Fireside Chats, Episode 86: An American in Germany
Added 2019-04-24 16:01:00 +0000 UTCA few months ago, a 21 year old college student reached out with an idea for Fireside Chats, and his pitch was simple: He's an American who, because of his father's military service, pretty much grew up entirely in Germany. In one of his e-mails to me, he wrote, in part: "My experience at home was weird and still mostly American... but in all other aspects I grew up as just a regular German kid, despite not having German citizenship." That alone is a fascinating enough pitch for me, and so we built an episode entirely around it. What's it like calling two places home? What's it like calling two cultures yours? And, perhaps most pivotally, what's it like to hail from a country you don't know nearly as well as the one you adopted? Can you ever go back? Do you ever want to go back? Where do you belong? Let's jump in and find out.
Comments
Glad you liked it!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-30 02:17:32 +0000 UTCThank you! People struggle in America, but the reality is, our floor is a hell of a lot higher than much of the world's.
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-30 02:17:26 +0000 UTCThank you. <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-30 01:26:33 +0000 UTCGreat listen!
Daniel Gonzalez
2019-04-28 19:54:35 +0000 UTCLove love how you brought up the responsibility on individuals at the end. It's hard to be homeless in this country unless you yourself arent making good choices
Tyler Bello
2019-04-28 18:50:28 +0000 UTCLOVE, LOVE, LOVE the last 20-30 minutes of this. Rest was good as well :)
Will Caldwell
2019-04-27 19:30:36 +0000 UTCThanks. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-27 09:43:25 +0000 UTCReally enjoyed your passionate rambling about what makes the USA so great
Edwin Garcia
2019-04-27 00:25:31 +0000 UTCVery well put.
Trent Miller
2019-04-26 12:01:59 +0000 UTCI really don't understand the expectations people have for the government to take care of them. It verges on entitlement. Why should the government take care of you? It seems to go against the fundamental beliefs of American society. The Declaration of Independence sets down the idea that all people are created equal and are deserving of life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. There is nothing that says you deserve happiness, just that the government should protect your right and ability to work towards happiness. I think this is a fundamental flaw in modern American political theory.
Elizabeth Kleinkramer
2019-04-26 03:14:10 +0000 UTCI have to admit, there was a little bit of swell to my chest when Colin went on his rant about America towards the end. What a great country we have!
Elizabeth Kleinkramer
2019-04-26 03:09:52 +0000 UTCI need to rant every now and again! And yeah, it's tough to interview such a vast array of people. I do my best. Your criticism is most valid, though. Thank you!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-25 20:51:53 +0000 UTCI agree. I wish I would have hear more of the guest's opinion rather than Colin's, and I say that as a long time supporter of the guy. I think the "overconfident American" stereotype was shinning through a bit too much in this episode, which may have skewed my overall feeling towards it. Just my $0.02, and I fully acknowledge I have my own bias of not thinking America is necessarily better than any other country, even if in many measurable ways we are. I think Colin typically does a great job with Fireside chats, and I'm sure it must be challenging to interview such a wide variety of guests.
Alessandro Bassi
2019-04-25 14:07:06 +0000 UTCYou did do a bit of ranting in this one, Colin lol. Was glad to hear you acknowledge that at the end.
Cory Escobar
2019-04-25 00:22:36 +0000 UTCIt clearly can’t last much longer.
Trent Miller
2019-04-24 21:18:46 +0000 UTCIt's going to reach a breaking point soon. Just watch.
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:10:08 +0000 UTCKa-kaw! Ka-kaw!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:09:53 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoyed this show!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:09:43 +0000 UTCYou did a great job!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:09:33 +0000 UTCAh, then this one will strike a special chord with you. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:09:27 +0000 UTCI, too, enjoyed Germany while I was there. I hope you enjoy!
Colin Moriarty
2019-04-24 21:09:05 +0000 UTCIt’s very interesting to hear you talk at the end about society becoming one that wants and expects but doesn’t work. I see this is my hometown. It’s pretty small and a lot of the the people draw off of welfare and unemployment. It sucks to see because I know these people and I know they have the ability to work. It’s also not like there aren’t jobs around here as I see a ton of now hiring signs. It’s unfortunate and I’m very much with you that America is the land of opportunity. You just have to take that opportunity.... Good episode by the way.
Trent Miller
2019-04-24 20:59:14 +0000 UTCThis was a great episode I really enjoy the fireside chats. Connor was a great guest and I learned a lot from him. Thanks Connor! I also got a little fired up when you said “America has answered the bell every time”. I might have heard an eagle screech in the background as I shed a single tear. Keep up the great work!
Ryan Lemieux
2019-04-24 19:27:45 +0000 UTCThank you for the kind words, Sean! I tried to do my best although I don't think I'm a natural-born podcaster haha. I think you hit the nail on the head with the difference between US and European colleges. It's great to get more of your perspective, hopefully we get to talk some more about cultural differences and our experiences sometime :)
Connor Rhude
2019-04-24 18:27:51 +0000 UTC"Kollektivschuld" (Collective Guilt) is the word you've been looking for Germans supposedly feeling bad about the past. As I said during my appearance it is not something that my and younger generations run around with on a day to day. It is however used by populist fringes to provoke and instigate for a more isolated society. On topic: I think Connor you were an excellent guest. I especially appreciated the first half of the conversation, discussing the educational system. I think the reason why US colleges are considered of such high value is not because necessarily due to the curriculum it teaches rather than the "prestige" you reap from attending. It's a self full-filling prophecy in a lot of ways. This applies to degrees especially related to Business and Law from my perspective. I would certainly put them on the same level such as prominent British universities like Cambridge when it comes to prestige. The big exceptions are science and engineering degrees. US Colleges have massive funding to conduct research and experiments that smaller universities in Europe simply can't afford. Of course there are stand-outs in Germany too but I know several people that seek-out scientific education at US colleges for exactly that reason. On another note: What stood out to me this episode is that I was really able for the first time to connect with Colin's perspective on the US already providing a true "safety-net" for its people. This is something that is easily ignored since we tend to compare it to systems that just go one step further by not just providing a safety net but also ATTEMPTING to provide social stability and social justice. It is an absolutely fair point to say that the US is more free in its approach for its citizens to do what ever they WANT to do. For better or worse. And finally: Thank you also for the shout outs to the previous podcast I did with Colin. I am always interested in talking more about cultural differences as well as being "stuck" between two cultures as Connor and I am. Good conversation and I am happy to talk more about anything Germany myself should the need arise.
German Efficiency
2019-04-24 18:12:07 +0000 UTCHey guys, Connor here. I had a great time with Colin and I hope you guys enjoy the episode!
Connor Rhude
2019-04-24 18:09:41 +0000 UTCI did a year exchange in HS('02)for a year. My german went from garbage to the point my inner monologue was in German. Going back for the first time in more than 10years this august. Excited to listen will be interesting to contrast my experience almost 20yrs on 😅. The one thing I'll never forget was the hate from Turkish kids. Despite that Germany is amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart. Colin as a music aside you should checkout the band Die Böhse Onkelz. Prost!
Erik Peterson
2019-04-24 16:09:37 +0000 UTCWhat a cool topic. Always had a great time when I've been in Germany. This will be a very interesting listen!
Marius Skarsem Pedersen
2019-04-24 16:03:37 +0000 UTC
