The German memory ubiquity

Now I know why it's so easy to be a German abroad. Everyone seems to like Germany as a BBC poll found out and confirmed again and again and now for the fourth time running.

No wonder people offer positive stories on my home country when I reveal my origin. In my mind I call it the German memory ubiquity, no matter where I go or to whom I talk, most people have a connection to and something nice to say about Germany, a relative, a friend, a previous visit, a military career station, sweets from the neighbor. This might be owed to U.S. American politeness and a sense of hospitality, which I am told increases traveling from East to West across the United States. But it is something that still astonishes me, plus it happens when talking to other immigrants, too.

When I first travelled to the United States over ten years ago I was a bit afraid of the Nazi association and others' thoughts of the German past. Except for one incident that made me feel uncomfortable about being German, nothing of that sort ever happened. Sure, people sometimes ask and I do not mind at all talking and learning more about German history and how Germans deal with the Holocaust -- indeed my favorite U.S. American is getting a bit tired of watching too many German Second World War related movies with small English subtitles with me -- but current associations of cars, green energy, the inevitable mentioning of beer, and sometimes chocolate, and anecdotes of having been to Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Munich overwhelm everything else. Well, small talk doesn't go deep, I guess, but Germany seems to be a good topic for a quick chat with strangers. Which comes in handy as often Germans themselves are seen as unable to sustain polite small talk, at least our country is fit for it. Finally, the poll that partially explains why:

Source of graphic above:

URL: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/mar11/BBCEvalsUS_Mar11_rpt.pdf

In the annual BBC World Service Country Rating poll*, Germany, out of 27 countries worldwide, is viewed most positively by the other 26 countries. The sample consisted of 800 to over 2450 participants per country totaling 28,619 in either telephone or face-to-face interviews.

The Germany government translates that into Germany being the "most popular country." Here's what that means in detail from the report's website:

Germany is seen as having the most positive influence in the world among all countries evaluated. This has been the case since tracking began in Germany in 2008. Globally and in the 24 countries surveyed both in 2010 and 2011, 62 per cent of people rated Germany positively, which represents a three-point increase since last year. However, negative views--while still at very low levels--rose two points (15%). Out of 27 countries polled in 2011, 26 lean positive and one is divided (Pakistan).

Positive views have strengthened across various regions. Notable increases are found in the Anglo-Saxon countries, where ratings were already largely favourable. In the United Kingdom, positive views rose 14 points to 77 per cent. In Australia, 77 per cent say Germany has a positive influence in the world (up 12 points). In the US, 76 per cent (up 11 points) say this, while 69 per cent (up 5 points) say this in Canada.