Friday, April 20, 2007

One question, and one dubious distinction

A few days ago I experienced what I've heard spoken of as a sort of rite of passage for expatriates living in Berlin: I was scolded by a German for jaywalking. One guidebook I read before coming claimed that Germans are so naturally obedient that they will stand on the curb, in the rain, without an umbrella, with no cars coming, and wait for the light to turn green. In reality, Berlin is a big city with lots of busy people, and I have seen a lot of jaywalking here, even if it's not as common or as aggressive as in Chicago or New York.

I don't jaywalk a lot myself, but in this case the street was completely empty (it was mid-morning), and oncoming cars were clearly several blocks away, so I crossed. As I was reaching the other side, two women, each holding a young child by the hand, approached the curb. I thought that they were talking to each other, so it wasn't until I heard the tail end of the sentence (". . . cross the STREET in front of CHILDREN") spoken loudly (in German) in my direction that I turned my head and realized that both women were glaring at me.

I blinked a few times, then just kept walking, considering my new career as corruptor of the youth of Berlin.

As for the question: has anyone seen that new movie "The 300"? (and given the sort of people I associate with, I'm sure some people have). I feel like I should see it, since it does have the Classical theme. On the other hand, it looks really bad. But is it bad enough to be good? Can anyone advise?

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