Kultur fünf

It's incredibly ironic that we read about flirting in Germany this week, because over the past week I've grown increasingly disillusioned with American guys and the ridiculous courting methods they choose to employ.  In my experience, American guys typically fall into two categories: (1)the creepy stalk types who stare sheepishly, and quickly lower their gaze to the floor the moment you meet their eyes...and then go right back to staring as soon as they think you're not looking, and (2)the overly confident, entitled jerk who acts as though he's God's gift to all women, who arrogantly strides up to any women he pleases and immediately stands too close and asking very personal questions.  However, the german approach (as explained in the article), doesn't seem to be much an improvement.  Staring from the across the room with a completely blank facial expression sounds a bit...scary.  If I were in Germany and a guy was staring at me like that, I would most likely assume he was drunk, on drugs, or mentally unbalanced and would entirely avoid eye contact with him.  Overall, I would say that flirting is pretty awkward in general, because no one wants to face rejection.  In animal courtship, members of a species will often approach any member of the opposite sex that they desire, and will promptly move on to the next potential mate if they are rejected.  Unfortunately, being rejected can be very emotionally and socially significant for human beings, so we're cautious to avoid it if possible.  The bizarre and confusing courtship rituals human often use are are a byproduct of our interest in avoiding the pain and humiliation that can come with being rejected.