Posted by Doc on June 04, 2003 at 17:45:21:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Berlin Phil tubist... posted by Volker on June 04, 2003 at 05:11:10:
Hi Volker. About the women and beer: I was just having a little fun, that's all. No offense intended. I've never had a bad experience in Germany, but my father and uncle were made to feel very uncomfortable at a couple of places. I'm sorry if I was not clear in my comments about Hitler. My joke about Hitler not ruining the beer was to illustrate that despite the evil he brought on the world and Germany, Hitler did not ruin Germany, and in fact, Germany is a pretty darn nice place. Just because Hitler gave speeches at the Hofbrauhaus, does not mean it is a bad place to go. One can have a great experience there. You are correct that every country has a few people who discriminate against foreigners. German politics, compared to the U.S., are extremely liberal. I'm not saying Germany is wrong for that, it is just the way Germany and Germans choose it to be. Maybe ultra-socialist is extreme, but it certainly is a long way to the left from what we have here. We hear about extremely high taxes in Germany, government health care, and the government having a tremedous amount of control over many aspects of life. I would like to hear your thoughts about it. It is also interesting to know that conservatives could possibly get a lot of votes. I would be interested how German conservatives compare to U.S. conservatives. Based on only my perceptions from across the pond, I would guess they would compare with our liberals here, but I would appreciate your opinions and information in that matter. Talking with someone who is actually living there can give help clear up any misconceptions. Plus, I think one can learn things one did not know. You can e-mail me if you like. By the way, as a tuba player, and as a Texan, I know what it's like to be stereoyped. Not every tuba player is a fat, lazy, stupid drunkard. Not everyone in Texas has cows, horses, oil wells, and pick-up trucks. (Well, ALMOST every driveway has a truck parked in it.) Texas is not just sand, tumbleweeds, and cactus. It has mountains, plains, prairies, hills, forests, beaches, swamps, wetlands, etc. However, when you travel outside of Texas, you always have some idiot ask, "How may cows do you have?" or "Hey Tex, where's your horse?". I know very well that Germany is much more than beer, lederhosen, and hairy-legged women. LOL
Doc (who never figured out how those Hofbrauhaus waitresses carried so many mugs of beer at once)