The World of a Nomad

10 Comments Add your own

• 1. Kimmy  |  May 30, 2008 at 4:27 pm

  The rude drivers and bicyclists drive me crazy

• 2. gustav  |  June 1, 2008 at 9:38 pm

  “Rude Swedes are not an oxymoron”

  Correction: “Rude Stockholmers are not an oxymoron”

• 3. Sapphire  |  June 1, 2008 at 10:18 pm

  Damn those cyclists for sure

  @ gustav- Point noted. What do you think of the Stockholmers then?

• 4. Gustav  |  June 3, 2008 at 1:59 pm

  That they are rude. At least the experiences I have of them. I honestly think they give Swedes a bad rep. Most foreigners who travel to Sweden go to Stockholm and then they will only meet the people there. I think “Kalmariter” (people from kalmar) are much more nice.

• 5. Sapphire  |  June 10, 2008 at 11:23 pm

  LOL…we could call the Stockholmers wanna be New Yorkers then.

  And I forgot to add to the list: doors slamming in your face. People don’t hold doors so please careful of all your extremities when crossing a door. You could lose a hand, nose or foot.

• 6. James  |  September 17, 2008 at 8:44 am

  I’ve lived in Sweden for many years now (originally from the US) and I can say with some authority that the people here are among the rudest most self-centered people on the planet. And it’s not just folks from Stockholm. The entire culture is dominated by an utter contempt for their fellows.

  Swedes push pregnant women and young children aside to get a seat on buses and trains. They cut in line incessantly. When confronted with their rude behavior you’ll either get complete denial or a childish tantrum. When driving they tailgate folks in fron of them and slow down on single lane roads when folks are behind them. They’ll steal parking places when someone is clearly waiting for it.

  I chalk it up to the level of unhappiness and powerlessness that folks here live in. The average Swede lives a gray, drone-like little life without the ability to change or move up socially or economically. If I had been condemned to such an existence I’d probably be surly and rude as well.

  Fortunately for Swedes alcohol assuages the colornessness and powerlessness of their lives and is used copiously. When drunk they do become much friendlier and a bit more polite.

• 7. john  |  September 18, 2008 at 11:42 am

  James: i agree, swedes have bad manners. but to make the analyse the swedes are egoistic because they can’t social-climb seems like a condradiction to me. Just the fact that income differences are lower in sweden then in USA and that there is a welfare program is of course well connected to the reason why social-climbing is harder. People have to share. I don’t think this is egoism. But maybe that’s just me, I guess you are one the happy neo-liberals.

• 8. Angela  |  November 13, 2008 at 2:04 am

  I lived in Stockholm for 8 years. I am married to a Swedish man *from Skane.* I learnt to speak the language fluently, I was married in Stockholm, my 2 children were born at SOS. I am an Aussie, pretty friendly, pretty outgoing and I tried really hard to enjoy my life there. I agree with everything you ve written about Stockholmers *though I do think they are friendlier in other parts of the country*
  They are rude, arrogant, cold and unfeeling. If it doesn t affect them they don t care about their neighbour.
  I couldn t count the number of times pregnant, I dragged my toddler laden pram up and down bus steps and no one in a bus load of people would offer to help. I can count the times though I was offered a seat on the undergound during my 2 pregnancies
  1 time only, and that person was obviously a migrant!.
  We\ve all been back in Oz 4 years now, my husband is an Australian citizen, and every day I kiss the ground and thank God I m back in a city where even strangers pass greetings and acknowledge another humans existence and worth.
  One would think people would be a little happier living in such a breathtakingly beautiful city as Stockholm, love the city can t stand the Stockholmers!

• 9. Sam  |  December 2, 2008 at 6:03 pm

  The reason for Swedish rudeness and ‘unfeelingness’ is mainly fear. Everbody in this world would be conerned to some extent how they are being perceived by others. But the Swedes’ lifestyles are defined by that fear. The opposite sexes don’t even look into each others eyes and casual flirting doesn’t even exist here because they ‘fear’ that they might be considered desperate. There are huge problems with social recognition here. Nobody is good to anybody and therefore everybody has developed a deep-rooted hatred for others and thus have become disgustingly ego-centric. These people are strange kind of humans. There are differences among cultures around the world but the Swedes are fundamentally different as humans from the rest of the world. They are the personification of fear!

• 10. AI Trader  |  February 16, 2009 at 9:52 am

  I moved to Sweden from the US 15 years ago. i’ve never lived in a country with such unhappy people that they actually take delight in watching their fellows suffer. And it’s not just Stockholm. It is all Swedes. All of them suffer under a weight of sheer frustration and powerlessness that they have developed a self loathing of their culture and their fellows. For an American this is inconceivable. I could never have conceived that a country could or would want to function like this.

  Folks may have their issues with the USA (I have a few of my own) but at least we are nice to our fellows and proud of our country, whatever its failings might be. Swedes dislike each other to the point of disdain and contempt. It is a bit shocking to those of us from countries where politeness and respect are part of our daily lives.

  It used to really bother me. Nowadays I just pity the Swedes.

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