Five weeks of paid vacation (which you are "forced" to take), flexible working hours, subsidized gym membership, true 8-hour days, discounted massages, company-issued smartphone - some may dub this "European-style Socialism," I prefer to call it "a good standard of living." One should keep in mind that Sweden achieves all of this while still ranking 3rd in global competitiveness (behind only Switzerland and Singapore, America is 5th!). And while taxes may be higher in some areas, I'll take the extra vacation time to travel over a house full of Chinese-made crap any day.
No one here is against capitalism - everyone believes in the free-market, staying competitive and generating profit but the distinct difference is to what extent? I'm all for these things but I'm also for employees getting a fair shake - it all comes down to balance and it seems as though things are becoming very unbalanced back home as far as the middle-class is concerned. And people are attacking Obama for wanting to change things (the little that he can considering the circumstances) for the better?! This singular, corporate-driven focus on profit above all else just seems so shortsighted to me... America is burnt-out and a healthy country should be in everyone's interest. Europe, particularly Scandinavia, is actually a lot like America, except that it puts greater emphasis on a strong safety-net, universal healthcare and education, and ensuring the welfare of its citizens - good value for money in my eyes.
I am a proud American through and through and there are a lot of things that I love about my country but I dislike a certain mindset and willful ignorance that pervades many parts of it and inhibits progress (along with the money in our political system, Evangelicalism, the current Republican Party and the lemmings that support them). We can learn a lot from the rest of the world and I think America becoming more "European" or "Canadian" (i.e. towards a Social Democracy) is a good thing but until we make more progress in that regard, I'll hang out over here a little while longer.
As my favorite quote says, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." With this in mind, I'm getting ready for another year in Sweden...
... please send In-N-Out.
Always nice to read an Americans perspective on Sweden. I'm a Swede who have spent 1-8 months / year in the US for over a decade and like many things about the US (well mainly the nature, weather and Mexican food) but at the same time dislike a lot of things about Sweden.
ReplyDeleteTo get the best of both worlds I make sure to travel back and forth as much as I can.
I have great friends in the US but I haven't lived there since around 2008 or something but I keep going back for the beaches, mountains, coconut water and Mexican food.
/ Pierre
Hi Pierre - thanks for commenting! I'm glad you stumbled upon my post. Yes, I have also come to the conclusion that the best possible life for me is one where I can obtain all the benefits of living in Sweden while taking in all the excellent food, weather, and vibrancy of other countries (namely the U.S.). Cheers to you and yours // Peter
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