Sweden is a cold, cold country ...

Submitted by Qwerty (Sweden), Jul 12, 2011 at 10:43

Sweden is a cold, cold country and I'm not just talking about the weather. Even before I moved here, knew of Swedish stoicism. I knew about the importance of privacy in their culture. I didn't take it offensively, I tried to understand.

It took me 2 years to realize that their need for "privacy" and their stoic nature is just an excuse for saying they don't give a shit about anyone but themselves! Don't mistake my comment as just another foreigner complaining about lack of friends -- this goes beyond that. This is about the inherit Swedish mentality of being unable to think outside their shoes.

Think of it this way: a homogeneous society with with grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents all from the same country, most of the time from the same town, even. For centuries they had no wars or conflicts. Centuries of stagnant living without ever a need to think outside of their backyard reality!

The pull of conformity is like no other in this country! Stay here for a while and it radiates! This conformity is thinking, acting, being Swedish. Imagine how it is for an immigrant. You're not Swedish, nor do you think or act like one. Even if you do everything right, are polite, and even try and act Swedish --- you are still not Swedish.

Yes, there's backward rednecks in every country ... but imagine a place where that's the NORM! And because it's the norm, they don't understand nor comprehend anything wrong with it! They've been living here for centuries just fine, therefore it must be you with the problem! This is Sweden.

Like the original post mentioned, it seems like paradise from afar. But it's far, far, far from it! To visitors, they'll be welcomed by a peaceful, serene country and society surrounded by nature. To immigrants that have had the misfortune of landing themselves here, it's a cold country with colder attitudes masked by social "politeness" only because they think they're superior.

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