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submitted 11 months ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[-] massive_bereavement@kbin.social 4 points 11 months ago
[-] Deceptichum@kbin.social 4 points 11 months ago

Germany doesn't really seem like a very efficient country, they still use fax for things and every person has to manage like 10,000 different insurances for everything. Seems like an old (and inaccurate) ww2 trope.

[-] esserstein@sopuli.xyz 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It's mostly a misunderstanding of what is valued in German society. The common trope is that German society covets precision. This is not the case. German society covets unwavering precision in the adherence to norms. To the point where innovation is akin to revolution in the negative sense, and pigheadedness in procedure is considered a workplace virtue. In the mean time nothing gets done. Source: expat in Germany.

[-] puppy@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Source: expat in Germany.

Is this the same as a migrant?

[-] loobkoob@kbin.social 12 points 11 months ago

Yes, as long as they're also white and middle/upper class!

[-] tormeh@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 11 months ago

No, the way it's often used is closer to "posh guest worker".

[-] Skelectus@suppo.fi -2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I believe the difference is that an expat moved there non-permanently, while an immigrant moved there permanently

Though if I ever somehow became an expat, I wouldn't use the word because of how people associate it.

[-] puppy@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Immigrant = Someone who has moved to another country permanently. Migrant = Someone who has moved to another country temporarily.

Expat is often used by western migrants who don't like the word "migrant".

I take issue with it because people classify an Indian doctor moved to the US as a migrant but an American doctor eho has moved to Europe is an expat.

[-] freebee@sh.itjust.works -1 points 11 months ago

No it's just about moneymaking and education level. If you're a foreigner and highly educated and get a good paying job like IT consultant or doctor, you're an expat. If you're low educated and get a low paying job like construction or factory or no job, you're a migrant. One is liked more than the other, hence the difference they make. The first doesn't speak local language, but does speak English, and few people care. The second doesn't speak local language and no English and is disliked for it.How long you stay is not very relevant. AfD doesn't hare expats as much as other migrants, for example...

[-] Contend6248@feddit.de 1 points 11 months ago

Also bureaucracy is through the roof in everything, i have no idea who the fuck thinks of germany as efficient.

[-] sab@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

I have no doubt their bureaucrats perform world-class efficiency in their handing out, filling in, faxing and archiving a sophisticated system of paper forms.

I guess it's the trap of getting complacent and stopping modernizing as soon as you've convinced yourself you have the best system in the world.

[-] tormeh@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 11 months ago

It's more that the bureaucracy is so complex and fragmented that it's incredibly hard to digitalize. Lots of small fiefdoms that are entitled to make IT purchasing decisions themselves means paper is the only universal interchange format. In addition there is an unwillingness to change how things have always been done, or to simplify procedures. So there you have it: The German bureaucracy is too fat to move.

[-] 0xD@infosec.pub 3 points 11 months ago

I work for german government agencies from time to time and they are working on it... It's just really slow because there is so much of it, and due to organizational overhead. Also, there is not a single push for the entirety of Germany, but some things everyone does for themselves.

[-] mryessir@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 11 months ago

He's actually German.

[-] frezik@midwest.social 1 points 11 months ago

As an outside observation, Germans seem to make things better than they need to be in a detrimental way. For example, we redid one of our bathroom showers using the Schluter Kerdi waterpoofing system. They have very specific instructions on how to space the screws, how to seal the screws, how to seal the edges, how to mix the thinset, and probably some other things I can't remember off the top of my head. They put it through a battery of tests, including going under 100' of water. Who needs that? Don't worry about it.

This stuff replaces cement board, which isn't strictly waterproof, at least not on its own. It's also significantly more expensive.

I do think it's worthwhile for a home DIYer to get. The instructions are clear and it's less likely you'll screw something up that could result in disaster. That said, this thing is just waiting for a Japanese company to come along and make something 90% as good for 50% of the price. That's basically what happened in the German vs Japanese car market, and there's already some products on this market like that.

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago

An old mechanic friend of mine used to say "German cars are over-engineered and under-designed", lol.

Having worked on every brand of car out there, his description, and your explanation make a lot of sense together.

I've never seen such a clear and concise comparison of German/Japanese manufacturing, you really nailed it.

Both approaches have their place, the key is to know when to apply them.

this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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