I was browsing a rather controversial sub when I came across this, cough me off guard and doesn’t seem like satire even when that’s what it looks like. I haven’t been to Denmark but have only heard good things if anything about it so I was wondering what you all thought about this.
This comment is obviously exaggerated rage bait, but there is a bit of truth to it in my opinion
Denmark and Danes are very mediocre, that’s both good and bad depending on who you ask. We have a lot more middle class people here than in the US. We have fewer homeless and poor people, but also fewer rich people.
The wage difference between working at McDonald’s and being a lawyer is magnitudes greater in the US than here. It means that if you live a high end life, yeah you’ll probably be happier in the US because you make more money, you can buy more stuff, you have better healthcare etc. Because you can afford it. The Danish public healthcare system is indeed with some things mediocre. There are long waits, too long waits for important things. People get turned down and misdiagnosed often, it can improve a lot. But you know what’s a LOT worse than mediocre healthcare? No healthcare.
But for the people that are unfortunate to not be wealthy can still have a fulfilling life, a family, with a place to live, transportation, vacation, hobbies, and healthcare even if you “just” work at McDonald’s.
It’s also a lot easier to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” in Denmark, because your education and future life isn’t dependant on your parents being well off either.
Also just anecdotally to the contrary to that comment, I’m Danish and my wife is American. She moved here a couple years ago and she went down in salary but she says she have never been less stressed about her life, and even if she makes less money she doesn’t need $50k in case of emergency, everything will be alright no matter what happens. You don’t have to worry about your healthcare if you get fired etc.
Denmark is in many ways “mediocre”, but that’s often a good thing compared to misery, and most people are completely happy and content being mediocre. A lot of Danes don’t wish to have excessive wealth. And a lot of people also happily pay a little extra tax, to know that your neighbor can go to the hospital and college if needed. We are not religious, but somehow the term “Love thy neighbor” seems to be missing from the US even though it’s a very Christian country.
It comes down to “what makes people happy”. In America it’s money, in Denmark it’s not. Because in America you need money to have basic human rights and a fulfilling life. The constant feeling of impending doom many Americans have, is mostly absent in Denmark.
Hey, if they’re happy in the US then good for them. That said, I’d disagree with the rest. Our welfare has seen better days, but it is still functioning (mostly) as it should, and I’d trust it to take care of me a lot more than anything in the US. As for the happiness thing, their observation stems from people complaining. That’s what people do. But that doesn’t mean everything’s shit. I may complain that the train is always 3 minutes late, but I still get smoothly from point A to B. And based on most metrics, Danish QOL is high: self-reported happiness is up there, crime and unemployment is low, life expectancy high, etc.
Is it heaven on earth? Of course not, and don’t trust people if they claim that. But it’s still a nice place, and I’d rather live here than a lot of other countries, and I have moved around and tried a few
I think this person does not understand the concept of different value systems. If you love the American system with a high roof and looooooow bottom, then yeah, Denmark might seem bad to you. If you value free time, free choices and is willing to accept a lower top but a higher bottom, then Denmark might seem quite nice.
Personally I have a lot of ambition and love that I can take chances in Denmark without risking it all if something goes wrong. You could not pay me to live in the United States. The country is in complete disrepair – everything from healthcare to inequality to opiods to guns, etc etc etc.
If you are at the very top, the US is fantastic, but it sucks for the rest.
Depends on the person you are I guess – are Danes less ambitious, maybe, because we don’t have to be to have a good life, but still we rate quite high in terms of new startups per capita and such, so it’s not like nobody tries to make it “big”. Is the Danish healthcare system the best in the world, no, but at least everybody can afford it.
So if your are at the peak of society, the US is probably better, but for the vast majority, I would say Denmark has more advantages.
Jeg tager hellere et “*Jævnt og muntert liv på jord*” end den konstante trussel om økonomisk ruin som hænger over de fleste Amerikanere.
Well it’s a win-win, cause I’m happier here without them too 😉
He and his wife may be fine and happy. But ask the average american and the average dane and the story may be different.
[deleted]
That’s just like their opinion, man. That’s okay
I have a raging hardon and I need to cum.
I see Danish life as “the way of the leverpostej”. Taxes, jantelov and so on ensures that everything is blended together to a nice uniform slightly boring mass, where no one is truely really unhappy or really happy, neither really poor or rich, but a lot of people are content. So if you perform a happiness survey by and ask if someone if they are unhappy, we’re going to score really high.
Danes are also pretty happy with the current risk of being shot.
Being alive is a fairly decent QOL.
13 comments
I was browsing a rather controversial sub when I came across this, cough me off guard and doesn’t seem like satire even when that’s what it looks like. I haven’t been to Denmark but have only heard good things if anything about it so I was wondering what you all thought about this.
This comment is obviously exaggerated rage bait, but there is a bit of truth to it in my opinion
Denmark and Danes are very mediocre, that’s both good and bad depending on who you ask. We have a lot more middle class people here than in the US. We have fewer homeless and poor people, but also fewer rich people.
The wage difference between working at McDonald’s and being a lawyer is magnitudes greater in the US than here. It means that if you live a high end life, yeah you’ll probably be happier in the US because you make more money, you can buy more stuff, you have better healthcare etc. Because you can afford it. The Danish public healthcare system is indeed with some things mediocre. There are long waits, too long waits for important things. People get turned down and misdiagnosed often, it can improve a lot. But you know what’s a LOT worse than mediocre healthcare? No healthcare.
But for the people that are unfortunate to not be wealthy can still have a fulfilling life, a family, with a place to live, transportation, vacation, hobbies, and healthcare even if you “just” work at McDonald’s.
It’s also a lot easier to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” in Denmark, because your education and future life isn’t dependant on your parents being well off either.
Also just anecdotally to the contrary to that comment, I’m Danish and my wife is American. She moved here a couple years ago and she went down in salary but she says she have never been less stressed about her life, and even if she makes less money she doesn’t need $50k in case of emergency, everything will be alright no matter what happens. You don’t have to worry about your healthcare if you get fired etc.
Denmark is in many ways “mediocre”, but that’s often a good thing compared to misery, and most people are completely happy and content being mediocre. A lot of Danes don’t wish to have excessive wealth. And a lot of people also happily pay a little extra tax, to know that your neighbor can go to the hospital and college if needed. We are not religious, but somehow the term “Love thy neighbor” seems to be missing from the US even though it’s a very Christian country.
It comes down to “what makes people happy”. In America it’s money, in Denmark it’s not. Because in America you need money to have basic human rights and a fulfilling life. The constant feeling of impending doom many Americans have, is mostly absent in Denmark.
Hey, if they’re happy in the US then good for them. That said, I’d disagree with the rest. Our welfare has seen better days, but it is still functioning (mostly) as it should, and I’d trust it to take care of me a lot more than anything in the US. As for the happiness thing, their observation stems from people complaining. That’s what people do. But that doesn’t mean everything’s shit. I may complain that the train is always 3 minutes late, but I still get smoothly from point A to B. And based on most metrics, Danish QOL is high: self-reported happiness is up there, crime and unemployment is low, life expectancy high, etc.
Is it heaven on earth? Of course not, and don’t trust people if they claim that. But it’s still a nice place, and I’d rather live here than a lot of other countries, and I have moved around and tried a few
I think this person does not understand the concept of different value systems. If you love the American system with a high roof and looooooow bottom, then yeah, Denmark might seem bad to you. If you value free time, free choices and is willing to accept a lower top but a higher bottom, then Denmark might seem quite nice.
Personally I have a lot of ambition and love that I can take chances in Denmark without risking it all if something goes wrong. You could not pay me to live in the United States. The country is in complete disrepair – everything from healthcare to inequality to opiods to guns, etc etc etc.
If you are at the very top, the US is fantastic, but it sucks for the rest.
Depends on the person you are I guess – are Danes less ambitious, maybe, because we don’t have to be to have a good life, but still we rate quite high in terms of new startups per capita and such, so it’s not like nobody tries to make it “big”. Is the Danish healthcare system the best in the world, no, but at least everybody can afford it.
So if your are at the peak of society, the US is probably better, but for the vast majority, I would say Denmark has more advantages.
Jeg tager hellere et “*Jævnt og muntert liv på jord*” end den konstante trussel om økonomisk ruin som hænger over de fleste Amerikanere.
Well it’s a win-win, cause I’m happier here without them too 😉
He and his wife may be fine and happy. But ask the average american and the average dane and the story may be different.
[deleted]
That’s just like their opinion, man. That’s okay
I have a raging hardon and I need to cum.
I see Danish life as “the way of the leverpostej”. Taxes, jantelov and so on ensures that everything is blended together to a nice uniform slightly boring mass, where no one is truely really unhappy or really happy, neither really poor or rich, but a lot of people are content. So if you perform a happiness survey by and ask if someone if they are unhappy, we’re going to score really high.
Danes are also pretty happy with the current risk of being shot.
Being alive is a fairly decent QOL.