Every time I come to Norway, I’m fascinated by their experiment in government. When I report on it, I routinely get fellow Americans angry at me for bringing home news of a land where the desired alternative to big bad government is not little good government but big good government. I’m not necessarily in favor of this (and I certainly wouldn’t want to run my business over here). But I don’t find it offensive either. In fact, I’m challenged by it. Here are a few observations gleaned from conversations I just had here in Oslo. (In response to a comment below: Norway is resource rich–lots of oil money. But without oil money, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have essentially the same priorities and somehow manage.) Norwegians look forward to November. It’s “half tax month” as the government wants people to have some extra money for the upcoming holidays. With their current booming economies coupled with tax incentives for new babies, the Nordic countries are experiencing a baby boom. Paternity leave is very generous here. Scandinavian families get nine months leave at 80 percent pay which the mom or dad can split as they like. On top of this, men are required–use it or lose it–to take a paid month of paternity leave when their baby arrives.
While there are more babies around here, there’s less smoke. Just a few years ago, smoke was a real problem for American travelers in Europe. Now, much of Europe is actually less smoky than the USA. Italy went smoke free…then Ireland…now Scandinavia. The bars, restaurants, cafes, trains…it’s clean air for all.
I was just in one of Oslo’s infamous old “brown cafes”–so named for the smoke stained interiors. It was so old and brown that it still smelled of tobacco…but there hasn’t been a smoker in there for months. With the strict no smoking rules (a bar can lose its license if it allows smoking inside), restaurants are now routinely equipped with blankets so smokers can eat outside–even in the cold season. (To consume nicotine indoors, locals are using snuff–“snus” in Norwegian.)
Oslo has its prostitutes and needle junkies. In fact it seems most of the prostitutes are drug addicts too. Cameras panning the streets from atop buildings seem to ignore the sale of drugs and sex as this society is more tuned into violent crimes rather than what it considers “victimless crimes.” While wasted people who always remind me of Vikings and their whores after payday still seem to rot on the Oslo curbs, the lack of violent crime in the country is impressive by any standard.
I don’t know how the down and out manage to afford their alcoholism. Restaurants and bars are too expensive for the average Norwegian to use carelessly. Young Norwegians love their alcohol. But they b.y.o.b. These days young people “vorspiel” (pre-party) at home, go out for a couple hours around midnight to nurse one expensive drink with a wider social scene, and then “nachspiel” (after party) with close friends at home. In a Norwegian bar or restaurant a beer costs $8 (compared with $4 in Ireland and $1 in the Czech Republic). But beer is only $1.50 a bottle when purchased in a grocery store. $10 six packs, no problem.
In Denmark tourists see countless young revelers out on the streets, canal-side, and littering the parks drinking beer. It’s off-putting until you realize that the consumption is no greater than in England or Ireland…it’s just that while pubs there are affordable, in Scandinavia (because of the extremely high alcohol taxes in bars), “going out” means “going outside.”
Another way Norwegians cope with the high cost of eating out is with the “one time grill.” These foil grills–which cost about $3 at a supermarket–are all the rage. On a balmy evening the city is perfumed with the smell of one time grills fired up as the parks are filled with Norwegians eating out.
Another difference many American visitors notice in Scandinavia is the casual approach to nudity. I’m not talking just mixed saunas. Parents let their kids run naked in city parks and fountains. It’s really no big deal. Norway has co-ed PE classes with boys and girls showering together from the first grade. If you ever end up in a Norwegian hospital and need an x-ray, I hope you’re not modest. Women strip to the waist and are casually sent from the doctor’s office down the hall past the waiting public to the X-ray room. No one notices…no one cares. I find it ironic that while America goes into a tizzy over a goofy “wardrobe malfunction,” it is our society that statistically has the problem with sex-related crimes.
And what about dogs you ask? Small dogs are the rage these days in Oslo. They call it the “Paris Hilton effect.” Chihuahuas sell for $3,000 each in Norway. Bulgarians are routinely caught smuggling dogs in (they then kill the dogs). I asked my Norwegian friend about Chihuahuas. She said “We have two.” “Why two?” I asked. “So they can have babies. We just sold some and I paid off my credit card debt.”
Big government, small government, good government, bad government…
Would you go to a doctor who doesn’t believe in medicine? Would you ride on an airline that didn’t believe in having trained pilots? Would you hire a plumber who is philosophically opposed to pipes and water? Of course you wouldn’t – only an idiot would.
Yet the US public keeps electing governments that profess to hate the very idea of government, and would like to eliminate the government to the greatest extent possible.
What’s wrong with this picture?
I’ll take a big government, run by folks who believe that government is there to help its people any day, rather that what we currently have (which is rule by those who would like to reduce government until it disappears) – good thing they’re complete incompetents!
Thanks for the blog, Rick, I enjoy following your travels. And good luck with your carry-ons when you head home!
Hey, lets do what the Norwegians do to afford the big government Rick describes. DRILL FOR OIL! I believe Norway is the 3rd largest producer in the world. With oil at $70 a barrel the extra tax revenue sure would help.
I was watching a PBS show on Norway a few days ago and the host (a Norwegian) said Norway was not the richest of countries until they started drilling in the late 60’s. I would guess you could find correlations between the growth of great social/big government programs and the rise in revenue from the oil industry.
I often wonder why this is overlooked by the lovers of European style big government. Never seems to come up when talking about Norway. You would think they knew given that they vacationed there. Maybe if someone wrote it on poster board with magic marker, did not wash for a few days then marched in the street with like minded folk public opinion could be swayed.
On the other hand, what do I know I’m backwards and stupid.
Excellent observation about the correlation between sexual hyper-sensitivity and sex-related crimes in the US. We seem to have created an association of sex as being dirty and shameful in US society. If you’ve ever read “The Handmaid’s Tail,” you can imagine the worst-case scenario of how this situation could carry out. Kudos to Norway for focusing on the issues that really matter.
Dear Rick,
You need a copy editor.
I see two possibilities here:
1. You already have one, and he or she stinks.
2. You do it yourself. To paraphrase an expert, the writer who edits his own work has a fool for an editor.
I really like your blog, however, so don’t stop writing! But please, do us a favor. It’s becoming distracting.
Lindsay.
Rick, forget the copy editor.
This is a blog, its supposed to be written by you, not passed through the layers of editing other media use.
Edit your books, please. We want no mistakes there (at least as few as possible).
But if we want to see what you’re thinking and doing, we’ll read the blog. Unedited.
Absolutely agree with Steve D- blogs are meant to be informal and full of character! And this is a great blog! I have never been to Scandinavia and somehow I always imagine it cold and dark there, so its interesting to read about nudity in the summertime- even though its probably not unlike here (western WA). Just my ignorance shining through.
Steve and Kris,
Anything published that is worth reading is worth running by a copy editor. I am not suggesting any content editing; on the contrary I rather like the content how it is. What I recommend is a brief read-through by a second party (ideally a professional) to make sure there are no misused hyphens or misspelled words (commonly so as they may be).
This blog is not Rick’s hobby, it is part of his business. He doesn’t have time to check every comma and semicolon, but someone should.
Lindsay, not to put too fine a point on it, but get a life. Rick’s blog is the best thing to come along since lutefisk. Don’t mess with perfection.
Steve and Kris–I fully agree with you. This is a blog, and Rick is more-or-less thinking out loud. It’s not a script for one of his shows. Editing or proofreading would ruin the context and the off-the-cuff “feel” of the blog.
Lindsay–you’re waaaay off base. Get a grip and rein it in. This is a blog, not a New York Times editorial.
Rick–truly enjoy your blog, your shows, your perspective (though it doesn’t always agree with my own) and most of all, your guide books. Keep on truckin’!
The age-old truth: everybody hates an editor. Mysteriously, there’s still a market for them.
I don’t blame you for feeling offended at me. (I am, however, surprised at the venom that has surfaced. It’s interesting that a constructive criticism on punctuation and spelling can elicit such an emotional response. You’d think I had desecrated the Cinque Terre or something.)
I do ask you to please notice that the most glaring errors are now missing from the aforementioned blog. Doesn’t that prove anything?
Rick, please continue with the stellar content. We all love it. (Even the sticklers.)
I’m with Lindsay. The most glaring errors — like Chiwawa — need to be screened out. (I usually type my own blog entries in Word to catch glaring errors.) However, I think the rest, especially nit-picky stuff, should be left alone.
Overall, I love the content; please don’t stop.
Luxembourg has the highest per capita GDP. It ain’t Saudi Arabia. Nor are Denmark or Sweden, two other wealthy Scandinavian countries with economic/social systems similar to Norway’s. So this drilling for oil bit is a red herring. Or shall I say smoked herring in tribute to Norge.
BTW, $8 for a beer is cheap for Norge. That has to be one of the most expensive countries to eat out. Ouch!
Rick, just wanted to finally say that I’m really enjoying the blog. And I have loved your books and PBS programs for years. Thanks so much for sharing with us your perspectives. When I get to Europe some day, the trip will be immeasurably better because of your influence. Blessings to you.
I guess I only saw the ‘edited’ version of this latest blog entry. Rick, did you really type Chiwawa? LOL!
My opinion (it’s worth a couple of pence)is leave it as a blog…typos or not. If they are glaring, and Rick doesn’t have time to check them before posting, then someone can send him a head’s up that there are some glaring errors that he can ‘fix’ later.
Keep on blogging, Rick, I’m really enjoying this.
Erica
Wow, I guess I should feel special as my comment about the spelling of Chihuahua as Chiwawa, when this was first posted, has been taken off. Gee, a comment in a blog taken off that pointed out something wrong written by the blog originator. Not sure why it would have been taken off other than I was a little critical of Rick and his politics. But, I have read many other blog comments that have been more strongly worded than my comments were. I wish I had made a copy of my comments.
Just came back from Scandinavia and Rick’s observations are right on! Engangsgrills (one time grills) really are the rage — brilliant! (Not usually into disposables, but nothing’s better for a beach barbeque or lunch on a sailboat). And our friends’ 4-yr old runs all over town naked. Babies are everywhere, and encouraged — free bus/tram rides if you have a stroller! The big political issue for the elections? Whether the government will subsidize housekeeping services so that working families can enjoy their time at home without so many chores!