Germany needs to improve on these things
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- I love living in Germany, but it's not perfect. Here are three things I think could use some improvement.
Chapters:
00:00 About this video
00:34 Pub culture
02:38 Television
04:18 Tradesmen
Music:
"Hot Swing"
by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com/
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How can a Brit living in Germany, say "Soccer" without dying inside
I was going to comment the exact same... a Brit calling football "soccer". 😱
Soccer is the British term. As(soc)iation or Assoc football. Football is a colloquial term for that whole phrase. Just as Rugby is slang for Rugby Football. Football is a category of sport. Many countries have a "football." This is why he said soccer. I am German. In English I call it soccer unless I absolutely know it will not be misundertood. It is incumbent on the communicator to adjust to the audience to be understood. Don't be such an obtuse drama queen. It is unhelpful. People exaggeratin outrage on this topic are not being "intellectual" it is pettiness.
@@christiansrensen8330 Bro, nobody is outraged here we're just having some fun.
Obviously I won't hold it against Andrew, he seems to like football as much as I like ballet, but not true football fan in England calls football "soccer".
But since you went into linguistics, you're probably a prescriptivist while most people tend to be descriptivists. I know which of the two are usually the snobbish ones.
Because if he doesn't, every American watching this will say "It's calle soccer!" in the comment section, even though they perfectly understand what he means.
@@christiansrensen8330 "don''t be an obtuse drama queen". No one is being that. Well, except you, overreacting here. Also, it was perfectly clear that he was referring to a football game.
Griping about Germany is quite German 👍
"one of the extreme culture shocks was when I was living in Berlin" sums up living in Berlin
Yep, Berlin just sucks
"one of the extreme culture shocks was when I was living in Berlin" "by the way, i am from Potsdam" :P
Berlin: if Brighton was a capital city.
As a native Berliner I can relate.
He could’ve stopped right there.
I am from Hamburg. I went to boarding school in England, lived abroad a while and now moved back 10 years later. I agree with you. TV is horseshit here in DE in comparison. I hosted pub trivia in the UK. It is a full event for the ages. We could use a slice of that pub culture here. On the flip-side in the UK, I was irritated by the 75% switch to the metric system, but then these inconsistent exceptions. People who always use kg, and didn't even know how heavy a stone was kept saying, "I dunno exactly. I just know that's my weight in stone." I had friends who only know metres, yet told me they're six-one or five-nine. "I dunno what it means. I just know that's my height." It made my German logic and order melt into the floor with internal rage and crying. You nearly made it guys, you're so close. You're many 1.609km's better than the US or Canada. You can do it.
I had this story from canadians too. They also converted to Metric, but the weight of babies is still given in pounds.
Well, it's the same as Germans still measuring tubes in inches. And the pound is still in use, but the weight of the pound was metrisized.
@@holger_p *Metricated
In Canada, the government uses metric, but people generally use customary units in day to day. It has metricated very little. More than US, but barely. I am 38, I have never heard Pfund as a weight. I have only seen Zoll for bicycle height and TV screen sizes (because they are often American).
Kids turning 18 in Canada right now finally measure their height in centimeters. That's been one of the biggest milestones unachieved until now.
We are significantly metric, but yes there are still many exceptions.
@@christiansrensen8330 Pfund as a unit of weight isn't really that common, now that you mention it. However, at least where I'm from, its basically the only unit in whitch you weigh Gehacktes/Mett. Nobody says to the butcher "I want 500g of Mett", you say "I want a Pfund of Mett, or 1/2 Pfund or even 2 Pfund(also known as 1kg) of Mett"
Sacks of cement are often 50kg, wich is commonly known as a Zentner(derived from "centum" for 100 as in 100 basic weight units are a Zentner; back then that was the Pfund at 500g)
@@Retroxyl Everyone ever has said halbes Kilo or gram. "Where you are from" must be 1950. If you live on a farm and are 70+ then you probably use lots of outdated things.
I worked as an Electrician here in Germany. We were mostly our construction site most of the day and only have done 1 customer service a day, we rarely had urgent customer service stuff to do. Once in a month on a Friday we put every customer service work together, it was often stuff like hanging a lamp up, change a wall socket or install a new Intercom. Our First Customer were always the one which had an exact appointment, for the other we informed them, that we will call 30-60 minutes before we come to them, that gave the people enough time for doing there stuff and being at home when we were there, if it wasn't possible, we called someone else, if they are home.
Does that company still exist? Please? It's proving nearly impossible to find an electrician for standard maintenance work in Germany these days. If you're lucky, friends of friends will whisper a phone number into your ear, under provision you don't tell anybody where you got it from. I'm exaggerating, but only slightly.
I always thought, that was standard, because it was like this with nearly every service work I got. The tricky part in getting an appointment is, that it doesn't matter wich trade you are looking for, they're all called "Wagner" or some variety of "Claussen" or "Clasen", at least around here. So you have to pay attention to really contact the electrician "Wagner" for your new socket, not the roofer or the landscaper... 😅
Danke für die Erklärung.
I think we have to agree to disagree about Der Tatortreiniger. For me, it's the only show I can think of where I'd argue that the humor in the German version is more subtle than in the British one. Bjarne Mädel is playing the character with dry humor and understatement, whereas Greg Davies is a far louder and more imposing presence. (Which, of course, is also a result of the actors' very different physiques.)
For pubs, there are home-like places like the ones you describe from England, but in Germany they're the exception rather than the norm. I think you're most likely to find them in the Rhineland around Köln or Düsseldorf, but they exist elsewhere, too. (We're lucky enough to have one just across the street from us in Berlin. 😊)
Stromberg was also better than the office (UK and US)
@@maxbarko8717 This is a case where I‘m not familiar enough with any of the versions to have an opinion on that.
I do find it a bit silly that the German production company originally claimed that Stromberg was completely unrelated to The Office (before eventually admitting that it was pretty much a remake), but, of course, that’s a matter of business ethics and doesn’t say anything about the quality or entertainment value of the show.
@@maxbarko8717 Stromberg was different from the original - it felt like a well done cover version, tailored to the abilities and quirks of the group covering it. I wouldn't say it was better, but it was very successful in translating the idea into a german setting (which is something I like about the US version as well).
And there I am not sure about the Tatortreiniger - perhaps it is the case as well, and I am just missing it, but for me it lacked a certain dryness in the english version. And Bjarne Mädel is just a much better actor than Greg Davies.
Cheering on the football player? But it's on TV. They can't hear it. :(
he means, to show some enthusiasm about the game you are watching
to cheer if your team scores...you dont actually have to BE present at the game to cheer
in the UK people in the pub would be VOCAL...enthusiatic...
Und warum will man das Spiel HÖREN?
Der Kommentator schafft es nicht mal, das zu beschreiben, was da passiert.
@@roterfrosch5808 wha?..me no spreche
Don't tell that to the Italians. They scream in front of the telly like if they are at the stadium.
@@tiapina7048 😄am i right?
What do you mean, you are not complaining? You're German! That's one of the perks coming with the German passport! :D Go ahead! Complain! To everyone, about everything! :D
Everything you said is true, the only thing that a bit disturbing is that you don't like Tatortreiniger.
The Conversations are just perfect representation of a working class German dealing with a more and more complex world around him, but stays loyal to his pragmatic way of dealing with the world. His Points always make sense, he's humble and does his job while he just wants simple things like the woman who left him and watch Football. In his social Interactions he is authentically cold like Hanseatic people are. But the show is makes him show in his way that he is empathetic, cares for people and has moral values. Maybe Germans see themselves in that Character, because we live in a culture that often doesn't show emotion openly. Idk, I don't want to analyse the show too much, but Tatortreiniger has a deep understanding of German culture and a unique way of showing it. It is just honest and authentic.
Not even mentioning the unique way the show is dealing with the philosophical topic death in almost every way possible. I am not a film critic but Tatortreiniger had me laughing and crying within minutes. Tatortreiniger never tries to be funny and never tries to be philosophical, but still is both. Please do me a favor and rewatch Pfirsichmelba, for me it embodies the essence of Schotty and why he is likable. Or just give the show a second chance, for me it is the best show that was ever produced in Germany.
He did not say he didn’t like it, just that he foiund UK remake to be better, which maybe it is and maybe not, after all he is British, if it is a really good remake maybe it works better with him
The thing about tradesmen also applies to haulage companies. It's not unusual for them to arrange a huge time frame of when they might show up (like between 10AM and 6PM or something), but I've also had them show up *before* the arranged time frame, like at 7 in the morning. I know that scheduling this stuff is difficult when they have a bunch of stops to make, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating for the customer.
You don't have to apologize for complaining, complaining is a national pass time activity in Germany, but you probably already know that
These are all very true. Having grown up in very sociable Italy, it is depressing how few places there are in Germany to just sit down and casually hang out. :(
Other things that bug me about Germany are the government imposed closing of shops on Sundays and at night...
And the fact that our strike law is so antiquated really bothers me. Workers at big companies have some of the strongest unions in Europe, but you can only strike if a union is doing a Tarifverhandlung (working out a new collective contract with the employer). That means that workers at smaller companies (a gas station, a handyman, etc.) never have ANY chance to strike and apply pressure on their employer if need be. It's weirdly authoritarian...
Closing at night? Depends on the Bundesland. Bayern and Saarland demand closing at 20 h, RLP and Sachsen 22 h. All others allow 24 h opening except on sundays and holydays.
Oh my, the contrast with Italy would always be brutal.
As far as our TV Lineup goes, unless it's just an adapted format from the US, every TV show produced in Germany, for Germany, is very tailored to the exact same audience and experience. It's either:
- a dating show, where we make fun of sexually frustrated people being more stupid than we are
- a "Sozialer Brennpunkt" documentary, where we make fun of poor people being more stupid than we are
- a reality TV show, where we make fun of rich people being more stupid than we are
- a quiz show, where we make fun of our family members being more stupid than we are
- a pet show, featuring Martin Rütter, where we make fun of pet owners being more stupid than we are
Holy shit this is actually the quintessence of german tv!
And then there is political satire show where we make fun of politicians that are dumber than we are!
- a million expensive show which embarrasses stars from all over the world, members of the public betting that they can walk over mustard, oil, hit iron 16 times and Gottschalk plays the octopus. And when the contestant looses, some stars have to bathe in Mustard or walk in a chicken costume in Dusseldorf. What is that show?
@@AYellowPepper *where the editor cut footage from politicians making you feel that they are dumber than you. You can slander politicians when you like to. I prefer to look beyond the image.
Don't complain about German TV, it has had enough, it's already dead.
They used to be more entertaining in the 1970ies and 80ies. Look for "Bananas", "Zwei himmlische Töchter", "Klimbim" and more recently "Stromberg".
I have no TV for myself. The program is boring or strange, usually both. Or it's a thriller - and boring and strange.
@@michaelburggraf2822 That's true. Recently I watched an episode of Polizeirevier München 1 from the early 1980s. They had actual actors! They were acting while speaking their lines!
We have TV in germany? Hadn't turned it on for years. 🤣
But to be fair as bad as it is, it is not the worst TV programm in the world, Japan is somehow even worse, in my opinion. While there are hundreds of good anime, that would be worth watching, they are rarely on TV. And most other japanese TV stuff is just pain to watch.
@@michaelburggraf2822 90s animated movies where good too. Werner and the other one I can't say on CZcams.
@@michaelburggraf2822 That's true. I recently watched reruns of "Polizeirevier München 1". The had actual actors that were acting, even while talking! However, Stromberg is basically just a remake of The Office.
This is a healing video as a foreigner in Germany 😭😭😭
It's a whining video
Half and half I was expecting rewboss to start singing "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" X-D
I miss those old pubs in the countryside with open fire places.
I'm currently in south england for work and the pub culture is so phenomenal good, even in the little city we're staying at. I really wish it could be that good in northern Germany
I'm in England and go to Germany for my Kneipe fix - it works both ways!
I've seen reports, they go bankrupt on either side.
We've had a somewhat comparable pub culture in NRW (that's where I can it say with confidence at least) during the 60-80, lingering into the 90. It was a bit tied to the whole mining industry thing here, as many Kumpels liked to get their beer fix there before going home. From what I've experienced from the very tail end of this, they had a fairly "homely" atomsphere. Well, the actual atmosphere was made of coal dust and cigarette smoke ofc.
There was a little bit of youth in the 90s that used to visit these, but they very much declined shortly after and never quite lost the aura of older smelly drunk men. Only a few of these places still exist, and many have transformed into either fast food style dining, or being more like event locations.
The classic german Kneipe is halfway to a british pub, bot not really the same. A bit more focus on the beer and a bit less on the atmosphere, but much cozier than for example american "bars"
Maybe you were in a Sky (FKA Premiere) Sports Bar?
IMHO it is a bad idea to go to a german "Bar" when you looking for something like an british Pub. Seek for a "Kneipe", specialy those less hip but more country side and traditional ones.
In Spain you might even wait for your package the whole day in your home to finally receive a note that says "nobody was there, please come to the office to take it"
Happened to us here in Austria just before Christmas... The package was then no-where to be found. It only turned up again when the guy who sent it complained at the package-sending company.
@@fruzsimih7214 in Spain happens quite often that the guy bringing all the packages is too pushed by the company to deliver a lot of them in a short time, so they end up leaving a note without even trying just to get back to the office on time
As a German I totally agree to the point with the pub culture.
Oh, please. German Television is so much worse when you consider what we pay into it.
The BBC gets 4.310 million € (3700 million pounds) licence fee income and produces these shows known worldwide.
ARD gets 5.900 million € and most Germans will struggle to tell you what they do besides the news and "Tatort".
I at least enjoy the _Heute Show_ and _Neo Magazin._ Though for the rest I totally agree.
The BBC does have the advantage of producing shows in a language understood by a huge international audience, so they have an easier time justifying ambitious productions. That said, German media funding is also just a clusterfuck of perverse incentives and regional redundancies (because federalism). Not that TV in other European countries is typically any better. It's absolutely dismal in both Italy and Spain, from my experience.
There is a difference between production and broadcasting. At least in Canada, there is a world news channel by them. They only broadcast the news there. And nothing else. The shows are often licensed to other broadcasters or distributed by bluray or DVD. The domestic shows are often only seen by people who can receive freesat or their IP address can open the iPlayer. The BBC only license foreign content domestically, not for Europe, whilst ARD and ZDF license them for Europe. Most of the costs is rights.
As an American I wish we had British Pubs. I wonder how unique that is to the UK? We have some local bars and dive bars, but just doesn't have that same cozy social feel of British Pubs. At least the few times I was in the pubs in the UK. We always seem to have great social experiences at pubs. It could be that we were, "Clearly American Tourists," and that made people want to talk to us. One of my favorite memories was hiking (Rambling? In UK English I believe?) around the English countryside and we came across an Inn/Pub. A very posh sounding lady had an hour long conversation with my wife about dog breeds, while I just spent time with her two collies and drank some ales.
Pubs here have really died in the cities, but there's still the countryside.
The pub isn't just a bar to drink. It's a comfortable place where you can stay. A home away from home.
I think US has the problem of zoning and distances, or missing public transport. Pubs work best, if you don't need to drive home. In suburbs they are simply not allowed.
A recommendation for a great TV German show that also shows a very special kind of pub culture (Imbissbude) is "Dittsche", a live, largely improvised show. Good older ones are "Monaco Franze" and "Kir Royal", both set in Munich.
Thanks for the indices.
Honestly, I feel TV shows have gotten much better in the last 10 years or so. If you compare a modern „Tatort“ to one from the 90‘s, it becomes even more clear. We don‘t watch that much TV - and if we do, it‘s usually some sort of crime show that starts at 20:15h, so perhaps there is more effort put into these „primetime“ shows than others.
As for pubs go, you‘re right: for the most part, it‘s the Irish and British pubs I tend to visit here. On my quarterly trips to London, I really look forward to getting a couple of pints in the local pub!
Well, good luck finding a pub at all around here these days, let alone a nice one.
Well to be fair, Kneipe would be more similar to a pub than a bar. And there definitely are great pubs in Germany; I go to karaoke at an Irish pub every Friday.
I've been to Ireland last year with some friends and although I don't want to start a discussion on the english vs the irish, I think the pub culture is way more similar than it is between germany and the UK. That being said it really is so unbelievably inviting to come into a proper pub for a pint or twelve. In my city there are a few pubs as well and they're usually my go-to whenever I meet up with friends and we want some beer, aside from the breweries here, but the "culture" is somewhat lacking.
If I'd open a pub there would be a no-football-broadcasts-rule in place. Since I live in a city with a football club in the 1. Bundesliga whenever they're having a home game it's absolute madness in the pubs and they're usually out of question for that night. I know a lot of people that would appreciate this rule.
Agreed! I didn't feel that much of a difference between going to the pub in Great Britain and going to the pub in Ireland (I'm leaving out Dublin & London bc capitals are often the odd ones out). But going to a pub or a Biergarten is nice but not the same. Unless you bring your own friends/family/partner/whatever, it can feel very lonely in Germany. But in Britain or Ireland there's always someone you can have a wee chat with.
We have no pubs, but especially in the countryside used to have "Kneipen" and "Gasthäuser" having a much more homely athmosphere than a bar or even a sportsbar. A lot of those closed down over the years, and a few more during the pandemic, so...
TV-Shows... I think it is undisputable that the British do great TV Shows (even if they also produce - well, trash. IMNSHO.) If you ask me, they are the best in this genre.
And Germany.... well, we tried. We got "Derrick", though, and for some reason, the world seemed to love this. Maybe because it was so - un-edgy. :)))
As for the Tatortreiniger, I'll have to disagree and blame this on a different aquired sense of humour.
German TV "humour", if you might call it such, is everything but subtle. It's more like "Kasperletheater" for grown-ups. Sometimes I think that the reason for this is that sense of humour varies somewhat with region, and sometimes works best in the local dialect. So what was, for years, presented as humour on German TV was the lowest common denominator between all these various regions, and hence, very simple. (In addition, in post-WWII-Germany, sharp political witticism was somewhat frowned upon. There was a lot of harmless shenanigans being shown that woud not hurt anybody save good taste.)
The Tatortreiniger is an example of subtle German humour, but it works best for those familiar with the cultural references w/o having to think twice. (The same is true for some local British shows, which work for me on one level, but work on 2 or 3 levels for a British audience.) And the main cultural references for the Tatortreiniger are Norther German, as I think the show is located in Hamburg. So, for me as a native Northern German, it feels "like home" in a way a British show (or even a show from Frankfurt or Cologne) would never do. And I suppose for you it's the other way round. For me, the Tatortreiniger is perfect as it is, as it presents Northern German humour at it's best - mayhap the problem is that even other Germans claim that Northern Germans do never laugh or do not possess any sense of humour at all. So it might be hard to spot for outsiders. 🤣 (I am just guessing.)
In Dresden, I really like Paddy Foley's Irish Pub, near the cinema "Programmkino Ost".
Nice, next time I visit Dresden I'll try
100% agree on the pub culture..
going to a german Kneipe on a weekday will get you weird looks from people you know..
Used to be different though
The pub atmosphere I have noticed. I remember my experience in Munich. To the point I felt the barman wished he had more Irish people. Probably due to us drinking more but we where also chatting more with him then most people. I can't imagine working a bar and sitting in near silence.
As a brit still in the UK your idea of pubs isn't too far from the truth. Example the other day I went for a long walk in rural Yorkshire and was welcomed into the pub, despite my thick London accent the Publican began catting to me.
I thought Brits were just as touchy about talking to strangers as Germans?
@@mark9294depends where you are in the uk. Here in the north of England we tend to talk with just about everyone. Nightmare for an introvert like me. But if you go to the south east people tend to be less chatty. London is definitely the least chatty place to strangers in the uk imo
@@mark9294 They're not. They're usually far *worse* about it, but the pub is one of the few zones where that doesn't apply. It might be because the English are still human and need interpersonal contact, but their general social restraint requires them to have designated areas for that purpose.
I've been struggling for years, trying to convey to Germans how much better many British pubs are than their German equivalents. Or at least how much more welcome I feel in them.
One of the first things that fascinated me about them was that they are usually not only classless but also ageless. That parents and their children and sometimes even the grandparents frequent the same locals is pretty much unthinkable in Germany.
Sure, cause you go to the pub, to escape from wife and children, to avoid seeing them. Whereelse could you go for this? Today to the gym maybe.
Die Situation in der Bar kenne ich so nicht aus Deutschland. Das scheint eine Ausnahme gewesen zu sein. Normalerweise kann man sich in Bars auch während eines Fußballspiels unterhalten wie man will. War das vll. in einem Dorf, wo sich alle Gäste kannten und sich dieses Verhalten mit der Zeit etabliert hat? Merkwürdig....
Ja, sagte er doch: Berlin ;)
@@buck6365 Ah, ok, das hab ich wohl überhört. Jetzt find ich's noch merkwürdiger. 🤯
Perhaps they were speaking in English, or just in front of the TV screen.
Hab ich mir auch gedacht. Gerade Fußball-Fans gelten ja jetzt nicht als besonders schweigsam und ruheliebend und dann noch in Berlin???
Außerdem gibt es in Berlin massenhaft gemütliche Bars und coole Locations. Da macht das Beispiel noch weniger Sinn. Ich meine, ok, er wohnt in einem Kaff bei Aschaffenburg, da ist natürlich tote Hose, aber das gilt ja nicht für Großstädte.
Ich finde es auch sehr ungewöhnlich. Vielleicht trafen sich Landsleute der einen Mannschaft, bei denen dieses Verhalten üblich ist. Wenn ich in Ruhe TV sehen will, bleibe ich zuhause.
(2:07) That reminded me of when I was at a McDonald's (in Singapore) that had a TV where they'd screen Premier League and FIFA World Cup matches. At the time (this was around the late 2000s and early 2010s, so third-party food delivery services weren't a thing and I was still attending school). With time zones, whatever is on in the afternoon in Eastern Europe tends to be on at night here. I was trying to do some stuff on my laptop, but the restaurant was extremely noisy because of all of the football fans talking and screaming "GOAL!!!!!" at the top of their lungs.
(4:19) I can relate, but with receiving parcels. Courier companies, at least Ninjavan, would quote a large time range within a day but in a way where I know the parcel is being delivered on that day or the day after. My workaround for that is to allow drivers to just leave parcels at the door, which I can do because of where the entrance to my flat is located (I live in an older HDB complex that was built in the '80s).
I like ‘Kudamm 56/59/62” show a lot. One of the rare German shows I enjoyed when I was learning German. It’s free to watch on ZDF
I lived in Munich for several years so I don't know if it is the same in Berlin but it sounds to me like younger you and your student friends were in a Sportsbar. Yes, I agree that it is not an 'English-style' pub. I think it is an example of Germans just being precise, as always. Kneipe were always my favourite places for a sit-down meal and a beer and they're plenty 'warm and friendly'. I notice that LEO doesn't translate 'pub' to 'Sportsbar', either.
Two Irish Pubs I used to go in Munich were quite noisy: Kennedy's and Killian's
Yeah, a Kneipe is probably the closest thing to a pub we have. They can be cozy and comfortable, and many have a toaster, so you can make sandwiches :)
I'm curious...are handymen actually on time elsewhere?
Please report back, fellow viewers!
I'm in York (UK), for the most part they are either on time or they let you know they are running late.
The Netherlands. I thought this was a worldwide problem. It has improved somewhat over the years, especially with communicating that they are delayed or even better, letting me know an hour in advance when they will be there.
Mate, here in Australia, the "tradies" behave in the same manner as their German equivalents. Many Aussies now do most of their own repairs, only calling on a "tradie" where one needs a certification (like electricial work or plumbing) to do so. And the buggers here "charge like wounded bulls" as well!!!!! After all, one doesn't need to be a "Rhodes's Scholar" to do a lot of this work - between CZcams videos and material available in hardware stores, one can successfully execute 90% of the repair work!!!!! Grüße aus Australien. Tschüss.
@@stephenlee5929 Mate, I visited York in 2019 and it is a lovely place. I'm not surprised the York "tradies" are polite as I found the locals very friendly. Grüße aus Australien. Tschüss.
In the US, you get a 4-hour window when they'll just show up.
_If_ you're _really lucky,_ they'll call 5-10 minutes before they show up.
German tradesmen are also not averse to cutting corners; they do like to save on material costs. And because they provide such detailed quotes and invoices, you can also see where they overcharge, again, particularly on material costs.
Regarding pub culture, try some pubs in the Kyffhäuser Str. In Cologne. They are much more of what you want. 😉
And you are my favourite English descending Kartoffel on CZcams.
Bars like this were totally normal but over time they have nearly all closed down
Totally agree with all of those, Andrew. After over thirty years in Germany, the pub is the only thing I really miss
4:07 Wait a minute. I’ve watched the first episode of The Cleaner and I thought Greg Davies’ acting was so over the top it felt like satire. Is it just the first episode or do I conceive it this different?
I totally agree on the tv shows, it’s just detective/crime shows that are not that different from each other. Maybe they saw the international alternatives and just gave up…
And I have to say that Babylon Berlin, for me is trying too hard by now, it could be three separate series that would still have very detailed plots.
Something I (as a German) would like to see improved is casual politeness. Like saying „excuse me“ or „thanks“. A good example might be the London tube announcement vs announcements in German trains.
1. Pub culture, and people watching television there?- No idea, I usually don't go to pubs/bars, and don't watch television.
2. Television shows? - I didn't have a TV since forever, can't comment.
3. Reliability of Tradesmen? - I guess that is somewhat true. But it very depends on the person, and how they are planning their work.
Come on, "Tatortreiniger" is way better than ""The Cleaner"!
'I won't interrupt your work by phoning because I was brought up with manners.' -- Such a very British thing to say. No-one in Central Europe would think anything about phoning the plumber, ESPECIALLY if he's already hours late!
They don't call it ‘public viewing’ for nothing
I agree with those, especially the pub culture in Britain. That's what I miss the most (although the nice pubs appear to be becoming scarcer. Of course British beer is also much better than the fizzy, cold stuff sold in Germany.
A sports bar? Personally, I'd avoid those like the plague. There are enough nice non-sports bars. (And of course, even those are not exactly like a British pub - I don't know if you noticed, but Germans and Brits are not exactly the same, and their culture is ever so slightly different.)
Interestingly, the pictures you showed strongly reminded me of alpine huts. There's something with a heap of people (who all are interested in the nature around) in a really isolated location, and I don't mean Agatha Christie.
I can agree with most of them. But the thing with the pub is, that has mostly to do with german soccer-culture. When there is no soccer on the TV. then it would be lovely.
When there is a german movie, I'm hesitant looking it, because the actors could mumble or so and I could them better, if they are dubbed. There are good movies ("Das Jesus-Video"), and great series ("Raumpatrouille Orion"). But nowadays they are horrible.
The appointment of a mechanic sometimes is so vague, that they could say, that they come between 8 am and 4 pm. But mostly my appointments were met quite good. It even was once, that the mechanic was half an hour early. I was happy about this, because he should come at 12 am. And so he was ready at 12 am.
I agree with the second and third one. Can't really say much about the first. I watch mostly englisch speaking shows, because of the lack of good german ones. There are a lot shows about cops investigating crimes, but i wish there were more variety.
I'm so sorry your first pub experience was something as awful as this lol. I had a pub in my hometown that felt just like a second home. Knew everybody in there, lots of banter with staff and owner, it was great. Covid killed it, unfortunately. I much prefer german pub culture to british. When I first went to London I was utterly confused with how pubs work there. You're not served, meaning if you leave the table to grab a beer or 2 your table might just well be gone, taken by other visitors. Happened to me and was very irritating. That's honestly my main gripe with british pubs (other than the beer, but acquired taste and all).
For what it's worth "Der Tatortreiniger" is a great show. It could be one of the GOAT shows and it still wouldn't hold a candle to Greg Davies' rendition though. Just nothing can quite compare to that man.
Just three things? I'm quite sure you'll post at least 100 more videos about this topic, right? I was born and grew up in Germany but don't live there anymore and it was probably the best decision of my life. One major thing about Germany: All people behave like dull robots. Social interaction: 1/10; ability to improvise: 2/10; creativity 3/10; sense of order (and reminding everyone who behaves outside the strict norms) 10/10 . You can apply the robot feature to all of the things you mentioned, btw.
They are not bad people, but they behave like autistic robots.
Well-stated Andrew. It's the same in the states here. We live now in an age of mass communication and people still don't return a phone call. What gives? Do they really not give a crap about their jobs or you at all? It's quite frustrating.
I'm surprised Der Tatortreiniger got a UK remake and didn't jump straight to Hollywood ("CSI: Site Remediation and Cleanup").
I feel like Rewboss decided to do this episode so he could rant about tradesmen after a particularly bad recent experience. We have all been there mate.
I have to disagree with you on the quality of Tatortreiniger vs The Cleaner. I really enjoyed every second of the german version but I couldn’t get into the English one. Although I like Greg Davies almost as much as I like Bjarne Mädel, it just didn’t feel right.
That said, what I really miss in Germany are all the great panel shows that exist in the UK. Not only Taskmaster but also 8 out of 10 cats (does countdown), WILTY, The big fat Quiz, QI… Talking of quizzes, I’m still waiting for a German version of Only Connect.
Totally agree on both points but I also think if German TV execs tried to give us panel shows that could easily turn into a nightmare I'm not prepared to deal with. Imagine Mario Barth, Thomas Gottschalk, Till Schweiger and Dieter Nuhr on a panel hosted by Barbara Schöneberger.
Agreed on all👍
Tatort (all versions) and Babylon Berlin are exceptional.
I don't agree on Tatortreiniger. German's much better. Try to watch 'Der Pass' as well. Anyway agree with your points! Thanks!
All points granted.
I know what you mean. In London there are pubs where I could be for hours. Here in Berlin you can forget the pubs. Not so cosy like in London.
It's very much a Berlin problem. Of course, in an arrogant and unfriendly city the pub culture is exactly like that. Also you didn't even go to a pub, but to a sports bar which has the sole purpose of watching football not necessarily together with other fans, but without having to pay for costly subscriptions. The Wirtshaus in Munich, the Altbier-Kneipe in Düsseldorf, the Kölsch-Brauhaus in Cologne, all those Weinstuben in the wine regions, those are great regional alternatives to the British pub.
@@bibliopolist We in Berlin love being unfriendly. If you can't cope this than you should stay outside of Berlin. I remeber that a colleague told me that I should keep meine Berliner Schnauze. Moron.
You have now made me want to take a look at German tv to see how bad it is!
The thing with tradesmen is quite universal. I live next door to you in Poland, and here it's also impossible to get an actual ETA. In our case it's probably due to the lack of competition - we're suffering from a massive shortage of skilled tradesmen, so they aren't incentivized to care in the slightest. It's really weird when a dentist who makes like a half a million per year has her assistant call me anytime there's a hold-up of more than 15 minutes, but a plumber can't be bothered to text me about the fact that he's going to be 4 hours late.
The only German TV programme I have seen lately that was properly done was Davos 1917, and that was a co-production by the swiss and Germans
The German shows I know are die alte and tatort. Both were high quality, imo. There was also a detective with a dog. That was the favorite show of my mother’s dog. He didn’t miss one episode.
If the show with the dog is Kommissar Rex, that was and Austrian show.
Yeah, the tradesmen thing really varies a lot. My parents are still waiting for their solar panel installation, which was supposed to happen a week ago. So far not one call or information.
I make my appointments early in the morning, for a time when I'm actually still asleep, because I work late and then I just let them wake me up. Yeah they'll have to wait a minute or two before I'm opening, but once you said "Hold on sec." on the Intercom, it's not like they are going to leave.
Works especially well with large deliveries like furniture etc., because they usually call about 1 hour before the time they actually arrive. Of course they don't want a failed delivery either and to have to take your items back to the depot. Especially since it's loaded in reverse order of unloading and they'd have work around my stuff all day. So I just let them wake me up with their call, take a shower and have some breakfast and then they arrive...
I agree with the Television quality. I think the main reasons why the shows are dull are:
(1) The public boradcasters lack innovation due to their fragmented regional structure and while the independence of the broadcasters is admirable, that also means they do not have to justify their lack of programming innovation. So despite having a greater budget than the BBC, they produce an enormous quantity of the same stuff. But no Doctor Who. After the BBC's success of resurrecting Doctor Who it could have been an option to make a new version of "Raumpatrouille" - a classic German sci-fi show that many still love - but they did not even consider it.
(2) While shows produced in English, French and Spanish can be sold to large foreign markets, that is not true for German shows. They have to sell well in Germany + Switzerland and Austria and the latter two manage to have even lower quality TV. So there is a lack of marketability. And there is also a cultural divide. While e.g. Canadians, Australians and Americans might understand jokes made in a British context, they know a lot less about Germany and therefore any reference would be lost.
(3) Most TV viewers (non-streaming) are 65 or older. And they are dying out. So nobody of the private broadcasters is willing to invest in innovative interesting shows as you won't get young viewers anyway and the old people won't watch it either.
If you want a nice pub experience where it's like you're at someones home just visit one of the "Trinkhallen/Wasserhäuschen/Treffpunk/Bahnhofskneipen". The very ones people warn you about to never go there because the place is full of drunks and broken old white men. They ARE full of drunks and broken olde white men, true. There's also not a single place more accepting and heart warming and inclusive and just all around friendly. After your third beer. First beer: weird stares, second beer: general grumpyness, third beer: you're the brother I've always wanted.
Life on Mars ❤
Tatortreiniger❤
Babylon Berlin ❤
I fully agree about pub culture but what you said about TV is a bit weird. German TV sound engineering is excessively pristine. My daughter is living in the UK and we argue about this. She hates German TV and cinema sound because it is too clean and lacks liveliness in her mind while I prefer German sound engineering because it is easier for my older ears to understand. The reason I could imagine why one would say what you said would be when talking about scripted reality shows on trash channels like RTL II.
I am living in a tri-lingual environment (German, English and French) and have access to German, Austrian, Swiss, UK and French TV. I generally find German TV the least bad of them. UK TV is packed with soap operas, boring reality shows and the millionth rerun of Midsummer Murders. I can't stand French shows. The acting style is either pretentious (for dramas) or clownish (for comedies). The main German TV channels aren't much better. But there are many additional channels run by the public broadcasting corporations that produce excellent educational content.
in Hungary deliverymen call you 15 minutes earlier, if you are home, or they shall skip you and come back later, lots of my delivery are here without even ringing a bell, if there is an option just leave at the door, i am happy, but if i cannot check this option with the order, it is so much stress: i was at home, and my package went back, only a paper got to me, that the deliveryman was here, but couldn't reach me... i mean a call would be nice, like in Hungary, but not even bothering to look for my name and ring on the bell?
Since corona and 'contactless delivery" that's actually established in Germany too. The need for signatures was abandoned.
@@holger_p i heard rumours, they have strict delivery schedulde with bad salary, but it is hard to believe, they are paid less, than the Hungarian ones...
@@konroz Yes, since you need no education/qualification, it's lowest salery, that's normal. There must be jobs for unqualified too.
There is no strict schedule, in the idea the client knows when they come.
There is just a computer giving the route and saying "you can do 30 parcels in 3 hours.
If you need more, without a good reason, it's your fault.
But it's on the edge of beeing legal, if the contract is fixed per hour, not per parcel.
I only ever watch German made TV shows on the public networks, and I'd say the acting and production values are pretty good on the whole. The scripts, not so much.
Much of the time they play it safe and avoid anything that the assumed boomer audience might find hard to swallow. But some Brit shows like Midsomer Murders (fairly popular here) are like that as well.
That is why the public broadcast streaming portal is full of british and scandinavian series. 😂
I so fully agree with you about the quality of TV shows! Actually, I have given up watching TV altogether. It just isn't worth the electricity and time anymore. And you just scratched the surface of what still counts as first world problems. The grudges I hold against my home country Germany go much much deeper.
Agree!
People could be bit more open and approachable - as you mentioned the formalities. People to be a bit more relaxed. My opinion after 18 years living abroad
I've noticed that the old-fashioned Kneipen in FfM and Hannover have dried up in the last 25 years. They knew I wasn't German, although I speak it, and never gave me any grief. They stayed open until you gave up. No "Time, gentlemen, please." A few places still exist. They rule at that.
The worst thing is taxation - it's a nightmare if you're an expatriate.
It's hard to pick out any more negatives - before 2020-2022, anyway - that's why I lived there for so long.
Hmm, in vielen Bars ist es oft umgekehrt, weil es so laut ist wenn ein Fußballspiel übertragen wird. Gut, manche nehmen Fußball sehr ernst und wollen nicht gestört werden. Aber dann sollen sie halt zuhause schauen.
The comedian Konrad Beikircher once claimed that the Rhineland tradesmen actually invented their own grammatical form "Zukünftige Vergangenheit": "Ich wollt ens jestern schon jekomme sin"...
My guess would be that this behaviour is a combination of a few issues. For a long time now, white collar jobs have a far better reputation than blue collar jobs, they are less physically taxing and used to be paid better. For the last 30 years, I have heard a lot of small independent businesses complaining about how difficult it is to get new employees and apprentices. This lead to a drastic shortage of qualified personnel. Combine that with the overbearing German bureaucracy and you end up where we are now. I called a plumber and they told me on the phone that they're not taking new customers at all because they're booked out for the next two years.
Using a bar in Berlin to characterize pubs in Germany could be a bit short-sighted.
100% agreed
I _especially_ agree about German TV shows and the painfully wooden acting therein. This is also the reason why I cannot _abide_ watching dubbed shows or movies anymore - because the actors they get to dub the lines into German sound like they're the ones who weren't even good enough to make it as extras on _Lindenstraße!_
But just a little, yes? Let's not go crazy here.
Agree I was in Ireland for one week and now i know that gemany has no pub culture
To get decent pubs in Germany, we heavily rely on the Irish. Those guys know how to make you feel at home.
I am really not sure about the quality of the TV shows - I really like the ideas but somehow the british productions have a hard time adding a good second season and tend to become a convoluted mess (like Sherlock, Utopia or Broadchurch), which essentially puts them on par with German event series (or as one would call them now: Miniseries), which right from the start are meant to end after the last episode.
I mainly miss panel shows - while there is a growing number of TV quizzes which focus more on commenting on the questions than the answers, there is hardly any which lacks a structure as much as QI or NMTB. Harald Schmidt had a show "MAZ ab", which went into a similar direction and where the scores were given without much of a clear concept, but the audience did not really get it.
TV Budget of the BBC is better, cause they sell their shows worldwide, without any need to translation. For German shows to do so, they have to film in English, to be accepted on the international market, which doesn't accept dubbed shows. One writer ones told me, Germans like it explicit, the story is explained, every possible upcoming question is answered. That does feel unnatural sometimes, but at least you get the story.
regarding the TV shows, it seems that in Hetmany finding the common denominator and not offending anyone is the main goal of the shows. It is like food at the canteen at work. If you make a tasty and spicy curry a big portion of the employees will not like it and will complain. So you end up with bland food that nobody can complain about and that nobody really enjoys.
Pretty spot on. Kneipen have no culture to speak of. German TV sitcoms and dramas are terrible (including and especially Tatort.) I don’t have a problem with plumbers and electricians, because they are contracted through our huge co-op, and the contract is so important to them, they’re always on time. Living in your own home or in an apartment owned by a “small” landlord definitely has its drawbacks in Germany.
Tell your mechanic to look into Fieldcode.
Customer service is horrendous all across different professions and it's largely due to not having any expectations for it plus lack of workers let them get away with it.
I totally agree about TV. I have a similar opinion about most standup comedy and movies in Germany too. They can do it well. They just don't for some reason.
German movies are just German TV shows that someone has flattened with a steam roller.
The traditional German form of stand-up (besides schlock like carnival speeches) is political cabaret, which does have a number of good artists. Anglo-style stand-up in Germany tends to be pretty derivative because, well, it is. It's imitating an art form recently imported from abroad.
@@HeadsFullOfEyeballs Yeah, matches my experience as well with respect to Kabarett. There is some decent sketch comedy too. But most stand up seems like what hackneyed American comedians were doing like 20 years ago. As an example, someone like Mario Barth feels like an Aldi version of Bill Burr in the 90s
The thing it needs to improve (or rather change entirely) on the most is the law.
Laws in Germany are bloody insane.
A judge ruled that my mother has to leave the family home after my so called father beat and berated her. The reason: It's "his house" (he's the one on the title, whereas mom is the one actually paying the bills. Double whammy).
Now said "father" is demanding alimony. Again, after he stole from and abused mom and me for YEARS and cheated on her with a hooker he's still convinced is in love with him. Furthermore, he wouldn't need alimony if he hadn't consciously chosen to stop working a year ago, so he could "make himself poor" (his own words) and not pay my mother alimony.
Any civilized society would just throw that "man" on the street and give my mother the ability to live out the rest of her life with dignity.
No way. Ownership is not changed by emotions or compassion. Property is a highly protected good.
@@holger_p 1. Spare me your lolbertism (it doesn't work that way anyways, once the state chooses to build a highway through your property)
2. Did you miss the part where my mother was the one paying for the house?
3. Property rights go both ways. A person can't leech off of others, evade taxes and do other morally and criminally questionable things, then scream "But muh property!"
issues with tradesmen are universal around the world it seems
"....a bit dull." A BIT? German TV Shows are awewfull since i can remember(to be honest i tried only for a year in the begining of the 90s and zapped in a few times after that until i got rid of my TV). The only good thing are documentaries imo.