"That's the most German thing I've ever seen."
This was my reaction to the following video of a Bayern Munich winter training in which Bayern attacking midfielder Thomas Muller shows everyone how few f*cks he gives about the cold.
Thomas Muller doesn't care if its cold https://t.co/1MbdOFDMbB
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) February 4, 2016
Germany's reputation for stoicism and toughness has certainly preceded Muller's actions here, and it kind of bothered me that upon seeing the video my thoughts immediately leapt to nationalistic generalizations.
This was such a weird feeling that I couldn't even tell if if was out of line that I thought that. I mean, as far as German stereotypes go, this one's pretty tame, but it was still pretty odd to me that I would think of an entire country full of people in those terms.
And perhaps I'm overreacting (I'm definitely overreacting). But it's something to think about. Even something as innocuous as what I think of a video of Thomas Muller wearing tiny shorts could be the sign of a larger issue. I don't think it is, but what do I know? I'm not a psychiatrist.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
