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Tag: American Culture/Amerikanische Kultur
When in the US, Dress Like a Nurse, When in Germany, Be a Firefighter!
That is the conclusion you could draw from reading two recent polls, one from Gallup asking Americans,1 and a second one from GfK asking Germans 2 about their trust in various professional groups.
| United States | Germany |
| Nurses (84%) | Firefighters (98%) |
| Pharmacists (73%) | Medical doctors (89%) |
| Medical doctors (70%) | Post office workers (86%) |
| High school teachers (62%) | Police officers (85%) |
| Police officers (54%) | Teachers (84%) |
The five least trusted professions:
| United States | Germany |
| Members of Congress (64% ‘Very Low’ or ‘Low’) | Politicians (91% ‘Distrust) |
| Lobbyists (62%) | Corporate Managers (80%) |
| Telemarketers 53%) | Advertising executives (67%) |
| Car salespeople (47%) | Marketing executives (62%) |
| Labor union leaders (41%) | Journalists (56%) |
Conclusion
If you were a shameless impostor who wants to gain the the local population’s trust quickly (which I am certain you are not), you might go for the nurse outfit (in the US) or the firefighter look (in Germany). As an alternative, you could also consider wearing a white lab coat and/or a stethoscope (works in both countries). A police uniform might also help, although I do not recommend this—it is likely to be illegal. If you, American traveler, would like to enchant Germans, why not try post office chic? In both countries, If you carry around a few textbooks, you could pass for a teacher. People may like you for it.
Whether you walk the streets of Berlin or Washington, avoid looking like a person who just walked out of Congress or the Bundestag. And to you, German tourist, do not even think of starting the casual conversation by trying to sell a car!