Are Germans Any Fun?
Germans are orderly and efficient. “Alles im Ordnung” and all that. There are rules and restrictions for all possible activities. So in an environment that is so regulated, is there any whimsy left in Germany? Find out in the Misconceptions edition of the Stammtisch Roundtable.
So the myth for today is “Are the Germans any fun?”.
The German culture is known for order and efficiency. The stereotypes of well run train systems and high engineering pervade. But does this mean that the creativity and whimsy is gone from the Germanic culture completely?
This is what they are known for.
Essen Spiel Fest
Many large board game producers are based in Germany. The largest convention dedicated to games and playing happens in Germany. In the city of Essen in October, well over 100 000 game players descend on Essen convention center. It runs four days long and on the weekend it is not just the geeks but also tons of families from Germany come to try out the newest games.
Advertising
Ok, so they play games. So what? That is a private at home kind of thing, right? Is there anything in public?
There is still a lot of creativity in advertising. This Pig-Kiwi in Berlin and an ice cream cone on a building in Cologne.
Festivals : Christmas, Fasching & Karneval
Ok, so there is a group of companies that are creative and daring enough to put it out there. What about the general populace?
Grown men and women in fanciful costumes jumping around making noise. There is even a group in Freiburg that has these great instruments that look to be welded together randomly. Festivals and the mirth and gaiety that comes with them in definitely part of German culture. Christmas markets and all that comes with is the center of most social outings in late November and December; honey and nun farts..
A part that when removed would make the culture no longer Germanic. The local festival even more than the national one is an integral part of local life. And in all of these festivals fun and enjoyment are encouraged and practice (ok, yes inside specific limits, but hey it is still Germany.)
Statues and Sculpture
Ok, specific times of the year, there is fun in the streets. What about stuff that is always out there to see?
Art and silliness exists in German art as well. There are so many little crazy statues in the cities, except they are often in corners and easily overlooked. Check out the great little door knob I found in Bamberg and a head of Beethoven in a Bonn Park.
BONUS: Hundertwasser
Although not German, Friedrich Hundertwasser is a good example of whimsy and creativity in a Germanic context. He was Austrian, although his work is definitely spread around the world. Just look at the Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna and say that isn’t whimsical.
Conclusion
It does seem that there is whimsy still in the Teutonic world. It may have been controlled by the rules, but it is still there. The society imagination that created the Grimm’s fairy tales is still alive in places. Maybe it is not as wacky as some places like Seattle or Venice, but there is a subtle rebellion to the order to be creative.
So despite not being able to build anything large or explode anything in an empty quarry, I would say this myth is Busted. The Germans are fun and whimsical in their own way. (Ok, sometimes you just have to look harder.)
This is a part of the February German Blogger Stammtisch. The theme of Misconceptions was chosen by Country Skipper.
March 13, 2013 @ 4:30 am
I have been to Germany a couple of times. The people are more reserved, however, after they found out I was from the US and not England they were very happy to chat. I spent most of the time taking pictures and my German( dutch lack) made communication hard. I hold myself responsible for many missed opportunities meeting new people.
March 16, 2013 @ 11:16 am
Germans are happy to chat just like everyone else, but as you say,need a bit more motivation to make the start.
Just take time to say hi and ask questions and people will talk. Once you have German friend you have them deeply and for life. It just takes a while to get there.
February 26, 2012 @ 9:15 pm
Great examples of how Germans are fun. I think Germans have the reputation for not being fun since they can take a while to loosen up until they know you, but when they do…watch out.
February 27, 2012 @ 10:11 pm
Maybe you are right. In comparison, Americans and Aussies are fun “right out of the box.” No assembly or pre-warming needed. Germans are perhaps more like Ikea build it your self, or a Chia Head where you have to wait. But just as fun in the long run.
February 20, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
My travel partner always made me smile with his sense of humor. I don’t recall hearing him really laugh out loud, but he always had a small smile, waiting for my reaction. When I did burst out laughing at one of his jokes, he said that my “American was showing” 🙂
February 20, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
Ha. Germans definitely laugh outloud, just need to get them drunk. It is a more reserved sense of humor, but your friend seems cooler than most. Humans are all different. He sounds like he has a good sense of humor though.
February 19, 2012 @ 1:09 pm
So if your tricycle were locked to that fence, you could well argue that you weren’t in a state of Ordnungswiedrichkeitlichtigung, merely living within the rules as stated. Very German indeed!
February 20, 2012 @ 9:30 pm
That or a unicycle. Or a horse. We definitely need to try such things and test out the flexibility of thought of the German bicycle police.
February 16, 2012 @ 7:47 pm
It’s interesting the stereotypes that Germans have. While the post is a bit tongue-in-cheek, there’s probably some truth to the stereotype – or at least enough to address it. 🙂
February 17, 2012 @ 9:36 pm
The post is not supposed to be sarcastic necessarily. I do mean it seriously that Germans are indeed fun. The title is totally sarcastic though. The fun is just more structured and sedate than, say, a wild Spanish beach fest.
February 16, 2012 @ 9:33 am
We met a German guy while travelling in Colombia and he said, “People don’t think we’re fun, but we are, aren’t we?” like a little puppy dog – of course we said, of course! The truth is, I think you can find examples of all kinds of people in any culture and I know some really tremendously fun Germans. My impression when we visited there was that many Germans have this hard shell on the outside but deep down they want to break out of that strict regimen that seems to exist over there (I remember our conversation about jobs and how most people in Germany are stuck in the same role for life because of all the training and stability). I certainly felt a warmth emanating from most people over there and Oktoberfest is certainly a great place to see Germans cut loose and enjoy themselves. I was also surprised by the friendliness of most people when we travelled around. I’ve only spent about a month there though so this is all just my perception.
February 17, 2012 @ 9:41 pm
The hard shell keeps you from getting bruised while working through the gears of society. Stability and expectations is still at the core of society, in my opinion. The wild abandonment of “big fun” leaves open too much for chaos. Although Oktoberfest perhaps could be an argument.
You definitely need to come and spend more time down here. There is lots more to see.
February 15, 2012 @ 10:44 pm
It’s true, we do have so many rules for everything in Germany, don’t we? It’s sort of weird. When you grow up with it, it’s normal and you just assume everybody lives like that 🙂 Foreigners that have been to Germany, tell me a lot of times that they were so surprised about how good of a time they had with all the local festivities, the national festivals, etc. Maybe we just need rules to structure our fun time? 🙂
February 17, 2012 @ 9:35 pm
The rules to structure fun is definitely part of it. A friend of mine remarked about the insanity of carnival being so different from normal. She mentioned that it is odd as in the prescribed time and structure to go wild and act insane.
I love the little local festivals. I like quiet and calm instead of chaos. So in a lot of ways, the German “structure of fun” fits well.
February 15, 2012 @ 10:22 pm
What a fun topic for a post! I found that Germans are very playful, despite all of the rules. In our little town, we had a Luft Museum, and even a Luft fest, all dedicated to enjoying the properties of air, with lots of fun and creative exhibits and activities. I also thought of sculptures right away, as you did. So many playful and or humorous ones around our town. Germans have a very developed sense of humor, whimsy and fun, in my opinion!
February 17, 2012 @ 9:33 pm
Thanks. Oo much ado about air. I think you are right about the very developed sense of humor. The subtleties are important.
March 1, 2012 @ 4:25 pm
I thought I’d post this clip that I think is a great example of the developed German sense of humor!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CFltd2838gc#!
March 1, 2012 @ 8:06 pm
That is pretty funny. Indeed the developed sense of humor to want to play with an orchestra like that.
If your German language skills are up for it search for “Tauben Vergiften im Park”. You should be able to find the original German from which Tom Lehrer’s “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” came from.