Very true. Left US is very Right Sweden.And let's not forget that what's considered "left" in one country is "right" in another
I honestly have not much idea (am sick at the moment) but most people seem somewhere between unknowing, neutral and bunching him together with the princesses party persona.
) and almost threw a salesman out of my house when he kept insisting on wanting to talk to "the male breadwinner in the house" even after i explained that i was a single woman with a full-time job )
.And let's not forget that what's considered "left" in one country is "right" in another
That best describes ME!Thanks for the tip, I will look into Hvide Sande, but is there only the one fish restaurant there? This I also find curious that I can smell the sea from my window but there is a decided lack of fish-except the huge selection of frozen goods at the local supermarket. Perhaps it is a consequence of 'egalitarianism'...no one has time to cook anymore!? About the 1950's and Aarhus: the combination of uniformity, uninspiring architecture (except for Dok1 and Moesgaard) and, indeed the pace of life here make me wonder...such a difference with Copenhagen but a great place to do some undisturbed writing!You nailed it, Gerry.
This is indeed a cultural difference as we can tell from the national reactions.
I will not go much into Danish mindset and culture because you would be surprised at how different the Scandinavian countries are in regards to how we look at things and this is mainly about Sweden
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In Sweden most men will call themselves or even define themselves as feminists, usually with genuine conviction because the Swedes are almost obsessively egalitarian, especially in regards to gender issues.
While in Denmark calling himself feminist (they do exist BTW) would be considered downright silly and worse: trying to be politically correct and that is not a compliment!
However, that does not mean that we Danish husbands do not believe women should be equal to men, we certainly do! - Provided they make it on their own, without special considerations...
So in Scandinavia a man defining himself as "the breadwinner" in the family (even if it's true) sounds like something our grandads would say. Simply because the wast majority of women here have been out working since the late 1970's. In fact when you on rare occasions do encounter a housewife with no or minimal income of her own, she really is a novelty and who is met with genuine curiosity. How can you afford that? Don't you feel under stimulated? And so on.
The difference between Sweden and Denmark is that while a man saying "I'm the breadwinner of the family" is about as politically incorrect as you can be in Sweden. In Denmark he would be met with amusement - even on building sites. Followed by the question: "How the Hansen can you afford that? Do you earn that much!?!" Or being assumed that he's got a mailorder bride at home, straight off the plane.
How they would view things from an Icelandic, Finnish or Norwegian perspective I'll leave to others.
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- I'm glad you are enjoying your stay in DK, especially Aarhus, Gerry.
"Straight out of the 50's?" Because so many buildings are old and low?
As for uniformity. That's the tribal mentality. We are a part of a tribe so we look like the tribe - while at the same time we genuinely believe we are very individual.
You may also have noticed, that even though we are in the middle of the holiday season, the pace is also slower over here.
And one final thing, if you have the time, I strongly suggest you go to the town of Hvide Sande on the west coast. Apart from enjoying the scenery (and the tourists, doing their best to drown themselves...) there is a fish-restaurant at a quay in the harbor there. The fishing boats offload some of their catch at the kitchen side so the fish are literally hardly dead when they are being served and they are big!
Thank you for understanding what I (and several other swedish posters) are trying to explain
I'll try to be even more clear to avoid further misunderstandings. (Not aimed at anyone in particular - just a general explanation).
Flipside: I'm glad Chris did the interview. He has a lot to gain by being more open towards the press and the swedish population in general. It's also very good that he explained that he's not going to be around for every major royal occasion. I understand the reasons behind it, and they are perfectly legitimate. I hope they also try to be more consistent when it comes to planning and PR in the future - that could do a lot to improve their image.
Downside: The way that Chris expresses himself is something that raises a lot of eyebrows over here. His talk about being "the breadwinner" is seen as very old fashioned here. I'm 44 years old, and personally don't know a single woman my age who isn't working and making her own money. (Yes, they do exist, but it's very rare). Women are encouraged to stand on their own two feet and make their own money. Having a husband as a "breadwinner" is a very rare and strange thing to most people my age.
Chris also talks about how he wants to come home and have dinner with his family after a long day at work. Nothing wrong with that, but together with a lot of other remarks it gives us the impression that he's a 1950's kind of guy: he wants a housewife who takes care of the house and kids while he's working. And this is something very, very far away from how the average swede lives.
Everyone has the right to live their lives as they want, as long as you don't hurt anyone else. He's perfectly entitled to his thoughts and opinions, and as long as Madeleine is okay with it, I personally have no objections. The remarks I've made are done to try to explain to other posters why there might be a backlash towards Chris here in Sweden after this interview. I think that Chris isn't familiar with the ways of society here, and he - along with many posters here - can't really understand what the fuzz is about. So I'm trying to explain the fuzz.
Yes the Swedish Royal Family PR team is clumsy. I thought we'd long since established that the SRF seems to function "in spite of" rather than "because of" their "Flaky PR Team".I agree. But the general interview was rather good
I love to work, so I dont get completely who chooses to stay at home. But one of the main points of femininsm is the freedom to make a choice. If I want to work fine, if I want to take care of my family without working fine. So imo femininsm isnt about a model of life, but about doing what you feel is best for you.
