photo: Notes of Berlin
Berlin’s meme accounts are at it again and so are we. We’ve covered them before and but today we’re discussing our cities best bits of quarantine comic relief in this winter slump. The weather seems to be reflecting our general mood these days, so today we’re rounding up Berlin’s best snow memes. Baby, it’s cold outside so cozy up with a cold club mate or steaming, hot Glühwein, and prepare to be entertained.
After living in Berlin for eight years, I finally started consuming German mass media because of my work. A few months ago, I got a job as a subtitler; I essentially binge-watch German movies and write subtitles in English. While I enjoy my job because I get to sit around, watch TV and write all day, I can’t help but notice a trend in all the German content I watch; it’s seriously lacking comic relief that I can relate to as an American. However, it is also witty in its own unique way that I, as a native English speaker, can’t entirely grasp.
There’s this extremely prevalent stereotype: “German’s can’t take a joke; Germans have no humor” bla bla bla. But this doesn’t really match up with the German people I know and love, many of whom are absolutely hilarious.
I decided to unpack some of the intricacies of German humor through a few conversations and an internet deep dive. Here’s what I found:
You know it’s the 21st century when few things give you so much sense of belonging as memes. That’s definitely the case with Berlin Ausländer Memes – an ironic social commentary that just couldn’t be any more relatable.
You must have seen them around already: the widespread appeal of Berlin Ausländer Memes unites virtually all expats, and earns the appreciation of Germans and even Urberliners with a sense of self-irony. The memes are impossible to miss with their eclectic aesthetic featuring Spice Girls and stock images. They’ll eventually make you laugh, but not before brutally confronting you with the unglamorous reality of the expat’s lot.