Disagreements
happen anywhere. However, they are performed and judged differently across cultures. In some public disagreement is almost a taboo while in others it is appreciated.
In Germany it seems a natural part of human interaction since everybody has the
right (and more often than not the need) to express their opinion openly.
I’d like to
give two examples where I felt a bit awkward during the London Olympics while
watching the German coverage of it. The first one happened during the opening
ceremony, which I enjoyed and so did the three commentators. When the German
team marched in they did not marvel about the athletes’ performances or
speculate about who might go for gold.
In a not
too cheerful mood they turned their attention to the matter of a medal forecast
given by the National Olympic Committee. While the athletes enjoyed this very
special moment the commentators had three different opinions (success is all
that matters/too much pressure on the individual athlete/forecast should be
modified) and felt this was the adequate moment to discuss this on the spot (quite extensively). I
am sure each of them had their point. Nonetheless, I think their timing was
a bit odd.
On another
occasion a heptathlete just had finished her first day of the games and was not
too happy with her performance. She made no fuss about it but complained that
she missed her coach who in this year was not allowed to be on the pitch. The
reporter’s reaction really surprised me. He did not ask why she felt the coach
would have made a difference or if she could explain to the audience what
benefit this support would mean. Instead he started arguing with her saying: “Well,
but the decathletes also cope without coaches.”
You could see
that she still was breathing heavily after a long distance run and simply
stressed. Our national hero was actually in a position to defend herself on
camera. The commentator went on telling her that these were the rules and that
she had to comply like everybody else. The only thing the audience can get out
of such an interview is the reporter’s stance on the issue (not his job) or the
impression that our athletes tend to blame others for underperforming
(certainly not true).
I felt this was unnecessary friction but I guess I am alone in this one. This layer
of conflict did disturb me a bit but it seems to be fine for the German public. Both
examples should show that open disagreement is rarely out of place and Germans
normally mean not to challenge you on a personal level. For many Germans
disagreements are a part of life and simply necessary. There is less effort to avoid or attenuate
open disagreement and this may appear challenging to others. For many Germans
their disagreement doesn’t only mean they disagree they also feel free to speak
openly with you and is a sign of trust.
