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Notes -
tl;dr: More true of Germans than of any other nation I know.
Germans aren't 100% law-abiding, many of them will ignore minor laws when it suits them and they feel they have the moral high ground and they know their social network wouldn't condemn them for it.
Some Germans, get this, are actual honest-to-god criminals. We have them! They break laws and often they get caught and fined or imprisoned for it.
And many are indeed exemplars of the stereotype. It is not without some basis in reality. There are many who will indeed do their utmost to obey every law and regulation, no matter how inane, counterproductive or obviously insane. They are genuinely afraid of going against the letter of the law, not out of fear of punishment, but because it would be against the cosmic order of things.
Some people will even invent new laws on the spot as an excuse to not do something they do not wish to do - it often sounds plausible enough.
We also have tens of millions of foreigners and "Germans" who aren't nearly as lawful, but probably behave more lawfully than they would prefer so as to not stand out too much.
But overall yeah, we make lots of rules and expect them to be obeyed and most of us obey most of the rules and it's serious business all the way down.
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