Thanks for sharing this with me. Political correctness and fear being charged with a hate crime and jail will silence many people. But if they keep seeing people, especially politicians, stand up and talk honestly, they will begin to open up.
My son has been working in Europe for about five years now and when he comes home, sometimes he is shocked at what I say. I think there is such guarded speech and thought, they just have part of their thinking process numbed. Reminds me of the Soviets. I hope he comes home soon.
It's not like here where if "Bob" is calling in once a month people are kinda starting to have a negative image of him, throwing him under the bus for never being there and eventually he gets fired.
Conversely too, there is zero recognition or "up side" to NOT do these things. If anything, THAT will get you scorn from your colleagues and higher ups. They even say, "Don't rock our system".
One time my husband had a stomach bug. You know the kind of thing that knocks you out for 24 hours. They literally told him not to come back for the week. We lived in another spot in Europe (not Sweden) and I am not lying when I say my neighbor took leave for nearly the entire summer for hay fever. He spent every day out in his "garden"--all day every day. Every meal. LOL
They don't want to do anything to upset their comfort and complacency. Even when what is coming down the tracks is going to destroy their way of life.