This is the 2nd part of the post. The 1st part is here.
Speed Limit
M says in his video about his life as a Latin American living in Germany that often there is no speed limit on highways, and one can drive as fast as one possibly can, which is frightening in M’s opinion.
Speed limit can be a little baffling. The speed limits around here are only 65 miles on major highways and 50 miles on other major roads. I wonder why people would want to buy sports cars, which have the potential to drive very fast, but are not legally allowed to do so.
And there are several townships around here that will give you a ticket if you are 5 miles over the speed limit. I am not joking. It is rumored that these several townships pour over the traffic laws in the state to identify the most archaic and most obscure rules that can be utilized. Then they go out there to find drivers who unwittingly commit one infringement or another, and give them traffic tickets.
Children’s Tales
M is a little surprised to find that all the traditional children’s tales are terrifying in Germany. German parents tell stories of mayhem to their children, which are considered classic tales. They include horrific descriptions like earth opening up and swallowing a child up, or a child growing deformed in all kinds of gruesome ways. It is almost expected that a childen’s tale will end up in a bloody final scene or even death which seems to be the inevitable consequence of the plot.
M is very uncomfortable about this and he is not willing to let his wife tell horrific stories to his daughter.
I didn’t grow up with children’s tales. So I don’t really have a comparison. I am a little surprised at the big market of children’s tales in America. Back home, people create simplified picture books out of classical literature for children, but there are no specific stories written for children only. Thankfully gory tales of early childhood were not in fashion in my part of the world while I was growing up. If my narcissistic parents had got their hands on these stories, their sadistic and antagonistic instincts would have been unleashed. What would have become of me?
Verbal Insult
Verbally insulting people will be fined from 100 euros to 600 euros. I don’t know how they categorize “verbal insult”. Is a subtle jab considered a verbal insult? Is a narcissistic slandering included in this? I really think narcissists should be fined 100 to 600 euros when they try to recruit flying monkeys or try to use other people as narcissistic supplies. I mean narcissists have done so much damage to our world but they are never punished by law.
Birthday
One has to celebrate one’s birthday on the day of the birthday, not one day earlier. It doesn’t matter if one’s birthday falls on Monday or Tuesday, which will be a busy work day that leaves one with no mood for celebration. In such a case, celebrating it during the weekend is a much better choice, but Germans won’t do it and won’t allow other people to do it either.
I guess those people who have Feb. 29 as their birthday can only celebrate it once every four years.
Escaping From Prison
Escaping from prison is not a crime in Germany. One can just escape and have a good time outside and then go back. There’s no penalty for that and one’s original sentence will not be extended.
Somehow I feel that this is really a metaphor, isn’t it? I mean I’ve seen marriages among Asian immigrants (and my own relatives back home) that are really “prisons” for both husband and wife. And if they want to escape the “prison”, there will be penalties–financial penalties, loss of social status (for women especially), emotional turmoils, custody nightmares. How much they would suffer.
It is nice to know that people can escape from prison without getting punished in Germany.
Haoyan Do 
Great post! After ten years in Germany I have returned to my home country Austria. The birthday issue is a superstition thing. It’s said to be unlucky if you congratulate day(s) in advance. I have to admit, I adhere to this “rule” as well, just like I “learned” from my family.
No driving limits are just wonderful since there are often large distances to go … however, due to the many construction sites (reduced speed of 80km/h) and the resulting traffic jams one hardly is able to enjoy it. Annoyingly, this resulted in at least an hour of additional driving time for the 900 km back home, with a moaning cat in the back …
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The birthday tradition is interesting. I guess if you’re sick on your birthday, you’ll have to wait until next year to celebrate.
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Every culture has its norms and it’s so interesting to learn about the similarities and differences. I’ve read a number of classic children’s tales and they’re chilling lol.
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Yes – I can’t understand why anybody in North America would have a car that has a huge top speed. At least in the UK you could theoretically drive to Germany (via the Shuttle or Channel ferry) and put your car through its paces.
There is a tradition of unpleasant North European fairy tales. The Grimm brothers collected a lot of these in the early 1800s and spread them even further. You’d think the Finns would be part of the N European tradition, but even they don’t have the English children’s song “Three Blind Mice”. “She cut off their tails with a carving knife etc”. (My Finnish wife thinks that one is particularly nasty!) My impression is that tales for children have become even more unpleasant in recent years. Some educationists seem to think this is the only way of holding children’s’ attention. It wouldn’t have suited me. Even now I avoid any descriptions or depictions of violence or cruelty.
Many European countries (though not the UK) have a “name day” as well as a birthday – which often seems to be just as important. The name days are based on saints’ days – eg St John, St Mary etc. If your name isn’t a saint’s name I think the closest fit is found. We in the UK don’t care when somebody celebrates their birthday – but then the Germans are famous for having rules about everything! It is even said that the USA is a fairly rule-bound country on account of the early German settlers.
Surprised to hear that about escaping from German prisons. I guess they must think it’s just natural to try to escape from prison! In “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson the male protagonist gets to choose when he serves his prison sentence. That must be a thing in Sweden!
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Came here to make a comment about Grimm’s tales as well.
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Stimmt ! (That’s exactly right) Some German tales are gruesome – ‘Edward Scissorhands’ is based on such a tale. The story was written to dissuade children from sucking their thumbs (at the risk of having them chopped off).
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