Oh no, I wrote a long’ish piece about living in Belgium and my connection crashed!

In brief, I have enormous admiration for many things in the country – but oh God – so dull! Perhaps it is my fault for getting used to a life that relies on over-stimulation. I’d rather live a short life in Edinburgh, Manchester or London than a long life in Belgium. Let the candle burn bright rather than dull and long.

Belgium does have outstanding beer though!

Nice and accurate description of Danes and Denmark, I reckon. I would just like to tweak a few points:

* Danes do indeed spend loads on their houses, but after all taxes and bills are paid, they still have a lot more money than the average American, say, to spend on what they like. The reason that Danes don’t fill their houses with crap is partly because they are very status-minded, especially when it comes to having presentable (and trendy) homes, which in Danish terms tends to be mean minimalistic. Danes are also generally less addicted to buying crap than Americans, say.

* The unions are strong but not nearly as corrupt/power-misusing as in most other countries, and there is a good working relationship between workers’ unions and employers’ unions, which means that 90% of disagreements between workers and employees get settled amicably between these two sets of unions without the need for strikes or other strong methods.

* Although the high taxes would seem to stifle incentives for Danes to work, studies have shown that lowering the taxes would not significantly change Dane’s working habits. It seems that Danes just don’t want to work overly-long hours, preferring holidays and spare time (and status) to extra money. On the other hand, Danes generally have a good (“Protestant”) work ethic and are much more efficient in their work than most, including Americans and Japanese.

* The levels of Danish entrepreneurism are actually very high, which is a bit surprising. This is in part due to very favourable conditions for business, including low business tax (25%), streamlined business laws, little paperwork, and more.

* Unemployment used to be high but the flexicurity model introduced in the 90s and developed since has lowered the unemployment rates; they were at just 2-3% close before start of the Depression. If you lose your job, you do indeed get good unemployment benefits but you are also offered good retraining options, and you are also put under heavy pressure to find new work. The intentionally inactive segment of the population is only about 1%.

* The education system is good and bad. More precisely, primary education (K-9) is not up to the usual high levels of Danish standards and needs an overhaul and upgrade. On the other hand, secondary education is excellent, as are the many trade schools. For instance, the second half of high school education (10-12) is comparable to the first 1-2 years of American college. The quality of university education varies a bit but is generally very good. Ten years ago, my wife and I lived in Boston for a year and both attended courses at MIT, her in English Literature and me in Mathematics. We had been nervous about mingling with America’s brightest but were both disappointed to discover that we were way beyond most of them. Later on, I also studied in London and saw their pathetic education system: a Danish Master’s degree corresponds to a British Ph.d. degree.

* According to the studies, the main reasons for Danes’ happiness are the high levels of social security (free education, free medical care, good unemployment safety net etc.) and also the high level of social cohesion, which incidentally results in very low corruption levels, high efficiency levels, very small gap between government and governed, etc. etc. (Unfortunately, it also results in uniformity and tribalism, so living in Denmark is not always fun for foreigners – or for very individualistic people, like you, Jakob, or me.) I would also guess that the historically pragmatic and good-willed Danish attitude also is a big factor. Here, the lack of religion is a good thing.

This post was … awesome! 😉

They’re happier for the same reason all racially homogenous countries are happier than mixed race countries. There is a greater sense that your neighbor and coutrymen are an extension of your family. So what if this results in less competitiveness? The cooperative and caring environment sounds quite ideal. Would you rather have a country where there is great competition and ambition but also a great disparity in wealth – i.e. a few rich and the rest homeless? Ambition is NOT rewarded in the US, inherited wealth and being born with privilege is. The US was the rose-tinted way you describe it Jacob, back in its earlier history. This is not the case anymore. For most, the American Dream has become an American Nightmare.

I really liked this post, because I know that the Danish people are generally ranked as the happiest.

Just a quick comment on the weight thing – this is fairly true. If you’re an average American, you’re a huge fatty anywhere else. I have a 19% body fat hourglass figure, lauded in America as “having curves.” In France, I was oinked at. Big difference in perception. Possibly why French people feel worse about getting fat and aren’t facing as high of rates of obesity as we are.

@Alan – From my perspective dullness comes from uniformity. There simply aren’t that many choices when everybody strives to be similar.

@HSpencer – By “American beer”, you must be referring to cans of yellow fizzy water with the letters b-e-e-r on them? 😉

@Britz – The greater work efficiency is likely a law of diminishing returns effect. I think the average American has much more purchasing power than the average Dane.
As for the education I was primarily thinking K-9 where everybody undergoes exactly the same [level of] education. I would also consider university education very good (at least in the hard sciences). It is very interactive and students solve non-standard problems and are made to be creative. Very different from multiple-choice and standard questions. However, this, I think, is partially due to fewer Danes being in the higher educational system. This makes them brighter. Conversely a much larger percentage of Americans go to college which necessarily means that the levels have to be dumped down significantly to continue passing the students.

@firefighter – The Danish take on Kierkegaard is that most Danes will have heard the name, but they are not entirely well versed in what he actually wrote about—we read one small text from him in highschool—or that he is famous in the US. The religious attitude is agnostic/”pie in the sky”, that is, many people believe there is “something”, but it is not entirely well-defined. Religion is also considered a private matter. This is probably due to the Lutheran legacy. Danes used to believe in the Norse gods (Odin, Thor, …). The country converted when the second kind found Christianity (or perhaps vice versa) about a thousand years ago, but many of the old traditions where co-opted. For instance, christmas is pretty much solstice: we bring a tree into the living room (Norse), but the gift giving is Christian.

@Chris – I’m always harsh, especially to the country I’m currently in. Just wait until I go back to the US ;-). I think it is easier to find a subculture to identify with in the US, possibly simply because of its size. In the US these subcultures are accepted or even reveled in; I would not say this is the case in Denmark.

@enid – It’s _cultural_ homogeneity that is important, not racial. Danes don’t care about skin-color but they do care tremendously about their culture which is most manifested in the spoken language. If you speak accent free Danish, you can look like a Martian for all the Danes care. (This is one of the reasons I am very concerned about developing an American accent even though most Americans I meet don’t care about that at all and in fact many thinks it sounds kinda cute; well, the girls anyway 😉 .) In terms of competition and cooperation, I think closing the wealth gap is a good thing. However, realize that this “gap-closing” is not just the attitude but everything else as well, attitude, behavior, talents, … in the US if you are good at something, you may be rewarded, perhaps not as much as it used to be the case if you do not have the networks to the ruling/upper class. In Denmark, you better hide it or play it down.

Good post. Get a series going about various countries around the world so I can figure out were to go once the American Dollar collapses.

@denise – It does not seem to be remarkable to me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

Verily, the Danes are very tolerant but only if you’re exactly like them, yes?

I had heard something recently. During WWII, when other European countries were handing over their Jews, the Danes protected their Jewish population, b/c they were fellow Danes.

@Marcy – After rolling over and surrendering in a couple of hours when the Germans invaded, the evacuation of the jews (Danes who happened to subscribe to the jewish faith, just to get our priorities straight 😉 was probably Denmark’s finest hour during WWII.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_of_the_Danish_Jews

@AlexK – I think this stuff is really difficult to learn while traveling. You have to live somewhere for an extended time, that is, years AND get to know the/some natives very well. At least I would need to do that before I would feel qualified to write a post about it. Of course, I’m not Oprah 😀

One more thing which has always bothered me.. you say that cultural homogeneity is the focus rather than racial, but is that *really* the case? In such an overwhelmingly uniform (in terms of the physical aesthetic: blonde, fair skin, fair eyes) land, wouldn’t there be an undercurrent or even a subconscious of resentment or hostility at, let’s say, black immigrants who speak the language?

I myself, being of East Asian descent, understand that although a culture outwardly professes to be tolerant, I know for a fact that many East Asians are inwardly turned off by dark skinned immigrants to their country and only share this amongst themselves, especially in Korea and Japan. I wonder if this is the case for the Danish? Outwardly open towards all races but inwardly prefer blue-eyed, blond-haired people as an aesthetic?

Hah, I see. Your last point, that Danes might actually prefer “exotic” non-Nordic looks is very funny to me, precisely because East Asian culture (as evidenced in their depiction of “the aesthetic ideal” in music, art, culture, anime, TV soaps, etc.) puts the Western European aesthetic above its own, with a very strong emphasis on Scandinavian features, culture, and architecture. This is especially prevalent among the younger, female demographic, although to what extent this idealization of Western Europe is conscious is debatable.

Hey Jacob,

Those could have been MY words, about MY country (Belgium).

– in Belgium too, “too much” ambition (does such a thing even exist?) is frowned upon, especially if you want a large salary and huge mansion. And keep your salary private unless you want to make other people jealous. I so hate that! Damn small country mentality.
– quite a few people scoff at Americans (“couldnt live there… so superficial”). Personally, I wish I could live & work in the US for a while (I’m working on it). I like what I’ve seen. (I like my country too, tho)
– Belgians are happier than in the US due to the equal spread of wealth
– As you know, Belgians are slender compared to Americans. What shocks me however is the female news anchors in the US, whose physical appearance is more man-like than the typical Belgian *man*. They were chosen to be liked by the American public. Well, they wouldn’t be liked here.

Concojones, Jacob,

I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty ambitions person (although not so much in terms of money or recognition per se). Growing up in the US, I wanted more than anything to go to college and my family couldn’t afford to pay for it. So I worked my rear-end off in high school.

People around me had no idea how much I worked, in fact, for a long time, I had no idea how much difference their was in how much I worked and how much the average US high-school student worked (and this followed me into the University system too). I didn’t compare myself to other people, I just knew what I wanted and what I had to do to get it–and that’s what I did.

I learned at an early age to keep secret my test results, my grades, awards etc, etc, etc. People were weird about it–“you’re so lucky” and “must be nice.” Were really common comments. Only my closest friends knew about my grades and that I was a ‘smart person.’ I was so good about covering it that people were generally shocked to find that I was even of average intelligence. I wouldn’t do this now, but at 16 I found it easier at the time. I suppose it was sort of the same as some of my homosexual friends deciding to stay ‘in the closet.’

I don’t necessarily think that ambition is only ‘punished’ or looked down upon in Europe.

That said, even I find people that are only ambitious and have no soul do be rather off-putting. I’m an ex-teacher so my example of that would be a fellow teacher who doesn’t really seem to care so much about teaching, but about fast-tracking himself (herself) into a principal position–not because he/she would be good at it or is interested in it, but because there is more $ involved, or more renown or whatever. I find that obnoxious and, frankly, will avoid these people. By avoid, I mean that I will politely work with someone like that if required to by my work, but will have no non-mandatory social contact aside from very basic forms of being polite.

Maybe this makes me a small-minded person, or an unambitious person, or a person that falls into the trap of not wanting to appear ambitious. My point is that it’s alive and well in the US too.

Scandinavian culture sounds advanced compared to North American. I wonder how European medical intelligence compares? Canadian health care is stuck on “standard of care”; if you don’t fit, you get nowhere. Europe seems to be beyond drugs and surgery and into more herbs and alternative care and forward-thinking ideas.

Weird–in France, I found that there is more testing. I had a problem a while ago that could have been a number of things–including a tumor. In France, they immediately checked me for the tumor and the really serious problems (with tests) and once they knew it wasn’t serious, they started experimenting with pain management, physical therapy etc.

My treatment was interrupted by a move to the US. When I arrived (and after getting insurance) I went back to the doctors as the problem was still unresolved. I didn’t mention ANY previous tests or treatment because of the ‘pre-existing conditions’ problem. The US doctor put me on a course of ibuprofin (for pain and swelling ??) and then tried physical therapy when that didn’t work. I was treated for about 6 months before seeing any results (mostly through physical therapy).

NEVER did they check for serious problems like tumors, cancers, pinched nerves etc. That scared me–I was glad I’d been properly screened in France before moving back to the States.

Also, I’ve also noticed that in France, some people think they haven’t been properly treated unless they come out of the doctor’s with several prescriptions. But then, either in the US or in France, I go to doctors that don’t pump you full of drugs, and I make it clear that I’m there to make sure I’m not dying or causing myself further injury and that I only want meds that would help me get better–not just treat symptoms. And then I don’t go when I already know what’s wrong with me (like a common cold).

I don’t find that either country is more or less prescription happy. But that’s only US/France. And, again, I think you have to choose your doctor wisely in either country.

Jacob,

Denmark is in the spotlignt again. Here’s a report about electric cars and wind energy in Denmark from the PBS program NOW. (approx. 23 minutes)

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/544/index.html

@TylerOSU – I have read (in lattitude38, a sailing magazine) that there’s a Mexican visa (don’t know which one) that will allow you to buy health insurance (x-rays, etc. no copay) for $300, that is, per year!

Sounds like a wonderful place, it sounds more like a Socialist country than a capitalist country like America or the UK. I suppose living there would mean more taxes but I guess I would be taken care off. I’d still prefer to stay in a capitalist country because I consider myself more of a entrepreneur. Great post, and “Awesome” advertise for Denmark Mr Fisker.

There is a view among many in “economically developing countries” particularly South Asians that Northern European or Scandinavian countries are some kind of Utopia. That all their problems would disappear and they would be happy only if somehow they could get a visa and get there. But many that immigrate are not happy. They are not able to feel at home and remain as perpetually isolated foreigners.

Actually this sums up the Danes I know fairly well. …Except for the bit about smug patriotism. I’ve never really gotten that vibe from them. They actually have a word (I can’t remember) they often use in conversation which makes fun of people who think they’re the best or #1. I laughed out loud when I saw a giant Carlsberg sign in downtown Copenhagen which read, “Carlsberg – One of the best beers in town.” Hahaha… “One of”? My friends explained the company couldn’t call themselves best because everyone would make fun of it.

Also, it’s been my experience that they have the most wicked sense of humour in all of mainland Europe. They live for ridiculous scenarios they can talk about, exaggerate, and make fun of later. When I hang out with them I usually have to leave the (beer drinking) table several times because I’m laughing so hard it physically hurts.