Mostly very friendly

Germans are in fact extremely friendly. They do volunteer work, hold the door open for other people, and even greet complete strangers – especially enthusiastically when out hiking, as if they had just crossed the Alps together.

If you ask a German for directions, be prepared to allow a bit of time for a helpful and detailed explanation of every possible route. And of course Germans are punctual and reliable – a sign of respect and good manners: if you arrange to meet at 6 pm, they will arrive by 5.55 pm at the latest. The catch: they expect the same of others. And what happens if the other person fails to turn up altogether? That’s when the moaning starts: “You just can’t rely on anyone any more!”

When friendliness turns into irritation

In Germany, as is well known, a great many things work fairly well. And if they don’t, Germans tend to see ... let’s say: potential for improvement. Take the weather, for example. That’s something that could always be better. Even in bright sunshine – too hot, too stuffy, too humid, too dry, you need sun cream and anyway: what about climate change?

If the neighbour’s radio or lawnmower disturbs the peace on a Sunday or at lunchtime, pointing out the legally protected quiet hours is nothing more than quality management in the interests of good neighbourly relations. Or if a stranger’s car suddenly appears on a marked private parking space: calling the towing service simply helps uphold law and order.

Moaning works particularly well as a shared activity – it creates a sense of deep connection. When a crackling loudspeaker announcement declares that the rail service is, once again, seriously delayed, a collective groan follows: “Typical!” Here, moaning becomes a ritual of solidarity. 

Moaning for the greater good

So when these fundamentally friendly Germans get annoyed, it’s not out of spite. Quite the opposite, in fact: they simply want to make the world a little bit better – a sincere service to humanity.