You are exaggerating a bit much here. After reading what you have to say, I get the feeling that you base this out of what you have heard and not on any real experience of sweden and the people who live here. And about your niece, Im sure that she is a nice girl and all but really. A teenage girl wanting to get out and see the world? I mean no real job experience or anything that includes living on your own. might be funny to you but if you look around, you will see that most teenagers are like that.

And please tell me how a trendy 26 year old look like a douchebag.

It’s the only way they can interact. Take away alcohol and outside of work you’d live in a totally silent society.

“Yeah, they have their good, bad and ugly just like all countries. However, Swedes generally play house with someone for several years (often starting in high school), then leave them and start again, then leave, then maybe around 30 hitch up with someone once the crop of potential singles starts to thin.”

The high school part is shocking, but very true. I am glad they have fewer sexual hangups than North Americans, but letting your 14 year old daughter screw one guy after another isn’t liberated, it’s irresponsible. And, truthfully, when you are a 30 year old guy do you want to marry some chick whose looks are fading and has spent the last decade and a half being passed around like an open beer? No thanks.

“Maybe that explains why Swedish males are afraid to offer up any opinion and prefer to just go with the flow”

Going with the flow…more like desperately try to conform and only open your mouth once you are drunk off your ass.

Funny, I have relatives in Sweden…from way back in the ancestral chain. I am still in touch with them and the 17 year old that I refer to as my niece keeps begging me to help her move away from Sweden.

Unfriendliness…geez, smile, say ‘hello’, things like that.

The men…so self-consciously trendy it’s not funny. Being a fjortisar at 15 is almost forgivable. At 26, you look like a douchebag.

The women…yes, a lot of them are good looking. However, they carry this whole ‘got an ATTITUDE but I am totally insecure’ thing to an extreme. Cold fish, but then they end up with some total douchebag because they are too insecure to be single or date someone that just might get attention from another women. Unless that is they end up with someone who has money…holy frikkin’ goldiggers.

I am white and American; my wife, on the other hand, is black and hispanic, from South America. I am treated like gold everywhere I go, even though I dont speak a word of Swedish (for all their America bashing, mention you’re from NYC and watch how Swedes react.) My wife on the other hand, is treated like DIRT on a regular basis, even though she speaks perfect unaccented Swedish (she has lived here for most of her life). She has several college degrees, has lived in no less than 6 countries and speaks four languages, and yet to Swedes she is just another “invandrare,” here to steal their social security and wreck their economy. Swedes do not realize what they are missing out on by not taking advantage of what their immigrant population has to offer.

There are many things I LOVE about this country! I just had to get that off my chest!

Oh yeah…and why do people follow each other in herds when they walk on the street?? Its REALLY annoying. When I get off the train I watch everyone take the escalator, not one person takes the stairs. Then, I walk up the stairs (i like the exersice) and suddenly, a whole pack of people is behind me!! Try it some time! Its like everyone just follows the person in front of them!

I can here my mother’s voice in my head “If so and so jumped off a bridge would you do it too?” Sometimes I think Swedes would!! :)

One major disadvantage of US, for us males, are predominance of grossly overweight, tasteless obnoxious females with princess attitude and with tendency to sue people around. Another one is ruthless serf serving legal system. Just make one mistake, like not being aware of particular law, and hordes of profiteers descend on you. One can be facing a long sentence for virtually nothing, a miserable experience with male on male rape not excluded, and little chance for employment thereafter as public record is available to any employer for a nominal fee. The highest incarceration rate in the world speaks by itself. The main advantages of US are significantly better pay (so far) for us professionals, availability of warm places, excellent service, politeness, friendliness, can do attitude and availability of medical services for those with insurance or savings, less and less so for those getting older.

The major disadvantage of Sweden, besides climate, is sticking to some artificial proven to be detrimental values (welfare immigration is one example), too much drinking and smoking, expecting the worst from the stranger instead of the best, and of cause dysfunctional health services: I personally waited in Karolinska emergency room for 4 hours to get my temperature checked. And I had 41C with no clue what is going on. Too expensive due to VAT, and if Malmo is an example for anyone, without no long term future. The advantages are long vacation and sick leave, availability of ombudsman and consumer department, much better sense of style and quality of food, air and water, better product quality. Both nation grossly disregard their young and older population in my opinion.

However, if given a choice I would still choose France or Israel instead of Sweden and USA, even with their lower wages, as the quality of medical service, in particularly after retirement makes more value for me than in both Sweden and USA by a large margin. And fun to live, communal attitude add to what both Sweden and USA lacks

Because the US protects all, people can and do make racist comments. Alas, I rather know there’s a KKK in my city than having them be hidden. And by knowing your “enemies” other organizations can peacefully fight for the other side.

As I am: American & Brown, most Swedes look at me as an American first. But there are those days, when club bouncers or bus riders look at me like dirt because I am brown. And those days when you hear about a robbery/theft and the first question is “Was he Arab?” WTF? The robber couldn’t be a white-trash Swede or white immigrant? The de facto is “Arab, Iraqi, Brown” etc. That makes me sad.

2. There is no real system of “suing” in Sweden. Whether or not people agree, it’s about placing adequate blame on to whoever broke the law. It’s like the average “life sentence” in prison in Sweden is 7 years. Where’s the justice in that? And where’s the justice if you lose you arm in an accident at work because their equipment was faulty to begin with? You get social security benefits, but the company gets slapped with a minor fine, no harm done.

Anyway…

@Brian – Haha, I learned a new phrase today, septic.

I disagree about Bolaget’s fantastic choices. They buy wine/beer that will sell. Boutiques/small companies are far from Bolaget’s choice because they cannot provide the mass quantities nor guarantee for shipments. That leaves outs hundreds of small, exclusive companies that produce wonderful wines that Bolaget will never buy, and Swedes will never know about.

Living in France and California has spoiled me. There’s no end to access of wonderful wines, beers and even spirits. Bolaget to me is like going to the airport newspaper shop; there’s a selection, but nothing to write home about. Frankly, I’m fed up of seeing the same shit over and over (even though stores have different selections).

Lived in other countries as well. And on any day, I’d pick living in Sweden than France. For SURE!

Sure the opening times of system blogaret are a pain but the choice is fantastic – bears wines and spirits I have never heard with staff that are very knowledgeable.

The rest of the suff is just you have a good whine – ironic in that is what you mon about Swedes for. You are obviously not adapter to living abroad.

BTW, didn’t you realise everyone bashes dumb Americans the world over…?

1) Sweden’s educational system (grades 1-12) is superior to the US.

Fact: When my kids moved with me to Sweden they were in fact ahead of thier Swedish peers by about 2 years in math and science — even though they were at least 1 year younger than their classmates (since Swedes start school later than Americans).

2) Sweden’s college system is superior.

Fact: My oldest two sons spend far more time in liesure activities than I was able to in the US. They joke about how easy it is here.

3) Swedes have superior analytical abilities.

Fact: What is promoted in Sweden as “analytical” or “critical” thinking is, in reality just cynical thinking. Swedish children are taught that to understand a subject you have to look for the flaws — and pretty much nothing more. That is just going to promote depression and helplessness, not being able to accurately analyze an issue, idea or even possible marriage mate.

4) Speaking of marriage — Swedes are always a good catch.

Fact: Yeah, they have their good, bad and ugly just like all countries. However, Swedes generally play house with someone for several years (often starting in high school), then leave them and start again, then leave, then maybe around 30 hitch up with someone once the crop of potential singles starts to thin. Also, if Swedish people are such good catches, why do so many Swedish women prefer non-Swedish men?

5) And speaking of Swedish men — they are Vikings, right?

Fact: That is debatable. One could speculate that the men with balls around 1000 years ago were the ones who packed thier bags and settled in northern Germany, Poland, Russia and other areas — leaving the men who were less adventursome back home. Then the next purge of Swedish masculinity may have taken place when many men packed up and took their families to America. Maybe that explains why Swedish males are afraid to offer up any opinion and prefer to just go with the flow (and call it concensus building.

6) Swedes are efficient.

Fact, if Swedes had been in charge of creating the earth the Garden of Eden would still be in the planning stage. Swedes love their meetings…to the point of nausia! They might actually get something done if they cut their meetings in half and went out and worked!

7) Swedes believe in individuality.

Fact: They cannot even go out for a walk alone. Ever try passing one of their herds on the sidewalk when you want to go for a run? Also, you can’t even reporduce the way you want to in Sweden — a single woman has to travel to Denmark to get a baby through insemination and if you are a lesbian couple or a couple where the hubby shoots blanks you do not even have a right to choose the characteristics you want the donor to have. Also, donors, male or female, cannot be paid, which decreases supply and creates long waiting lists for people wanting families. Just a little advice for any healthy, intelligent andattractive Swedish women out there — check what you can earn in the US as a donor.
Oh, and See how people will react if you are a woman and say that your ¤1 goal in life is to be a loving mother of a large family. No, you are supposed to be on par with the man, or woman, you marry economically and your kids should be raised by dagis personnel.

8) Sweden’s economy is better than the US.

Fact — while the per capita income seems to suggest at least equal levels of income, if you factor in taxes (direct and indirect, like energy taxes, VAT,etc.) you will find tht the average American couple can enjoy a Swedish lifestyle that it takes two people workiing full time to attain with only one income.

9) Swedes have long and cherished traditions.

Fact: The average Swede is totally in the dark about their proud heritage. Most have no clue about Viking accomplishments or even their basic history. And as for traditions, why do they have to steal all their holidays from other nations, i.e. Lucia?

10) Sweden is the future.

Fact: Not with their below-replacement birthrate they aren’t. And in a cultural sense, only if Orwell’s 1984, or the way the movie “The Time Machine” from 1960 presented the blonde, ambitionless human survivors of the future, is an accurate presentation of what humanity has to look forward to.