It’s a very frustrating process, arguing with Germans, because even when they are not right, they usually aren’t wrong, either.
The backdrop: I’m at my step brother’s in Germany, talking to his wife, Steffi, about German Chimney sweeps, a slightly unnusual organization with monopoly power and the right to enter your home at least once a year, with no legal alternatives (listen to a cool NPR story about them). I told her how surprising this was, and she explained that it was an essential service.
“Nonsense”, I replied, “most other countries do without this so-called essential service, and they are doing fine.”
“Yours isn’t – it’s falling apart.”
“Well, that may be so, but the current housing and financial crisis is not because of a lack of chimney sweeps.”
“You never know,” she primly replied.
Damn. She’s clearly not right, but it’s a hard argument to pursue. The USA is falling apart at the seams, and we don’t have chimney sweeps. The moral of the story is, never argue with a German.
