Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app.

Sign Up

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

So much to love about the Germans

Even though Germany has been knocked out of contention for the World Cup finals, much has been made of the way the tournament has let Germans feel comfortable with their patriotism again. As Constanze Stelzenmüller puts it in a piece for the IHT today: “Germans Feeling Good About Themselves and Not Apologizing For It Every ...

By Kate Palmer

July 7, 2006, 11:25 PM

Even though Germany has been knocked out of contention for the World Cup finals, much has been made of the way the tournament has let Germans feel comfortable with their patriotism again. As Constanze Stelzenmüller puts it in a piece for the IHT today: "Germans Feeling Good About Themselves and Not Apologizing For It Every Minute is not what we grew up with."

Even though Germany has been knocked out of contention for the World Cup finals, much has been made of the way the tournament has let Germans feel comfortable with their patriotism again. As Constanze Stelzenmüller puts it in a piece for the IHT today: “Germans Feeling Good About Themselves and Not Apologizing For It Every Minute is not what we grew up with.”

The trend is hardly lost on the people over at Deutsche Welle. For more than three months, the station’s Web site has been posting daily additions to a series called, somewhat cryptically, “100 Reasons for Germany.” The last, 100th reason will be posted on Sunday, the final day of the World Cup.

Among the “reasons for Germany” are some obvious ones: Fairy tales, BMW, and G ü nter Grass. But what’s more revealing–and a little hilarious–are the ones where the writers get a little desperate, even defensive. Have a look:

#6 Thoroughness: “Despite what some mean people have to say about them, Germans are actually a fun-loving people. It’s just that the German idea of fun verges on the compulsive and does not always coincide with what people from other countries do when they want to kick back and relax.”

The hilarity continues after the jump.

#25 Stammtisch: “A regular group of a dozen or more people who gather to talk about a particular interest or hobby….There are even stammtisches for men who like beards.”

#33 Christmas Delicacies: “Printen, which can be seen in today’s photo, might taste like stale gingerbread to the ignorant. But once you develop the right kind of eating technique, you’re bound to become a Printen connoisseur in no time.

#41 Cuckoo Clock: “Orson Welles’ character Harry Lime was, of course, horribly mistaken when he blamed the Swiss for inventing cuckoo clocks. That honor undoubtedly goes to Germany’s Black Forest region, which — admittedly — is close to Switzerland, but still not quite there.”

#46 Nena: “No one could sing about 99 red balloons like she could.”

#52 Derrick: “Before there was ‘Baywatch,’ there was ‘Derrick.’…Chronically uncharismatic, Derrick was a notorious non-smoker, seldom drank — despite living in Munich — and rarely used his revolver. But even though he might not have been a sex symbol, his trademark beige trench coat, gold Rolex and 38 Smith & Wesson Special catapulted him into a permanent place in the nation’s hearts.”

#62 German Supermodels: “The real reason that the fashion world loves a German supermodel is because these women have a reputation for being hard-working and most importantly, punctual. You won’t hear Claudia or Heidi brag about refusing to get out of bed for less than $10,000 (or 8,000 euros, for that matter) a day.”

#84 Scorpions: “The band Scorpions not only brought West Germans into line with the dubious fashion of the repressed East but also layered on a good dose of soft rock to keep spirits up during the Cold War…. “Winds of Change” in 1989 was almost single-handedly responsible for bringing down the Berlin Wall, despite claims from David Hasselhoff to the contrary.”

Kate Palmer is deputy managing editor at Foreign Policy.