So, This Is Heaven: Norway

Los Angeles Times ^ | November 8, 2001 | CAROL J. WILLIAMS

[jla]

A land of striking beauty, with its coastal tracery of fiords and snowcapped mountains, Norway has remained untouched by pollution as it has evolved from a fishing and farming society into high-tech and white-collar business without an intervening phase of heavy industry.

And the predominate cash-generator is.................OIL.

[beckett]

I meant no disrespect for Scandinavians, although I can see how my remarks could have been read that way. They are of course wonderful people. I only meant to say that they are no better than other people---immune from the xenophobia and tribal loyalties that pervade human relations. So many in the American media try to hold Scandinavians governments up as models for the U.S. government, and I wanted to point out that Scandinavian homogeneity goes a very long way towards explaining the overall success of those governments and the generally placid state of affairs in that part of the world.

[Cogadh na Sith]

OK, Then how come Norway and the rest of the Scandinavian countries have the highest suicide rates in the world?

[monocle]

Most native Scandinavians I know were initially formal as is their custom and this formality can easily be mistaken for being xenophobic.

[Mr.E]

My Mother is from Norway and she lived there during the Nazis.
They are great people and still hate the germans, my mom anyway!
They also LOVE to get loaded and sing.

[liberallarry]

My guess is because it's cold and dark 3-5 months of the year. All northern peoples have serious drinking problems too. It would be interesting to know whether Norway's money changed that.

[Aurelius]

BUMP

[FreedomFriend]

While I definitely reject their rampant socialism, I will say that your point that it's racism because a country wants to maintain its heritage, genes, and culture sounds ridiculous. Oh, I forget, only non-white countries are permitted to these. How silly of me. This, of course, does not mean it is racism, but a knowledge that if you import the world, Norway will cease to be Norway. Furthermore, this "Xenophobic" title is too often used. It's popularity has risen in the last few years, and it is nothing more than a trendy cliche to try debunk the legitimacy of nation-states.

[joathome]

Give the sheeple enough sexual freedom and no responsiblity for childrearing (long government maternity leaves and free government daycare), and the sheeple will think they are free as lil' birds. The sheeple always think with their genitals......

And we are fast becoming a nation of sheeple, too.

The family is the bedrock of society. When it falls, society falls.

[Roy Tucker]

As you probably know Finns are not Scandinavian. Danes are though.

[Polonius]

Isn't Switzerland the Switzerland of Europe?

[hoot2]

"Norway good; America bad."

wasn't this just done on tv? they have 4 million people...
shoot....i pass more people then that on the 405 freeway everyday
n don't have to shovel snow either...

[nutmeg]

Of course, the measurements don't take into account the fact that darkness falls by 3 p.m. half the year and tax rates swallow up to 60% of your income. Also escaping the statisticians' notice are new social strains created by a sudden influx of immigrants into a longhomogenous nation...

If this is Heaven, I have no intentions of ending up there!

[Humidston]

AMEN!

[Orion]

OK, Then how come Norway and the rest of the Scandinavian countries have the highest suicide rates in the world?

It probably is related to why Washington and Alaska have the highest suicide/depression in the nation - lack of sunlight.

Seattle at Christmas gets about 8 hours of "sunlight." Most of the time, it is overcast, wet, cool, and pretty gloomy. Alaska is all that but worse.