#or how swedes work with immigrants

[valkyries-things]

KATARINA TAIKON // ACTIVIST

“She was a Swedish Romany activist, leader in the civil rights movement, writer and actor. She did not learn how to read or write until her teens. Her work as an actress allowed her to divorce her husband that she was married off to. She dedicated her life to improving conditions for Romani people in Sweden and throughout the world. Through her tireless work, debating, writing and talking to Swedish authorities, the Romani were granted the same right to housing and education as all other Swedes. In 1953, the 1914 ban on Romani immigration ended. This led to other Romani seeking refuge in Sweden, and the population, at first less than a thousand people, grew.”

[sergeifyodorov]

plz share the willy xenophobia discussion at your leisure i would love to read about it

Right. So.

Willy was drafted in 2014, a top-ten pick with legacy pedigree, and unlike the other two in Toronto's Big Three, took a little longer to develop -- Marner spent his D+1 in the OHL before coming up, Matthews made the team right away, but Willy spent time in the SHL and about a year and a half in the Marlies before joining at the end of the 15-16 season, after Marner was drafted but before Matthews was. Needless to say, expectations of him weren't quite as high, but he was firmly expected to be part of the Big Rebuild, too.

He's also Swedish. The first Europeans in the NHL were Swedish, and to this day the highest proportion of non-North Americans is Swedish. However, in order to understand the Swedes, we have to talk about the Russians.

The 1972 Summit Series is probably the most important single event in the history of hockey -- eight games, the first true best-on-best in the world, since the NHL and the Olympics have always had a fraught relationship and they weren't allowed to attend. If we really wanted to talk about the Summit Series, we could be here for years, but, the point: on this particular world stage, it was finally understood that Europeans -- Russians, but everyone else, too -- played a different style of hockey, one that emphasized a side-to-side possession-based game instead of the Canadian dump-and-chase style. The Euro style involves far less checking. And less fighting.

North American (largely Canadian, but nonetheless) hockey has always had a culture of hypermasculinity around it, and this relative lack of violence, as well as pre-existing stereotypes of the time, gave the impression that Europeans were "soft."

Back to Willy. Go back to look at draft-era Willy, before he learns how to grow facial hair -- not Mitch's baby face, but not Auston's full-grown jawline. A layer of puppy fat that disguises all but the most defined of his muscles. Silky blond hair and a dopey smile. He dresses expensively, breaks into fits of giggles in interviews, doesn't seem to take anything as seriously as he should. Because this is Toronto, and we feel as if we are about to enter a new golden age, we expect the most out of our prospects -- solemnity, hard work, not a flaxen-haired nepotist idiot. Especially not a soft flaxen-haired nepotist idiot.

Willy Nylander, raised and trained on a different continent, doesn't hit much, preferring to carry his puck in than dump it. He's speedy, patient with a shot, would rather make a dangerous chance than one through three lanes of traffic. He doesn't fight, doesn't get mad, scores less when the team's really going, and he held out to the last possible moment in his RFA negotiations. Every single one of these drives people mad -- people here trailing all after Don Cherry.

If you're not familiar with Don Cherry, imagine the worst Leafs uncle you could possibly realize, give him opinions of similar attitude on the rest of the NHL, and then understand that he had a national platform for decades. Cherry, fervent nationalist that he is, touted the "tough" Canadian forechecking style, adored players who would walk off injuries -- never mind their lives afterwards -- and once expressed his disdain for visors (you know, the thing that... protects your eyes... and a lot of your face...) by saying that only the Europeans and Francophones liked them. (He also got kicked off of Hockey Night in Canada for anti-immigrant statements. Yee haw.)

Cherry hated Nylander the entire time, explicitly citing his Swedishness (and implying a lack of toughness, or winning quality, which he equated) as a reason that the Leafs would never win with him. Here's an article from right around draft day with Cherry's opinion -- he says the Leafs, should they choose to contend, should forgo Europeans and instead take Canadians. He also cites Ritchie's high penalty-minute count as a valuable item. (I don't know about you, but generally I think regularly putting your team on the penalty kill is a detriment, not a strength).

Furthermore, there's a poll at the end of this article asking the reader if they think Cherry was right. Most people think he was. He was hugely popular not only because he was a charismatic figure (I keep talking about him as if he's dead; he's not, just no longer working) but because his ideas were popular. People believed, and still very much do, that Swedishness is softness and that softness is bad. And as -- as a Leaf -- arguably one of the most visible Swedes in the NHL, one of those tasked with shouldering the weight of the most known franchise, Willy bore a lot of it.

I think part of the reason I didn't mention it in the original post was because unlike Mitch, Willy doesn't seem to let it get to him a lot -- he's a blissfully oblivious Barbie-doll idiot -- and, again, because expectations on him weren't quite as high. That being said, it's still important to discuss imho !

[omarera]

Yes ! Omar will do”Sommarprat” this year!! So happy for him that he gets to tell his story!

Being chosen as a “Sommarpratare” is compared to being be ennobled/knighted in Sweden. It’s huge 🥹.

He said in an interview that he has been an artist since he was 14 but that he has never let people into his personal sphere.

He says in an interview in SVT that he is close to, if not, 100% satisfied with the recording and that the producer Mark said that he had the right vibe. He says he wants people to get to know him. It will focus a lot on his childhood and his relationship to his mom and how it was for them to move to Sweden and get used to living here. It will also bring up how he entered the music industry. He feels like most people don’t really know him and this is a chance for those who wants to get to know him to do so.

I hope and think there will be new crumbs for us that has followed him and listened to “Framgångspodden” for example. But this format reaches so many more people so I get that the earlier years will be his focus since it is significant for understanding who he is and where he comes from. I also think it’s a good decision since it’s so much more difficult to talk about the present rather than reflections and insights from things you have already moved on from. Edvin covered the impact of YR release in his talk last year so Omar also need another angle. But I think it is a good way to invite people to get to know him. Hopefully more Swedes will let him into their hearts.

And I love love love that Mark Levengood is a producer. He is a Sommarprat expert and has made six talks himself already and will also do his seventh (!) Sommarprat this year. Puuh. But most of all he is a an amazing storyteller so I think he and Omar has created an emotional, personal talk with a great storyline and pace. Omar has so much to tell. Mark has immigrated to Sweden, is gay and just a lovely person who has the ability to see and make people comfortable and bring out the little extra in terms of reflections from the people he interviews. This is not an interview but they have worked closely together and I am sure they have brought out and selected the best stories in a beautiful way. Perfect match as producer.

Can’t wait to hear it, so proud of him 🥹

[maaarine]

Did natural selection make the Dutch the tallest people on the planet? (Martin Enserink, Science, Apr 07 2015)

"For many years, the U.S. population was the tallest in the world.

In the 18th century, American men were 5 to 8 centimeters taller than those in the Netherlands.

Today, Americans are the fattest, but they lost the race for height to northern Europeans—including Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, and Estonians—sometime in the 20th century.

Just how these peoples became so tall isn't clear, however.

Genetics has an important effect on body height: Scientists have found at least 180 genes that influence how tall you become.

Each one has only a small effect, but together, they may explain up to 80% of the variation in height within a population.

Yet environmental factors play a huge role as well. The children of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, for instance, grew much taller than their parents.

Scientists assume that a diet rich in milk and meat played a major role.

The Dutch have become so much taller in such a short period that scientists chalk most of it up to their changing environment.

As the Netherlands developed, it became one of the world's largest producers and consumers of cheese and milk.

An increasingly egalitarian distribution of wealth and universal access to health care may also have helped.

Still, scientists wonder whether natural selection has played a role as well.

For men, being tall is associated with better health, attractiveness to the opposite sex, a better education, and higher income—all of which could lead to more reproductive success, Stulp says.

Yet studies in the United States don't show this.

Stulp's own research among Wisconsinites born between 1937 and 1940, for instance, showed that average-sized men had more children than shorter and taller men, and shorter women had more children than those of average height.

Taken together, Stulp says, this suggests natural selection in the United States pulls in the opposite direction of environmental factors like diet, making people shorter instead of taller.

That may explain why the growth in average American height has leveled off. (…)

The study suggests that sexual selection is at work in the Dutch population, Stearns says: Dutch women may prefer taller men because they expect them to have more resources to invest in their children.

But there are also other possibilities.

It could be that taller men are more resistant to disease, Stearns says, or that they are more likely to divorce and start a second family. "It will be a difficult question to answer."

Another question is why tall men in Holland are at a reproductive advantage but those in the United States are not. Stulp says he can only speculate.

One reason may be that humans often choose a partner who's not much shorter or taller than they are themselves.

Because shorter women in the United States have more children, tall men may do worse than those of average height because they're less likely to partner with a short woman."

[meret118]

An ambitious experiment in Minneapolis is changing the way librarians work with their homeless patrons and challenging how we share public space.

. . .

Minnesota also votes big and blue. In five of the past seven Presidential races, the state has led the U.S. in voter turnout. An astonishing eighty per cent of eligible voters participated in the 2020 election.

. . .

Minneapolis was among the first large cities in America where a woman oversaw the public library: Gratia Countryman’s thirty-two-year tenure began in 1904, not long after she graduated from the University of Minnesota. “Her gospel was books and human concern,” Benidt noted. The year after Countryman started, she wrote, “If a library is to perform its functions of elevating the people, it will need to adopt methods other than buying a fine collection of books and housing them in an attractive building and then waiting in a dignified way for people to come.” She placed books in factories, fire stations, hospitals, and prisons, ran an early version of a bookmobile, and is thought to have created the first children’s department. Early on, the library counselled immigrants seeking citizenship and offered books in twenty languages.

In Countryman’s day, the unhoused people of Minneapolis stayed in flood-prone encampments—Swede Hollow, Bohemian Flats, Rooseveltville-on-the-Mississippi—which the police sometimes burned to the ground. Countryman created a reading room for “drifters flopping in cheap motels and boardinghouses,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. She explained, “They have no homes, they have not even the privilege of a chair in many of the lodging houses; where shall they go in the daytime?” One biographer said that Countryman “was a hundred years ahead of her time.”

. . .

Forty to sixty per cent of unhoused Americans are working, but, as the Council on Homelessness recently reported, “There is no county or state where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest apartment.”

. . .

Social workers began embedding at libraries when it became clear that libraries attract patrons who might never show up at another government building. Hansen-Miller, who previously worked at a hospital, calls it “meeting people where they are.” The San Francisco Public Library, in 2009, became the first of the nation’s seventeen thousand or so public libraries to appoint a full-time social worker. Social workers and social-work students can now be found in libraries from Denver to Philadelphia.

----

The world would be so much better if librarians were in charge.

[ladylooch]

I almost questioned you on David having Swedish heritage if he was a farm boy but my American Girl doll’s story was that her family immigrated from Sweden and then they settled in the Minnesota prairies, so tf do I know 🤣🤣🤣

Hahahaha! I am gonna nerd out! Minnesota is essentially Scandinavia 2.0. It's a ton of Swedes, Norwegians, Finns, and Danes. I imagine Iowa has a similar demographic.

David's family probably came over as Karlson (maybe Karlsson) but border employees changed a lot of names at entry points in the US during the mass movement of Europeans to America after the war- my family included!

We have a completely different, unrelated last name than what we were originally. My great grandpa came into the US at Sault Ste. Marie. He did not speak any English, so in the limited communication they had, my grandpa was able to say the farm he was going to work at in Northern Minnesota, and that became our last name. So there are people with my rare last name up in Northern Minnesota that I have no relation to.

Also, massive points for the American Girl doll story. I still have mine! My most prized possession as a child, until I accidentally broke her leg off and had to send her into the doll hospital. But! not until 2 years later because my mom thought I needed to learn a multi-year lesson on how to play with dolls properly💀

[greydaysandstarrynights]

// Ok all the hot takes re ocean gate are getting to me, so, buckle up, this is a Rant. I’m a historian, and let me just say, these post make an excellent case for why studying actual real history, with nuance, and not whatever the current hot take designed to generate the most interest/attention/controversy, is. Clickbait “history” isn’t history, ya’ll. So, here’s some Titanic facts

1. The ship had lower class passengers too, because, contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t just a cruise ship for the top .01% of white society. (And even if it was, great to know that so many people think dying in a preventable tragedy is fine if you’re a rich white person.) 2. The ship was intended as a passenger liner that would bring folks from Europe to the U.S. Consequently, it had designated decks for different social groups. There weee super wealthy folks on the top deck, more middle class folks on the second, and the poor on the third, or steerage, deck. Most of the poor were immigrants coming to the U.S. to work. Btw, this is from ABC News. “About three times as many rich people sailing first class survived compared with poor people traveling in third class. Americans had a 15 percent higher survival rate than the British, Irish and the Swedes” 3. there actually were three people of color onboard the ship, too. From USA Today: “There was only one Black male passenger aboard the Titanic. Joseph Laroche was a Haitian-born, French-educated engineer. He was traveling to Haiti second class on the Titanic with his pregnant, French wife Juliette Lafargue and their two daughters. A biography of Laroche’s life describes him as an “anomaly” among the ship’s passengers. When the ship began to sink, Laroche placed his family on a lifeboat and stayed behind to help other women and children escape. Laroache did not survive, and his body was never found. Today his descendants live in Chicago.” So, presumably, the titanic was headed to Haiti, one assumes with the intent of acquiring more passengers, at least some of whom, presumably, would have been POC. 4. The type of discrimination laws like most Americans think of, the so called Jim Crow laws of the post reconstruction South, did not, shockingly, apply to the rest of the world, with some obvious exceptions, and the term Jim Crow originated in the north, in Massachusetts in regard to segregated rail travel. In fact, “Outside South Africa under the apartheid regime in the second half of the twentieth century, systematic racial segregation has been most closely associated with the Southern United States, from its introduction in the 1890s until it was gradually dismantled in the wake of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. ‘Jim Crow’, as it was known, actually emerged in the North in the 1840s, when the term was first used in Massachusetts to refer to the railroad cars reserved for black passengers. For a century or more, African Americans traveling to Europe often expressed their pleasure at being able—for a time at least—to mingle freely with others in public places.” 5. The primary barrier to people of color accessing the titanic was wealth and societal pressures/discrimination, not actual laws. 6. To bring it back to the Titan, one of the folks onboard is an actual teenager, and I happen to think kids, even filthy rich white kids, don’t deserve to die horribly. 7. Every single one of you making jokes about how “stupid” these people are is being ableist toward people with intellectual disabilities, so congrats on the rampant ableism.

Open a freaking history book, ya’ll and stop writing edgy hot takes about real people dying because you think it makes you sound cool.

[alexbkrieger13]

Well yeah that’s what’s happened in Sweden as well. Nothing has been done in the past 20 years except for trying to invest resources in schools and in segregated neighbourhoods, which is good but it has not been enough. And so it has just escalated. For example all the criminals know that there is no punishment for anyone under 15, and barely any punishment for anyone under 18. So they take advantage of that. 16-17 year olds are commiting murder and even children as young as 12 are used for criminal acts.

Sweden is a small country, a small population. So when you have a very large immigration in relation to the population size, integration doesn’t work no matter how much you want it to. We have also been way to anxious and afraid to let people feel they are a part of Sweden. Thinking that it’s racist or offensive to teach the children of immigrants the Swedish national anthem or our traditions. Or asking people to speak Swedish or know our customs before becoming a citizen.

There has to be something to integrate into, a strong culture. That’s how it was when the big immigration to America happened in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Within a generation the Swedes and Germans and Irish and Italians were all Americans first of all, that’s how they identified. But if there’s no strong majority culture to integrate into, people will take other options, and the culture that exists in large majorities is very strong. It’s not about things like what food you eat or which holidays you celebrate. The problem is when there is no unity in fundamental values. Such as respect for the law when it comes to freedom of speech, freedom of religion and equality for women.

Yeah I think you can look at history and go segregating of Cultures just doesn't work (I studied the history of the Irish diaspora in America as part of my dissertation). The melting of Cultures is not something that happens overnight it takes subsequent Generations and various factors to get to the point where for example in the 1840s and 50s the Irish in America and the United Kingdom were seen as the lowest of the low whereas and it took nearly a century of integration to where Irish Americans are seen as a celebrated cultural group in America.

Each country's different in how they approach it I think we can all agree that there are good and bad ways to deal with this and for the most part it hasn't been dealt great within Europe.

[sins-of-the-sea]

//I'm not mad, nor accusing anyone of anything. This is just a gentle reminder, and something I'm working on myself too.

As much as possible, please don't impose American viewpoints onto the Seven. Besides not being modern, none are American, and thus would not have American experiences.

The history of slavery in the Caribbean is nothing like that of Americans, nor is the history of being black the same in America as with anywhere else in the world. Knowing the nuances of regional differences is more important than most people realize. Too often I see racial/ethnic discourse happening in a side of the world wherein the experiences and perspectives are on a completely different level, and I don't want that to happen on this blog, at least OOC.

IC is a little different (Josep can go on a TIRADE on how he is not "Spanish", he's Catalan), and even then, I try to tread carefully when it comes to identity politics. Even Ruixiong's "IT'S NOT CHINESE" gags have to be done with awareness and consideration.

I do know imposing American perspectives isn't an easy habit to shed off. I'm American. Not everyone will or ever has opportunities to live in another country, nor is everyone a child of immigrants raised in a traditional foreign home. So this is a *gentle* reminder to bear in mind that not everyone in the Internet is American and, therefore, you shouldn't impose American perspectives on non-Americans. This goes to race, religion, history, everything.

Reverse is true, of course. But in this blog, I welcome non-American boolying coming my way, because I find them fascinating and hilarious. I may not understand why Norwegians are pissing on Swedes the same way the locals of the other country is, or Tim Horton jokes from Canada, or haram/halalposting, etc., but I love them and I appreciate them as an observing outsider. Also it helps me shed off American-centric views. I come to appreciate the world more when I see how shitposting works in other countries, even if I don't understand them.

[clatterbane]

Honestly, I am still disconnected enough where I am these days that I am really not up on who is likely to start yelling at me over using which words. Which may be another reason for my awkward ass to consider trying the local RFSL branch's weekly språkcafé! 🥴

(Which I don't think is primarily aimed at stray English speakers who are actually attached to Swedes. But, I definitely feel like I need some kind of language café for practice at this point, especially no more than I've been getting out and trying to talk to people, with the mobility issues for a while now. After 20 years this month knowing each other in person, the Household Swede still automatically defaults to English at home. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Apparently a hard habit to get out of.)

Good that they are running one, though. Also seeming to be putting some effort into various programs to help support immigrants/refugees from less queer-friendly countries to get settled in and connected with resources they might need.

A lot of language cafés do apparently already lean toward a win-win dual purpose of giving lonely older native speakers a good opportunity to socialize, while also helping immigrants work on their language skills. But, they are explicitly leaning into that, which sounds like an excellent idea.

Anyway, while I was mostly joking about running a reconnaissance mission to spot terminology pitfalls? (Which might or might not even be so effective in this case, likely dealing with a number of older folks.) I am trying to push myself to at least try going for one of the language café sessions, before too long.

I really do need to work on my conversational skills, like seriously--and that seems like a relatively low-pressure way to do it. Plus, you know, actually socialize more myself with somebody locally. That's kinda what language cafés are for.

These damned shoulder problems have certainly legitimately been getting in the way--and have frankly also been providing a handy excuse for not getting my awkward anxious ass out and interacting with people more. My current situation has been getting a little depressing for a while now, which naturally hasn't helped much either.

In this particular case, I'm also up against that old familiar fun of pretty specifically wanting to get to know more/some people in local queer communities--and inevitably unsure of what political situation exactly that I might be stepping into. Or how someone like me is liable to be received, and by whom. That can get aggravating enough, even when you're not relatively new to the country.

These days, on the surface I am some middle-aged AFAB weirdo who is pretty happy married to some large beardy dude. (Who only seems to be approximately cishet-by-default himself, incidentally. Besides a general ally.)

I also seem to come across as less blatantly GNC by general social standards here than where we were living before. Where I actually got loudly "dyked" at on one occasion--while I was out shopping with Beardy right next to me. 🙄 Don't think I ever got aggressively "sirred" with him there, at least.

At least I've had plenty of opportunity to develop significantly thicker skin than when I was coming to terms with the idea that I was bi in the early '90s. I've just gotten progressively queerer, more openly genderweird, and tireder over the intervening years, with much lower tolerance for BS--and yes, some extra hypervigilance by now.

At any rate, no pressure at all! On any front! 🙃 I'll obviously deal, but it really is darkly funny in its own absurd way.

[alexracheltravel]

Day Two: Despite a Nap, We Did Well for Our Step Count

Our first full day in Stockholm began a little touristy. We felt that it was only proper to head to Gamla Stan, the "old city," with narrow stone streets and lots of little trinket shops. We had some local breakfast, which was just okay (Swedes love their mayo like Americans love ketchup) and hit the subway. Other than memorizing which station was at which end (imagine you didn't know if you were supposed to take the 2/3 train towards the Bronx or Brooklyn) the trains were easy, efficient, and clean. To get a ticket, you swipe the same way you do for OMNY. It made us realize how resistant New Yorkers are to change.

Gamla Stan is home to a lot of little touristy stops, but one that was on our list was Stockholm's Jewish Museum! Housed in their old synagogue, it told the story of their first Jewish immigrants, who were merchants and tailors, and the museum itself was in the space of the oldest synagogue as well. We learned about Swedish Jewish history and saw some really cool artifacts. I mean, check out this special Torah plate that has Sweden's signature three crowns on it.

It was also really cool to see modern Jews showing their culture and heritage entwined with Swedish nationality, such as these kippot, which looked more like art than hats.

There were so many other cool little shops we saw! Stores devoted to licorice, science fiction books (in English and Swedish), and Scandinavian clothes! We also took a stop into the Nobel Prize museum, which had a lot of documents and artifacts from their past winners, like a typewriter from a literature laureate, or a chess set from a science laureate. Albert Einstein's handwritten notes were on display as were Hewlett High School alumni Louise Glück's.

We may never be royals, but we did go up to a balcony by the royal palace! Rachel remembered one scene from Young Royals (on Netflix) was set here.

Like imagine a hundred thousand people down there. That's the scene.

With all that walking, we were ready for a nap. We went back to the apartment and legit crashed, relaxed, had some downtime, and got ready for dinner.

When you think of Swedish food what do you think of? Fish? How about MEATBALLS? We went to a TikTok famous restaurant called Meatballs for the People! And it looked like a restaurant we'd find back home.

It was great, and all around this neighborhood, called Södermalm, we thought, gee doesn't this feel like Brooklyn? It reminded us a lot of Williamsburg.

We watched the end of the England v Switzerland match at a bar and walked around. We got great gin cocktails at a distillery and wandered the late evening as the sun set at 10.

Alex: So, Rach, what might you take away and remember most from today? Definitely not breakfast, right?

Rach: Definitely not breakfast. That mayo had cheese for sure so I didn't eat much...

I think the thing that will stick with me is the moment we sat by the water on the reclining benches, and closed our eyes and every time I opened them I saw this beautiful architecture and was so excited to be here with you. It was a little moment, but that's one I'll probably remember.

Alex: Oh, I have a picture of that. See?

Rachel: Haha what a terrible picture!

Alex: I couldn't see. The sun was in my eyes. The sun is out all of the time. But it's never hot, right? The weather is crazy.

Rachel: What are you talking about? This is my IDEAL weather! Rain and all!

Alex: The rain actually reminds me a lot of Seattle in lightness, but it only lasts an hour or something like that.

Rachel: What was your highlight from today?

Alex: For me it's definitely walking around Södermalm because it felt like the part of the city I was most comfortable with. I'm looking forward to going back and hanging there, maybe while you work some afternoons.

Rachel: I also loved walking around, going to a few bars and generally just enjoying each other's company.

Alex: Well I guess that's why we're here.

Rachel: 1000%!

Tomorrow our plan is to hit more museums and parks in the eastern side of Stockholm. Stay tuned!

[recentlyheardcom]

Cash has really become basically disappeared in Sweden as individuals make use of oral implanted incorporated circuits to invest for items in addition to services. Over 4,000 Swedes previously have really little incorporated circuits oral implanted under their skin, in addition to the federal government projections that cash will definitely be absolutely removed before the year2025 Financialpost.com documents: The financial authorities, that as quickly as approved the trend, are asking banks to preserve advertising notes in addition to coins till the federal government can figure out what going cash-free approaches for young in addition to old consumers. The get financial institution, which anticipates cash could tarnish from Sweden, is assessing a cybercash– an e-krona– to preserve strong control of the money supply. Lawmakers are taking a look at the fate of online negotiations in addition to inspecting account if an electrical grid quits working or internet servers are stopped by power failings, cyberpunks or maybe fight. ” When you are where we are, it would definitely be inaccurate to unwind with our arms crossed, refraining from doing anything, as well as afterwards just bear in mind of the truth that cash has really vanished,” asserted Stefan Ingves, guv of Sweden’s get financial institution, described as the Riksbank. “You can not turn around time, yet you do require to situate a technique to handle alteration.”. Ask most people in Sweden simply exactly how often they pay with cash in addition to the remedy is “virtually never ever before.” A fifth of Swedes, in a country of 10 million people, do not make use of automated teller manufacturers any type of longer. More than 4,000 Swedes have really oral implanted incorporated circuits in their hands, allowing them to invest for rail taking a trip in addition to food, or enter keyless work environments, with a wave. Eating facilities, buses, parking lot in addition to additionally pay washrooms depend on clicks rather than cash. Client groups mention the adjustment leaves various seniors– a 3rd of all Swedes are 55 or older– together with some immigrants in addition to people with problems at a downside. They can not comfortably accessibility to electronic approaches for some items in addition to acquisitions, in addition to trust banks in addition to their customer service. As well as additionally the advancement in the direction of a cashless society can topple the state’s centuries-old obligation as sovereign guarantor. If cash disappears, organisation banks would definitely have much better control. ” We need to quit in addition to think about whether this is superb or unfavorable, in addition to not just unwind in addition to yield,” asserted Mats Dillén, the head of a Swedish Parliament board taking a look at the problem. “If cash disappears, that would definitely be a big alteration, with substantial implications for society in addition to the financial environment.”. Urban consumers worldwide are gradually paying with applications in addition to plastic. In China in addition to in numerous other Eastern countries abounding with young clever gadget consumers, mobile negotiations are normal. In Europe, worrying one in 5 people mention they rarely carry car loan. In Belgium, Denmark in addition to Norway, debit in addition to credit card use has really struck record highs. Nevertheless Sweden– in addition to particularly its young people– mosts likely to the lead. Costs in addition to coins represent just 1 percent of the financial environment, contrasted to 10 percent in Europe in addition to 8 percent in the U.S.A.. Worrying one in 10 consumers invested for something in cash this year, listed below 40 percent in2010 A great deal of vendors in Sweden still accept notes in addition to coins, yet their positions are thinning. Among 18- to-24- year-olds, the numbers are stunning: As long as 95 percent of their purchases are with a debit card or a wise gadget application called Swish, a settlement system developed by Sweden’s biggest banks.

Ikea, whose flat-box home furnishings is a staple of young family members, has really been trying to identify the destination in addition to outcome of cashless organisation. In Gävle, worrying 100 miles north of Stockholm, managers selected to go cashless temporarily last month after they identified that much less than 1 percent of purchasers taken advantage of cash– in addition to Ikea employee were spending worrying 15 percent of their time taking care of, counting in addition to conserving car loan. Patric Burstein, a senior manager, asserted the cashless evaluation had really launched employee to collaborate with the sales floor covering. Up previously, around 1.2 of every 1,000 customers have really been unable to pay with anything yet cash– in addition to primarily in the lunchroom where people usually have a tendency to spend alteration. Instead of problem with costs, Ikea has really been providing those customers free gifts. ” We asserted, ‘If you want a 50 cent hotdog, be my site visitor, take it. Nevertheless complying with time maybe you can bring a card,'” asserted Burstein,38 The evaluation previously suggests that cash is not vital in addition to, instead, could be costly, he asserted. “We’re spending a lot of resources on an exceptionally little section that truly need the remedy,” he asserted. The nearby branch of the Swedish National Pensioners Firm has really led arguments versus the experiment, partly, as a result of the reality that various seniors like to go to the Gävle Ikea for a treat. ” We have around 1 million people that aren’t comfortable making use of the computer system, iPads or apples iphone for economic,” asserted Christina Tallberg, 75, the group’s across the country president. “We aren’t versus the digital task, yet our company believe it’s going a little also fast.”. The business has really been enhancing car loan to advise seniors simply exactly how to pay online, yet, paradoxically, that superb campaign has really been stumbled by a riches of cash. When collections for training are soaked up backwoods– in addition to the seniors add in cash– the pensioner answerable ought to drive miles to situate a banks that will truly take the money, Tallberg asserted. Worrying half of Sweden’s 1,400 banks branches say goodbye to accept cash deposits. ” It’s primarily challenging, as a result of the reality that the banks decline to take cash,” she asserted. Banks have really driven the cashless improvement by encouraging consumers in addition to vendors to make use of debit in addition to charge card, which produces banks in addition to credit card companies rewarding prices. That includes the bank-developed Swish clever gadget application. Sweden’s banks have really minimized cash in part for security as well as safety elements after an outbreak of horrible burglaries in the mid-2000 s. The across the country mind is kept in mind by a popular helicopter burglary in Västberga in 2009, when thiefs showed up on the roofing system treatment of a G4S cash remedy depot in addition to swiped millions– a drama presently being ended up being a Netflix film. In 2015, simply 2 banks were robbed contrasted to 210 in2008 In current times, banks have really uncoupled atm machine by the hundreds. So little cash is taken advantage of because it has really become costly to track in addition to maintain, asserted Leif Trogen, an authorities at the Swedish Bankers’ Company. There are 2 proposals by Swedish authorities to preserve cash offered. Parliament wishes just the best banks to deal with cash. The get financial institution is asserting all banks to preserve car loan streaming. Swedbank, SEB in addition to numerous other big Swedish financial institutions are combating the lawmakers’ demands, specifying it would definitely place an unneeded problem on them to provide much better get to. ” The demand for cash is minimizing at an in the past quicker rate,” Trogen asserted. “As a result, it is basically inaccurate to impose legislations to impact the demand for cash.”.

The get financial institution has approaches to end up a pilot variant complying with year of a new type of Riksbank car loan– the digital krona, or e-krona– that can transform physical cash or a minimum useful unwind the existing cash issue. An e-krona would definitely indicate that the functions of a cash back by the state would definitely remain, additionally in an all-digital world that is fast resembling. Christine Lagarde, managing manager of the International Monetary Fund, remembered just recently that a variety of get financial institutions were “seriously thinking of” digital cash. ” While the circumstances for digital cash is not international, we need to analyze it a lot more– seriously, completely in addition to creatively,” she asserted. Ingves, the get financial institution guv, asserted, “This is not a fight on cash, yet no individual has really claimed that this transformative task is probably to give up.”.

[kmp78]

Unless you're gay, black, brown, poor, old, handicapped, immigrant (including LEGAL ones) or just anything non-christian/white honkey. So yeah, besides all that right? Well well. Are you feeling sorry for others or yourself? I fit into several of those categories yet I don’t feel opressed. I feel supported, have government provided assistance as needed and personally contribute to efforts to address change and assist those less fortunate. Attitude is everything you bag of whiners. And please, Finland is one of the most ethnically non- diverse countries with 87% being nice little white Fins, a bunch of Swedes (ever seen an off-color Swede?) and a smattering of Russians. That country is 1% black ! Haha. Shut the fuck UP about knowing how to run a country that has invited diversity and is constantly learning how to work with it.

Eh... have you ever been to Sweden? 😂

Or read anything about Sweden? 😂

If you had, maybe you wouldn't be questioning "off-color" Swedes. 👀

[yharnamsnewslug]

There’s a lot of people bringing valid criticism to Sweden and all the countries in Europe who have participated in colonialism. People are bringing into question a lot of cultural practices that are and have been harmful to minorities, ESPECIALLY black people and Muslims. But there’s also an issue that I want to bring up that I’ve seen well-meaning Americans do in this process:

When critiquing a country that you are not in, that you’ve never even been to, or even that you’ve been for… a year old less, there are nuances that you can miss. One thing that comes to mind is Americans making fun of the Stereotypical Bri’ish Accent, where they just did a Fucking Classism and lower class people from the UK, Welsh, Irish and the Scots got appropriately and rightfully fucking pissed. Americans did not understand why everyone was attacking them so viciously whenever they would do a hahah about their accent. How dare you bring up such a delicate topic such as school shootings when the whole internet is suddenly making fun of your accent the way people have done your entire life?! How dare you get so upset when we prod and poke at something that you actively have to change in order to get jobs and be respected by the high class?!

There was a case in Twitter where an angry Native American woman was critiquing Spain (rightfully so!) …..but she did it without knowing jack shit about Spain’s history. So as she was talking about colonisation, she was calling Spain that: SPAIN. None of you would know this, unless Spanish or knowing Spanish history, but Spain did not exist at the time of colonisation, it was CASTILLA. It was a Kingdom. And a very prominent fascist point is that it was Spain, it was a whole ass united country, because it plays into the rethoric that “Spain has been a country, wholly unified and homogenous, since its conception”. It undermines the mix of cultures that Spain actually is; it undermines that we are MADE with ARAB BLOOD, we have it deep in our country’s veins, our language and our food and our buildings and our way of life!

This native woman did not know. And so fascist Spanish twitter had a blast by picking on her, having fascists pile up on her so she’d keep being wrong and not see the well-meaning leftists saying “hey, YES, critique us, but please don’t say Spain has existed for this amount of time, because that’s wrong! Our country is not just white people, that’s also a fascist talking point!” Romani people from the south were especially pissed at this shit. This was huge in Spanish twitter, and a fascist politician from VOX even mentioned it and said, “The rest of the world knows we are an homogenous, unified country, and we must keep that reputation! That way is how we come back to the Golden Days of Spain!”

With this, I’m saying; critique Europe, PLEASE. Critique us, rip colonialism and the descendants of its privilege apart, but PLEASE, do not say shit like “socialism in Scandinavia can only work because of racism”, because that is a lie. Socialism can work ALONG people of color and immigrants, because people of color and immigrants fight tirelessly within these countries so that our systems work well, and keep being as good as they are. Rich, white politicians want to take it all away, want to keep colonialism as The Golden Days of Our Country, they WANT YOU ALL to think that Scandinavia has no people of color, no Muslims, no Chinese People.

My country, Spain, is a wonderfully diverse and culturally rich place that has had people of color since it became a country. It is a country that did not handle colonialism even well, and our hubris was what made it as ruinous as it is now. South and Central America deserve to critique and rip up apart, because WE PILLAGED AND RAPED AND DESTROYED and it is why the USA can do whatever it wants with a lot of these countries right now. Like many activists in my country say, “we came in thinking we were a big shot and all we did was ruin lives, including ours.” It’s the funniest thing, wish we had just ruined our country without colonisation first lmao.

Anyway, don’t make fun of accents. Don’t make fun of food, of how people dress, of how they talk and how they live. Don’t claim that Europe has no black people, no people of color. Listen to European activists of color when critiquing a country you do not know the history of. There’s no Wrong Accent, no Wrong Dialect, no Wrong Language, and to make fun of any is being a fucking classist most of the time. I just hope you all know, because THIS. IS. IMPORTANT.

I’m doing this is good faith, and I hope Americans who read this, do so in good faith, too. There’s so many people doing good work in Europe, trying to help immigrants and trans people and refugees, but do remember that this is an uphill battle for us as well. You’ve more in common with a lower class Andalucian Spaniard who had to change his accent because otherwise nobody would hire him or even give him a passing grade in Madrid than the upper class kid in Salamanca street who thinks Spain just has too many immigrants now, you know?

There’s nuance. There’s work to be done. So stop fucking saying fascists talking points, you idiots.

[apas-95]

Sweden was not a nazi ally. They were occupied by nazis, like France. Scandinavian women who didn’t want to work with the nazis were even thrown into breeding camps to have aryan children for germans. White supremacy is definitely an issue in Sweden but hating an entire country of people for their right leaning governments goes against the core principles of communism and leftism in general.

Sweden were never occupied, what the fuck are you talking about? They remained 'neutral' throughout the war and freely associated with Nazi Germany through trade and use of their rail network. To quote:

We were among the first to know about the Holocaust but we didn’t do anything about it. Being neutral is a commitment.

Even at the time, people were pointing out that if Sweden stopped selling iron ore to Germany, it would collapse the Nazi war industry in months. But for Sweden? Well, the Nazi gold they were paid in was too good to turn down, apparently. I wonder, where did that gold come from, exactly? Maybe Sweden's soldiers, who participated in the genocide of the Soviet peoples, could say!

In any case, what 'leftist principles' are we talking about here? It's perfectly correct, in the context of communist national liberation, to point out how the broad mass of Swedish people benefited, and continue to benefit, from its imperialist policies. Or will you go and tell off the immigrants living in Swedish ghettos, sterilised by the Swedish eugenics state, who fled their homes ravaged by imperialist wars that Swedish troops participate in, that they should be sobbing for the plight of the poor Aryans? Acknowledging that Swedish workers are oppressed by their bourgeoisie, that white women are oppressed by white men, and whatever else, doesn't mean ignoring the fact that, all things being equal, non-white non-Swedes will have it worse!

In fact, if you can't still appreciate the labour struggle in Sweden, the gender struggle in Sweden, et cetera, without having to assure yourself that white Swedes are somehow the most oppressed people in the world, then you're seriously lacking in these supposed 'communist principles'!

[notupforpolo]

You like Young Royals but you aren’t Swedish? This might be a post for you! I’m Swedish and I want to try to explain some things I've seen going around. Strap in because this is a long one. Also, SPOILERS.

The school Hillerska is a so called “Riksinternat”. These aren’t common at all and to most swedes they are a thing of the past. Only the old-money upper class send their children to this type of institution. However, they more or less work just like any Swedish gymnasium (highschool, ages 15/16-18/19) just with the school providing housing.  You chose your “Gymnasium” yourself after year nine in the Swedish school system and although a vast majority of teenagers do keep studying it is not obligatory. Grades gives you a certain amount of points and with these points you can “apply” to as many gymnasiums as you want but have to rank them. If you get in to gymnasium at the top of your list you are not eligible for any other gymnasiums ranked below that one in your list. You either apply to a vocational and specialised gymnasium or a preparatory gymnasium. Preparatory gymnasiums always makes always you eligible to attend university righter after you graduate. Hillerska is the latter. The maximum score you can have is 340 (Straight A’s= 20 points*17 subjects). Those with high scores always get a place in their preferred gymnasium first and then it moves down until all set number of places at the school is filled. Here is where the line for those with the lowest score accepted is drawn. So at a high achieving school this line might be between 290-320; at a normal level anywhere between 180-250. This is why Simon and Sara can go to Hillerska even though they have a tough economic situation. They had high enough academic scores after year nine and since it’s an elitist school the number of applicants probably isn’t very high. Still, housing (including breakfast and supper) is most likely super expensive – thus Sara wanting a scholarship. 

The language I am the same ages as the characters and I’m from Stockholm too, so I can vouch for the dialogue. It’s very realistic and fits well with the environment of the show. Among young people in Sweden, swearing is not seen as something shocking. Words such as “skit” (shit) and “jävla” (derivative of Swedish word for devil) are commonly used to strengthen adjectives or sentences both positive and negative.  “Du är så jävla bra!” – “You are so fucking great” “Det är skitjobbigt!” – “It is so damn annoying!” Of course some words are seen as much stronger and not appropriate. Words for genitalia and sexuality/sexual expression are seen as offensive aren’t used to the same extent. This is in line with the setting. These are teenagers who grew up in a certain way and it makes sense for them to not use vulgar language. The same applies to the use of slang. Slang is used to a larger extent in suburbs and much of modern slang comes from immigrant population in these aforementioned suburbs of large Swedish cities. It makes more sense for these upper-class rich kids to stick to older and normalised “slang”. These characters speak exactly like they should if we make the assumption most of them are from Stockholm since no one really has any regional accents.

Holidays and traditions Many depictions of Swedish holidays and traditions are exaggerated and only look like they do because Hillerska is built on upholding old traditions and being a generally conservative institution.  It’s not common to call teachers or persons of authority by their title. In fact, the only schools I can think of where people don’t call teachers by their first name are international schools. This also applies to standing when the teacher or other staff enters.   Although most of swedes are culturally christians (celebrating christmas and easter etc.) very few say amen before dinner – “bordsbön”. You can even see how peculiar Wilhelm finds this in episode 1. Sweden is probably one of the most secular christians countries. But as stated we celebrate christian holidays and Lucia is one of them. Many schools have a Luciatåg as seen in episode 5, just not as pretty or with such high engagement from the student body. All students actually wearing white nightgowns with ribbons was the most unrealistic thing in the series (/j)!!

Cultural influences A big Swedish newspaper wrote about young royals: “Netflix’s answer to Fucking Åmål” and this sentence makes no sense to you if you are still reading this. Fucking Åmål (English title: Show Me Love) is a 1998 teenage drama about a lesbian girl falling in love with a seemingly straight and popular girl with the added drama of it being set in a small town. It’s an unabashedly LGBTQ+ (Swedish: HBTQ+) film about how it was to be gay during this period. It’s a Swedish classic, probably one of the most famous Swedish movies to Swedes. The dynamic between Wilhelm and Simon doesn’t match the one of the girls in Fucking Åmål but the comparison is unavoidable.  Another teenage drama that I personally would say makes for a better comparison is Ondskan (English title: The Evil). Ondskan is 1981 novel by Swedish author Jan Guillou. In 2003 a movie adaptation was made. What it lacks any sort of LGBTQ+ angst it makes up for in pure unadulterated misery. It’s set at a fictional “riksinternat” during the 1950′s where the main character is subjected to violent and abusive “peer education”. At this school older students and those of a higher social standing help keep order and punish other students. The most direct connections, almost a references, are the scene in episode 1 where Wilhelm is initiated by the student body (nollning) and August calling Simon sosse. Sosse is a often derogatory term for those with social democratic views, including higher taxes and a stronger welfare. Actually, August would fit right in in the book as the snobby traditionalist. This work is also very controversial in Sweden. Allegations of abuse as a form of “peer education” has surfaced time and time again at the the handful of remaining "riksinternat”.  As for my last point on this topic I would like to mention how this series feel distinctly Scandinavian/Swedish. It’s realistic and tries not to shy away from showing how it really is within the issue it’s tackling. And no, I don’t mean the obvious disconnect of Wilhelm being a prince. I mean how they all talk to each other; how they all have flaws and no one is black and white. I have a hard time describing it but a good example would be if you compare it to an American show like Euphoria (2019) and then to another Scandinavian show like SKAM (2015). Other Swedish productions I think illustrates my point are: Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar (Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves, book/series about AIDS), Min lilla syster (My skinny sister, movie about ED), and Goliat (movie dealing with drugs and generational trauma).

This is a really long post and I hope someone reads it and maybe even learned something. I’d love to answer questions and stuff or if any swede would like to correct me on anything.