Kultur 11

I find all the cultural implications the Berlin wall made even after coming down very interesting. When learing about the ordeal in US history back in high school, the subject of the Wall is quickly passed over as just another event in Germany's wild history. However, focusing on it more I find that it is just too interesting to spend so little time on in class. The fact that a wall was built to separate two halves of a city is just unreal. Although I'm not surprised, it was interesting to read about the stereotypes easterners and westerners hold against each other. Even more interesting is that before the wall, there WEREN'T easterners or westerners, really. They were and still are all of the same city.

AMD 6

Für meine AMD habe ich ein Paar Folgen von Spongebob auf Deutsch gesehen. Als ich war jung, sehe ich Spongebob am Fernsehen gern. Also, ich dachte dass ich Spongebob auf Deutsch gern auch sehen.  Eine Episode dauert um zwanzig Minuten, und sie sind immer noch sehr lustig. In diese Folgen sind Spongebob und Patrick zu ein andere Stadt gegangen. Sie ging mit dem Bus und sind in der neue Stadt verloren. Ich sah diese Folgen schon, aber sie sind immer noch gut (besonders auf Deutsch).

KULTUR 11

It was interesting to read through the Spiegel-German timeline and learn a bit about some of the different events that have made a mark in German history. For the article on the Berlin Wall, I was surprised to learn that some Germans would prefer to have East and West Berlin separated again. I think it makes sense though that the current form of government may seem worse to one side since the two sides were ruled separately and therefore differently before being rejoined. The wikipedia page on Ostalgie somewhat went along with the previous article, and reinforced the idea that East Berliners at times have felt nostalgia for the time period when the wall was still in use. I found it interesting that the Northerners of Germany are thought to be colder yet more educated than the Southerners, since this also seems to be a bit of a stereotype in the US.

Kultur 11

I've always really liked studying German history because of their political turbulence through history. These articles were pretty interesting because they talked about the lasting cultural difference because of the division of Germany between the East and the West. If anything, this shows how politically involved Germans are always. I liked how the article talked about how the young are the hope of eradicating Ostalgie, as I believe young people often don't realize their political power. Another interesting part of the reading was about how the south of Germany is culturally backwards. I remember when I visited the South of Germany that people were very laid back and enjoyed drinking their beer quite a bit. All this talk about cultural differences based on geographical differences is interesting when you consider that Germany isn't very big at all.

Kultur 11

Ich finde es interessant, dass so viele Deutsche wünschten, dass der Wand wieder gebaut würde. I'm especially confused about why so many West Germans would want the Wall rebuilt. East Germans who dislike West German values would want the Wall rebuilt so that they could go back to the old system, why would West Germans want the Wall rebuilt now that East Germany has changed? Are they worried that West Germany will become infected with East German values? Maybe this might have something to do with Stockholm Syndrome, where kidnapped people come to like their kidnappers. People get used to certain conditions, and when those conditions change, even for the better, they find it frightening. Maybe they want the wall back simply because it was always there.

Kultur 11 - Andrew Baker

I thought these articles highlighting the regional differences between parts of Germany were very interesting.  It seems like the perceptions of North and South in Germany sort of mirror our own here in the States.  As for the articles on the differences between East and West, I thought the information here was extremely interesting.  I didn't realize that there was still this cultural divide that existed between the inhabitants of Berlin.  I remember seeing quite a bit of Soviet and DDR memorabilia (some old, some newly produced) for sale in the former East Berlin when I was there in 2004, but assumed most of it was for tourist consumption.  It has to be strange for the generations before mine as well as those who were very young when the wall fell to reconcile the two societies they have lived in. I especially enjoyed the quote in the Ostalgie wiki, "To the statement of the interviewing journalist that "GDR inhabitants did not have the freedom to travel wherever they wanted", Germans replied that "present-day low-wage workers do not have that freedom either."  

Kultur 11

I found these Kultur articles especially interesting due to their focus on the current politics of Germany. Seeing as it is a relatively small nation compared to the US, I was somewhat surprised by the extent of their cultural divisiveness. There are some deep seeded tensions between East and West Germany. As they were separate nations for approximately 30 years, it is not that surprising that they developed distinct cultures. I feel that this could probably be attributed to the very different political structures of the two nations during that time. Since East Berlin was strongly socialist, the people seem to have developed a more collectivist culture, much like many Eastern societies (China, etc.) The Western side was democratic and had a capitalist economy. This seems to have fostered a more individualistic culture like that of the US. There are also some cultural differences between Northern and Southern Germany. These are very similar to the differences in northern and southern states of America, which I found very interesting. The one thing that was odd to me was the nostalgia many had for the old Eastern Germany. Since so many had died attempting to escape the oppressive regime I didn't expect there to be many positive feelings towards it. Also the passion with which the Berlin Wall was torn down led me to believe that Eastern Germans would have embraced the new political structure.

Kultur 11 - Reid Lott

All of the articles except one, Germany's Real Divide, contained a theme of East vs. West. Real Divide really stuck out because it tackled the differences in culture from a different angle. The differences between North and South aren't so much economic and political, but rather cultural and full of stereotypes. The North-South divide in Germany reminded me much of the existing North-South divide in the United States. Just like in America, Southerners are stereo-typically relaxed, talk funny, and aren't as small; Similarly, Northerners are arrogant and up-tight. These stereotypes seemed so much like the stereotypes in the United States that I had to re-read parts of the article.

The most intriguing of the rest of the articles was the Timeline. Since the timeline only included key events, it was interesting to see what events were chosen. Most of the major ones were social in nature—Elvis, riots, etc. Also, I did not know about the terrorism and chaos that existed within the German borders at that time. After reading about the deaths of many high-ranking officials and about the terrorism, I understand better the tension that existed between the sides.

Kultur 11 - Ben Harmsen

I've always wondered what the effect of separating east and west Germany had on the country, reading the article "Breaking Down the Wall in the Head" was very illuminating. After being divided for about half a century, naturally the cultural divides are going to remain long after the country is politically unified. I was surprised at the large percentage of Germans who would prefer Germany be separated again. The term Ostalgie seems to correspond more to younger Germans who grew up, or were young during the time period, so they tend to look back on it and see it as the "good old days." This attitude reminds me of the small amount of southerners who would have wanted the south to win the American civil war. The Spiegel article presents a different image of German cultural divide, stating that most regional animosity exists between the Northern and Southern Germans.
The article on Berlin was interesting to me, I'm sure many foreigners travel to Germany for the party scene and easily get caught up in it. Those who actually work in Berlin undoubtedly harbor some ill feelings toward those who travel there and cause trouble. I can see how it would be easy for someone self-employed as a musician to lose their motivation in favor of the party scene.

Kultur11

Der erste Artikel, der ich habe gelesen ist "Breaking Down The Wall in The Head." After reading the article the results from the poll really suprised me. The fact that people want Germany to be separated again I find to be Ironic. If the wall is reconstructed it will only cause the separation between social class to be more prevalent than what it already is.  Der sekunde Artikel, der ich habe gelesen war über Ostalgie, which is a term that refers nostalgia for aspects of East Germany. I was surprised to learn that 57% of former GDR (German Democrat Republic) inhabitants felt Ostalgie, and thought that GDR use to be the better state. Der letzter Artikel, der ich habe gelesen ist "Backward Southerners, Frigid Northerners".  After reading the article the only thing I think is that both North and South Germans should be open and tolerant of each others differences and make the best of them.

Kultur 11

I found it very surprising that many people living in Berlin still harbor East-West stereotypes and wish for the wall to be rebuilt. My mom saw the Berlin wall before it fell, and the way she described the overall atmosphere of the city in that time period seemed far worse than it is now. It seems to me that they should be much more excited about what they could accomplish reunited rather than wishing to be split apart again. I also found it very strange that there is so much mistrust between the Bavarians in south Germany and the North.

The NY times article on Berlin made it seem even more attractive to a young, unsure traveler looking for a fresh slate. I hope to someday go to visit or even live for awhile in a German city, and the promise of cheap living and abundant culture is very appealing. I also hope that the easy-to-party lifestyle wouldn't be too appealing and stifle any attempt at success or creativity, like what happened in this article.

Kultur 11 In Berlin, you never have to stop

Four young Australia musicians seek musical dreams in Berlin. When I started reading this article, I thought it was another one to show the beauty of Berlin and make me more excited about my upcoming trip, just like many other articles. But as I got to the half way, I realized that what the writer wanted to tell us is not that simple.

Beer is cheaper than bottled water and a two-bedroom apartment costs peanuts to rent. Tons of bars, parks, girls and entertaining places where you can meet all kinds of "creative artists" escaping from all over the world to Berlin to create their dreams. What a dreamy life! All those so-called creatives, they do create a dream. But most of them create a dream where they daydream to create but actually get nothing done, except keep meeting other so-called creatives and talk about their arts over beer or coffee. Only few of them go the way as they plan. 

As mentioned in the article, in 2003, the city's economical stagnation lead to its "sexiness". As one of the most developed city in the world, this postindustrial city is a mixture of the past and the present-this is true not just in 2003. It has more bridges than Venice; countless museums and galleries; a healthy scattering of abandoned buildings; and innumerable monuments and memorials steeped in history and emotion. This is the perfect place for inspiration. Meanwhile, the city's being poor made it attractive to artists from all over the world because it seems designed for them to live inexpensively and make their art. 

You might say "This sounds perfect for art creation. What's the problem?" The problem is that despite of all those seemly perfect external conditions, not many creations are made by these "dream-seekers". Things were getting too easy in Berlin. There were no deadlines or limitations to worry about. Our young artists strolled from one party to another, crumbling their rehearsal routine and their original dream. After realizing the paradox of artists, the author decided to go back to the normal life.

The thing I want to say here is that the reason why these "tourist artists" sink themselves in Berlin might be much more complicated than the article mentioned. The author said that there were too many distractions and temptations for an interloper in this creative mecca but it was simply home for native artists. That is why they would not leave their studios for every party. However, we know that almost every artist will travel, fewer or more places, to enrich and inspire themselves but not many of them get degenerated. Additionally, temptations are for everyone. If your dream does not come true, you cannot just blame the external environment.

Of course, almost every big city has a group of people, especially outcoming young people, who barely have incomes but live a hedonistic lifestyle. And many of them do sink and achieve nothing. But many of them are still pursuing their dream. We can expand this topic to all young people who are at the beginning of their careers and trying to make their dream come true. We actually has a name for them, "Yi Zu", as "Ant" because they live in small, crowed places and are as busy as ants. This phenomenon is most common in Beijing, which is somewhat similar to Berlin. There is a hot debate about the "Ant". Whether they should go to metropolis and live a life like ants for their dreams? Many of them have much better resources in their hometown. At least they do not need to worry about accommodation. If they want new environment, other cities, besides those metropolis like Beijing and Shanghai, can also be good choices. Competition in those relatively smaller and less developed cities is even less intense than the one in metropolis. Meanwhile, as they are still developing, opportunities will be more too. Some people may argue that metropolis offers them a higher start point and larger stage. But how could they get to the start point at the first place? If they are still struggling for living, how could they be able to "dance on the large stage"?

This is a question that I am not able to answer. Part of the reason is that it is too complex, and I am at the exact age, facing this problem.

Kultur 11

The article "Breaking Down the Wall in the Head" was very interesting. I didn't realize that there were so many stereotypes between West and East Germans and that there are many people who want the wall back "a quarter of West Germans wished the Berlin Wall could be rebuilt, while 12 percent of East Germans said they didn't want to live in a united Germany". I'm a little surprised that East Germans have 'Ostalgie'. I thought life under Soviet/DDR was pretty bad although I kinda can see how if you lived most if not all of your life under communism, once its gone, you would miss it.

The article on Southern and Northern Germans reminded me a lot of America. Northerners and Southerners here have a lot of similiar stereotypes that Germans do. 'People in the cool, practical, intellectual, industrialized, liberal north of Germany think the lazy hick farmers in the south are backward and racist, and they talk funny too.'& 'People in the warm, hospitable, easygoing, earthy, rural south, for their part, figure the calculating northerners are just boring snobs. They are also sometimes called "flat-landers."'

AMD 6

Le Moulin de la Galette, auch The Blute-Fin Windmill, Montmartre 1886 von Vincent van Gogh. Im 1886 ist van Gogh nach Paris für seinen Bruder, Theo van Gogh, gegangen. Wenn er beeinflusst von den Masters in Holland worden war, hätte er die Möglichkeit im Paris, beeinflusst von dem Impressionist, Symbolist, Pointillist und Japanische Kunst zu werden. Montmartre war bekannt für seine Barren und Cafés. Es war in der Landschaft, der van Gogh die Möglichkeit gaben, Gemälde von ländlichen Gebieten im Paris zu erstellen. Die Montmartres Landschaft erinnerte ihn an Holland. Er erstellt eine Serie von Malerei dieses Ort. Diese Malerei ist meine Favorit. Es ist jetzt im Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.
http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

AMD 6

Für dieser AMD, Ich sah ein Folge von South Park. Es heiße Reverse Cowgirl. Es war sehr lustig, und sehr  überraschend! Die Thema war die Amerikanish TSA. Ich denke, dass ein Deutsche wohner lustig findet nicht. Aber, war es viele physische Comedie. In dieser Folge, Clydes Mutter ist gestorben. Sie ist tot an der toilette. Sie haben so schnell gesprochen. Ich könnte etwas Satzen verstehen:

Was bedeudet das?
Meine Tante kommt aus Virginia?Wie bitte?Vierzig minutenGenauDas ist meine Toilette!Neeeeein! Neeeein!


Ich würde die Folge empfehlen! 

AMD 6

Für mein AMD 6, sah ich ein anderer Deutscher film, der Das Kabinett des Doktor Kaligari heißt. Der Film is kein normaler Film, weil er war 1920 gefilmt. Er hat keine Farben und kein Geräusch. Er ist über ein fremder Apotheker, der die Zukunft sehen kann, aber die Zukunft, die der Apotheker sah, ist nicht immer nett. Der Film war interessant, weil er so ungewöhnlich ist. Er zu einem alten deutschen Filmgenre, das Expressionismus heißt, gehört. Expressionismus wälzte mit seinem neuen und grimmigen Techniken Film um. Ich möchte anderen expressionistischen Filme sehen, wann ich mehr Zeit habe. Ich habe Nosferatus schon gesehen!

AMD 6

Für meine AMD 6 ich habe mit meiner Schwester und ihre Freunde Deutsch gesprochen. Meiner Schwester ist auf Deutsch 231 damit Sie kann besser Deutsch sprechen als mich aber ihre Freunde ist fließend auf Deutsch damit Sie kann sprechen das beste Deutsch. Meine Schwestern Freund hat mir geholfen und gab mir Rat. Ich beschriebe alle ich sah. Es war interessant und spaß.