Political Differences
As campaigning is going full tilt in the US, so too is the case here in Germany as candidates prepare for upcoming democratic elections. Persuading the populous to vote for you seems to happen in a much different fashion in Germany than it does in the States. In the US, campaign signs only come in red white and/or blue (evidently better if you include all three), with plenty of stars and stripes, and often the obligatory patriotic b.s. statement that convinces all voters that you are a true, red-blooded American. If a picture is shown, the politician often has some very professional, maybe over-produced shot with stiff hair and a perma-grin. The over all impression it leaves is impersonal, distant, slick, and disconnected to the general population.
Here in Berlin I have been surprised to find most of the political posters to be more human, better designed (using design principles more effectively), and seem to inspire more confidence in the candidate. The photos look human, sometimes a bit unattractive, sometimes in more of a snapshot style setting, but always more like regular people. The designs are simple, and lack the dripping patriotism we see in the US, often opting for colors other than the ones seen in the national flag.
US citizens are as jaded about government now as ever before. I don’t anticipate a miraculous, political reconnection with the needs of voters any time soon, but our politicians would be well served to look abroad in order to understand themselves better.