Swede here – I don't agree with this post. He does bring up some very good point about the real estate situation though.
I do, however, think that it's wrong to say that Stefan Löfven is a 'corrupt yokel'. He's been in a very hard situation politically, where he's been forced to rule as a minority. The opposition is doing everything they can to make sure that he looks incompetent as a leader, as it's basically ensuring their next election victory. He's only been in office since september, so it's not actually that weird that not too much has been done.
The whole post is filled with overstatements like this – and I'm kind of amused about the idea of escaping sweden because it left some of it's socialist ideals in the 60's to go to a country who despises socialism.
They don't really have to try very hard. He comes across as deeply incompetent most chances he gets imho, he's been especially embarrassing in international circumstances. He should have gone the way of Juholt, if not for timing and a lack of decent alternatives.
I left Sweden 5 years ago and I more or less agree with the post. It seems to have some undertones i don't entirely appreciate but on the whole it should serve as a necessary reality check if taken with a pinch of salt. It brings up many points that are worth discussing at length but which are essentially verboten in Swedish society. Even if it does overstate or sensationalize somewhat.
I doubt he is leaving specifically because it has abandoned some socialist ideals. For me it has more to do with not wanting to be part of the mass delusion, not wanting to constantly fit your opinions to an ever narrowing hallway of acceptable ideas and speech (not because they couldn't but because they shouldn't have to). At least when you don't live there you don't have to see and live it day in and day out. If anything I have grown more fond of Sweden and the ideals it represents since moving, because I am not forced to come to terms with its realities on a daily basis.
Another Swede, I agree with a lot of the points, especially how the current government can't help but make themselves look foolish.
But, free health care, free education, almost no religious zealots what so ever, zero religious impact on lawmaking, a relatively inclusive society, etc, makes Sweden one of the better places to live in the world, imho. Obviously, I'm biased.
I too find it rather weird that someone who yearns for more socialism would move from Sweden to the US. :)
That's a very easy reasoning to following, it also gathers a lot of popularity, specially if I'm out of a job o with one I don't like.
Explaining why this is not true, or rather why it is much more complex than that, takes a lot of time, effort and understanding of non trivial economic concepts.
I would say the later is the hard way, this kind of reasoning applies to so many things that said by politicians all around the world to gather votes.
I would also like to clarify that I absolutely don't believe that that kind of reasoning is only used by the right wing politicians, that would be extremely naive.
If foreigners come to country / need jobs / get jobs only were true. Would you say your little sunshine story applies to other areas of swedish immigration as well? No it doesn't, and that's what people are starting to realise. But once you do and call for actions from the governmment, you're being called a racist from people that still live in a dream world and refuse to wake up. Dreams are easy, truth is hard.
If calling things "racist" is a dream, then so is the sunshine story of blaming everything on "the immigrants" and a "crumbling social fabric." Polarization and naivety are easy, subtlety and deeper understanding are hard.
Polarization and naivety are easy, subtlety and deeper understanding are hard
Isn't precisely the problem that we can't have a rational discussion of this issue without people bringing out the X-word, the R-word, the I-word and others and calling for immediate stop of all criticism of the current situation?
I'd say that the problem seems to be that any attempt at rational discussion inevitably leads to talks of "us" vs. "them", culture war, conspiracy theories and propaganda akin to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" (including "Eurabia", lying to kafirs, etc.), the negation of moderate muslims and integrated immigrants, stereotypes and generalizations, misrepresented statistics and basically fear mongering dealing with the supposed invading hordes of savages.
The average Joe not being able to tell "racist" from "xenophobe" seems kind of trivial in comparison.
Comments
Swede here – I don't agree with this post. He does bring up some very good point about the real estate situation though.
I do, however, think that it's wrong to say that Stefan Löfven is a 'corrupt yokel'. He's been in a very hard situation politically, where he's been forced to rule as a minority. The opposition is doing everything they can to make sure that he looks incompetent as a leader, as it's basically ensuring their next election victory. He's only been in office since september, so it's not actually that weird that not too much has been done.
The whole post is filled with overstatements like this – and I'm kind of amused about the idea of escaping sweden because it left some of it's socialist ideals in the 60's to go to a country who despises socialism.
They don't really have to try very hard. He comes across as deeply incompetent most chances he gets imho, he's been especially embarrassing in international circumstances. He should have gone the way of Juholt, if not for timing and a lack of decent alternatives.
I left Sweden 5 years ago and I more or less agree with the post. It seems to have some undertones i don't entirely appreciate but on the whole it should serve as a necessary reality check if taken with a pinch of salt. It brings up many points that are worth discussing at length but which are essentially verboten in Swedish society. Even if it does overstate or sensationalize somewhat.
I doubt he is leaving specifically because it has abandoned some socialist ideals. For me it has more to do with not wanting to be part of the mass delusion, not wanting to constantly fit your opinions to an ever narrowing hallway of acceptable ideas and speech (not because they couldn't but because they shouldn't have to). At least when you don't live there you don't have to see and live it day in and day out. If anything I have grown more fond of Sweden and the ideals it represents since moving, because I am not forced to come to terms with its realities on a daily basis.
Another Swede, I agree with a lot of the points, especially how the current government can't help but make themselves look foolish.
But, free health care, free education, almost no religious zealots what so ever, zero religious impact on lawmaking, a relatively inclusive society, etc, makes Sweden one of the better places to live in the world, imho. Obviously, I'm biased.
I too find it rather weird that someone who yearns for more socialism would move from Sweden to the US. :)
I'm Swedish too, and this is just a typical right-winger rant. I've been seeing these on the internet for 20 years now.
Yeah, don't be confused, this article is racist and xenophobic, in it's most dangerous form, hidden as something else.
It's so damn easy to play the racist card every single time instead of facing reality, isn't it?
No, it's actually the hard way.
This is the easy way:
Foreigners come to country ->
Foreigners need jobs ->
Foreigners get jobs ->
Less jobs for nationals.
That's a very easy reasoning to following, it also gathers a lot of popularity, specially if I'm out of a job o with one I don't like.
Explaining why this is not true, or rather why it is much more complex than that, takes a lot of time, effort and understanding of non trivial economic concepts.
I would say the later is the hard way, this kind of reasoning applies to so many things that said by politicians all around the world to gather votes.
I would also like to clarify that I absolutely don't believe that that kind of reasoning is only used by the right wing politicians, that would be extremely naive.
If foreigners come to country / need jobs / get jobs only were true. Would you say your little sunshine story applies to other areas of swedish immigration as well? No it doesn't, and that's what people are starting to realise. But once you do and call for actions from the governmment, you're being called a racist from people that still live in a dream world and refuse to wake up. Dreams are easy, truth is hard.
If calling things "racist" is a dream, then so is the sunshine story of blaming everything on "the immigrants" and a "crumbling social fabric." Polarization and naivety are easy, subtlety and deeper understanding are hard.
Isn't precisely the problem that we can't have a rational discussion of this issue without people bringing out the X-word, the R-word, the I-word and others and calling for immediate stop of all criticism of the current situation?
I'd say that the problem seems to be that any attempt at rational discussion inevitably leads to talks of "us" vs. "them", culture war, conspiracy theories and propaganda akin to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" (including "Eurabia", lying to kafirs, etc.), the negation of moderate muslims and integrated immigrants, stereotypes and generalizations, misrepresented statistics and basically fear mongering dealing with the supposed invading hordes of savages.
The average Joe not being able to tell "racist" from "xenophobe" seems kind of trivial in comparison.