Are you a risk taker?

[Stew.t.]

Hi guys

One of my students got into a small talk discussion with me yesterday and thought the biggest risk I took was to move to Germany.
This got me to wondering if there are so diversly different perceptions of what taking a risk entails.

Also if it was a cultural comment in that she would consider what I did risky as opposed to me who considers a risk to be more lets say Snowboarding for the first time or parachute jumping.

If you are not aware I am English and my student was German.

So my query and discussion is concerning what do you think is risky? and could there be cultural differences influencing definitions of what a risk entails?
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[Jamie (K)]

Stew, I went around and around with a German corporate employee for a couple of months recently, because he believed certain American business behaviors and commercial laws were "stupid".

After a while I realized that in his mind "stupid" meant "does not eliminate all possible risk". He was unable to imagine why someone would be allowed to start a business without having to sink tens of thousands of dollars into strange forms of insurance and various other instruments to eliminate all the risk. He couldn't imagine someone quitting his corporate job to start his own business or to become a consultant or independent contractor. All these things were "stupid" in his mind, because they all involved risk.

I realized that typical Germans and typical Americans have very different conceptions of risk. But it's not whether or not something is risky, but what is an acceptable level of risk. It seems that many Germans approach an opportunity and think, "Can I fall down?" If the answer is yes, then they might not take advantage of the opportunity. A typical American in the same situation would think, "Can I fall down? Yes. What are the chances I'll fall down? How hard will it be to get back on my feet after I fall down?" and then he decides whether or not to proceed based on that. In the US it's not unusual to meet people who have started three, four, even five failed businesses before they hit on a successful one. I'd bet these people are less common in Germany or France.

When I was helping manage a language school in the Czech Republic, near the German border, we were on the verge of importing Americans to teach German. The problem was that, for various social and bureaucratic reasons, the Germans found it "too risky" to spend a year or two teaching there. Even unemployed Germans wouldn't do it! There was no problem getting Americans, Brits or Australians, so we decided to seek out anglophone German teachers. The principal of one of the high schools had noticed the problem also, and she told me, "These people from Anglo-Saxon countries have a very different mindset when it comes to risk and volunteerism!"

Another interesting thing I've noticed and read about is that among American self-made millionaires (most American millionaires are self-made) most people are religious. It appears there's a connection between being religious and being able to take the big risks necessary for starting one's own business. Evidently, it's not because they think God will somehow miraculously protect them from failure. It's because they feel that they will not lose any human dignity even if they take a risk and lose everything they have.

I think a major factor in what people think of as risky is how much socialism they've grown up with. People in post World War II Europe have grown up with extremely intrusive socialism and regulation, and many of them get queasier over risk than a typical American or African.

[Alan]

How can you possibly generalise about a person's risk propensity based on their nationality? I'm sure you can't talk about a typical American, can you? Are you typical?

Alan
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[Jamie (K)]

[Foah]

Jamie, how can you claim to know about a peoples behave? Yes, of course, you train some German people who think they are leaders in Germany. In fact, I think the people you have to do with are such who studied a bit, have got a well paid job in the industry and now think they are the top. At least that?s my imagination of the persons you have to do with. Please, keep your eyes open for what happens actually and not just for some people who dread to loose their job when they do a wrong-decision.

Michael
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"Ho ho!" said the clown

[Jamie (K)]

[Foah]

[Alan]

What is a typical American, then?

A
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[Stew.t.]

Hi guys

I wanted a little more insight than to open a can of worms.

But lets take a look at a few things guys

Germany has recently, until the low economic growth, been a country built on small to medium sized businesses.

It also is a country with a great many insurance companies.

The individual has less pesronal debt that some countries.

Germans also have a tendancy to be very good at so called "risky" sports; particularly winter sports.

So either way we can make a generalisation and say that Germans are not big risk takers, are risk takers, have good financial acuman or prudence as well as take risks but make sure they are covered.

More importantly I wanted to know what are your defintions of risk and if you have noted differences in perception, rather than the postreplies that have gone before. please oblige me rather than turning this thread into yet another accusations and justifications one, thks.
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[Jamie (K)]

[Alan]

Hi Jamie,

I would like to point out that you are the one who keeps on and on about America and Americans. You don't do your country any favours but most of this beat on the American is self inflicted and really has no basis at least on this site.

A
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[Yankee]

[Alan]

Hi Amy,

If you want to see tailgating big time, drive in France. I've experienced it on all roads in France in over a decade of driving there in two or three visits a year. I wouldn't call this being risky, I would simply call it French driving. You have to accept that the car in front is a red rag to a bull.

A
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[Yankee]

:lol:

I had an Italian guy in a course one time who told me that stopping at a red light was "optional" in Italy. :lol:

Amy
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[Foah]

I?m still waiing for an explanation what my stay in or absence from the U.S. has to do with my question?

Michael

Amy, your friend was right. When I was in Italy (Tetifrancesi di Rivalta di Torino/taking a big risk while travelling to another country) to erect a machine we needed to drive to the custom-office in Torino. Well,as good German we stopped in front of a red stoplight. An Italian co-driver got crazy because of our behave and started yelling us. In fact, every else cardrivers who knew the Italian mentality approached quite carefully the junction expecting some traffic despite they were allowed to cross by the stoplight.
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