Saturday 6 June 2009

Something VERY good about Denmark

One of these blogs was tagged recently to name some things that we like about Danish society. Well, here's one, and a really good one. There isn't social snobbery. A couple of my children's schoolfriends' mums clean, and nobody looks down on them or treats them differently. And the person who sometimes cleans our house, who is a qualifying psychologist, is giving me a really nice linen skirt for a birthday present.

I think that's amazing actually.
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4 comments:

  1. Paula 6 June 2009 at 10:18

    Hmm I have thought about this one. To me, it seems everyone is living very frugally in Denmark (with the high prices of everything). As a result, cleaning jobs, etc are not really 'above' anyone so to speak, you do what you can to earn that extra kroner. I do like that no one is judged by what they do- but have you encountered this strange experience where Danes ask very outrightly, and bluntly I might add on what it is you do? I was a little surprised by it the first few months I was there.

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  2. BABS6 June 2009 at 19:50

    Paula: yeps the what is it you DO question is rife here more than anywhere else. Even Danish reared people find it annoying sometimes.

    I like to say: 'Brain Surgeon' or 'Model'and have a happy five minutes watching people not get my sense of humour, (going up later to whisper 'I'm not really a model you know...') It's like the question: "England? But where exactly are you from?" They want to hear you say the place they spent their holidays in (London) so you better just say that to be on the safe side.

    The problem with these 'sociable' questions is that they invariably lead to very unsociable moments.

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  3. Khawaga7 June 2009 at 09:48

    Seen this - http://www.deixis.dk/?p=1059 - ?

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  4. Fuzzy8 June 2009 at 12:31

    Interesting post from Sabine, Lucy. I lock horns with her a bit, but I think she's essentially right in that post.

    No, I don't see social snobbery among Danes, but I see lots and lots of it directed at foreigners. Lots and lots of it.

    I think Danish people get offended if the foreigner they just met isn't working, or isn't working at a high-powered job. If one isn't, I think they feel that we're ignorant leeches come to Denmark to suck off the teat of their great welfare system.

    But no, snobbery among Danish people is something that I don't think exists much, other than locational snobbery. Denmark is nice for Danes.

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