About everywhere I go I drop a comment about how Swedes are so cold. "Cold bastards", is my standard description.
I'm simply not used to people being nice to me. And it's not because I had a shitty childhood where my dad hit me and I had to sleep in the basement without hot water and I became scarred for life thinking no one can ever love me. It's nothing like that. It's just the way I grew up, with this certain national attitude, and I don't know anything else. Until a few months ago when I came in contact with the people I currently value the most outside of my own family.
This is how it was: Strangers are not nice to you.
I was proven otherwise.
It still doesn't make sense to me why various people have given me chances and opportunities without knowing more than my name. I can't think of any reason why they should have, and what I'm left with is the fact that they simply must be genuinely nice. Even to strangers.
During the last half year or so, I've met so many nice people, who constantly amaze me when they do something nice for me. I mean, why? Sure, I'm not gonna make myself smaller than I am and say that I don't deserve it, it just beats me that I got the positivity so fast.
Americans, who I've dealt with, are really nice people. Of course niceness is an individual feature, but they ones I've crossed path with have given me more than I could imagine.
Swedes are not like that. We don't help eachother out. Again, individual, but the attitude is remarkably different from the Americans.
If you've ever been to Sweden I'm sure you'd say that the people are so nice. "What the hell is she talking about?" But I've lived here for my entire life, and when you start seeing glimpses of how it could be, you start to analyze and compare. And the result is that, well, Swedes really are cold bastards.
26 January 2008
American vs. Swedish
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3 comments:
But see, the kindness can jump in both directions in the states. I know alot of unpleasant people, but then again, I live in Arizona, which can range every spectrum of weather and attitude depending on what elevation you're at. (for instance it's raining cats and dogs right now, odd.)
But you must be a splendid person if you can experience such kindness from complete strangers, it doesn't matter where you live. I, for example, admire you completely without "knowing more than your name." You have fantastic literary qualities a videos that make me laugh unendingly. (and I really wish I could pull off your hair color!! :])
By the way, I've always wanted to see Sweden, so now I'll know to watch out for the people! :]
-Alison
Yes, kindness is an individual thing, but I'm just lucky to have been fortunate enough to meet all the right people.
And thank you! It really makes me happy that you say those nice things. Admiration? Wow. :)
Many people say they want to visit Sweden, I just don't see why. What's so interesting about it?
And lastly, thank you for all the blog comments! My blog has been very lonely, it's cool to get some comments every now and then. :)
Well, I've always wanted to go to the not-so-typical locations in the world, like Sweden! Everybody goes to England, what about Sweden or Moscow, or Abu Dhabi?
I'm really never mean to people, I don't see the purpose in being a jerk. If I don't like people I write down what I don't like about them and get over it, unless I have a friend who shares my hatered, then we vent amongst ourselves. I'm not a pacifist, but I'm sure as hell not a bitch!
:]
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