This level only worsened in the age bracket of 80 or above - a group more affected by issues like illness. The Vikings are often perceived as ultraviolent people whose ruthless ways terrorized all of Northern Europe during the Middle Ages. Competitors, though driven and passionate about their sport, are often friendly with one another before and after games and events. ), At their closest points, Denmark and Sweden are separated by a mere 12 kilometers (roughly 7 miles), and yet Danes and Swedes are culturally distinct and speak different languages. Enough with the envious reports on the abolition of gender-specific pronouns. Ethnic minorities living in Nordic countries were less happy, Very religious people were more likely to be happier, No difference was found between people living in the country and those in cities. Their collective wisdom is clear: Swedes do not dislike Norwegians, and Norwegians do not dislike Swedes. [8]. Norway and Finland have some of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world. (Also see Do Danes and Swedes Hate Each Other?). Seems like a legit reason. The internet changed the world, allowing people everywhere to access information, share their views and debate contentious topics. [5]. So why do Norwegians hate Swedes and Danes? National pride certainly exists in Scandinavian countries like it does elsewhere in the world. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Last Wednesday in Stockholm, the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland, countries where neutrality and military non-alliance are deeply woven into their cultures, shocked the world by issuing a. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Others believe that Erdogan ultimately will not block Sweden and Finland's NATO memberships, but instead is seeking to improve his waning domestic popularity. Schools rein in higher achievers for the sake of the less gifted; "elite" is a dirty word; displays of success, ambition or wealth are frowned upon. See Why Do Norwegians Hate Swedes and Danes? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The people of Iceland are fascinating. Last Sunday night confirmed literally none of our guesses. Between 1814, when Norway gained independence, and 1821, Norway's state flag was simply the Danish flag with the symbolic Norwegian lion in the top left corner. They were both part of the Kalmar Union between 1397 and 1523, and a personal union between 1814 and 1905. I met with ke Daun, Sweden's most venerable ethnologist. It's all over a tiny group of islands, believe it or not. gender equality, freedom of information). The Norwegians were allowed to maintain their parliament, and their own army and judiciary. For the past few years the world has been in thrall to all things Nordic (for which purpose we must of course add Iceland and Finland to the Viking nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden). References:[1] Source[2] Source[3] Source. I am very fond of the Finns, a most pragmatic, redoubtable people with a Sahara-dry sense of humour. If Scandinavia was the Weasley family, Sweden would be Percy. In 1520, the execution of 80 members of Swedish nobility (an event that came to be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath) under the direction of then-leader of the union Kristian II of Denmark set the stage for Sweden to break away from the Kalmar Union and set off on its own path of sovereign independence under Swedish ruler Gustav Vasa. Generally, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have a strong regional connection, which is marked by a strong economy, shared social values, and several land and water-use agreements. Thank you for visiting Scandinavia Facts. Swedish media have said a final government decision will be made on Monday, with a formal application for membership to be submitted shortly afterwards. While most of the Kurds living in Sweden which local groups say number as many as 100,000 have no affiliation with the PKK, the Swedish government has supported members of other Kurdish organizations, particularly the political wing of the PKK's Syrian branch, called the PYD. "We are seeing that this epidemic of mental illness and loneliness is reaching the shores of the Nordic countries.". One common stereotype about people from Sweden and Denmark is that they drink a lot of alcohol. As Norwegian anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen put it to me when I visited his office in Oslo University: "We've always been used to thinking of ourselves as part of the solution, and with the oil we suddenly became part of the problem. It is a natural part of having a national identity. It is unclear how he would respond if he considers the alliances expansion in northern Europe an existential danger. Sweden has about 10% higher purchasing power than Norway, even though you can earn more with a career in Norway. I think a lot of the reason Sweden being targetted by its neighbours can be attributed to simple facts: Sweden being the immediate Nordic neighbour of Denmark/Norway/Finland, Sweden being the largest country in the Nordics. I've rustled up a sorrel salad and there's some expensive, weak beer in the fridge. Presumably the correlative of this is that Denmark has the best public services? What do Norwegians think of Swedes and Danes? Among the dissenters in the Monday vote were some of the party's furthest-right members, including Reps . The Swedes tried to give Norway a sense of independence. Don't worry man, nobody hates Sweden, it's just sibling rivalry. And that is done by distancing, ribbing and at times even a slight hostility. [3] Other Swedish characterizations of the Danish include: Due to their proximity to continental Europe and their direct interactions throughout history with the French and Germans, Danish people are also often perceived as possessing a bit of an elitist attitude toward their fellow Scandinavians across the water in Sweden and Norway. Finland and Sweden took a historic decision to end their nonaligned positions and join the alliance in the face of Russia's aggression, but new countries joining NATO requires unanimous approval . But Sweden? Think of it as the China of the north. How can they afford all those expensively foraged meals and hand-knitted woollens? Swedes working in Norway are popular with customers, employers and workmates alike, alm. 11 Really Good Reasons Why You Should Visit land, https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/, http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/images/Culture_Map_2017_conclusive.png, http://www.fallintofinland.com/culture/how-to-communicate-with-a-finn/, http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/mondays_papers_mp_absences_athletes_drinking_biathlon_bronze_norovirus_hunt/9469182, https://www.infopankki.fi/en/living-in-finland/finnish-and-swedish/finnish-online. Yet historical disagreements, and international conflict, can create rifts between neighboring people groups, even ones their current citizens didnt directly experience. As it turns out, this one comprises both truth and fiction. Norway and Sweden have a very long history together. A Norwegian who is passionate about winter sports, may have a national pride when it comes to comparisons about speed skating or cross-country skiing. LOL yes, we're the ones trying to "export out policies." EDIT: Don't you just love it when your first post on a subreddit gets on trending? Well there are legimate reasons to not like Sweden nowadays. Though 2013 saw a record number of asylum applications to Norway, it granted asylum to fewer than half of them (around 5,000 people), a third of the number that less wealthy Sweden admits (Sweden accepted over 9,000 from Syria alone). NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks speaks during a joint press with Sweden and Finland's Foreign ministers after their meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022 . This article was amended on 29 January 2014. Got a confidential news tip? An indigenous minority of around 100,000 people spread over the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, the Sami have traditionally lived off reindeer herding and fishing. Sweden's foreign ministry declined to comment on Erdogan's accusations when contacted by CNBC. The NATO average was estimated at 1.6% last year. Is social media causing childhood depression? In 2021, Sweden's government announced an increase in funding for Kurdish groups in Syria to $376 million by 2023, saying it remained an "active partner" to Syria's Kurds and that its funds were aimed at "strengthening resilience, human security and freedom from violence" and improving "human rights, gender equality and democratic development.". Youth unemployment is higher than the UK's and higher than the EU average; integration is an ongoing challenge; and as with Norway and Denmark, the Swedish right is on the rise. Enough with the impractical minimalist interiors. It found that in total 12.3% of people living in the Nordic region said they were struggling or suffering, with 13.5% of young people ranking themselves as such. - Quora Answer (1 of 22): It is hardly bitter on the Swedish side and I would not use that exact word on the Finnish side either. Non-Scandinavians may not be the root cause of any, or all of, such stereotypes, but they may contribute to them by believing them and expressing them to others. So let's remove those rose-tinted ski goggles and take a closer look at the objects of our infatuation . Answer (1 of 26): In my generation, almost everyone I know have worked either in Denmark or in Norway. Sweden, however, remained the regional outlier for more than a century. When it comes to Finland, Turkey's opposition to it joining NATO appears to be more by association the country has a far smaller Kurdish population than Sweden, but its foreign policy tends to be similar. Turkey says Sweden has supported members of the Kurdish Workers' Party, or the PKK. Look up the word "reticent" in the dictionary and you won't find a picture of an awkward Finn standing in a corner looking at his shoelaces, but you should. So the picture in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden does remain relatively rosy - just not as perfect as some may have painted. Its postwar foreign policy has focused on multilateral dialogue and nuclear disarmament and it has long seen itself as a mediator on the international stage, running down its military after the end of the cold war. So you know, only we can criticize each other, and if other countries try it, they need to shut up. The decision represents a setback for Moscow, with the. Although the report particularly focuses on Nordic countries, it does compare some of the data to that recorded elsewhere. The historic move set to be . In fact, Erdogan has already blocked an early attempt by NATO to fast-track Finland and Sweden's applications, saying their membership would make the alliance "a place where representatives of terrorist organizations are concentrated.". Norway's strong social security net, which includes generous parental leave policies, is a key reason the country of just over 5 million people is consistently rated one of the best places in the world to live. If Scandinavia was the Dursley family, Denmark would be Dudley. Centuries ago, there most certainly was hatred between the nations of Denmark and Sweden, as evidenced by the dozens of wars fought between them. Sweden and Finland are set formally to end decades of neutrality and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in a historic breakthrough for the alliance that deals a blow to Russian. They may have different policies on border control. Press J to jump to the feed. Researchers found mental health to be one of the most significant barriers to subjective well-being. For example when the US came and made that whole ASAP Rocky bullshit, the Danish media was all over the place, defending Sweden and condemning America. Further attention will only encourage them. In fact, the only way they can communicate with each other is through the neutral language of English, and quite often, it is through this non-native tongue that their wars of words are waged. Finland's leaders on Thursday officially expressed support for applying to NATO "without delay," while Sweden's ruling party is expected to follow suit on Sunday. What your brother does can annoy you beyond belief, and you bet he'll do it again and again, just because it annoys you. And Sweden? After decades dreaming of life among olive trees and vineyards, these days for some reason, we Brits are now projecting our need for the existence of an earthly paradise northwards. But this does not mean that they are all too chummy either. They also found that people were more than three times more likely to report a low score if they were unemployed, especially men, who were also more likely to report mental health problems when unemployed. Finland, Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand all have high GDP per capita, low inequality rates, literacy rates close to 100 %, and prioritise human right issues (e.g. or the past few years the world has been in thrall to all things Nordic (for which purpose we must of course add Iceland and Finland to the Viking nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden). Some Swedes are deeply offended at the joke; some laugh and agree. By and large the report challenges our typical conception of the happiness trajectory of life - especially that we are all at our happiest while young. Like the Swedes, they embraced privatisation with great enthusiasm (even the ambulance service is privatised); and can seem spectacularly unsophisticated in their race relations (cartoon depictions of black people with big lips and bones through their noses are not uncommon in the national press). The nation once dubbed "the west's reigning educational superpower" (the Atlantic) has slipped in the latest Pisa rankings. Not the NATO member that is literally illegally invading and attacking other countries to feel better about themselves and to please daddy America. People in some countries welcome people with a conversation. It asked people to mark their satisfaction with life out of 10 - with people above a seven categorised as thriving, fives and sixes as struggling and anyone scoring below a four deemed to be suffering. Driving from the south of the Sweden to the northern . Sweden's top diplomat Ann Linde has stressed that Stockholm considers the PKK a terrorist organization but there remained "misunderstandings" over using the term for other Kurdish groups, such as the YPG. Swedish benefits are the best in the world Working in Sweden gives you a boat load of holidays. Eighteen Republican lawmakers voted against the US allowing Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Enough of the unblinking idolatry of all things knitted, bearded, rye bread-based and licorice-laced. However, they shared one monarch and had a single foreign policy run by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign . The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is a defensive military alliance formed in 1949 by 12 countries including the US, UK and France to counter the threat of postwar Soviet Russian expansion in Europe. Here is a brief look at the background and implications of their decisions. Collectively, Norwegians dont hate Swedes and Danes. (Also see Do People Still Practice the Norse Religion Today? It may be due to regional and cultural attitude tendencies that dont necessarily have negative roots. I remember Sweden and Norway hard defending us danes when Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland. And distancing yourself from identities close to you is a natural part of that. Among the coldest of rivalries of countries that hate each other is between Argentina and the United Kingdom. (Also see What Are Reindeer Used for in Norway? Everyone understands that Finland is not Russian, despite being part of the Russian Empire for 108 years. (Also see Is Denmark and the Netherlands the Same Country?). If only I had a penny everyone time someone from my country cried about tar or cudgel war well I wouldn't be rich but I could easily afford a cup of coffee. Against the US allowing Finland and Sweden to join NATO almost everyone i know have worked either Denmark..., allowing people everywhere to access information, share their views and debate contentious topics are! Daun, Sweden would be Dudley, this one comprises both truth and fiction the dissenters the. Expansion in northern Europe an existential danger defending US Danes when Trump said he wanted to Greenland! Sweden would be Percy Sweden to join NATO is that they are all too either... More with a Sahara-dry sense of independence Nordic countries, it does compare some of the Finns, most. 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