KYRA DAVIS: USA is #1! Or Is That Sweden?

My son (now 11) has never accepted the idea that America is #1. He simply doesn't buy it. To be honest I think the statement is overly broad too. I think America is #1 for me and mine. For instance, I like knowing that if I'm out with friends at 2 in the morning I can still stop by one of our many 24 hour drugstores or grocery stores and buy toothpaste, eggs or even lipstick if I'm in the mood. I'm very American that way. But I would never presume that every person in the world would be happier in America than they are in their home country.

Still I felt the need to challenge my son's skepticism. "All right," I said, "if America isn't #1, who is?"

My son thought about this for a few minutes before bursting out with, "Sweden!"

"Sweden," I repeated. "You think Sweden is the #1 country in the world?"

"Well," he said cautiously, "maybe not historically. I don't know much about Swedish history. But I bet they're better than us in terms of their economic and environmental policies!"

"When have you ever heard or read anything reported about Sweden's economy or environmental polices?" I asked.

"I haven't but that's the point!" he said defiantly. "You told me that the news media doesn't give very much airtime or print space for reporting good news and they like to spend lots and lots of time reporting all the bad news. They almost never even bother to report on Sweden at all so it must be a pretty awesome place where lots of good things happen and bad things almost never do!"

"Ah," I said, thinking I had found the flaw in his logic. "The thing about America is that we can be kind of egocentric. If something is happening in another country, good or bad, and it doesn't effect us economically or militarily you probably won't hear about it in the American media."

My son narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Chi-chi-chi, le-le-le. What do a bunch of Chilean miners have to do with our economy or our military?"

"Umm--"

"You never hear about Swedish miners being trapped in unsafe mines because it probably doesn't happen!" my son continued, not giving me time to regroup. "The only people who ever can find anything to report about Sweden are the people who work for the Travel Channel or guys who work for some family channel like Disney or PBS or something and even then all you see are a bunch of happy, Swedish people being super nice and polite. They say Canadians are nicer than Americans but I bet Canadians are a bunch of jerks compared to the Swedes!"

This gave me a moment's pause. I felt I was losing this argument...to an eleven-year old. I searched my brain for the last time I had read anything in the media about Sweden. It had been in an article about Alexander Skarsgård who plays Eric on True Blood. I have a huge crush on Alexander Skarsgård so that article had indeed made me very happy. I also have a Swedish friend, Janica, who I know from our days in New York during our college years. She's now designing jewelry back in Sweden and she recently sent me a necklace she had made. That had made me happy too. And it's certainly true that nothing that has happened in Sweden has ever made me unhappy. In my entire life I have never said, "Damn it, the Swedes are really messing everything up!" So maybe my son has a point. If nothing else I am clearly incapable of proving him wrong.

So perhaps, when I can, I'll take Janica up on her repeated invitation and make my next international trip to Sweden. If I do go I plan to find out if any Swedish miners have ever been trapped anywhere and if the majority of Swedes are truly nicer than our mild mannered neighbors to the North.

Still, I'm willing to bet that you can't go into a CVS -like store and buy lipstick at 2 in the morning in Sweden. But again, that's just a hunch.

Kyra Davis

Bestselling Author of:

The Sophie Katz Mystery Series

and

So Much For My Happy Ending

Order Vows, Vendettas & A Little Black Dress today!

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4 comments :

Alina AdamsThursday, November 18, 2010 at 2:51:00 PM PST
I researched Sweden extensively for my novel, "The Man From Oakdale," and my lead character found this the most horrifying thing about the country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systembolaget

There is also their little, ahem "Jewish problem": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/7278532/Jews-leave-Swedish-city-after-sharp-rise-in-anti-Semitic-hate-crimes.html

Although, in good news, it's not true about them having the world's highest suicide rate! http://homepage.mac.com/jrc/contrib/sweden_suicide.html

Sorry, but when I research, I research!
MelanieThursday, November 18, 2010 at 4:44:00 PM PST
Coming from an American who used to live in Sweden, Sweden is not perfect, but I'd trade at least ten states for Sweden to be part of the US. To me, personally, I would prefer Sweden any day. And I say this mainly because of the people there in comparison to the people in the US. They are more likely to finish college, they tend to be more open minded. Then you throw in the cleaner... well, everything; A lot of the bottled water we drink in America is tap water from Sweden. The beautiful people (you can't walk a 3 blocks in the cities without running into GQ covermodels), their environmental conscious, and the beauty of the country itself, I would move back in a heartbeat if I could.

If I were you, I'd definitely book my next vacation to Sweden to visit your friend.

If you want more info on Sweden from a non-Swede's point of view, feel free to email me: melanie@skarsgardnews.com :)
azusmomFriday, November 19, 2010 at 10:36:00 AM PST
Ya gotta love the logic of an 11 year-old!
My friend's parents went to Sweden on vacation and his mom accidentally left her purse on a park bench. Hours later she came back to look for it, and it was still there, untouched.
That pretty much encompasses my entire knowledge of Sweden. Except for the Swedish Chef from the Muppets but, well, he's not really Swedish. Or human.
Janica LauterbachFriday, November 19, 2010 at 10:39:00 AM PST
Your son is a very intelligent young man. I love the way he defend his point of view. You have taught him well.

Sweden is not flawless, but overall it’s a good country. We have beautiful scenery, changing climate and good sanitation. Our houses are of high standard, classy and nice.

The Swedish welfare is generous. But that doesn’t mean that we’re spared from homeless people or poverty. But we do have so many benefits to be grateful for.

One example is our parental leave. You are allowed to be on parental leave for over a year with pay. You are able to prolong your parental leave if you are economical.

Another example is that our university does not cost anything. However, people take student loans to be able to live while studying.

We are entitled to five or six weeks paid holiday per year.

The alcohol monopoly (Systembolaget) that we have in Sweden is not a problem. There are stores in every corner and their opening hours are generous (Monday to Saturday). You must be eighteen years old to drink alcohol in a restaurant or in a bar, but 21 years old to purchase alcohol at Systembolaget.

The list goes on…

It is difficult to rank a country number one. There are always things that work well and those that work less well in every country.

We tend to want things that we do not have access to and think these things are vital to our well being. I know many Swedes are so fascinated with America and would do anything to move there. I too have been longing to go back (NY). But ever since I got my daughter Alicia, I realized that the welfare and security that Sweden provides when it comes to childcare, I will get nowhere else.

Kyra, I'm incredibly touched by your words. My door is always open for you and your son. You should come and visit and get an idea of how we Swedes are and how we live. Not as a tourist but as a guest of a real Swedish family. You can come and visit us whenever you want. You are more than welcome.