Jake DeBolt-Kultur 4

The articles for this week were very thought provoking. It's interesting how Jaywalking is such a big deal in Germany, and how It's frowned upon to the point where you're perceived as a bad person for jaywalking in front of a small child. I feel this fact conveys a lot, not only about the German views towards personal transportation, but also towards child rearing. It is your responsibility to be a good influence to any and all children around you. I feel this is a global value, but it's not held in equal standing in all countries. Also, the idea that a jaywalking pedestrian is a challenge for other drivers made me laugh, as psychotic as it seems.
Germans are also very adamant about the fact that a bike path is a BIKE path. It's interesting how we don't share the exact same attitudes in the states, where a bike path is also often considered a sidewalk. I like the German approach, however, as it seems to minimize the potential for injury. Just getting to and from class, It's always a life or death struggle against the cyclists, whose relative lack of control over their forward momentum often creates chaos. If there were separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, the world would be much easier to navigate.