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/
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!
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!!!
As far as Sweeden and Scandinavia being the best place to live, I have one word: Lutefisk!
Well, if the writer considers those characteristics the most important elements of a great place to live, his list is irrelevant for me and probably most of the other posters on FreeRepublic.
The got the answer they wanted by using faulty metrics. Of those three only air quality directly effects the quality of life. Capability to travel effects quality of life; public transportation is a single means to that end but there are other ways to achieve it. Again, recycling is a means, but the end is that discarded materials go away and not negatively the locations people live.
Scandinavian countries do have beautiful women.
In it, he says, "If the average Canadian, let alone the average American, ever realized how his Nordic counterpart lives, that would immediately shift the political landscape with the thought "Oh shit... is that what I am trying to change my country into?" Which makes me wonder why conservatives don't work 24/7 to drive this point across, perhaps in the form of some kind of TV special. With all those elections coming, and all that."
The author, by the way, left Finland and emigrated to Canada.
Nokia versus Motorolla stock.. As far as I can tell Motorolla has done all the bs business school fad business 'theories'. And constantly cutting the 'fat', getting lean etc.. I believe the real answer for difference in performance is Nokia's Finish workforce is smarter and better technically educated then Motorolla's US workforce. I'm the only one arguing that point.