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. The idea is that because Sweden's horrific death rates followed its refusal to lock down its society as strictly as other countries, the latter must have been the cause of the former. It wasnt until 1536, that a new alliance between Norway and Denmark was formed. Neighbors may also have different religious convictions as well. [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. This fact surprises many people from all around the world and makes them wonder "why". While such competitive Scandinavians may cross a line at a given time, like a Dane who shouts negative comments to a Swede during a hockey game, collectively the competitive spirits of Scandinavians dont result in harmful outcomes. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. 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. Official partners of the alliance since the 1990s, the idea that the Nordic states might actually join the group made Moscow bristle. Finland ranks third in global gun ownership behind only America and Yemen; has the highest murder rate in western Europe, double that of the UK; and by far the highest suicide rate in the Nordic countries. 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. A few years ago, the Swedish Institute of Public Opinion Research asked young Swedes to describe their compatriots. Russia has threatened its close Arctic neighbours Sweden and Finland with 'military consequences' if they join NATO. "It's not just a matter of Sweden's liberal policies towards Kurdish refugees and political dissidents and activists. Got plenty of them. It may be due to regional and cultural attitude tendencies that dont necessarily have negative roots. "Swedish women try to moan as little as possible during childbirth and they often ask, when it is all over, whether they screamed very much. After all, for several centuries, these two nations wanted nothing more than to eradicate the other, and this level of animosity does not dissolve away completely. Is Denmark and the Netherlands the Same Country? The leaders of Sweden and Finland meet with President Biden today after officially applying to join NATO, but their applications have hit an early snag. Those offshore windmills may look impressive as you land at Kastrup, but Denmark burns an awful lot of coal. Other awkward truths? The Swedish approach. The Kurdish people are often described as the world's largest ethnic group without a homeland an estimated 30 million people. "At some point in the evening around 11.30pm, people start behaving aggressively, throwing punches, wrestling," Heikki Aittokoski, foreign editor of Helsingin Sanomat, told me. The same applies in Norway, with Oslo often measuring up as more expensive than places like Bergen. Even ahead of the US. Turkey says Sweden has supported members of the Kurdish Workers' Party, or the PKK. References:[1] Source[2] Source[3] Source[4] Source[5] Source[6] Source[7] Source[8] Source[9] Source. Please see the About page for details. link to 5 Great Places To Stay in Iceland. Ask the Danes how they feel about their neighbors to the northeast, and the Swedes would likely be described as being stiff, overly reserved, and downright unfriendly. Sweden, however, remained the regional outlier for more than a century. But Sweden? The Danes of course also have highest taxes in the world (though only the sixth-highest wages hence the debt, I guess). "Clearly [the] accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO, which is first and foremost a military alliance, would have serious military-political repercussions that would demand a response from. Btw, there was a similar thread in r/Nordiccountries recently: r/Nordiccountries/comments/jqwqxt/why_do_nordic_countries_citizens_seem_to_dislike/. These societies function well for those who conform to the collective median, but they aren't much fun for tall poppies. The causes of the Scandinavia's states wealth are numerous and complex. Swedish and Finnish military vehicles during an exercise involving Nato member countries plus Sweden and Finland, in Evenes, Norway, in March. The Swedes tried to give Norway a sense of independence. "The next day, people laugh about it. Various Kurdish groups have pushed for Kurdish autonomy and statehood over the decades, some peacefully and some, like the PKK, through violence. The people here being salty werent even born when this shit mattered. Travel to and from Helsinki and the. 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. The NATO average was estimated at 1.6% last year. Christian started Scandinavia Facts to explore his family heritage, raise awareness of one of his academic interests as a professor, and civilly promote the region. The authors say that in Nordic countries high incomes protected people against feeling they were suffering or struggling. Join the Allies!"). [9]. Simple, the Danes also have the highest level of private debt in the world (four times as much as the Italians, to put it into context; enough to warrant a warning from the IMF), while more than half of them admit to using the black market to obtain goods and services. Many analysts believe the two countries will apply simultaneously. Yes, they want to beat each other and claim victory at whatever they are doing, however, there is no ill will toward others or a collective desire for something harmful to happen to anyone. In fact, Sweden was one of the first countries to designate the group as a terrorist organization in 1984. 2023 BBC. I'm afraid I have to set you straight on Danish television too. Centuries ago, there most certainly was hatred between the nations of Denmark and Sweden, as evidenced by the dozens of wars fought between them. In the old nationalistic writings Sweden has always been portrayed as cartoonishly evil entity. In other places, people prefer not to touch at all. From this perspective, the Scandinavian countries would, therefore, include only Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images, Finns having a quiet drink Photograph: Martti Kainulainen/REX, A car burning after riots in Stockholm in 2013. Pull up an Egg. Their leaders may have different policies as well. ), 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. If, as a headline in this paper once claimed, it is "the most successful society the world has ever seen", why aren't more of you dreaming of "a little place" in Ume? This level only worsened in the age bracket of 80 or above - a group more affected by issues like illness. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Icelands epic landscapes draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Some do; some dont. Finland and Sweden could apply for membership of the 30-nation Nato alliance within days, ending decades of military non-alignment in a historic shift triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine. It was first in the 1970s that Norway began to take in large numbers of Muslim immigrants, and as early as 1979, the year after the publication of Edward Said's book Orientalism, Carl I. Hagen wrote a strongly anti-Islam column in the newspaper Aftenposten. However, Turkey says that Sweden has supported PKK members and provides protection for them. I was told we'd run out of time. I pointed out that Sweden was one of the most bloodthirsty nations on earth for much of the last millennium. 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. According to him, his countrymen have been corrupted by their oil money, are working less, retiring earlier, and calling in sick more frequently. 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. Sweden and Finland have also said they will not approve the repatriation of 33 people that Turkey has accused of links to terrorism. RUSSIA. Mostly Sunni Muslim, they have their own unique language and customs. So let's remove those rose-tinted ski goggles and take a closer look at the objects of our infatuation . It would be greatly appreciated if you'd join our discord https://discord.gg/ZjpnhAj. When Finland and Sweden announced their interest in joining NATO, the two Nordic states were expected to be swiftly accepted as members of the defense alliance. 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. 3. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Enough of the unblinking idolatry of all things knitted, bearded, rye bread-based and licorice-laced. Also see Democratic Socialism in Scandinavia to learn more about Scandinavian culture. Swedens opposition to Nato membership has been more ideological. Denmark's provinces have become a social dumping ground for non-western immigrants, the elderly, the unemployed and the unemployable who live alongside Denmark's 22m intensively farmed pigs, raised 10 to a pen and pumped full of antibiotics (the pigs, that is). 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. Competitive spirits are often the product of particular values that are held individually. Both Norway and Sweden are "long" countries. . But joining NATO requires consensus approval from all existing members, and Turkey one of the group's most strategically important and militarily powerful members is not happy. Some in the region believe Norwegians raise their children differently than others and instill in them a national pride that may not necessarily have implications for neighboring people groups, but it sometimes results in such perceptions. gender equality, freedom of information). 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. But would I want to live in Finland? By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Like the dealer who never touches his own supply, those dirty frackers the Norwegians boast of using only renewable energy sources, all the while amassing the world's largest sovereign wealth fund selling fossil fuels to the rest of us. Another way to look at it is sibling rivalry and family feuds. They will do anything to avoid sharing a lift with a stranger, as I found out during a day-long experiment behaving as un-Swedishly as possible in Stockholm. No, they are not, and have to make that clear much harder than that they are not Russian. Nonaligned up until now, Finland and Sweden last weekend announced plans to abandon that position and join NATO in the wake of Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine. They were both part of the Kalmar Union between 1397 and 1523, and a personal union between 1814 and 1905. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. It found general health and mental health were both closely associated with happiness ratings - with unemployment, income and sociability also playing a role. A report authored by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen aims to provide a more nuanced picture of life in the Nordic nations - suggesting their reputations as utopias for happiness are masking significant problems for some parts of the population, especially young people. Others believe that Erdogan ultimately will not block Sweden and Finland's NATO memberships, but instead is seeking to improve his waning domestic popularity. Danes in Copenhagen hate it when drunk teenage Swedes from neighboring Malm invade the streets of their city (the legal drinking age is lower in Denmark, 16, than in Sweden, 18). What began as a seemingly harmless comment regarding home dcor devolved into a heated exchange of increasingly hostile tweets between the Danes and their Swedish counterparts: Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and the hurling of insults came to an end. The Swedes, on the other hand, if asked to describe the good people of Denmark, might depict the Danes as happy-go-lucky people who, for better or worse, wear their emotions on their sleeves. It might not seem like there is a big difference between the 2 Scandinavian countries whereas to the land, use and its outlook, but there are a . to learn more.). Actually, I have lived in Denmark on and off for about a decade, because my wife's work is here (and she's Danish). "Turkey is not happy about the fact that they suddenly become good guys just because they came in handy against ISIS.". Several Kurds even have seats in Sweden's Parliament. In summer, you'll be plagued by mosquitos, in winter, you'll freeze that's assuming no one shoots you, or you don't shoot yourself. This article was amended on 29 January 2014. Since 1984, between 30,000 and 40,000 people are estimated to have died in fighting between the PKK and Turkish government, according to Crisis Group. The historic move set to be . We invoke another Latin expression as more pertinent to Sweden's excess corona deaths: ceteris paribus, or "all things equal." It's also a reflection of differing definitions over who and what constitutes intolerable Kurdish extremism," Ibish said. The same is true of Danish and Swedish people. See Why Do Norwegians Hate Swedes and Danes? More . Norway and Finland have some of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world. Icelands epic landscapes draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. In other regional conflicts around the world, present-day racial, political, and social tensions can be traced back thousands of years, not just hundreds like in Scandinavia. [1] But it has so many exciting places that deciding which area to visit can be challenging. 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. Kurds in Turkey were victims of several massacres in the years following the founding of the modern Turkish state in 1923, and use of the Kurdish language there has been banned in various capacities for much of the last century. Thunberg and other climate campaigners are joining a demonstration led by the Saami community, an Indigenous group whose traditional lands stretch across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and western . So, yes, I do think culture matters a great deal to understanding why countries like Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden score high on this particular indicator of happiness. Here's how that would work, 30,000 and 40,000 people are estimated to have died. Sweden's foreign ministry declined to comment on Erdogan's accusations when contacted by CNBC. Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, referencing the unrealistic demands that Turkey is making, said on January 9 that, "Turkey both confirms that we did what we said we would do, but they also say they want things we can't and don't want . However, what is often overlooked is that in addition to their raids against foreign people in faraway places like the British Isles and France, the Vikings also waged war against each other. With Swedish elections coming up in September, it's unlikely that the government will make any major concessions to Erdogan that would be unpopular at home, according to some analysts. - 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. Actually, they dont hate them at all. Thank you for posting on NordicHistoryMemes. From the military perspective, the addition of Finlands and Swedens armed forces would represent a major boost to Natos assets in northern Europe, filling a hole in the alliances defences by doubling the length of its border with Russia and improving security and stability in the Baltic region. One common stereotype about people from Sweden and Denmark is that they drink a lot of alcohol. According to The Explorer, Norway has long been at the forefront in regards to Electric Vehicles: 'Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries and their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face some military and political consequences,' foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria . Finland already meets Natos defence spending target of 2% of GDP, while Sweden is on course to do so. It's likely. The Nordics are best buddies today. [6]. The reasons behind Turkey's opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO are complicated, emotional and steeped in decades ofoftenviolent history. If Scandinavia was the Dursley family, Denmark would be Dudley. That includes many non-PKK Kurdish entities and organizations in and from Turkey itself, but also the Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria and a number of Iraqi Kurdish groups as well.". Competitors, though driven and passionate about their sport, are often friendly with one another before and after games and events. Putin has demanded that NATO stop expanding and in his May 9 speech blamed the West for the war. These countries have a shared history, and like many other places in the world, they have experienced periods of unity and disunity. 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