Nikola. A popular sitcom set in a hospital, Nikola centers on the head nurse Nikola and Chief Physician Dr. Schmidt. The two regularly argue about work-related issues and hospital management, often with sharp wit and directness. However, their professional disputes do not prevent them from developing mutual trust and even a friendship over time.
The Wave
Die Welle (The Wave, 2008). Plot: Based on a real-life experiment, a high school teacher demonstrates to his students how easily society can slip into autocracy. The project spirals out of control as students commit to the movement without fully understanding its implications. The film serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of commitment without adequate context. It contrasts the German value of careful deliberation with the risks of impulsive agreement.
The Family Lawyer
Die Familenanwältin (The Family Lawyer). This series follows lawyer Hanna Lorenz as she navigates both professional and personal upheaval. Within her law firm, Hanna and her colleagues often face conflicts and differing opinions on cases. The show highlights how the characters handle professional disagreements directly and objectively, while still supporting each other in personal matters.
Das Boot
Das Boot (1981). Plot: This classic war film follows the crew of a German U-boat during World War II as they face life-and-death decisions in extreme conditions. The submarine’s captain and crew meticulously analyze every situation, weighing risks and gathering all available information before making critical decisions. Their survival depends on only committing to actions they are certain they can carry out.
Gundermann
Gundermann (2018). Plot: The biopic of East German singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann explores his double life as both a celebrated musician and a Stasi informant. The film delves into Gundermann’s internal struggle with the commitments he makes, showing how he seeks to understand the full context and consequences before giving his word.
“Stop sugarcoating”
November 12, 2024. Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer, reports on the company’s progress. A video with the title “90 days in 90 seconds.”
However, many Germans were not convinced. Not because Germans are mean people. Not because Germans are negative, destructive, or pessimistic. But instead, because they have a different approach to persuasion. How they persuade. How they allow themselves to be persuaded.
See the Anderson-video and the comments on LinkedIn. Here are some of the German comments:
“Dear Bill Anderson: I know that you have a difficult job, and I don’t want to blame you for the mistakes of your predecessors. Nevertheless, you should be able to honestly tell employees, shareholders and the German public, how things are going at Bayer. Your above statement is in my point of view misleading and irresponsible.
Bayer’s existence is threatened and you and the top management (seem) have not yet understood this. Stop being the Olaf Scholz (German Chancellor) of the German industry and please switch from Disney Land mentality to the necessary crisis mode. If you and management are unable to recognize, communicate and resolve the realities, please clear the way for leaders who can. And please stop sugarcoating terrifying realities ASAP!!!”
The commenter is a Ph.D. university professor in Pathology and Immunology. And the commenter is a German who has also become an American citizen.
Another comment from a German on LinkedIn: “‘We’re making great progress in some areas.”‘ You cannot be serious! The share price is at a 20-years low. It is true that you cannot be blamed for your predecessors’ mistakes, but where was the share price at, when you started as CEO at Bayer?”
And this from a Bayer-employee: “With this performance and a drop of more than 10% in share price today, I would be surprised if you survive another year as CEO. Be honest and inform the public that the Bayer Monsanto merger is a huge insolvency risk. It is time for a rescue plan to save at least parts of the company.” The commenter is German.
auf den Grund gehen
Den Dingen auf den Grund gehen. Translation: Get to the bottom of things. Meaning: Investigate thoroughly to understand the real reasons behind a conflict or problem.
Are Germans Too Direct?
Learn German with our street interviews: In this episode we deal with a common prejudice, namely: Germans are always very direct! We find out for you on the streets of Berlin whether this is actually always true and in which situations in particular.
YouTube comments:
“I’ll never forget when visiting a friend in Germany for the first time: He was with another friend and they saw a mutual acquaintance at a cafe. ‘We know that man, we went to school together.’ ‘Want to go over and say hello?’ ‘No. Later he became stupid, so we don’t talk to him anymore.’ I loved the blunt honesty.”
“I like how a lot of the people who said no said it very directly, and emphatically. Lol, I have German heritage, and it feels right.”
“Honestly, the directness in Germany as a precise way to tell things that need to be fastly adressed, instead of running in circles (or plainly just not speaking) to avoid offending someone like we in other coubtries do, makes my life easier as in my hometown in Latin America, in that way I find social rules way simpler, gets problems solved faster. On the other side, sometimes people (the least of them) confuse directness with plain aggression, there are things that simply are not needed to be told.”
Flexibility and Independence
Under the title “What American universities can learn from German universities,” Mark Roche, Professor of German studies at the University of Notre Dame, writes:
“Intellectual independence, knowledge as an end in itself, high regard for the humanities: the German university system could serve as a model for the United States in many ways.
What can the United States learn? First, student flexibility and independence, both characteristics of the German university tradition, are important principles of learning. Students learn more when they have to demonstrate independence and initiative.
Before the reform of European universities (the so-called Bologna Process), German students had the freedom to devote themselves to intellectual questions in an organic way, in a manner quite different from the student mentality at most American universities.
There (in American universities), students are given a lot of homework that does not encourage them to delve deeper into a topic for its own sake or to pursue further questions arising from their studies on their own initiative.
Thanks to their education in independence, the best German students proved to be highly motivated and responsible. Self-education requires freedom.”
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 13, 2015.