Comments on: Benefits of studying abroad in Germany http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/ German Quirks from an American Perspective Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:33:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Rich_B http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-5176 Rich_B Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:10:35 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-5176 Every ten years, the US government collects huge quantities of data from everyone it can find living within its boundaries. It justifies this with Article 1 Section 2 of the US constitution. According to http://www.census.gov/2010census/ Your participation in the census is required by law. Although the constitution only authorizes counting, the feds go way, way beyond this. According to US Code Title 13 Chapter 5 Subchapter II § 141: ...In connection with any such census, the Secretary is authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary. Oddly, they don't actually demand your address (from what I've seen). But if they mailed you the census form, or someone came to your door, then I assume even dullest government functionary could manage to infer your address. I suppose that Germany also has a census. It may even be as intrusive the the US one. My attitude is "Wer nichts zu finden hat, hat auch nichts zu suchen", but that ain't the way the world works apparently. The point is that the amount of information demanded on some US census forms dwarfs that extracted at the Einwohneramt. Every ten years, the US government collects huge quantities of data from everyone it can find living within its boundaries. It justifies this with Article 1 Section 2 of the US constitution.

According to http://www.census.gov/2010census/

Your participation in the census is required by law.

Although the constitution only authorizes counting, the feds go way, way beyond this. According to US Code Title 13 Chapter 5 Subchapter II § 141:

…In connection with any such census, the Secretary is authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary.

Oddly, they don’t actually demand your address (from what I’ve seen). But if they mailed you the census form, or someone came to your door, then I assume even dullest government functionary could manage to infer your address.

I suppose that Germany also has a census. It may even be as intrusive the the US one. My attitude is “Wer nichts zu finden hat, hat auch nichts zu suchen”, but that ain’t the way the world works apparently. The point is that the amount of information demanded on some US census forms dwarfs that extracted at the Einwohneramt.

]]> By: kk http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3954 kk Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:57:21 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3954 oh, and don't think about working to pay all this. there are limits to how much your aloud to work, and this isn't enought to pay your studies. oh, and don’t think about working to pay all this. there are limits to how much your aloud to work, and this isn’t enought to pay your studies.

]]> By: kk http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3953 kk Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:53:08 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3953 You should of done a lot more research before you wrote this text. It's not that easy. They have changed the law to wear students are now paying around 800 euro's per semester. (ok, this is nothing compared to what you pay in the states, but it use to be almost nothing.) When you come to Germany you need to make sure you've got enough money. You've got to pay for a place to live, school, and food. Yes you receive a health insurance, but only because by law you need one, and you have to pay for it. You should of done a lot more research before you wrote this text.
It’s not that easy.
They have changed the law to wear students are now paying around 800 euro’s per semester. (ok, this is nothing compared to what you pay in the states, but it use to be almost nothing.)
When you come to Germany you need to make sure you’ve got enough money. You’ve got to pay for a place to live, school, and food. Yes you receive a health insurance, but only because by law you need one, and you have to pay for it.

]]> By: Frank http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3923 Frank Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:39:32 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3923 You have forgotten to mention the Oktober Fest and the Wurstmarkt. Two essential reasons to spend a semester in Germany ;-) cheers Frank You have forgotten to mention the Oktober Fest and the Wurstmarkt. Two essential reasons to spend a semester in Germany ;-)

cheers
Frank

]]> By: Manuel http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3774 Manuel Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:00:39 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3774 "maybe they should start teaching that earlier in saxony" Yes they should. Those who leave after 8th grade are probably the ones who'd need this information the most. “maybe they should start teaching that earlier in saxony”

Yes they should. Those who leave after 8th grade are probably the ones who’d need this information the most.

]]> By: Kaktus http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3772 Kaktus Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:00:23 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3772 "in fact you don’t hear anything at all about Nazis in the first four years of history classes in Saxony." maybe they should start teaching that earlier in saxony ;) “in fact you don’t hear anything at all about Nazis in the first four years of history classes in Saxony.”

maybe they should start teaching that earlier in saxony ;)

]]> By: Martin http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3771 Martin Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:41:59 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3771 @Lea "On the one hand, the German system arguably offers comparably more stability, but on the other hand blind trust into the workings of authorities does have its drawbacks (as history proves)." Sorry, but this strikes me as completely surreal. This is a specific point were the US education system got stuck somewere in the 18th or 19th century. The Brits and the French are not trying the establish colonies on the American continent anymore, okay? Modern totalitarism comes with (initially) very high public approval, its extremly populistic. The Third Reich proved exactly that. The constitution of Germany is designed to prevent that from happening again, even if there would be a majority in public vote (and surely you know who helped designing the German constitution). I simply dont buy that Americans are so much more ready to fight for their freedoms, than anyone else. Against external aggressors, sure. But against gradual erosion through your own government? Does "war on terrorism" ring a bell? I noticed that a lot when in the states. Many, many proud, freedom-fighting Americans readily defended everything from the Bush Administration, be it the PATRIOT Act, spying on US citizens (warrentless wiretapping), super-tight (and frequently idiotic and useless) checking on airports, torture, etc. is all A-Ok as long as it helps fighting terrorism and defending the nation. The hypocrisy still amazes me. There was defninitly not more protests against this, than against some (more timid) anti-terror measures introduced by the German government. @Lea
“On the one hand, the German system arguably offers comparably more stability, but on the other hand blind trust into the workings of authorities does have its drawbacks (as history proves).”
Sorry, but this strikes me as completely surreal. This is a specific point were the US education system got stuck somewere in the 18th or 19th century. The Brits and the French are not trying the establish colonies on the American continent anymore, okay?

Modern totalitarism comes with (initially) very high public approval, its extremly populistic. The Third Reich proved exactly that. The constitution of Germany is designed to prevent that from happening again, even if there would be a majority in public vote (and surely you know who helped designing the German constitution).

I simply dont buy that Americans are so much more ready to fight for their freedoms, than anyone else. Against external aggressors, sure. But against gradual erosion through your own government? Does “war on terrorism” ring a bell?

I noticed that a lot when in the states. Many, many proud, freedom-fighting Americans readily defended everything from the Bush Administration, be it the PATRIOT Act, spying on US citizens (warrentless wiretapping), super-tight (and frequently idiotic and useless) checking on airports, torture, etc. is all A-Ok as long as it helps fighting terrorism and defending the nation. The hypocrisy still amazes me. There was defninitly not more protests against this, than against some (more timid) anti-terror measures introduced by the German government.

]]> By: Manuel http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3769 Manuel Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:23:15 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3769 Severin: How is this different from what we call denunciation? Like when you'd give out KPD flyers during Nazi times and a neighbour reports this, it's not spying either. Lea: Here is the actual Lehrplan for history in Gymnasiums in Saxony: http://www.sachsen-macht-schule.de/apps/lehrplandb/downloads/lehrplaene/lp_gy_geschichte_2007.pdf (starting on page 5) Starts at the Stone Age, ancient Greeks, Roman Empire, Middle Ages, ..., in fact you don't hear anything at all about Nazis in the first four years of history classes in Saxony. The tenth grade is then used for nothing else but post 1945 discussions. Discussion of relationships between the USA and USSR - 10 lessons East-West conflict -- reasons and consequences for Germany - whopping 28 lessons There is detailed information on this on page 27. Severin: How is this different from what we call denunciation? Like when you’d give out KPD flyers during Nazi times and a neighbour reports this, it’s not spying either.

Lea:
Here is the actual Lehrplan for history in Gymnasiums in Saxony: http://www.sachsen-macht-schule.de/apps/lehrplandb/downloads/lehrplaene/lp_gy_geschichte_2007.pdf (starting on page 5)
Starts at the Stone Age, ancient Greeks, Roman Empire, Middle Ages, …, in fact you don’t hear anything at all about Nazis in the first four years of history classes in Saxony.
The tenth grade is then used for nothing else but post 1945 discussions.
Discussion of relationships between the USA and USSR - 10 lessons
East-West conflict — reasons and consequences for Germany - whopping 28 lessons
There is detailed information on this on page 27.

]]> By: Tcherman http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3768 Tcherman Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:38:46 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3768 Well, if they go to the authorities, it means that they do trust the state after all, right? Going to the authorities is not the first thing that would spring to my mind when it comes to being an active citizen. And Lea: "öffentlich-rechtlich" does *not* translate as state-controlled. It's public television, not state television. Though I'm the first to admit that the administration is interfering more than it should. Well, if they go to the authorities, it means that they do trust the state after all, right? Going to the authorities is not the first thing that would spring to my mind when it comes to being an active citizen.

And Lea: “öffentlich-rechtlich” does *not* translate as state-controlled. It’s public television, not state television. Though I’m the first to admit that the administration is interfering more than it should.

]]> By: Severin http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3767 Severin Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:29:49 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/08/30/benefits-of-studying-abroad-in-germany/#comment-3767 I don't think anyone was trying to say that people actively spy on their neighbors or do anything similar to what happened under the Nazis. What they were trying to say is that if neighbors notice something wrong, for example a child playing around the building everyday instead of going to school, they will usually call the authorities in order to make sure that the child is being properly looked after. This is not the same as spying, it's simply being a good citizen by looking out for the welfare of other citizens. I don’t think anyone was trying to say that people actively spy on their neighbors or do anything similar to what happened under the Nazis. What they were trying to say is that if neighbors notice something wrong, for example a child playing around the building everyday instead of going to school, they will usually call the authorities in order to make sure that the child is being properly looked after. This is not the same as spying, it’s simply being a good citizen by looking out for the welfare of other citizens.

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