Posted on 09/21/2007 9:57:37 AM PDT by WesternCulture
Scandinavia has been rated as the best place to live, that’s according to a ranking by Reader’s Digest.
Using a range of environmental and social indicators based in part on the UN’s Human Development Index, the survey rates countries on care of the environment and quality of life for their citizens.
Finland tops the 141-nation list, followed by Nordic neighbours Iceland and Norway, with Sweden coming in at fourth place.
And the Swedish capital comes top of the Reader’s Digest ranking of 72 world cities when it comes to quality of life.
Cities were rated according to quality of public transport, parks, air quality and waste recycling.
After top placed Stockholm came Norwegian capital Oslo, and Munich was in third place.
My answer is this:
- If you are a Liberal or Socialist, NO WAY.
- If you are a Conservative, YES!!
Yep, you heard me correctly.
I'll explain further by comparing two (rather) young Stockholm couples.
Please allow me to introduce the PC pair of Sven Socialist and Eva Environmentalist as well as the rightwing couple of Carl Conservative and Inga Intelligent.
Both couples have much in common. Apart from living in the capital of Sweden, they are both average income earners from a Stockholm perspective ($55 000+$55 000 annually - on the national level average Swedes earn about 15% less), they all work full time, they have recently bought their first home and both couples plan to become parents soon.
HOWEVER:
- Their homes are very different -
While Sven Socialist and Eva Environmentalist decided to buy this condo in Södermalm, central Stockholm (which once was a working class area of Stockholm, therefore it's now PC to live there and extremely attractive to leftwingers):
http://bjurforsboagent.capitex.se/objbesk/allbigimg.aspx?OBJGUID=3DMAMJ0NN39NGB8F&OBJTYPE=CMBoLgh&statf=Stockholm
Carl Conservative and Inga Intelligent bought this 2,370 sq feet house in Tyresö (a middle class area located in the 'inner' suburbs of Stockholm close to the waterfront):
http://bjurforsboagent.capitex.se/objbesk/allbigimg.aspx?OBJGUID=3E6SK5HSTD1AA3P3&OBJTYPE=CMVilla&statf=Stockholm
- Their quality of education and careers differ -
Eva Environmentalist and Sven Socialist both have university education. At university, they studied subjects like Feminism, Ecology, Equality and God knows what. Their professors were all children of the Flower Power era and have been smoking pot ever since.
Today, Eva works for an entirly superfluous, government funded organization aiming at increasing public awareness in the field of ecologically minded consumation of groceries. Sven works as an 'expert' of 'Palestine Issues' for the (former Communist) Party Vänsterpartiet, a party which often have been allowed to ally in different Swedish governments with the largest political party in Sweden, The Social Democratic Party, on the premise that they shut up and do what they're told to by big brother.
Carl Conservative didn't go to university, but went to a technology oriented 'gymnasium' which later on got him an interesting job as a maintenance technician with Swiss/Swedish power and automation technology giant ABB. His Inga has, by all means, a solid university education. She studied for several years at HHS, Stockholm School of Economics, recruiting ground for Swedish corporations like IKEA, SAAB, Electrolux and Ericsson. Two years ago, Ericsson hired her. During her 'introduction' phase at Ericsson, her pay check wasn't that impressive, but now her income is at par with Carl's and in some years...
- Their quality of pastime is different -
Moose hunting is a favourite pastime among Swedish men and Carl is no exception. At the age of 6, his father took him on a expedition with Carl's uncle and some other guys. The team laid down a full grown bull moose. After explaining to little Carl that the Moose was dead and didn't suffer, Carl's father taught Carl the basics of cutting up an animal. Inga prefers fishing, but enjoys to cook different dishes including Moose. They both enjoy sailing. Recently, they bought a sailing yacht which is 'parked' at walking distance from their house.
Sven Socialist and Eva Environmentalist don't hunt moose. They are both against hunting and they are, furthermore, vegans. Their 'hobby' is cooking exotic vegetarian dishes and trying hard to avoid real nourishment. This hobby of theirs isn't exactly a cheap one (especially not compared to hunting, which, naturally, serves a household with a lot of cheap meat). The ingredients they use often cost three times as much as real food. In the evening they often go to theatres and pay too much entrance fee for spectating lousy performances of poor plays that never should've been written.
- Their quality of transportation differs -
For long, Sven and his environmentalist angel Eva drove around in an old, 2hp French car of the make of Clouseau (or something like that) made in the early 18th century, but they no longer do so. The reason to this is that Eva's best (and only) friend, Victoria Vegan, unfortunately didn't make it after colliding in a similar car with a Volvo XC 90 SUV. The speed of both cars was later estimated to appr. 25 mph. Today, they drive the smallest Volvo they could find, a Volvo V50:
http://www.volvocars.us/models/v50/
By the way, Sven and Eva today know what a catalytic converter is.
Inga Intelligent and Carl drive a SAAB 9-5 Sportcombi
http://www.saabusa.com/
A nice car, but all the same, they have decided to buy a Volvo XC90 once Inga becomes pregnant.
http://www.volvocars.us/models/xc90/
- Their reproductive ability differ -
Although they both want children, the strange vegan food Eva Environmentalist has forced upon Sven has made him impotent. Therefore, adoption is the only alternative. However, after deciding they wanted to adopt a black African orphan, instead of a white one from Russia (the latter alternative could have been interpreted as an act of racism), the adoption bureau ruled out Sven Socialist and Eva and their home as 'unsuitable'.
Carl Conservative will one day take his son hunting just like his father did.
- Quality of experiences of the foreign world differs -
PC Sven and PC Eva like to visit other countries, especially Palestine. Before visiting Palestine, Sven thought he knew everything about the place. Today, he's not so sure anymore. They both believe in Marxism, but just like Sven never seem to find the time to read Marx's 'Das Kapital', The Palestines don't seem to understand much of it either. No biggie, they both agree Allah and Marx enjoy far too little acknowledgement in the Western World. In any case, Eva Environmentalist and Sven try to be good ambassadors of Sweden, which means they always enjoy telling people from other countries, whether it's Japan, The US, Belgium or Peru what measures they should take in order to make their country more 'Swedish'.
Both at work and when going on trips abroad Inga Intelligent and Carl are good ambassadors of Sweden. They listen, respectfully, to what inhabitants of foreign countries have to tell them about their non-Swedish way of life and their practices and if they happen to find out they themselves, being Scandinavians, could learn something of value from it, they don't hesitate to bring that knowledge back home. Just like the old Vikings once did.
Here are proper links:
“While Sven Socialist and Eva Environmentalist decided to buy this condo in Södermalm, central Stockholm (which once was a working class area of Stockholm, therefore it’s now PC to live there and extremely attractive to leftwingers):
Carl Conservative and Inga Intelligent bought this 2,370 sq feet house in Tyresö (a middle class area located in the ‘inner’ suburbs of Stockholm close to the waterfront):
Today, they drive the smallest Volvo they could find, a Volvo V50:
http://www.volvocars.us/models/v50/
By the way, Sven and Eva today know what a catalytic converter is.
Inga Intelligent and Carl drive a SAAB 9-5 Sportcombi
A nice car, but all the same, they have decided to buy a Volvo XC90 once Inga becomes pregnant.
http://www.volvocars.us/models/xc90/
I’m sure it’s wonderful from May-Sept.
These countries, Sweden especially, have the highest percentage of atheists or agnostics as well. So if you are a socialistic atheist (redundant??) it looks like a great place to live.
I have heard the winters are really excellent, with temps frequenting the sub-zero mark and the sun showing for 3 or 4 hours/day. Been in Norway and Sweden and both are beautiful in the summer but neither have it over Alaska or Idaho. Regulation of every intimate detail of your life is fine if you like Big Brother telling when and where to excrete. Everything is very small there — hotel rooms, beds 3 feet wide, and narrow streets. Nice place to visit but I would not wish to live there. ON second thought, some of the ladies are rather stunning but all I did was look.
ROFLMAO!! Best line of the day!
Don’t forget the theory of relativity.
By that i mean the extreme high cost of living.
Iceland 2.? No one except Icelanders can afford to set foot there. Very high gross wages, very low net wages. Even the Euros can’t afford visiting there. It is outrageous. I will prefer my relative high net wages along with lower prices and anything I want to see and do in the good old beautiful USA.
“I’m sure it’s wonderful from May-Sept.”
- A REAL Scandinavian winter is very enjoyable, believe me. They are often very beautiful.
On the other hand, if it’s all rainy and chilly, not even a Viking wishes to leave his warm fireplace and his mead for a 5 minute walk.
Real winters like that are great to look at... in pictures. I did my time dealing with real winters and I’m never going back. I much prefer Christmas day to be in the 70s or 80s and go hang out in the park in short sleeves, or maybe even the pool. That’s a good and proper winter.
Did you forget the /sarc tag?
Anything below 70° is too darn cold for me.
“ecologically minded consumation of groceries.”
Now you have me picturing a zucchini chasing a speeding bagel...
“These countries, Sweden especially, have the highest percentage of atheists or agnostics as well. So if you are a socialistic atheist (redundant??) it looks like a great place to live.”
- By US standards, Scandinavians are atheists, but that doesn’t mean they fail to understand the core of Christ’s teachings:
“Love thy neighbor”
The traditional Scandinavian attitude towards excessive pietism and idolatry is very much like the criticism against the practice of Christianity like it was some kind of ‘ritual’ expressed by Desiderius Erasmus/Erasmus of Rotherdam as feautured in his Renaissance masterpiece ‘The praise of Folly”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Praise_of_Folly
“narrow streets”
- Did you ever get outside of Gamla Stan/Old Town in Stockholm :-)
Interesting.
Finland/Iceland??
Must be morons' a one-eye view point???
Copenhagen is the ONLY real metropolitan city in Scandinavia and Denmark again the ONLY conservative-government-ruled country there, and they have NO systemsbolag either!!!
No they're not.
Anything above 75 is too darn hot for me.
“That’s not going to get them past the pearly gates. Intellectualization is all well and good but Faith is what will see you through. They also have one of the highest per capita suicide rates. Coincidence?”
- It’s highly discussable whether Christ really put the stress on unrestricted love or unrestricted faith. But I’d say Renaissance giants like Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci both emphaziced the unrestrictedness of (true) human nature. Personally, I belive Erasmus understood the true message of Christianity very well.
Do good.
Be all you can be.
“Copenhagen is the ONLY real metropolitan city in Scandinavia”
- Yes, it has 39 more smoky, carcinogenic Jazz clubs and 15 321 more heroine dealers than Sthlm.
“and they have NO systemsbolag either”
- Can’t argue with that. But try finding a wide assortment of alcoholic beverages from all over the world at a single spot anywhere in Denmark. Or is some kind of sport running all around town just to get what you want? I prefer paying the higher price.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.