The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://nypost.com/2015/01/11/sorry-liberals-scandinavian-countries-arent-utopias/

After reading this (based on information from someone who lives in the region), why do American liberals love Scandinavia so much?

If I had to give two thirds of my wages to taxes I sure wouldn't be happy.
Also this
Some 5 percent of Danish men have had sex with an animal
made me raise my eyebrows.

Don't you oppress their chosen relationships, you cisscum patriarchal hound!

That country sounds like socialist hell, surely it can't be as bad as the author makes out?

If you asked the pinkos in America they'd accuse us of being right-wing propagandists, most likely.

Anyone claiming a Scandinavian country--or anywhere else, for that matter--is a utopia is either misinformed and repeating the kind of "well I heard..." tidbits that they've held to reinforce their conception of how things ought to be (most likely, as anyone who reads the Sandbox and the articles linked from it ought to recognize) or is trying to sell you something. They're clearly not utopias, nor are they the opposite. They're generally successful small nations, relatively speaking, that have had to look in the mirror in recent decades, just like everyone else.

Well, coming from someone that knows Scandinavia quite well, being from Finland (which isn't part of Scandinavia, but is pretty close as you can get...) I'd say that this is a good place to live. It's definetely not the best place on earth. I hate how short the summer is here. I don't like most people. They are overall negative and dull. Of course this doesn't apply to all of them, but it's pretty general in many European countries. In the other hand they(/we) are very open and warm towards tourists. Somehow communication with people of same nationality seems to be more or less a problem. If it'd be my free choise, I'd live in Britain or USA, just because I enjoy a lot more the positiveness and friendliness people have towards each other there (and this all comes from my own experience).

I don't know how accurate those murder/crime statistics are. Here in Finland people always talk about the crazy America, and the violence happening there. Policemen shooting people, school shootings, serial killers, etc... Most of homicides and violent crimes in general that happen here, happen when two drunkards fight with each other. Though depression is VERY common here. And it's a big problem. Our school system and people in general put a huge pressure on people to succeed, and a lot of people don't. It's not easy to make a living here (but is it anywhere?). Long winters without sun doesn't help either with the depression thing.

I'd highly suggest anyone to come visit here on vacation, or in Sweden/Norway. Most people talk english and the nature in these countries is really amazing and it's everywhere. And the biggest cities are just the right size, not too big, not too small. And here's a lot of things to see.

 My mom, a citizen of Denmark who has lived in the USA since 1961, would beg to differ.  ;)

 BTW- My family visited Denmark and West Germany in the summer of 1972. Not far away in Holland, our favorite band was making a fairly groovy album.

The Animals? :lol

I'm not against Scandinavia or the people who live there. The thread and the article that inspired it are reactions to the leftist point of view that Denmark is a model for the U.S. to follow when it's really not. American leftists don't get the fact that Eurosocialism has struggled along as long as it has is most likely due to the homogeneity of most European countries (especially Denmark) and the fact that generations since the policies went into effect the people don't know what liberty is. Ask most pinko Americans and they think you guys in that part of the world get everything for free.

I love Europe and European culture and hope it continues to thrive for years to come.

Oversimplification is for morons.

Well, most our Beach Boys, namely the Wilson's cousin Love are of Scandinavian: Swedish descent (and the Wilson's of Dutch (Netherlands/Holland) descent too). I'm a Dane btw...