2.6.2 A Nordic national character?
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
2.6.2 A Nordic national character?
Since nordishness can be depicted only in contrast to other cultural
patterns, the following features have been collected among immigrants
to Sweden, as representative for their impression of their new
compatriots. The cultural anthropologist Åke Daun has written quite a
few articles and books on this topic in the Swedish language. The
following is an attempt to concentrate the most important of his
points.
Many point out how they never get invited to neighbors or colleagues.
This is easy to interpret as a suppressed hostility, i.e. as
xenophobia or discrimination. To a limited extent such interpretations
might be justified, but it could also be explained by the social
pattern among the Swedes. Also Nordeners can be good colleagues - year
after year - without this making them meeting privately. We tend to
draw a clear border between our private life on one side with a few
close friends and a bunch of relatives, and on the other side social
contacts with others. To one's home one receives siblings with
families maybe an old schoolmate or some friend since the childhood,
and maybe one or two "recent" friends with their families, for
instance a former or actual neighbor or colleague.
But it's typical how this circle is rather narrow and additionally
stable over the years. A consequence is that it's rather hard for
newcomers to a town or a village to break into such a narrow circle,
particularly for aliens.
This feature is enforced by the strong tendency among Swedes to
achieve socio-cultural homogeneity. Another typical Nordic feature
contributes to this tendency: the wish for conflict free encounters in
the private life.
Swedes are particularly prone to achieve consensus in attitudes and
opinions, and avoid socializing with others than like-minded people.
Confrontations are regarded as particularly unpleasant. Nordeners are
not curious enough to balance for this fear for the different. We do
also not believe ourselves to be interesting enough to wake the
curiousness of others, and to compensate for this there must be food
and beverages, and maybe particular activities, when meeting others.
Another feature worth to note is shyness, which is particularly
prevalent among Finns and Scandinavians. People feel inhibited around
others one doesn't know well, and one is very observant on one's own
behavior since it is regarded as very important to control which
impression others get of oneself. Among less well known people, one
gets extra careful since it is harder to anticipate their perceptions
and reactions.
Another reason to not visiting others and not inviting others is the
high requirement one wish to comply to regarding food and cleanliness
when foreigners visit one's home. To feel comfortable with foreigners
at home, one needs a long time for emotional and practical
preparations.
A sign of the borderline between the private sphere and work is the
Nordic resistance against small talk about private matters with
strangers, which has been reported to be a great hinder in business
contacts in foreign countries.
The lack of passions strangers might perceive in Nordics is surely
both reflecting a genuine trait and the fact that most strangers don't
meet Nordics in a context the Nordics would regard as private and
unrestrained (except for drunk appearances - see section 2.10!).
Rational reasons have a strong precedence over for emotional reasons.
Emotions are not at all disapproved in all contexts, but they are
regarded as "pure" emotions of no further value than to signal one's
general unhappiness with life or fate.
Quietness is regarded as the commonly accepted norm, and noisy fellows
are strongly disapproved. Vociferous stubbornness is deemed as very
ill-mannered. As is interrupting and talking in the mouth of others.
The Nordic ideal is to think twice before one speaks, and to utter
only one's most firm beliefs, and only when there is a considered
intention. What one says is remembered for ages, and if one says
something stupid or "wrong" it will be proof of one's stupidness and
general incompetence,
...and can be used against one in encounters ages afterward...
To be kind and good-natured is important. One prefer to be quiet or
agreeable instead of uttering an opposing opinion, unless one really
aims at hurting.
Leaving the professional ethnologist Åke Daun aside, we can note how
the Norwegians and the Finns, who gained independence first in the
20:th century tend to be much more nationalistic than Danes or Swedes.
Tor Slettnes points out how Norwegians are generally strongly affected
by their own culture. Norwegian national romanticism has of course its
roots in the independence movements from Denmark, Sweden, and German
occupants, and is much more accepted and appreciated by Norwegians
themselves, than by outsiders. Because nationalism often (in Germany,
Sweden, USA etc) has been a political taboo, later to be picked up by
anti-establishment semi-nazi groups, citizens of these places might
find the Norwegian national pride hard to swallow.
...oh, and I almost forgot! Nordeners usually think we are very good
at upbringing children, condemning the "cold" and unfriendly attitudes
to children in for instance France or the UK. Spanking of children is
not acceptable anymore, and actually unlawful in most countries.
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