]

When I went to Germany in the Army I had a super great experience. I think it's funny the military adopted the metric system. I still estimate range in meters. I never had an issue with chips. Usually there was so much potatoes and gravy there was no room for chips. I ate chips when I was on base. I absolutely agree on manual VS auto. manual you are in control of the driving experience. I taught my 2nd ex wife how to drive manual and she really enjoyed it. Germans don't really have that personal bubble at all. lol Hans, my ambulance driver when I was stationed at Graf thought showering was optional.

[@christopherlynch3314]

Same, I spent a great tour in Germany in the late 90's. Yes, metric system for the military. Range in meters, distance in KMs or 'clicks', size of calibers in mm's. I still do temps in Fahrenheit though.

[@be6715]

Gosh, I remember my father used to drive my teachers crazy because he would use military time, rather than the 12 hour clock to let them know when I needed to leave school for a doctors appt. I think he was probably being a bit of a d***, but that was my father for you. Miss that man like crazy!

[@mccarterw]

Come on army guy, you weren't on a base, you were on a post.

[@everettfryman1024]

@@be6715 Still use a twenty-four hour clock to this day, thirty-two years later. IMO, your father wasn't being a d**k, he was just like the rest of the world. Bless Him!

[@JohnnyRep-u4e]

I agree, I lived 14-15 years in Germany and Belgium during my dad's Army career, and did my own Army career. Switching from Metric while on a land navigation course, to Imperial while driving home was never a problem. The US uses both Imperial and Metric, depending on what you do for a living.

[@salamanca1954]

I still LOVE manual stick shift and clutch. So much control over the engine torque.

[@Maderyne]

I grew up on a farm, (my father was a farmer) so whenever I came indoors, I always took off my shoes. It was the house rule my mother insisted on because of the cattle lot, hog lot, and other areas that we would tend to walk in with shoes or boots on. It kept the house cleaner, and the shoes and boots contained in the entryway. If you saw what my boots looked like, you would do the same. Thats country life!

[@moss8448]

yeah most here in the States don't even wipe their feet off before entering a house, that's the least you can do imo.

[@reynardfoxx6753]

I live in, and grew up in, the Big City (NYC). We ALWAYS take our shoes off indoors. Farm dirt is _clean_ dirt. City dirt is nasty, _real_ dirt. (Spit,shit, who knows).

[@gillianbergh7002]

@@reynardfoxx6753 Imagine if in the days before motorized vehicles - most carts or wagons were pulled by oxen. Ox dung from a farm is clean while that from the city is nasty real dirt? Sounds a load of bulls**t !

[@charcat1571]

My Dutch American father and my Norwegian American mother were raised this way and I am the same. Why create the chore of sweeping and vacuuming when you just keep all your shoes by the door and put on your clean house shoes? And now with all the pollution outside on the ground that can be tracked indoors it's just a better choice for health.

[@larsedik]

I grew up on a farm, and I had different shoes that I would wear outdoors from the shoes that I would wear indoors, but I always wore shoes indoors, and this was in Texas, where it was hot most of the time. I hated going outdoors, and I would also take a bath and change clothes after visiting the barns.

[@brunoliddle]

I remember learning a short poem when I was younger to help when thinking about temperatures in Celsius. "30° is hot, 20° is nice. 10° is cool, 0° is ice" While 20° being a 'nice' temperature is debatable (I'd prefer 23-24° myself) it was a good rhyme to use.

[@jazsnydam389]

catchy and helpful

[@suserman7775]

Hey that's actually pretty useful. I set my air conditioner to 71F at night which is 21.7 C.

[@Keeping_It_Kyle]

As someone from Scotland 14 degrees is hot. Then I moved to america and suddenly 28 was cold lmao

[@TMD3453]

Will remember that, thanks!

[@charlynegezze8536]

All Americans have difficulty ¨feeling¨ celcius no matter how long we live abroad. After 35 years in Spain, I still convert.

[@tamliode4421]

I always thought the Hausschuh-Issue is due to the driving-everywhere thing.. If I only walked on my 3m concrete way to my car and then on your 4m of concrete, I probably wouldn´t take off my shoes sometimes either.. but after walking 20min thru Berlin streets? hell no, thank you, i´ll be on my socks in your flat

[@salazam]

In my home we don't allow pants.

[@thomasr2472]

@@salazam You're missing the point. When you walk the streets in a city like Berlin, your soles might to be dirty with dust, mud, saliva, gum, traces of vomit or dog shit, you name it. That certainly does not apply to pants.

[@salazam]

@ Wrong. Pants are right next to your dirty orifice and genitals. Would you want someone to touch their genitals and then shake your hand? I didn't think so.

[@kategwynne4658]

We've travelled through 13 American states. I love the USA. BUT each state has its differences because the continent is so huge. I'm British and it was a shock how much land is available in USA. The deserts in the west have extraordinarily beautiful landscapes, the east coast is totally different to the west, but steaks in USA are off the scale gorgeous. So many great things about America.

[@Lee-u1f]

Ha ha I love that you zoomed in on the steaks. I've never heard them referred to a "gorgeous" but they sure are delicious.

[@kategwynne4658]

@@Lee-u1f Absolutely. In UK, steaks are small and not so tasty. In USA, they are big AND tasty. A proper piece of meat!!

[@Rodzilla5332]

Here in the US my parents taught me to drive on a stick. That way I would always be able to drive any car in case of emergency. They also started teaching me when I was in 5th grade. By the time I was in 7th grade they let me drive alone to the dump and to the store to pick up packs of smokes for them. Of course we lived in a super small town that only had one yellow light.

[@shaydowsith348]

I learned to drive on an automatic, but I taught myself with help from my mother to drive stick back in the 1980s when I was in my 20s. My parents grew up in the 1930s so both naturally knew stick. My older sister, who was born in 1951, never learned to drive stick. I prefer stick because I think it is easier to control. But, unfortunately, I did have a car stolen that was Stick - a Hyundai. It was while I was living in the Bronx back in the 1980s, and cars were mostly stolen for parts.

[@Rodzilla5332]

@@shaydowsith348 we are roughly the same age then. I think back to being 12-13 years old and driving myself up to the one gas station in town to buy a pack of smokes for my dad and having the person working at the store asking “These are for your parents right?”. Not “Why are you driving a car?” or “Why does you dad want Marlboro today when he always buys Parliament ?”. Of course they were about $1.25 a pack with my dad swearing that if they ever get up to $2 he’s quitting!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

In 5th grade I was just starting with my 2nd language (english in that case), funny how different parts of the world are.

[@pontil5569]

Just discovered your channel, and happy to have. One comment to shoes at home: Grown up as a Turkish guy in Germany in the 70s/80s, I experienced that Germans wore more often shoes at home than you stated, but maybe I perceived this as such a significant habit, because in Turkish households street shoes are absolutely forbidden, just like in Japan!

[@JackieOdonnel]

As someone who lived in Germany for 4 years (and Belgium for 1), this is spot on. One thing I had to learn right away is that when it's your birthday in Germany, YOU buy the drinks for everyone. 😂 Also, I find Germans to be super loud when they are vacationing as tourists. But you're right, they are quiet at home. You can hear a pin drop on the Munich subway...

[@lactera9247]

Beer is quite cheap in germany a case of beer (20*0,5l or 24*0,33l) will cost you 10-15€uro. Even hard alcohol will only cost 10-15€ per bottle, you even can buy cheap hard alcohol for ~6€ per bottle.

[@FLicht-ng8dh]

1. Holiday is the time to let it all out and watch a little less about your manners and 2. most germans tend to be hyped so the´ll automatically will be a bit louder 3. most poeple like to enjoy (rather early) drinks. so while the clock turns one looses its patient and calm manners :D germans are humans not more not less

[@maryjackson1194]

@@lactera9247 My mother's family was German: air-kisses for greetings, but the thought of pressing your chest against someone socially feels inappropriate.

[@johnalden5821]

BTW/you can also hear a pin drop on the DC Metro. It's only the tourists who are talking to each other. Everyone else just wants to be at home. I suspect that is the origin of a lot of the "Americans are loud" stereotypes. American tourists in Europe may be in a group, they are stoked to be there, having a good time or outright partying. Everyone around them is having the normal, bland day or awkward date, etc. So of course the Americans are louder and attract unwanted attention.

[@shotbytim9624]

I don't know what Germans are like at home, but as tourists, they and Italians are as loud as Americans are reputed to be. I also ran into some VERY loud Spanish speaking tourists. I don't know what country they were from; their accent wasn't familiar to me. The best way I can explain it is that it sounded like Spanish being spoken with a Russian accent.

[@rabbie1973]

I have literally, in over 20 years of living in America. I have NEVER heard of anyone eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips lmao. I asked my America fiancee, and she said the same.

[@josh33172]

I live in Belgium, also lived here previously for work and lived in Germany as well. On the manual car, there are just so many subconscious and conscious benefits to driving a manual. 1) You are more innately aware of your speed because you have to change gear to change speed. 2) You have to be more preoccupied with the current driving situation: oncoming traffic, intersections w/ right-of-ways, pedestrians....all of which force you to be mindful of what gear you're in and how fast you're going 3) Far more control over speed in braking and cornering by holding gears (gear braking). 4) Safety as you stated! With tailgating, here in the EU parking lots are not typically public space. Space is a premium, and if it is public space, it will be a park or a garden. Most cities, towns, villages you go in the EU, finding parking will usually be at least somewhat of a challenge, and not meant to be "hang-out" space because space is tight and usually not where you want to be. For instance, like I said I live in Belgium which is approx. 1/5th the size of the state of Georgia with 11.5M people (slightly more than the state of Georgia)...and much like Georgia, there's countryside and farming but the majority of people live in cities. To put it into perspective, just on a quick G search. Atlanta in size is 353 KM^2 and population of just under half a million. Brussels Belgium has just over 2 million people squeezed into 32 KM^2....basically 1/10th the size with 4 times the population. Not a whole lot of room for parking lots to tailgate, and you don't need to know the metric system to understand the difference between 353 and 32 in terms of size.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

In a place that densely populated compared to the United States there's a lot of public transportation and it rolls pretty frequently. In America public transportation is based on riding back and forth to work. Public transportation is extremely awkward to use in America because 99% of the people using it are riding the same route over and over. On the weekends in the city very few buses run if you were going to do your shopping you could ride to one place shop and it would eat up most of the day.

[@daftfreak13]

I'm American and drive a manual and I agree with you on your points. It does make pay WAY more attention to your driving. That being said, automatics are definitely the future. If I didn't have a rally/race car, I'd definitely drive automatic lol. It is SO much more convenient.

[@josh33172]

@@daftfreak13 thats the problem with America, "convenience" is the reason so many things are the way they are and frustrating, and it's made nearly everyone lazy, or removes responsibility/accountability. People will literally sit in a loading/unloading zone, take a handicap parking spot or drive around in circles in a parking lot rather than park and walk an extra 20 seconds. It's incredible the lengths people will go to not so something.

[@daftfreak13]

@@josh33172 I mean "convenience" is the reason we have almost all the technology that we have now. Including this computer/phone that you're on lol.

[@avior2951]

I need to correct you on the numbers because you're not using the same numbers for the same thing. The surface area you used for Brussels is only for the municpiality - which has 188,737 inhabitants per 2022 (not 2 million) - whereas the population figure you used was rounded up for the metropolitan region that even much exceeds what's just the urban area. Brussels agglomeration has 1,844,931 inhabitants (2022) on 820.3 km² which gives a density of 2,241.1 inh./km². Brussels municipality reaches 5,787.7. The numbers you used for Brussels would give a density of 62,500 inh./km², that equals urban quarters in Hongkong. The most urban parts of european cities don't even reach half that. Now consequently you have to use Atlantas agglomeration figures as well (consisting of Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Paulding, Douglas, Cherokee, Fayette, Henry, Rockdale counties combined), making up 5,220,953 people(census 2020) on 9,086 km² (compare the Flemish Community: 13,522) which gives a desnity of 574.6 inh./km². That's similar to the density of the provinces of West Flanders and Flemish Brabant. Anyway, that's why Google sucks for these things. The numbers it gives are often unclear and they often vastly differ from the numbers of the actual urban areas. Cheers

[@cazwalt9013]

I remember one time me and my sister were buying clothes at an H&M and it was so peaceful and quite there and suddenly there's a noise coming from another place I turned and it was a group of Americans who were taking so loudly that me and my sister just looked at each other with shock But at the same time I really love how warm and friendly Americans are

[@hardwirecars]

good with the bad

[@spikefivefivefive]

* "My sister and I ..."

[@daftfreak13]

I lived in the northern US for some years and when I moved back to the South I was very annoyed by how loud and obnoxious Southerners are in public. It's not all Americans, just depends on where you're at in the USA.

[@wohniamkotti]

The warmth and friendliness is just superficial. Don't be fooled by that. All a bunch of actors and wannabe-leaders.

[@sylphdeposey7149]

My mother and I can be loud talkers when invested in a conversation. Same for my many cousins on my step dad's side of the family. It annoys the hell out of him to hear loud people in public. I laugh every time he makes faces hearing others yelling despite being right in front of eachother. lol It's more of a southern/country folk habit to speak loudly (and quite friendly).

[@shadowfox009x]

This theory with larger personal bubble of Americans is a bit weird. When I was working in the US, a lot of Americans wanted to hug me (mostly female coworkers) and not the polite, lean in, air kisses kind of way found in Germany, but a real hug. That was way too much physical contact for this German girl. Okay, I also hate hand-shakes and air kisses, unless it's really close friends. Drinking age is also an interesting thing. Because the high age kind of hypes up being legal to drink? I found that so odd when I was watching another youtuber and she really went on and on about turning twenty-one soon and being able to drink. And on the day of her birthday, she went out to party and got really drunk with a bunch of cocktails. And cocktails are dangerous because they often contain a lot of hard alcohol but taste like fruit drinks. Even if you're used to harder stuff it's easy to misjudge them. And of course at twenty-one all of them already have a driver's license so drinking and driving is an issue, while Germans at sixteen don't. When my friends and I wanted to get drunk we met for a party with sleep-over. And often our parents bought the alcohol and laughed at us when we came home with a hang-over. Public transport with a hang-over is also fun.

[@51tomtomtom]

Surely a point ! I was in party in Paris and a girl said " I knew it right away that you're not French: you didn't kiss " I answered "I usually select whom I kiss " and she was extremely pissed .....

"about turning twenty-one soon and being able to drink." Yeah, as if she never drank a drop of alcohol before that. I mean, possible, but also quite unlikely. There is a veritable industry for fake ID. And I guess it's not even hard to do, given that any "valid" driver's license would be excepted… so a bouncer or a bartender in CA would/should accept an driver's license from ME. But would she actually know how a driver's license from ME looks like? And yes, the "personal space" thing and the "oh, lemme hug you" (often without even asking, IIRC) is truly one of these strange contradictions. The US has many of those (but then, every nation has such contradictions).

[@ThePixel1983]

I recently took the Paris metro on the evening of some big football (soccer) match. Two 50ish guys, could hardly stand, then one station one leaves the train in the very last second and shoots for the garbage can. No idea if the other one realised it. Or cared.

[@JMM33RanMA]

The real reason for the 21 age restriction is the propaganda* of "Mothers Against Drunk Driving." To be fair, when I was in college the age was still 19, but I didn't want to drink because there was alcoholism in and around my family. *Such political pressure groups are not entirely absent in Europe [for example "Reformhaus"], and at least this one was rational because of skyrocketing alcohol-related driving deaths. Guess what happened on weekends when drinking was OK for 18-19 year-olds with drivers licences in one state, when the next state had a 20-21 age limit! This kind of group, combined with religious extremism was responsible for the Prohibition of alcohol 1920-1933. Prohibition was a great benefit to organized crime, and caused more criminality, death, illness and destruction with increased alcoholism than previously. Talk about unintended consequences!!!

[@daniellewhite168]

I think its also an East coast vs. West coast thing. I would never hug my coworkers and when I worked on the West coast everyone hugged me and it was unnerving and seemed inauthentic.

[@BrotonCC]

Great video man. Wish the algorithm would’ve fed it to me 2 years ago…. but I’m here now 👍🏻👍🏻

[@niklasneighbor6726]

For number twelve: "Bei Risiken und Nebenwirkungen lesen sie die Packungsbeilage und fragen sie ihren Arzt oder Apotheker"

[@chantaln6843]

For information & side effects….Google it! 😊

[@xaverlustig3581]

Yes but any ads are for non-prescription products.

[@henryostman5740]

From a wise doctor (my son), " medicines don't have 'side' effects, they have effects, some of which might be good".

[@electricmarkelectricmark1475]

20% of Americans are completely illiterate. 50% only read at a 3rd grade level, so how can they read instructions?

[@kimgarsdalnielsen2686]

But these are not presciption medicines, these are only over the counter.

[@GermanBeardGuy]

Now it's the complete Video! I did like the 18 second version too ;-) As a German living in Seattle, my wife is making fun of me when I change from sweat pants to Jeans just to walk down the street to pick up the mail.

[@NALFVLOGS]

The 18 second one was a bit more streamlined 😂

[@franhunne8929]

@@NALFVLOGS Slightly, hardly recognizable.

[@LaureninGermany]

I used to think why bother when my husband changed when we just walk the dogs (we live in the countryside), but I actually really appreciate it now. It’s a good habit.

[@IIIJG52]

Sweat Pants are for chilling at home or for working out. They are not outside pants. Unfortunately the "young people" dont hold themselves tothat standard anymore. Turns out im not even 30 yet but im already old :D .

[@7shinta7]

@@IIIJG52 If that's what beeing old means, then I gladly join the old brigade. I'm also only slightly (cough) above 30 but I still think that you own it to yourself to at least put on some proper pants (= at least jeans) when leaving the house. But yeah, appearantly nowadays it too much to ask of the younger population (but also people older than me) to NOT walk around outside like they're still in their pyjamas.

[@peter2327]

When I was in western Ireland I could recognize and differentiate between Germans, Americans and Irish people very easy: - in the moist weather Germans and Americans wear functional jackets, the americans wore predominantly HH, the Germans JW and GT - Americans tend to grab more space, the ellbows are more outwards - Americans drive on the right side, when the correct side in Ireland is the left lane, especially after left turns. - all Americans seem to have visited the orthodontist often - if someone walks calmly through the rain without jacket but with cigarette, he is Irish

[@petermewes4552]

You haven't met much of the northern German folks then. ;)

[@dreamervanroom]

I am a little confused. Germans drive on the left side of the road. Germans have straight teeth. And what is HH? I assume it is a brand but I think more EB or C or P or even NF. I dont expect to know any German brands so nevermind. (eddie bauer columbia patagonia north face)

[@allenatkins2263]

Americans grab more space. Poland giving a long sigh.

[@bonzocleach2496]

@@dreamervanroom Germans drive on right side of the road in Germany.

[@johnsanford3596]

​@@allenatkins2263haha😂 😮 😢

[@fraenkiboii]

German here. 1.) Oh boy I've been in the "I've got a fiver to spend, let's grab a drink real quick, suddenly it's 5+ including taxes" situation. At the register I was so sure to get some change. I was standing there, basically holding my hand out, waiting for some coins to fall down. "Sir, it's five-twenty-three" - "What???". I was confused AF. 2.) I adopted the "sandwich with side chips" thing and I love it! I totally get it! If you're having a nice juicy sandwich, you need some crunchy texture as a complement. One day, I really went out there and put some chips ON my sandwich. It felt so ... adventurous :D

[@kaanpai4319]

Probier mal Döner mit ein paar Pommes drin. Hat einen ähnlichen Effekt.

[@gmoo84]

Chip sandwiches were a common fun food at school when I was a kid growing up in NZ. The crunch in the soft bread was great. Marmite and chips even better.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@kaanpai4319 Time for a pommdöner

[@pixelmaster98]

@@kaanpai4319 problem is, if you don't eat it fast enough, it just gets soggy and disgusting

[@CatholicMuslim-dz5rj]

The tax sucks here and it is always more expensive than you expect it to be but the chips are good

[@seven471]

I'm American and I'm not loud at all and you scare the hell out of me whenever you start your videos. I lived in Germany for 3 years in the late seventies and we were the only Americans in a German village. Pretty awesome experience

[@martinbinder2534]

When I was in the USA (New York) for the first time, I got a water from the refrigerator in a small store. When the cashier told me a higher price than indicated, I said, "but it only costs xxx". And for that price he actually gave it to me. At that time I didn't know about this tax.

[@CampLJNC]

I guess they didn't feel like arguing with you.

[@slim864gvg6]

Lol, I'm 51 and I was born and raised in Greenville, SC USA. This is in the South and back then, learning how to drive a manual was a "rite of passage" for young boys becoming young men! Lol In order to be able to "screech your tires, perform donuts late night, and 'work' on your own vehicle", learning how to use a manual transmission was necessary to operate the "classic" car, (P.O.S.), that was about to become your first love. 😅

[@chuw9325]

One of the popular quotes from our great Karl Lagerfeld was: «Wer eine Jogginghose trägt, hat die Kontrolle über sein Leben verloren» (The one wearing sweatpants lost control of his life) and many Germans probably agree here.

[@wolfgangkranek376]

And isn't it said. how many people have lost the control over their lives. 😉

[@chucku00]

I wonder what this dear Karl would say about Adele weight loss, since he has been quite rude with her...

[@Jim-the-Engineer]

Odd that a man whose entire life was enriched by high fashion would denigrate people who don't buy into that industry! Well, maybe not so odd after all!

[@greenknitter]

@@Jim-the-Engineer Maybe it was more that he was speaking out against slovenliness and not caring about your appearance rather than an advertisement for his business. After all he knew only a relatively small percentage of the population even in Germany could afford Chanel.

[@VCRider]

How ironic, I own a pair of sweatpants branded Karl Lagefeld

[@TheMcKnights.]

As a German living in the US currently I found myself nodding along and I loved how you described everything without making either side sound or seem weird. Fun too that you are with the Unicorns, I myself am a Frankfurt Galaxy Gal, where people do tailgate btw. But that could be a thing people do at American sports played in Germany to somewhat honor the process and live the entire experience which I respect. German football / soccer fans usually find a bar or kiosk to pregame and / or drink on their way to the game, since thats legal.

[@tubeTreasurer]

Yeah the 24 days of leave really makes you more productive. I have worked for about 9 years with my current company and my leave started at 24 and is at 29 days now. When I filed the "leave request" for 3 weeks in the summer I still had enough left for another 2 weeks(I think I'll take them over christmas). This made my whole week. These happy feelings carry you over many bad things that happen at work through out the year.

[@tremoniarules]

SPOT ON

[@jameswill175]

In Florida, it's $4,000 for college in state tuition, $14,000 for out of state.

[@gregshan]

and how many 1000s for fees now way you pay $4K for college

[@mlc2537]

@@gregshan The fees aren't too bad and most students have major scholarships and probably pay less than $2k a year if you go to a public school in Florida. But Florida is the cheapest state in the US for college so isn't a good example.

[@bowlsallbroken]

"Why don't Americans use the Metric system?" Oh, but we do - in *addition* to SAE/Imperial, depending on what we're doing.

[@stevenserna910]

Yup, 2 liter Coke bottles.

[@laneemerick6774]

Our generation wasn't taught the metric system in the US. I'm a Boomer. We were set to learn it, then Congress decided not. This was in the Sixties. Unfortunate. I like our system, however would be good to know metric as well!

[@fedupnow61859]

I am an American that learned to drive a stick shift vw in the states. When I had kids I did the perverbiale Family car that was automatic. I still love a stick though and my Peugeot here in Germany has lasted me 17 years. Also short story that Germans can be loud too. I was coming back home from the USA a couple of weeks ago and waiting for my train to go back home when I heard a big commotion. There were 7 drunk guys and the groom (I think) had a pink tutu and a phallic hat on. It was loud but it did make my day

[@tomatentomGames]

I think drunk people being loud is something that happens everywhere alcohol is legal.

[@BLNMotoCity]

The fact that you called it a phallic hat lmao

[@martink3494]

Hmm several drunk man? And a guy in an pink Tutu with a phallic hat on? Sounds like the one with the hat and so will be in a marriage soon. It's an old tradition in Germany called "Junggesellenabschied". A Husband to be has one night planed by his friends partiing all night Long with his friends before marriage.

[@kosmodome47]

@@martink3494 that's not just a German tradition, a bunch of other cultures do the same thing, americans aswell

[@mescko]

@@martink3494 A little immorality then you're going to behave for the next 40 years? Right.

[@techman2553]

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and shoes were typically worn in the house. I think there are a few things that might contribute to that trend: We had a cement floor basement and cement floor attached garage. Both were visited daily if not hourly to store and retrieve items. We had 3 living levels - the bedrooms upstairs, kitchen mid level, and family room downstairs, then the basement below ground. Now add in central air-conditioning, and the bottom levels were considerably colder than the upper levels, and the cement and tile floors were freezing to bare feet. There are slippers obviously for cold feet, but having 3 kids constantly running in and out of the house, in and out of the basement and garage, and watching TV in the cold downstairs family room, it was just not convenient to take shoes on and off constantly. Shoes were only removed if they were wet or muddy. As an adult, my house now is a live-in workshop. My floors throughout the house are as likely to be covered in sawdust and metal chips as any dirt from outside. The only time I walk around in my own house barefoot is when I'm getting ready for bed, or waking up in the morning. I do have separate house and outdoor shoes, but I'm not really picky out go outside to grab something in my house shoes so long as the ground is dry.

[@dubravkojanusic6996]

Cement? You mean concrete? I dont understand. Here in Europe (I'm in Croatia), it's a matter of hygiene. You can't wear the same shoes outside, in the dirt, and around the house, no matter what. And all new houses have underfloor heating. And quite a few older ones too.

[@dennisblankenship1310]

Absolutely concur with the comment about manual transmissions. I learned on a 1967 Ford F-100 pickup with 3-speed on the column. I’ve used manuals on tractors, trucks, cars, and motorcycles. I taught my wife to use a stick shift. All 3 of our kids learned to drive a manual, and took their driving tests with them. I do admit that CVTs are more efficient overall, but no one will never love driving one like a stick shift.

[@thelittlepodperson5722]

While Germans think it odd how quick Americans are to talk to each other, we were surprised at the way German restaurateurs would seat strangers at our table when all tables were occupied. This is how we met a man (back in the 80's) who had been a German prisoner of war in Idaho. He said he had the time of his life, that he never ate better in his life and spent the whole war listening to American records and playing baseball all day. Said he fell in love with America and Americans in the prisoner of war camp. Asked to stay, but they made him go back. He got a job which allowed him to travel on business to the USA and he did, as often as he could.

[@KikaSakuten]

German prisoners of war were not taken to America, they were killed en masse in the Rhine meadow camp. Flattened by Buldozers when they dug a hole in the ground to protect themselves from the cold. Shot and starved to death, more arbitrarily and inhumanely than an Auschwitz Hollywood film could ever show.

[@lenyaeger9969]

I knew a man who was a German soldier in WWII. He said the best thing that ever happened to him was being taken prisoner and brought to the U.S.

[@tsak912]

If they brought him back to the USA, he wasn’t a soldier.

@@tsak912 What are you talking about? Many German soldiers were POWs in the US during WW2. I knew at least two. Of course they passed away a long time ago. Later after WW2, they returned to the US and became US citizens.

[@tsak912]

You’re right, I was under the assumption that German pows wouldn’t have been brought back stateside unless they had “special” skills or intel. Turns out that there were around 450k German pows in the USA

[@smudolinithegreatdragobear2433]

That bubble thing with the talking louder makes sense. That is why it is harder to make friends in germany cause our personal bubble is smaller so you come closer so it takes longer to trust you enough...

[@hochhoch-pu2gd]

I really enjoyed watching this video! Buillding a bridge over different cultures is (for me) an always welcomed icebreaker! Being myself a „naive“ Englisch/American (speaker), but native German, the basic message for me is: Openly talk to each other! And both nationals will. I‘m sure! If you do, both sides will learn a lot about each other and each other‘s culture! …and, most likely, will have a lot to lough about. …I missed the prejudice of wearing a Jeans trousers only once ;-) Great job! Cheers

[@REBELSCL]

Before I retired I worked for a Volo dealer here in the United States. Volvo used to have contest to see who was the best at what they did and thankfully I won those contest a couple times. The prize was always a trip to Sweden usually for a couple weeks. I happen to be in Stockholm during one of the more volatile portions of the O.J. Simpson trial. I got asked so many questions about how this was a thing. Imagine trying to justify the American legal system to a European.. of course we all know that he was guilty.. and so did they but the fact that we let this drag out for so long and televised it was just beyond their comprehension.. and in reality mine too…

[@Rocketsong]

That 37,000 for a public college includes living expenses, as that's what financial aid is based on. Actual tuition for most is in the 12k range.

[@feg3akatrey144]

Re: shoes inside… i built my first new house ~30yrs ago, and other than marble & stone in baths, all other floors were mahogany or oak. I did not have a house “rule” to remove shoes, but after some friends visited I noticed in the reflection of light on the wood floors that there were all these round scrapes, like from sandpaper. I finally determined that someone’s shoes had grit from outside stuck on the bottom, so every time they turned on their heel, it put a bunch of scratches in the wood. NO MORE SHOES! Only exception is a formal or cocktail party, where shoes are likely part of the outfit. And when i go to people’s homes, I ALWAYS ask, “shoes on or off?”

[@newrivervalleywellnessdotc1260]

I think the major difference with the drinking age is, it’s about around whom you are gaining your initial drinking experiences around. When you’re 16 some sort of moderation naturally has to be learned because you have to go home to your parents at the end of the night. and also still function represent yourself as a decent member of your own community. People you’ll have to see every day people go to school with people you’ve grown up with chances are more family members, getting trashed in front of them is probably not gonna happen all the time like it wouldn’t college because you have a higher respect for them and also they’ll have a higher respect for you and not encourage you to drink as much as you can as fast you can. But off in college usually when everybody starts drinking you’re surrounded by nothing but 18 to 22 year olds that are just encouraging each other to drink more and more faster and faster all out of sight of the people they love and respect most and that love and respect them most. There are plenty of dumb and disrespectful things I did under the influence of alcohol at college that I would not have done if we were to get around town to my grandmother or something

[@TheElrondo]

Grüße aus Schwäbisch Hall nach Schwäbisch Hall 👋👋👋👋 Thank you for your informative videos ❤

[@jenniferhanses]

My family almost never wears shoes in the house. When I was growing up, we left via the back door, which was also where the steps to the basement were. All shoes were left there. Friends coming over left their shoes there. The only people who left shoes on were adult guests at formal occasions.

[@zchris87v80]

I'm the abnormality as I don't wear shoes unless required. Maybe it's growing up on a lake in the country that started it. I learned to drive a manual around the driveway when I was 14, also without shoes. To this day, I can't drive a car with shoes on.

[@nicothenatural]

My mother taught me how to drive stick shift in a large Ford pickup in our high school parking lot while no one was there. I have never struggled to drive any stick shift vehicle since, and I have thanked her for teaching me many useful things while I was young. When people are surprised I can drive stick like a boss it actually surprises ME! I never knew it was such a special skill here 😂

[@brianpinion5844]

we lazy !! what it boils down to ! wont be long there will be an app on phone that will let people use to drive there cars , if there isnt already! all i knew growing up my mom and stepdad never had automatic car till i was 25 or so i guess ,few of us out there that can push a pedal down and pull that shifter ! sad but true , i did gut his 3 speed on Colum but that was training , lol

[@imnotabotrlyimnot]

@@brianpinion5844 Three on the tree and manual everything. Driving used to be work.

[@LucasBenderChannel]

nonsense take on some of these 1. The Imperial system is bonkers. How do you calculate with that? 😳 2. Chips on the side? Really good, but not essential. 👌 3. While manual cars are fun, automatic cars are great as well! Thankfully, Germans are opening up to automatic ones. 🙏 6. I feel, Germans go for neither comfort nor fashion. They do everything practically... which is almost a seperate category? I'd like for us to be more stylish. Other European countries value good dress much more than we do. 👔 8. Polite is good. If it's genuine, I appreciate it each and every time. 😊 9. Yeah, true. By the age of 20, many Germans are already through their worst escapades. 😅 10. Grimey outdoor shoes in the house are a crime. 🥾

[@LaureninGermany]

Oh dear. I don’t find your answers to be nonsense. Im Gegenteil. What does this say about me??

[@Fast_Ultralight]

@@LaureninGermany Gut eingelebt😁

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@LaureninGermany that you are a smart girl? But we knew that already!

[@Sat-Man-Alpha]

Obviously you never had that feeling driving the Autobahn and pushing your car to the limits like 220 or 240 km/h by pushing the gear knob further an further and feeling the speed with your full body...that's like starting a rocket......

[@juilescieg]

@@Sat-Man-Alpha problem ist, dass jederzeit jemand unangekündigt (ohne blinken) plötzlich auf die überholspur wechseln könnte (was viele auch tun) oder, nachts, verdammt viele Rehe in der Nähe rumstehen. Zumindest wenn man durch Brandenburg fährt. Bin selbst nie so schnell gefahren, aber aber auch bei "normalen" geschwindigkeiten könnte ich das nicht genießen, weil ich das verhalten der anderen (oder von tieren) nicht abschätzen kann. Man müsste schon eine Zeit finden, zu der kaum jemand unterwegs ist.

[@beckysimeone4882]

My 6yr old grandson had a lesson today in his Kindergarten class called "giving a complement to someone". We learn it young.

[@libby9433]

Utterly shocked & devastated that the prevalence of AC everywhere in the US didn’t make your list ! Should we be highly concerned now about the traditional rant video for this coming summer ? ;-)😉🥵

[@51tomtomtom]

Especially under the recent impact of increasing energy-prices........welcome to the world ! And Putin's help !

[@Anon54387]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep your house at a comfortable temperature. And parts of the USA are HOT, so much so that it is very uncomfortable without AC. It is hot enough to be difficult to focus on something complex like calculus if one isn't in an air conditioned environment. It's why I studied at a public library when in school because my family couldn't afford AC. The heat is hot enough to be dangerous in the southwest USA particularly for the elderly.

[@XxtherealnussbaumxX]

@@Anon54387 The heat in summer here is also a hazard to vulnerable people. And a lot of places with higher average temperatures than those in the US don’t use AC outside of tourist accommodation or malls. It’s more about energy prices and importance of easy self-comfort in the US. Rather than structuring the life around the challenge of heat (e.g siesta in Hispanic countries) it’s more common in the US to try to bend it to their life, like with widespread AC.

[@chucku00]

Since efficient reversible heat pumps are getting more common in Europe due to environmental concern, AC will be way more common in Europe in less than 20 years.

[@51tomtomtom]

@@chucku00 Hmmmmh .......is the pope catholic ? We hope ! And : where is Europe ? There are several ones : one geographical , one political (without GB) , one econimal (without GB) , one "colder one (no real need for AC's) , one warmer one (maybe not the most efficient countries and maybe slow)........ I lived 70 years almost without AC (just using it in India with temp. 46-54°C) and ....I survived strange wise.

[@lilleth666]

I think the thing with the personal bubble depends on where you are in Germany. I'm from northern Germany and we need more personal space here. We don't like when people get so close. I think it also depends on whether you are in a crowded city or in the countryside.

[@cykanic]

Same here, and if you're on a train or bus and sit next to someone you don't know without asking, its like sin.

[@kevincarlson4562]

Similarly,I was born Danish but grew up partly in Flensburg.My personal space would dwarf Elon Musk's ego.Living in the US now,I've probably offended many by instinctually backing away.

[@HorstGrimme]

Try going to small towns in Bayern. Getting to know the locals is quite rewarding. Rheinland-Pfalz and Baden-Würtenberg are also good choices. It depends who tries to make contact first.

I think he was talking about when you are with people you know. Here in Denmark we walk basically shoulder by shoulder with people we know and talk at about 1 m of distance (3 - 3½ feet), but keep a bigger distance to others.

[@blessingsoutlaw]

😹 Missed Mikey’s lovely interpretation of your outro…🎼

[@WH7117]

Great video, with smart explanations. As a German having lived for almost 11yrs in the U.S. it is nice to see, how to create more understanding for each other.

[@dianachin4849]

German guys are fine as hell! 💜

[@andreaseufinger4422]

We discussed with american about the drinking age. We agreed that it is bad to handle weapons when you are drunk. So in Europe, it is forbidden to have weapons, in the US it is forbidden to drink, so both are kind of safe ;). The idea behind the drinking age of 16 is to avoid that you start drinking hard alcohol when you first are allowed to drink alkohol. Hard drinks are allowed from 18 !

[@christophersmirnoff5222]

Short answer you probably shouldn't drink at all let alone before the age of roughly 25 because you are still developing up into your mid 20's. Drugs and alcohol stunt growth overall.

[@7Blake77]

Depends on the State

[@thorstensaccount1565]

There actually is a sensible reason why quoted prices in the U.S. don’t usually include sales tax. If sales tax were included, it basically would be impossible for businesses operating in multiple states to advertise. E.g., Subway couldn’t really advertise its signature “$5 foot-long sandwich” in the Portland, Oregon TV market, because the $5 sandwich sold on the Oregon side (where there is no sales tax) would cost $5.45 (or so) just across the river in Washington state, after figuring its 9% sales tax. In general, I agree that not knowing the final price sucks for the consumer.

[@dannynone2784]

Adding sales tax at the register also allows us in the US to see how much we are paying in sales tax- usually 5-9% A 20% VAT added to at the register would be shocking.

[@sebrastian]

@@dannynone2784 I'm pretty certain that all of the EU has a mandate for businesses to print the amount payed in sales tax (as well as the tax rate) on the bill. In Austria for example thats 20% on most things.

[@lisalee9182]

State I live in has state tax, county tax and city tax. They’re all different from town to town.

[@Brantoc]

Sales tax is shown separate for a few reasons. But my favorite is that you get to see how much you pay in taxes. It's not some hidden VAT that is hard to define, and changes for different products.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

If you can add the tax rate with some mental math, you can take it away the same way. But good that VAT is the same rate for everything, no matter where in the country.

[@lesterthompson6671]

But doing so would require that you know the sales tax rate. In many US jurisdictions the sales tax rate may vary on different sides of a street. Some states have hundreds of different rates for the scores of local counties, police juries, schools, fire protection districts, recreation districts , etc​@@HappyBeezerStudios

[@raymondmartin6737]

It used to be 18 to drink, being a college student in the 1960's, we had beer 🍺 in the student center, before it changed later to 21. The reverse is true of voting, which was 21, and later 18. Yes, I am tired of the big Pharma ads here too. The old tv ads were often more enjoyable. 😊

[@daviszach43]

When it comes to shoes indoors for Americans, it varies from place to place and household to household, but generally speaking, most people I've known didn't wear shoes indoors. However, I do feel that when it comes to visiting a house, there's kind of an "unspoken rule" to not take your shoes off if you're just an acquaintance/worker or are only going to be there for a few minutes. Taking off your shoes at a stranger's house is kinda considered rude because you're "making yourself at home" so to speak. Maybe this is just a California thing

[@lwalls]

I grew up in the midwest where most people had Northern European roots. This was absolutely the case. It would have presumptuous and rude to take your shoes off in someone else's home. Our homemaker mothers (including my German mother) would have rather swept and mopped a second time that day than request that guests remove their shoes and inadvertantly encourage someone to overstay their welcome (The old saying: "Here's your coat--what's your hurry?" as they're pushed out the door? I'm pretty sure is an expression created by a Northern European living in America. Lol). The sense I got when I was in Germany is that people just KNEW not to overstay their welcome, so they took off their shoes as a courtesy to the person who worked so hard to clean the floor.

[@bibbicus3942]

Lived in Germany for enough years to know that removal of shoes in a dwelling is NOT a cultural thing, but rather an individual thing. The anal retentive, control freaks are usually the ones that require it. Your nasty feet are dirtier than my shoes. It is a pain in the ass to be invited into a home with the caveat of removing your foot protectors. It has always struck me as a bit ironic when people try to protect their carpet. It's as if they don't know that carpet is the filthiest thing in your home...no matter how white and plush it may seem. I want my guests to be comfortable. Shoes on....shoes off....up to you. Personally, I am almost never barefoot.

[@parkerhanson4009]

I think you're right it's a California thing. Y'all have a lot of tile. In the north it's all carpet

[@itstrinick]

Californian here, I generally look at the other's feet in the house when I enter, and if they're not wearing "outside" shoes I'll ask if I should take my shoes off. Generally the answer depends on if they have tile, hardwood or carpet in the common areas. I could see it as presumptuous if you kicked off your shoes, but generally taking them off and placing them by the doorway is considered respectful in my expereience. I've done it and been told, "You don't have to do that! But thank you."

[@markmcgoveran6811]

You're right it is a California thing. In agricultural areas no matter who you are or who I am there's a good chance somebody stepped in something.

[@LaureninGermany]

I am so with you on number 8. I‘m Welsh, which makes me more outgoingly friendly than English people. I meet with distrust all the time, and it’s a bit depressing to be honest. Learn to take enthusiasm on the chin, Deutschland! It’s not the end of the world to be happy and grateful when nice things happen and you enjoy those. It doesn’t jinx it.

[@mojojim6458]

16. Don't be ashamed of being friendly to strangers. ;)

[@DarkHarlequin]

If it's any consolation: as an outgoing German who lived abroad I am also sometimes real tired of my fellow Germans passive agressive grumpiness as a default mode 😄 Tiny story: When I returned after a year in New Zealand I returned to Frankfurt Airport and (out of habit from NZ) smiled at the customs agents while I walked by, at which point I was promtly stopped and had ALL my bags searched because I was 'acting suspiciously' 🙄 Welcome back to Germany!

[@mojojim6458]

@@DarkHarlequin Passive aggressive grumpiness. Well said.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@DarkHarlequin people at customs and passport control in Germany are always under stress. And smiling at them is a strategy people try to use to throw them off... so you walked right into that one with being genuily nice to them.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@DarkHarlequin oh nooooo! I honestly hold back with the friendliness because I feel sometimes so stupid, but your story tops the lot.

[@pauljones2510]

It's not that private colleges and universities provide a better education than state colleges and universities -- for the most part, they don't. Rather, private institutions provide prestige and networking. The most significant factor behind the high cost of a college education is the student loan program. This is greatly increased demand, which drives up price.

[@rabbie1973]

I parked my car in the complimentary concierge parking. When I went to get my car back the young guy asked if it was a manual. He made me get it myself lol

[@jimmyhuesandthehouserocker1069]

There's something to be said about not going to college. My parents, especially my dad, did not want me to go to college, he wanted me to work for a living, so I was an electrician/mechanic, also known as maintenance, and with plenty of overtime and a union, I averaged around $100 K a year. But I have always have missed the nice college girls and spring break, though. I speak and understand a little German. I could have learned the fluent language from my grandparents, but when I was a kid, that was the old country 'n I didn't care.

[@ttintagel]

I started school in the US during the push toward metric conversion. Then one fall, I started class and suddenly everything was all inches and pints. Add to this that I lived near the US/Canada border, watching mostly Canadian TV, and to this day I get horribly confused. Like, just hearing the temperature doesn't tell me whether it's going to be hot or cold outside. I always have to look it up.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

The only thing I can do is feet and inches, and that only because there is some practical use when watching non-metric content. Oh and yards, which is like roughly 90 cm, but if that goes like beyond 100m/110yd I have no idea. And I know that 50 miles are around 80 km, because that is what the USAF considers space. For temperatures I have no idea, but every time I look it up, both make kind of sense.

[@crawdaddy6969]

I prefer Metric but I do like like Feet, Miles and pounds.

[@sinnyawesome7037]

Tbh, as a Turk who spent 3 years in the US, the only thing bothering me was- not taking the shoes off-. Others are relatively better, especially thanking all the time and the thing about sales tax Because in other countries people think that the government is running free. (no dude, we pay them all the time without even noticing)

[@mynamename5172]

Some of us take our shoes off! And yes, nothing in life is free. Nothing.

[@dzapper7]

To keep people feeling the pain of taxation and the cost of government is exactly the reason why sales taxes are not included in the price in the US.

[@sinnyawesome7037]

@@dzapper7 Absolutely! That is what makes the US unique!

[@rayo1883]

One thing Americans don't understand about Europeans: Their obsession with America.

[@WASRSASR]

The reason the USA doesn’t put the tax on Stamp is because the tax is different for almost every county

[@draganromcevic6337]

So?

[@Joe-bb7ok]

@@draganromcevic6337 So the automated price printing for chains would be needlessly costly to customize to multiple jurisdictions. But that’s not really the point. The bigger point is maybe broaden YOUR mind as a foreigner to the US (as suggested in the wonderful comment above about the benefits of travel) and pause long enough to see the legitimacy of the US mindset. A sales tax is nearly universal here and very few Americans are the least bit surprised to have it added to the bill. It’s expected. It also has the added benefit of understanding the inherent price of something versus the portion that’s being added by local jurisdiction. You have a more informed public, which can translate into political choice making (regarding taxation policy, for instance). The European pricing model lacks that, so you could say that it’s inferior to the American model. Sales tax added is as natural a mindset to an American (most) as a net price is to a European.

[@draganromcevic6337]

@@Joe-bb7ok Are there the same prices in every store - same price in rural Arizona or Oregon, and in LA, New York, etc?

[@Joe-bb7ok]

@@draganromcevic6337 If you’re trying to suggest there’s already customization, the answer is there’s far more variability in taxation than in base price. In my metro there are five counties with four different sales tax rates, but we’re one metro with one price structure. I’ve never seen base price differences within metro.

[@Joe-bb7ok]

@@draganromcevic6337 (And still the argument applies that there’s inherent merit in the US mode.)

[@23Domo]

So ive watched some of your videos here and there and notice that you and other american KZbinrs who living in germany focus a lot on the diffrences between america and germany/europe. Sure the small and big diffrences are interessting and I enjoy learning more about them, but did you consider to do once a video about what both countrys have in common? The influence of germany on america and visa versa? Maybe you did such video already and Ive missed it? For example: When I as a german grow up, american cartoons and sitcoms became more and more popular over here. And often you seen like a "Hallowen Special" episode in these. And I think because of these cartoons and sitcoms Hallowen in general become more and more popular in germany. Sure its not as big here as its in america (yet), but from my experiance it became bigger and bigger every year. Anyways, I better stop here now because my english isnt the best, but I hope you dont mind my small video suggestion and wish you a happy weekend and furthermore a lot of fun and succes with your videos. Greetings from Niederrhein

[@DarkHarlequin]

Yes. Please! We have a lot in common and sometime we overemphasize differences 😊

[@sonjagatto9981]

Hi Domo...your English is very good. May I suggest to write and speak anyway without the s at the ending. It sounds cheap. I used to do that in the beginning (living in Toronto, Canada) and someone corrected me. I married a Canadian many years ago. I miss my German lifestyle and I can say our lifestyle to America is very different. I love the cartoons as well. I could go on and on but better not because of my English. Please don't be upset with me...es war gut gemeint (nicht Besserwisser). LG nach Niederrhein in die unsere Heimat. Take good care of yourself. 🌍💚🥐☕🤍🌼

[@roncenti]

​@@sonjagatto9981 HA! Lets be fully German here and correct ourselves. Anyways is a word. Not in the perfect grammatical sense but its in the dictionary. Grammar and correctness is not as important in (American) English as it is in German. @Domo did write perfectly fine English except for a few tiny mistakes that have no influence on what he (she?) wanted to say. I am in the US for 25 years now and I made the same mistake to apologize for my English - And it was never bad - until enough people told me to stop that. It is a very German thing to hate bad German language. I am one of those. I find it torture to have a conversation with somebody who tries and is not good at it and I assumed it was the same for other languages but it is not. Every German intern who came over for a few month was quiet and I had to open them up by hammering it into them that NOBODY cares how good or bad the language skills are. And I am not really correcting you but psychologically, to correct somebody who is unsure or afraid to speak English without that person asking to be corrected does a lot of damage. It does the opposite and makes people more afraid to just speak the next time. Even if you say you mean well... And I know you do. Damage is already done in that persons head. Trust me. I have been training (German) interns for a long time and its always the same.

[@JMM33RanMA]

​@@roncenti The most usual mistake that both German and English speakers make is that the grammar of simple past and present perfect are switched. For example, I have eaten seems to be Ich Habe gegessen but it isn't and even Google translates it thus. [I think, but I may be confused as this confuses me as well.] Of course I learned German long ago, from an old teacher with even older books containing useful phrases like "Guten morgen gnädiges Fräulein," when it should be "Grüß Gott gnädiges Fräulein," I guess!

[@O.G.LIL-MAN]

To be honest..there are already alot of these 'similarity between US and Germany' videos out there

[@knighth2452]

Vacation days. American companies hate vacation days and try to coerce you to not use them. "Wait till the end of the year and cash them in." Weekends aren't even guaranteed off. If you wake up, you belong at work.

[@Steelhorsecowboy]

My wife's former employer wanted to pay her not to take a vacation.

[@Yataro79]

In Germany, paid vacation is not only guaranteed, it's also mandatory for you as an employee to take those days off. Good for family health. You are allowed to work, but only on your workohol issues.

[@brianboru2762]

The tax thing is because the sales tax on items can vary all the way down to the individual town level and sometimes the sales tax for gas can be different than the sales tax for groceries which again can vary down to the town level and most businesses don't want to bother with making a different price tag on each item at each location so they don't bother.

[@michaelgro5474]

OMG and I was complaining about three different three different VAT rates in Germany ... Rule over the thumb: Postal stamps: 0% Food: 7% Everything else: 19%

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Sounds like a tax reform in the US might be helpful. And I don't mean putting it on a federal level, but moving it to state level can already help. In the worst case you have 4 rates to take care of at any given point.

[@SidneyKenson]

Even if it can vary on a city level and different rates for different goods, don't print a price on the product, but add the applying tax rate to the price you hang on the shelf. Where's the problem? I mean the system of the cash register works on the article number coded in the bar code anyways and the actual price is drawn from the database from that. I must say that I love the German system that by law a vendor is mandated to show the prices with all taxes included on a consumer level. B2B prices can be and most of the times will be provided as net prices, but B2C it's a consumer protective law that the consumer instantly can see how much he has to pay for a good or a service.

[@SidneyKenson]

@@michaelgro5474 Newspapers and books aree also 7%, vouchers are 0%, and some nice other thing, ever wondered why the cashier at your favorite fast food restaurant asks you "Zum Mitnehmen oder hier essen?" Well, depending of that, the VAT rate changes. If you do it as a Take-away, it's sold as food at 7%, if you eat there it counts as restaurant service, and therefore is charged 19% VAT. Fun fact: Even if you eat there and say that you want to, they often hit the "OUT" button and technically commit tax fraud. Take a look at your next visit.

[@Joe-bb7ok]

@@HappyBeezerStudios Sales taxes are a state tax. There is no such thing as a federal sales tax (there is excise tax but that is not exactly the same thing, and it’s built into the marked price). Sounds like Europeans should open their minds to the possibility that a sales tax is not a bad thing, just different.

[@Pit.Gutzmann]

When I was in the USA and broke my camera I wanted to buy a new one in an electronics store. I asked the shop owner about different models within a certain price limit I had set myself, but there were no fixed prices. He told me: "this camera is so-and-so much..." and I said: "no sorry, I did not want to spend that much." I wanted to go and he followed me and told me a lesser price for that camera. Something that has never ever happened to me in Germany. Items cost as much as is written on the price tag. In the USA you could cut a deal! But afterwards, when we agreed on a price, the shop owner then put the tax on top of it! Not funny!

[@brentboswell1294]

Same thing in Malaysia, every price is negotiable, even in high end chain department stores 😂 It shocked me, as an American, when I experienced the art of negotiation everywhere on price. If you had walked into a major chain here in America (for example, Best Buy), you would have found the price fixed and non-negotiable, unless you are buying the "floor model" (which is the sample model that potential customers are allowed to handle before purchase).

[@CJ-442]

That’s actually really uncommon. If it was a small, privately-owned store, then it probably would’ve been fine since that guy was most likely the owner. Again, not horribly uncommon, but definitely not the norm to haggle on prices at an actual place of business (unless you’re buying a car). If it was a larger chain store like Best Buy or Radio Shack, you must’ve been dealing the manager. They’re usually allowed to change prices to take into account special circumstances, but one of those is NOT to try and make a sale. He was probably working on commission that day and wanted some extra cash. That or the stores sales were down.

[@Pit.Gutzmann]

@@CJ-442 yes, it was a small shop. And it was 1996, I think.

[@0910MK1]

Actually it changed in Germany some 10-15 years ago. Rabattgesetz or so. And in fact I once received Rabatt on a bag. But honestly it felt strange and I haven't asked again. 🙈

[@Octopussyist]

That is the strange 4hing about people in Germany is that they generally don't realize that the price tag is no more and no less an invitation for you to offer the seller that price. Legally that is what it is. So you may of course offer a different amount ... That wasn't always legal to do in a retail store, but it is now. Many haven't realized that, and people who grew up in a city usually don't know how to negotiate a price

[@troys6965]

Being of Italian-Irish descent, drinking alcohol was permitted at any age AT HOME. I don't know how my parents arrived at that policy. Alcohol was as accessible as cheese. And I think we sorta understood the good and bad side of both.

[@donaldist7321]

that's what it is like in Germany. Outside the home, nobody checks the age. So weird here in the US and they don't see that it makes kids use drugs. As a German working in the US as a university prof, I tell all my American friends that they have to make sure that their kids speak a European language so that they can send them to any European country and get a free university education that is much better than what we have here in the US. Insane what crap public "elite" universities ask and then they never put a research prof in the classroom, but hire crap practitioners or non-publishing profs.

[@robincaldwell2068]

great video - loved the background music!!!

[@thebigfs2330]

#nodaysoff gets even better-Some companies in the US (I’m familiar specifically with tech companies, but I’d be willing to bet it’s a growing trend with some other fields) are now marketing themselves to prospective employees as having unlimited sick/vacation days. Sounds great! Until you get into the job and see that the competitiveness with your coworkers/teammates and pressure from those above you means taking time off hurts your career and affects how your coworkers interact with you. Not to mention there’s also an increasing trend of the unspoken, but heavily felt more-than-eight-hours work day. But hey, they officially allow unlimited time off!

[@annamc3947]

We did this at my firm. Its mainly to prevent people from gaming the system and recording work hours when they are really on vacation. Then the firm has to pay them for all the vacation time they banked when they leave, which could be a lot of money.

[@JMM33RanMA]

One company I worked for, decades ago, allowed lots of time off if you paid the substitute worker, essentially splitting your salary but keeping your benefits. We really need to implement a more European system here!

[@BP-or2iu]

Law firms are notorious for this. Sure, you can take off whenever you want. As long as nothing important is going on. So… never?

[@noahremnek3615]

No unlimited vacation means the company trusts you to take a reasonably amount of time off. It doesn’t mean you get to take a 6 months vacation. Usually 3-4 weeks is fine.

[@thebigfs2330]

@@noahremnek3615 Thats one way to put it anyway.

[@boulbon08]

Beer consumption and age: the most weird thing happened to me when I was in new York some years ago. Among food for dinner, I wanted to buy two cans of beer in a supermarket. At the checkout, the cashier asked me to show her my passport. Upon my question why, she explained that for buying alcohol I had to proof to be 21 years old. Strange thing is that I had just turned 50 (f-I-f-t-y)! 🤣 I had left my passport in my holiday apartment, thus she refused to sell me the beer. It was absolutely ridiculous - it was more than obvious that I had passed my 21st year on this planet decades ago. I asked her to call her manager, who after a short examining look at me, gave his ok. I’m still shaking my head in disbelieve whenever this incident comes to my mind.

[@sanjivjhangiani3243]

Maybe being European, you were fitter and younger-looking than an American your age :).

[@krisvires]

Many of my European friends have dealt with this, the explanation is: in the US the law is that unless you obviously appear over the age of 35- they must ask for your ID. The reason why many businesses always ask for ID is that the penalty for not asking is a fine for the business, and if they are found to have sold to underage people, the business can loose its license to sell alcohol.

[@spondoolie6450]

Being a cashier in America does not require an aptitude for critical thought. In fact, the dumber you are the more likely you'll get the job.

[@drewmc2001]

The reason is, if they are caught selling alcohol to a minor, they may lose their liquor license - The Right to sell alcohol. That can destroy a business. To reduce this risk as close to 0 as possible, many companies require their employees "card" everyone, without exception. It didn't used to be this bad where I live. But over the past decade, it's gotten much worse, with every place you go to, carding you regardless of how old you are.

[@francisdec1615]

@@spondoolie6450 Nah, I have been asked if I was younger than 20 in a Swedish alcohol store when I was 46. Rules. But yes, it's probably not the brightest people working there neither in Europe nor in America.

[@charlesclark7350]

I was an army brat in Germany in mid 1960s and had a beer delivery account which was great I could call Kurts beer delivery and have couple cases of good German beer in liter bottles and heavy wooden cases delivered even though I was 12 years old. I could get a swig of beer but never got drunk. When I returned from Vietnam, I didnt have a drivers license and went to dry county in Arkansas to visit family and on way home I asked my mother to stop at a liquor store for a six pack of beer. I went in alone and clerk demanded I show id. The only id I had was military and I was nineteen so the cashier told me to get the fuck out before he called police on me (drinking age was 21). Humiliated and thoroughly pissed I got my mother to buy beer. I was naive enough to buy beer cuz a week before I was in a bunker with m-60 belt fed machine gun and I could buy all liquor I wanted not to mention heroin, opium,pharmacutical amphetamines, seconal, and dew (marijuana) I wanted. To be fair I still looked about 15 years old, but it still pisses me off.

[@yolomenschblubbert]

Liter bottles of beer are very rare in Germany, which brand are you speaking of?

[@charlesclark7350]

In 1965 liter bottles of beer with ceramic stoppers in wire bail were all I saw. Hofbrau was one brand of beer.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@charlesclark7350 Sounds like something very regional bavarian. They do that stuff down there. Most bottles are half a liter or 1/3 of a liter. (with the smaller bottles actually on the rise=

[@tonyhickq]

Old enough to fight for your country, but to young to drink a beer.

[@disgruntledtoons]

One would think that the bizarre complexity of American football would make it a sport that Germans would love.

[@paulkocyla1343]

This explained a few weird encounters, thanx. I got two more that explicitely hit me: The politeness of Americans. It´s such a big difference to Germany, especially the very west Germany, where people are comparably rude. I had to assume it´s fake and people just culturally are used to be that polite, but I don´t really get it. It feels good, though. It feels better than usual interactions in Germany. And even when I try to keep up, I still think I´m kind of cold and rude when beeing in the US. But a part of me thinks this is only a mask. And then there is the thing when you meet a stranger, and then they suddenly start to talk with you like you´re an old friend. I love it! I was extremely shy, but this actually helped me out of some uncomfortable situations and made me more open. Especially in airports or bars. Someone comes around, and you chat about stuff for an hour, drink beer, goof around or whatever. Very, very uncommon in Germany with strangers. What I also heard many times was "Hey, nice shirt!".

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

A good example is when you stand on the sidewalk with a map. In the US you would get asked if you need help, while in Germany you are expected to ask for help. We just don't talk to random strangers if we have no business with them.

[@sarumanork-orphanage5612]

In Germany you're introduced to beer at 14, it's legal to drink beer and wine when you're fourteen in the presence of your parents, so you'll drink wine with your parents, and then throw parties with friends and get hammered on stronger alcohol you're not supposed to drink yet. But age 16, you usually have tasted your way through anything that is cheap enough.

[@seamussc]

In the state of South Carolina, it is legal for a parent to give their child alcohol at any age, as long as it is consumed within the parent or guardian's home. I think many states have similar laws.

[@fungus1522]

Sorry but I know nobody in Germany that drinked beer with 14

[@sarumanork-orphanage5612]

@@fungus1522 my sister did. I have friends who went to school in Hessia, where they witnessed people smoking weed at 13 and snorting cocaine at 15/16. At school. I think that was in Hanau, but you will probably find similar craze in Offenbach, too

[@fungus1522]

Ok maybe I live in an area that is more „protected“

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Farenheit actually does make sense when you realize it was an attempt to build a system based on the human body. 100 was supposed to be body temperature, although they overshot slightly, and the freezing point of saltwater, which is zero Fahrenheit, is a really good stand-in for the freezing point of blood. Of course, nobody actually hears of this, and so of course, on the face of it, they think Celsius makes a lot more sense, but it is not as if there is not an equally sensible, rational explanation for Farenheit.

[@msar7044]

I once learned that Fahrenheit put 0F to the lowest temperature he could imagine, a very cold Danzig night, to avoid negatives. The freezing temperature of salt water depends on the salt concentration and thus varies. An yes, I also Heard- he wanted 1ppF to be the human body temperature, but unfortunately he had a bit of fever that day.

[@plfenzl]

Yah, no, Fahrenheit makes no sense to me even after 25+ years here in the US - originally from Salzburg, Austria. I still 'translate' it into Celsius. But the worst are ounces. I do not feel it 'visually' how 3 ounces of butter or cheese look like. But 100 g (or 10 dkg as we say in Austria) or any other stuff measured in grams I have the 'visual feel' for it, if that makes any sense. 🤪

[@eily_b]

No, it doesn't. I see that comment in every video about Fahrenheit and/or the metric system.

[@gillianbergh7002]

I can't think of a rational reason to know the freezing point of blood.

[@francisdec1615]

You don't use the body temperature at anything else than establishing whether someone has very serious fever or not. And the freezing point of blood??? But the boiling and freezing temperature of water makes is very useful. The only thing Celsius made wrong was considering 0 Celsius to be the boiling temperature and 100 the freezing temperature. But after his death other Swedish scientists simply inverted the scale. Today we know that 0 for freezing is absolutely right, because at 0 Kelvin there are literally no particles vibrating.

[@lilOspiCB]

Agree with you on manual cars. I live in the USA and have always had manual cars - Chevrolet, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Honda.

[@tommysellering4224]

When you are from sweden (as Iam) you are feeling cramped when you have any person closer than 5 meters. The joke is that: Finally the covid 19 restrictions are lifted so that instead of the 2 meter distance we can go back to our normal 5-10 meters distance! This means that social distance is absolutely NOT the reason for your loudness. I would rather go with what other (american) people I have heard talking about this, think is the reason. And that is the general noice level in the society. If you are in a place like New York all europeans will be astounded by the noice level even in a common store, coffe shop or restaurant. All humans tend to raise their voice when the surroundings are very loud, otherwise no one will hear you. When you are accustomed to that, you will probably be loud in general!

[@mynamename5172]

5-10 meters works great for me!

[@g1lb0rt1]

i like your reason for loudness better

[@someguynamedskivolich1782]

funfact. People used to find germans scary because they said we're talking loud and angry.

[@inkenhafner7187]

When voice chats started to become a thing I had my first voice with an US-American guy me and my boyfriend had chatted with two years before. So we talked in Enlish, then I had to ask my bf something he would not have understood in English and our American friend just laughed and laughed and said that I had changed from soft to machine gun in a second.

[@runenummedal6957]

​@@inkenhafner7187 Thing is, everyone sounds scary when they talk loud and angry. When spoken softly, German sounds anything but scary.

[@DouglasRichardson-er4ky]

... west Germans make fun of East Germans, and North Germans and South Germans also make fun of each other I used to laugh when I'd hear it lol 😆

[@magicsofa]

@@runenummedal6957 nah, loud angry Italians just sound like family lol

[@asymmetric101]

I think the reason sales tax is not included in prices in the US is because of the variation in sales tax per county, city etc. So for large stores that have a national/state presence it would be more complicated, costly to list different prices online based on where you are and/or having to print different labels and not making them standard across the country/state for their items. I agree it would be nice but I think that's the main reason :)

[@thiloreichelt4199]

It is simply that shops are prohibited to show prices without taxes. They surely would leave off the taxes if they were allowed.

[@BP-or2iu]

@@thiloreichelt4199 In the US the prices on many labels and products, especially for National chains, are already made. And the taxes are different in every city and county and state. So the company sends out a label with the main price and it would be silly to send out 20,000 different ones for each place they’re going to. Americans know the tax isn’t included. No one is being “fooled.”

[@rickschultz9589]

Where I live, there was a special .1% sales tax to pay for a local baseball stadium. Once the stadium was paid for ( took about 15 years) the tax went away.

[@dzapper7]

The real reason why sales taxes aren't included in prices in the US is so that the taxpayer is conscious of the burden of government upon them. You may note many nations that have hidden the taxes into the prices have much higher tax rates.

[@BP-or2iu]

@@dzapper7 This is just “A” reason, the “THE REAL reason.”

[@awg7068]

GenX here, love manual cars, I can do both metric and imperial, I am used to the 24 hour clock, and wasn't raised with 'chips', and my European grandparents trained me to wear house shoes once I am through the threshold.. Still and all, I have a very definite American 'personal bubble'.

[@crappiefisher1331]

the reason i heard when it comes to the price tags and adding the tax later comes down to the size of the US and that many states have different taxes. so for the vendor it is cheaper to print and distribute those price tags without added tax instead of having to print different labels for different states.. so one price tag basically fits all and the tax is added at the cash register according to the sales tax in said state.... where in germany the taxes are the same across all states

[@chlks5891]

That's the common but weak ass explanation every time this crops up. It's such an intuitive answer that designed to make you go, "oh, right", but really doesn't hold up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny.

[@jamesmcadory1322]

Even if that’s the case there’s nothing stopping individual states, counties, or stores from adding in tax. Some even already do in the US. It’s rare but I have found some places do sell items pre-taxed. This could easily become common practice since store owners know what taxes will be applicable to each item ahead of time.

[@jazsnydam389]

Dude! my first thought is, Oh Yeah. I live in Oregon and this is weird. But I grew up in Illinois and my understanding is that taxes can change and who wants to keep changing price tags? Also, this is also a political way of saying the state is making you pay this so vote and vote often! That's definitely a difference from Germany.

[@Raider_MXD]

I first drove an automatic car during my half year stay in the US and after coming back to Germany I switched to automatic at the first opportunity. Way more comfortable in my opinion, especially in combination with all the mordern driver assistance systems.

[@mescko]

They are not assistance systems, they are make-drivers-even-more-lazy-inattentive-and-generally-worse driver systems.

[@stretch___]

@@mescko Most Americans prefer automatic due to traffic. Lots of folks commute into the city which can be 30 minutes to an hour. Nothing worse than being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour driving a stick imo

[@gerardflynn7382]

Manual Transmission is the best anti-theft device in the US.

[@drdread9896]

I’m from America and you’re absolutely right about the chips and sandwiches BUT I have NEVER heard of a pb&j sammich with chips 😮🤨

[@grandmak.]

You can never be too polite ! It depends on your upbringing how much you express your appreciation . I'm of the generation that was brought up greeting people and saying 'bitte' und 'danke' and being considerate. About the shoes off thing : In my family guests never have to take off their shoes ( I 'd rather clean the floor after my guests are gone than having smelly feet in my living room). So it's not as common as you might think . Cars : I got my driving license in 1971 and learned how to drive in an automatic car which lead to an embarrassing situation right after my driving test because my boyfriend picked me up and told me to drive his car home. I had never shifted gears before and left the scene in a jumping car that made horrible noises, lol ! I'm sure the instructor regretted he had let me pass the test.

[@karinland8533]

In Germany if you do your driving test with a automatic car you are not allowed to drive a manual. Because it is much harder and it takes time to learn how to do it.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Hallo, grandma k.!

[@grandmak.]

@@sisuguillam5109 Huhu !

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@grandmak. Morgen! 😃

[@tasminoben686]

@@sisuguillam5109 Hallo Sisu - N'Abend again! XD

[@Mitch-BladeCaptain]

I lived in Germany for 3 years back in the 80's, and to this day I have to consciously remind myself to say Thank You more frequently than necessary. lol Coming back to the States was such a huge culture shock, which is funny, as getting to Germany and living was so comfortable. I also purposely didn't take very many clothes with me, because I was all into picking up the local attire as soon as I could. There was a lot of terrorism back then, and I wanted to meld in with the local populace as much as possible. Nothing like walking around looking like an "American G.I." in the streets on Nurnberg. lol

[@scottdetter]

Thank you is said more in America than anywhere else. Market economy not government

[@baronvonjo1929]

I say thank you all the time in Merica. I have noticed since I live in the south we say it more. Other parts of the nation seem a lot lot more rude in my opinion.

[@chucku00]

Even without electric cars, manual cars are getting less common in Europe too, due to the fact automatic gearboxes like DSG, PDK or EAT have become better than manual at fuel efficiency. And even some European sports cars are unavailable with a manual gearbox. Americans talking loudly can be annoying, but Germans talking loudly can be a bit scary... Many British, Irish, French, Italians, South Africans, Australians, Kiwis and Argentinians (among many others) won't agree about American Football being more strategic than Rugby. And about athleticism, elite American Football almost doesn't have players under 6ft (around 180cm) while it's way less uncommon in Rugby. The only shops in Europe where sales tax isn't shown in the price are professional shops like Metro, electronics, mechanics or construction material shops. The reason sales tax isn't included in US prices is because every state has a different sales tax rate (and Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax), so a federal law can't force shops to indicate the prices with sales tax included. Pharmaceutical ads are one of the reasons why drug prices aren't regulated in the US, and many lawmakers get legal bribes from "Big Pharma", that's also why there's currently a legal battle in the US about capping the price of insulin.

[@chlks5891]

The reason wholesalers like Metro and other B2B focused shops do not include tax in their display prices is that their customers usually are exempt from VAT on their purchases.

[@chucku00]

@@chlks5891 No, B2B focused shops customers pay the VAT but they get it back when they sell the product to their owbncustomer. It's called output VAT.

[@missourimongoose8858]

They never bring up the fact that Americans can't have the small diesel engines in European cars, if we could you know darn well Americans would drive alot more of them especially in the country

[@missourimongoose8858]

@@tspawn35 VWs diesels are illegal in the US, look up dieselgate if you want more info

[@patrickmccutcheon9361]

@@chlks5891 either exempt or they offset it with the VAT they charge from the goods they sell. Btw, I agree with comments on other football codes being just as strategic. Especially rugby which is closest to American football. Rather than referring to football as rugby plus chess, I would say it is rugby plus protective clothing and that rugby has evolved in the direction of football with players seeking contact in order to set up a second phase play. Previously it was more direct and the aim was to avoid contact and find the gap to breakthrough.

[@Paul-in-Viet-Nam]

Thank you for this video. When I was in the US Marine Corps at the age of 18, I could drink at clubs on base. I couldn't drink out in town, where state laws were enforced, so I stayed on base.