Comments on: Are Swedes really that horrible ?

By: Clara

Clara — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:52:36 +0000

I have to admit: yes they are cold, boring sometimes rude, grown up in divorced families, simply sweden is a great country, what a pity the people are that much cold and boring!

By: Mo

Mo — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:17:16 +0000

Always intresting to read what other people think of sweden.

As a swede and living in stockholm, i dont really recognise that we are that rude except maybe if you party at stureplan.

What i feel we are is a bit reserved to foreigners(people you dont know) in generel and it takes time for us to melt,but i think most people love to chat with people coming from other countries,cities and whatnot.

Also people behave diffrently in diffrent cities in sweden, stockholm in general is a bit more cold until you get to know someone .

By: Dano

Dano — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:26:55 +0000

Can’t argue with a swede who sees things as they really are Owlrus! :P

A trip to Sweden is like a trip anywhere else in the world..be yourself (with respect)and what will be will be!
One person will have a terrible trip to the dentist,another person will have a good trip to the same dentist.It’s what happens to YOU here that counts,not what happens to US!
Swedes can be the same as anyone else,anywhere.The ones i meet down here in the south west can be inquisitive,polite,pleasant,and can have a really good sense of humour and understanding of it..which takes some doing when there’s a Brit around! lol
Just remember,most swedes under 30 know English.They may not all speak it well due to being uncomfortable with a native speaker,same as us trying to speak Italian to a Italian..but most will understand it.So be careful when calling them names and such! lol.
Oh,and there’s a lot of muslim immigrants here,so as an American there’s a chance you may be kidnapped,have your head lopped off and the video put on youtube..but don’t let this spoil your trip! :)

By: Owlrus

Owlrus — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:36:48 +0000

I find it quite amusing that all the messages from Swedes defending Swedes as not being rude basically either tell those criticizing Sweden to “shut up” or that they only say this because they got rejected by a Swedish girl. Yes, that’s a very convincing argument to say your people are not rude.

I am an American going to Sweden for the first time this summer, and I sure was excited until I started reading about others’ experiences…..I sure hope to be proven wrong! I’m already pretty convinced that if I have a bad experience the Swedes will just say it’s “because you’re an American and Americans are shit.”

By: Dano

Dano — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:27:01 +0000

Very true!

By: Freddie

Freddie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:32:02 +0000

I am happy to see that this thread is a bit more reflective and positive than the “Rude Swedes are not an oxymoron” thread.

One aspect that sometimes is overlooked is the fact that the “cold, reserved, shy and boring” Swedes are not native English speakers. It is not always easy for them to express themselves in a foreign language. If the roles were reversed and you knew a little Swedish and had to engage in an interesting conversation only using Swedish you might also feel that it is not all that easy express yourself as usual and maybe you would even be a bit self-conscious and shy.

By: Dano

Dano — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:57:36 +0000

Wise words…but i don’t think anyone’s “hating” on Swedes.These are just our observations because we live here or have/ had/want relationships with a Swede.Each country has it’s own little (and sometimes huge)quirks,and no doubt there’s total differences around each street corner.

By: Jax

Jax — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:42:14 +0000

Well, I’m an American woman, and truth be told, we are all different. There is no single standard to go by. This is due to it being the grand melting pot. Most everyone is a mix of something, and they bring all that background and heritage into their particular part of Americanism. No two snowflakes are the same, and neither are two people. When others speak of Americans, they are either talking through assumptions, rumours from political agendas, or understanding of their own personal experience with a certain group of people; but no one knows everyone, and therefore it can not be expected to explain a whole country of people. The same goes for Sweden, no doubt. I have heard enough to know that they are all unique individuals; and to place a people in one standard is not just incorrect, but downright ingnorant. I know only one Swede, a male from work, and so far he has turned out to be very sweet. He seems a bit shy and quite sincere, does “the stare”, and is very kind. If I didn’t believe he was married (Not certain, but I’m putting it together), I would definitely consider a future with this man. Of course, if I just went by the hate speech, I would have run the moment I saw him walk through the door! So, the point comes down to, if you don’t know everyone, your negative speculations on the whole becomes unsubstantiated, clueless, and unworthy of giving a second thought.

By: gina

gina — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:08:26 +0000

There is good and bad everywhere .
Sweden is a beautiful european country , with it’s own unique culture and way of life . If you visit their country , accept them for what they are , and show respect for this . If you “want” and “expect” them to be like you , why bother to go there ??? Stay home !
Sweden has many good things , so look for these , and be nice to their people , and they will be nice to you .
In any event , hate is a negative emotion , that serves no use for life improvement . Being nice is far better , for all .

By: Dano

Dano — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:25:09 +0000

David..as you stated “English speakers” and not the usual “America”..I’ll have a guess and say you’re a Brit?
You have to remember that if you remove America from the equation then England and France have been at war and hating each other for centuries!
England ruled France for a time…France ruled England for a time.We burnt Joan of arc alive!We killed thousands and thousands at Waterloo and Agincourt! To name just a couple. Unless we’re helping them out of a sticky situation,they don’t like us! So they certainly arn’t going to be polite and kill themselves to learn English just for our benefit.
It’s like you being Jewish and having had half or most of your family (at that time)gassed in the camps.Come the year 2010…you’re unlikely to say “ok enough times gone by.I’ll learn German and be nice and helpful whenever i meet one!”
But yeah,the short version is…they’re rude ignorant arseholes lol.

As for Swedes? Truth is i’ve never been to Stockholm yet.I’m ensconced down south in Skåne,but i’ve heard the tales from other swedes i know about them being ignorant and rude and elitist etc.I do meet a lot from Stockholm though,as they come down here for their summer vacations and as a metal detectorist i tend to attract attention like flies around shit,lol!
I admit,the ones i’ve talked to have been polite,curious,not at all put out at having to speak English,and in general…very pleasant.
I guess you have to live there or be around them a lot to understand fully.Here in Skåne they tend to be very snobbish at times too with everyone..which i find odd for a place that depends on tourism,well maybe not depends…but helps a damn lot,but have found once they realise you’re still here longer than your 2 week vacation,they become a little more pleasant.(It’s a little awkward down here due to history.Half of them still want to be Danish,lol)

It is odd though.Swedes i met on vacations in spain and other places(even before the beer and sangria kicked in) were always pleasant,happy go lucky,and game for a laugh,while actually living here has been a bit of an eye opener.