My observation of the Germans is as follows:
— They are very direct with a low tolerance for fluff. Don’t look to a German for empathy.
— They are (obviously) smart and good with machines. The latter can be somewhat of a weakness as they often make things more mechanically complicated than they need to be.
— They are highly disciplined and industrious
— They often suffer from group think and can have blind spots the size of Bavaria. They also prone to mood swings
— In many ways, they are the European versions of the Japanese (which explains a lot)
Given their national character, it is tough to believe that Political Correctness has taken root there. But it has. However, I am not sure how deep it goes. If push comes to shove, their old characteristics will likely emerge—with a vengence.
Truth in advertising: I am half German and half Russian. This probably explains why I often feel conflicted.
I don’t have any independent knowledge on this, so please take this as an innocent - as opposed to leading - question.
The Germans for centuries were martial in their outlook, praised/glorified warfare, and produced outstanding soldiers from the lowest private on up. Just curious, do you think 60 years of the “war bad/peace good” culture has ended in Germans’ inherent warlike characteristics?
I’ve lived here for 16+ years, and I agree with you. But I do feel that they refuse military reprisals because they want to be seen as having “learned their lessons from 2 WWs”. Now they think diplomacy is the end-all.