Response to Article Written by Stefan Schirmer

   Stefan found several aspects of  American culture strange; mainly our strict laws and regulations. He notes that underage drinking is not a large issue in Germany, that many do not even know or care what the legal drinking age is. However, in America, he notices that we are very strict when it comes to underage drinking and demand an I.D. whenever someone wants to buy alcohol. Also, Schirmer explains that in America, he felt like he was being "mothered". For example, a car in America will beep consistently if your seat belt isn't on or if the headlights are on. Also, he found that there are a lot of signs stating the obvious, telling him what and what not to do. From the way he describes our regulations and warning signs, I can infer that in Germany, their safety laws are not as heavily enforced as ours.
    In one part of this article, Schirmer talks about "super-sizable" burger menus. This made me think of one of the biggest aspects of American culture: our want to "do things big". This idea is seen through our large food portions, our cars, homes, malls, even our people.. I thought it was interesting that he described this as one of our outstanding achievements rather than a flaw. Also, this article makes me think of how much Americans value safety. Schirmer explains how he notices our speed limits, warnings, and signs, making them seem uncommon in Germany. Now that I think about it, in America we do have a lot of laws and warnings created to maintain our safety. Living in America, I have never really thought about these aspects of our culture that much, but from listening to a German's perspective I have noticed a couple different things I might never have thought of before.