One of the great joys of moving to a new country is the way in which preconceptions can be overturned – or, in other cases, emphatically confirmed.
The general lack of a sense of humour is firmly cemented among the stereotypes regularly applied to Germans. But stereotypes are inherently oversimplified and misleading – you'd be a fool to believe them... right?
Just to be sure we asked our readers if they found Germans funny, and what they thought about the German sense of humour.
Over the next few days, people shared their candid opinions, insights, and personal experiences (including a few jokes they've heard) and provided us with a fascinating glimpse into how the stereotype plays out in the real world.
How funny are Germans?
Asked, "Do you find Germans funny?" nearly twice as many readers said they did not (about 65 percent) as readers who did (about 35 percent).
But it was the reasons which readers gave for why they find Germans funny or unfunny that provided more interesting insights.
Many seemed to agree that Germans have a distinct style of humour, which can be hard for outsiders to grasp.
A full 27 percent of respondents to our survey independently reached for the word “dry” when describing the German sense of humour.
Harini in North Rhine-Westphalia describes it as “a bit dry" but adds that "it does crack me up.”
“Dry. Sarcastic. Not unlike the British,” wrote Maureen in Greater Manchester.
Other descriptors which came up included “apologetic” and “stoic”.
Arya in Freiburg says the German sense of humour is “dry, strict, extremely careful and kosher.”
A very serious history
Arya suggests that one reason German humour might be difficult for outsiders to understand is Germany’s unique history: “there’s a lot of...guilt in the mind of a German which makes their humour very straight jacketed and only for Germans.”
Another respondent, who did not want to give their name, noted that the “jokes about their ‘recent history’ are always a mix of humour and nervous self-deprecation.”
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This history might explain why some Germans find it hard to joke about certain topics, and why humour in the country often steers clear of potentially controversial territory.
Or maybe not.
Ken MacVicar from Glasgow think that Germans “are much better at political humour” than the Scots.
On the whole, Ken reckons the German sense of humour is “similar to our own.”
“Puns are maybe not a German thing, but I find they indulge me,” he adds.
Helgi in Bonn writes that Germans “take themselves too seriously” to be funny.
Another anonymous respondent goes even further. “They take everything so seriously they don’t even realise when I’m joking with them.”
Too direct?
Another common stereotype attached to Germans is that they can be breathtakingly direct on occasion.
A number of respondents to our survey suggested this directness may be one reason why the German sense of humour isn’t universally appreciated among newcomers to the country.
READ ALSO: 'Stand up for yourself' - How best to deal with German directness
Anders, 59, from Berlin, offered a telling example: “Because they are so fantastically direct even their jokes are descriptive. A fine example was when we arrived in Hamburg and took a city tour, and the guide said, ‘This is the cheapest hotel in town, however, I cannot recommend it – it is the city's central jail.’"
“On the rare occasions [German humour] is good, it is self-deprecating, but often it’s so lacking in subtlety it’s like a cue card for canned laughter," Anders added.
The jokes
Several respondents to our survey were kind enough to share their favourite German jokes.
From Ken MacVicar:
“Chancellor Kohl had to visit Italy and wanted to greet the premier in Italian. His advisor told him what to say, but he couldn’t remember. The advisor suggested writing ‘Bongiorno’ on his tie label to remember. When he landed, the first word he said was ‘Trevira’.” (Trevira being a clothing brand.)
READ ALSO: The secrets of small talk in Germany you need to know
From Maureen:
“What does Angela Merkel do with her old clothes? She puts them on!”
From an anonymous respondent in Munich:
“To everyone wondering why the weather is so good at the moment: it's last year's summer. It arrived with Deutsche Bahn.”
And for anyone not yet convinced of the German gift for comedy magic, Maureen recommends Die Wochenshow, Bodo Bach, and Good Bye, Lenin!
Max from Bristol in the UK adds that Henning Wehn is “quite funny”.
Language issues?
Interestingly, no respondents mentioned the issue of language barriers in the context of whether or not Germans are funny. But telling, or even understanding, jokes in a foreign language is a notoriously difficult trick to pull off.
This could help to explain, at least in part, why Germans aren't seen as funny by their English-speaking friends and colleagues.
It also may explain why some readers offered physical or visual descriptions.
To describe the German sense of humour, one respondent simply gave an example. They wrote, "When someone in Germany sees a big house they will probably offer an observation along the lines of: 'oh, I don’t want to be the person who has to clean the windows'."
To laugh or not to laugh…
If there's one thing that our survey makes clear it's that humour is an endlessly subjective topic.
While some people think German humour is “subtle”, others see it as “slapstick”.
And while one respondent thinks the problem with German humour is that too many people in the country have “no concept of self-deprecation”, others specifically mention self-deprecation as a saving grace.
To end on a final joke, Tom from Berlin shared an English joke his father likes to tell, noting that it probably says far more about how the English see Germany and Germans than it does about the country itself.
"When young Hans was born, his parents were delighted. He was an intelligent, attractive child, perfect in all respects except for the fact that he never spoke. He turned two and then three and four without ever uttering a word, although he seemed quite content.
"Finally, when he was nearly seven and sitting at the dinner table with his parents, Hans opened his mouth and produced a flawless sentence. 'Mother, could you pass me the salt, please.'
"His parents were delighted and astonished. Eventually they thought to ask him why he had remained silent for so long.
"'Because,' replied Hans, 'until now, everything has been satisfactory'."
So are Germans funny? Well... it depends on who you ask.
Thank you so much to everyone who completed our survey. Although we weren't able to use all the responses, we read them all and they helped inform our article. If there’s anything you’d like to add, feel free to drop us a line at news@thelocal.de.
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