What generalizations does the rest of the world make about Germany? I've picked out five German stereotypes, how much truth is in them, and where did they come from. But first of all, which ones annoy Germans the most? [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Romanticized images of Germany often include a woman dressed like this. This is a dirndl, and the male equivalent is lederhosen, literally, leather trousers. These types of folk clothing are very specifically linked to the southern state of Bavaria and neighboring Austria. You might come across people wearing them day-to-day in Bavaria, but it's most common on special occasions and during festivals like Oktoberfest. The dirndl is just one example of folk costume in Germany. Most traditional dress, known as Tracht, started out as work clothes for peasants. Various aspects of traditional idealized German culture, including Tracht, were later used in Nazi propaganda. The dirndl even got a bit of a makeover under the Nazi regime, a lower neckline, a slightly shorter skirt, and a tighter waist. The designs seen today vary from very traditional to very modern. And apparently, the position of the apron's bow can indicate relationship status. For example, tied on the right means married or engaged, and on the left means single. The stereotypical image of a German also tends to include a beer in the hand, usually in one of these enormous glasses. In fact, the mass is another element of Bavarian culture that has somehow come to dominate the image of Germans abroad. Germany actually has an impressive range of glassware, sometimes with a specific glass to go with a specific type of beer, like this kölsch glass from Cologne. Of course, not all Germans like beer, but it is an important part of the culture overall, with different beers also connected to regional identities. Traditional brews which follow the rules of the Beer Purity Law still dominate, but the country has seen a boom in craft varieties too. And the popularity of non-alcoholic beer shows that the Germans' taste for beer is more than just a thirst for alcohol. Cheers to that. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] so goes the German saying which means that punctuality in Germany means arriving five minutes early. Well, whoever decided this forgot to tell the trains. It's practically a national sport here to moan about train delays. And after four years of commuting, I'm well and truly on board, so to speak. But a lot of German people do pride themselves on being on time, and punctuality is a characteristic you see again and again attributed to the Germans. So, where did this punctual reputation come from? Let's talk to a time expert. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] That brings us on to the next stereotype, German efficiency, which gets a big thumbs down from me. A dictionary definition of efficient is working or operating quickly and effectively in an organized way. Okay, so the Germans might have the organization part down, but speed and effectiveness, not so much. Did you know it took 632 years to finish building the Cologne Cathedral? A more modern case study that brought global visions of German efficiency crashing down was the new BER Airport in Berlin, a project plagued with problems from the get-go. It finally opened in 2020, billions of euros over budget and 10 years behind schedule, just in time for the coronavirus to hit, bringing most air traffic to a standstill. Interestingly, it often seems that the Germans' love of precision and planning actually gets in their way. If Germany ever wants to live up to its efficient reputation, it's gonna have to break up with bureaucracy. What was it Mark Twain apparently said? "A German joke is no laughing matter." Bit harsh, Mark. Personally, I know plenty of funny Germans, and I think most people appreciate good comedy, right? [APPLAUSE] However, what is sometimes missing from the comedic toolbox here is the ability to take things a little less seriously and have a good old laugh at yourself. But don't take my word for it. Let's talk to someone who knows a lot about the German relationship with humor. Gayle Tufts is a comedian from the United States who's been in Germany for more than 30 years. This country is the size of Texas, but it is incredibly regional, and not just with accents, but also with what they eat, what they drink, and when they laugh. The people who live, come from the Rhineland, they're, they're ready to laugh. They're ready to have a good time. They're the party people of this country. And then the Berliners have seen everything because it is the cultural capital of this country. So, they'll all sit back and say, "Well, tell me about it. Hmm?" And the North Germans are incredibly dry, but really smart. And in the South, there's a warmheartedness. In Stuttgart, for example, talk about food. You can do a 20-minute monolog about bread. They will be rolling in the aisles in Stuttgart. So, where does the no sense of humor reputation come from? You have to kind of go back to the Second World War. In those glorious the golden '20s where there was so much entertainment and so much theater, a lot of the Germans that were involved in that were Jewish. And they were either exterminated and murdered, or they fled to the States. And after the war, of course, things weren't that funny because where does comedy come from? It comes from my experience, my storytelling. And I think there was an entire generation that it was very difficult to find the humor in anything. Although once the '50s, '60s started, there were some great, great German comedians. Loriot, for example. In the '90s and the 2000s, all of a sudden, comedy clubs started popping up, and mic shows where there would be four different comedians a night. And now you've got a, a comedian for every taste. Germans do have a sense of humor, and thankfully, it's thriving because in these times, we all need a sense of humor. [APPLAUSE] I'd love to know how many of these things are part of your image of Germany and which stereotypes from your country get on your nerves the most. Leave us a comment.