Klara Murnau July 17, 2022
Welcome to the country that laid the foundation of its lifestyle thanks to self-denial and simplicity. Welcome to the land of polite distance, the little mermaid and hot taxes. Kingdom of Denmark, motherland of all perfection, which boasts indisputable universal virtues and which one would never admit to exist on the horizon of its flat landscape like a vast golf course between one brewery and the other sins worth falling into this ugly, ugly, to be inscribed in the ugly thing called deceitful mankind. Trying not to step on a Lego along Strøget, with the help of experience and some local witnesses, I was able to observe where our former Viking friends generally look the other way. Danes are known around the world for many things: beer, blondes and of course Bang Olufsen. To make a list of all the wonders you can buy with the right economic skills is an understatement, just as you will never find me judging the objective beauty of men and women in their capital city, a veritable camouflage paradise. And if you want to stay in that parallel dimension, avoid stepping your foot just outside the Copenhagen or whatever Århus border, or you risk a rude awakening by looking at the land cousins of those just mentioned Norse gods bumps that morph into massive, square water heaters, sleek and elegant, but with far less inclination to keep you warm.
THE HYGGE CULTURE
A distance that is not quite what one expects from the vaunted hygge culture, the apotheosis of coziness where one sunbathes happily between thick socks, candles, houses, books, cars and newspapers and thinks it’s good, when it’s winter and you’re there, it’s served to the point of puke, beautifully written everywhere, kitsch ex voto the tourist attraction. But only those who’ve learned Airbnb’s hard lesson know that nothing is as it seems when you’re cozy, so beware if you don’t like chipboard or the dormitory style. Understatement is the keyword and Jante’s law – Janteloven – ensures that this is always kept in mind. The unofficial set of rules, which has prevailed in Vitdanese and Scandinavian style, comes from a small fragment of the 1930s novel A Refugee Crosses His Footsteps by Aksel Sandemose, a Danish-Norwegian writer who went down in history beyond that for having perfectly described the principle of all the ills of society that we are privileged to speak about today, also for the difficult character bordering on misogyny and for the allegations of sexual abuse that are leveled at him by his descendants.
Here are the ten infamous Norse commandments: * Don’t think you’re special * Don’t think you’re worth as much as we do * Don’t think you’re smarter than we are.
* Don’t think you’re better than us * Don’t think you know more than we do.
* Don’t think that you are more important than us.
* Don’t think you’re capable of anything.
* Don’t laugh at us.
* Don’t think anyone cares about you.
* Don’t think you can teach us anything.
Here is the pattern of behavior that in their communities criticizes and negatively portrays individual achievement and success as unworthy and inappropriate. The way of life has helped to uphold and pass on these principles of enforced humility to the new generations as well. It is not uncommon today to see Yantelov in action on the news or social media, as a tool to tarnish the reputations of guilty compatriots. too much of. Neither is it to witness the life of luxury of some influencers, interspersed with live mea culpa and constant justifications. What fear. Parochialism remains a defining trait, and their radically recalibrated sense of national identity has created a curious duality best described as a sort of “modest pride,” though many often mistake this for complacency. It is physiological that even near-perfect societies have downsides, and their much-sponsored Social Security cannot be taken for granted either. In fact, it’s only been a few weeks since news of a shooting at a shopping center in Copenhagen. In this latest news, the killer, a young Dane, had tried unsuccessfully to seek help from specialized mental health facilities. It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last. Population aging, a creaking welfare state, the continued integration of immigrants and growing inequality are just some of the challenges faced by the Nordic countries. But appropriate, deep, and lasting joy usually requires a remarkable ease of denial, qualities our heroes bring with them. It also helps, of course, that Denmark is essentially a gigantic middle class or, as you would be led to believe, is actually classless. However, the elite exists and congregates in housing enclaves almost everywhere in Copenhagen and the surrounding area, and more and more citizens who can afford it are turning to private healthcare, and despite having the largest public sector per capita in the world, the level of Satisfaction with their social status decreases rapidly.
THE SOCIAL DEGREE
Over 20% of the working population aged 18-64 does not work at all and is supported by generous unemployment or disability benefits. The New York Times called Denmark “the best place in the world to be laid off,” with unemployment benefits of up to 90% of previous wages for up to two years (it was 11 years before the most recent reforms). Flexicurity is what the Danes call their system, a neologism that combines the flexibility Danish companies enjoy to lay off employees at short notice and for low wages with the security that the labor market enjoys knowing that there is ample support in times of unemployment are. . All of this is backed by the abominable tax system that makes it one of the most expensive countries in the world and the worst place in Europe to even buy a car. Perhaps to vent some pent-up anger, the Danes have a contentious relationship with animal welfare. The pork industry accounts for about a fifth of all world exports and over 5% of the country’s total exports. Yet you can travel far and wide and never see a single sow as they are all kept out of sight in hideous intensive rearing stalls. Also emblematic is the case of the Copenhagen Zoo, which he euthanized and dissected a two-year-old giraffe (Marius) during an event (according to his own statements, educational) that also included children, in order to then feed it to the lions. Attempts by animal welfare organizations and other zoos in Europe to save them were unsuccessful. The event was so popular that it was later revived with a male lion just one year old. Despite the controversy, the zoo’s scientific director was later voted Copenhagener of the Year by readers of a well-known Danish newspaper. Empathy takes me away. And sensitivity is probably also responsible for the reluctance to talk about racism and deny that it is a major obstacle for ethnic minorities. Inappropriate situations are commonplace for fellow foreigners, whether they are young people being turned away at the door of a nightclub, a highly qualified woman with a veil being deprived of her job, students unable to find accommodation because of a long beard, or patients who are not treated by a black woman want to be treated by a doctor. Paradoxically, liberal values are used to justify negative representations of what “others” are. If reading this has depressed you more than a Hans Christian Andersen fable and you are reconsidering your trips to Tivoli, bear no grudge against me. There are people before me who already had a flea in their ear: “Something is rotten in Denmark”. (Marcellus – Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV).
