In this reimagining of the Faust legend, the protagonist Adrian Leverkühn’s life as a composer is marked by a strict separation between his artistic (professional) pursuits and his personal relationships. The narrative delves into the costs of such compartmentalization, reflecting broader themes of German culture and intellectual life.
These novels use family, business, and societal settings to highlight the German tendency to address professional or ideological matters directly, while striving to keep personal relationships unaffected by such disputes.
In the series Tannbach (Line of Separation), Liesbeth Erler and her son Friedrich are depicted navigating the aftermath of World War II in a divided Germany. They face intense political and ethical disagreements within their community and families, yet strive to keep personal relationships intact despite ideological divides. The narrative shows characters arguing fiercely about substance—politics, survival, collaboration—but continuing to live and work together as neighbors and family members.
Because Americans find it difficult separate what they say from the person they are saying it to – especially in the case of criticism – they strive to use softer, more indirect language, including euphemisms: mild or indirect words or expressions substituted for ones considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
Examples of euphemisms: pre-owned car instead of a used car, sex worker instead of a prostitute, to be between jobs instead of to be unemployed, senior citizen instead of old person, underserved neighborhood or underserved population instead of the poor, or an impoverished, needy neighborhood.
Further examples: economically disadvantaged instead of poor; temporary negative cash flow instead of broke; enhanced interrogation methods instead of torture; collateral damage instead of civilian deaths.
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.
Anita Hill’s Testimony at the Clarence Thomas Hearings (1991). When Anita Hill testified about alleged sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, her credibility, character, and professional competence were intensely scrutinized in public. The hearings became not just about the facts of the case, but a referendum on Hill’s personal integrity and Thomas’s suitability for the highest court—showing how, in the U.S., professional disputes often become deeply personal and reputational.
McCarthy Hearings (1954). Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist investigations targeted the personal loyalties and reputations of government officials, military officers, and private citizens. Accusations of professional disloyalty were treated as attacks on personal character, often resulting in ruined careers and social ostracism—highlighting how, in American public life, professional and personal assessments are inseparable.
“What do you do?” This is often the first question Americans ask when meeting someone new, highlighting how work is central to personal identity in American culture.
An Iranian in Berlin complains about being told not to ride his bicycle on the sidewalk. “Everbody in Germany is a police.”
YouTube comments:
“‘Are you hobbylos?’ Only Germans say that.” … “Great way to catch a stick in the spokes, Mate.” … “Is he evidently unaware of traffic rules and in dire need of this reprimand?” … “That’s just called pedestrian safety. Stay on the bike lane or the street.”
For those people tending to sympathize with this guy complaining about Germany and the Germans, see below how traffic is organized in Iran:
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.”
Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps. Literal translation: “Work is work and schnapps is schnapps.” Meaning: There is a clear line between professional duties and personal matters. This saying underscores the German tendency to keep work and personal life (and feelings) separate, especially when giving or receiving feedback.