Swedish teens don’t want to be called sluts

In a unique social media phenomenon earlier today, a group of high school students took to the streets to protest an Instagram account that requested photos of Gothenburg sluts and got a bunch of shots of girls as young as 13.

While it looks like the whole thing was based on a prank – the request was allegedly posted by a 17 year old girl – the photos posted in response included identifying names, photos and notes on sexual habits.

The 17-year-old girl has been taken into police custody.

The Instagram request led to a large protest that some papers describe as a riot. High school students took to the streets and a group of protesters marched from a local Gothenburg high school to a nearby mall and resulted in 27 people being brought in by the police.

This isn’t the first time Swedish teens have fought hard against being called sluts online. And it is nice to see this incident get a bit of international attention.

Previously, a high school feminist choir was repeatedly lambasted on Facebook. When the girls reported the harassment to their principal, the principal did not feel it was something the school needed to do much about as the harassment was online. He also suggested the feminist choir was insulting to some students.

The girls took their fight to social media and local media, and managed to get results including a new principal, a new student council and new routines for online harassment.

Things like this remind me that culture is always changing, and perhaps the quiet, non-confrontational Swede is on its way out. Perhaps all of those loud and ‘busig’ – mischievous- kids, are growing up and being able to stand up for themselves and demand a little more space in society.

Maybe it’s not just us immigrants’ fault that Swedish culture is shifting at high speeds.

Dunderklumpen - 1970s Swedish cartoons

On a lighter note, here is a fun gem from the 1970s. This film breaks ground Roger Rabbit was credited for breaking later on down the line.

After having way too much fun watching this trailer, some friends and I ordered this movie off the internet. Turns out it was not a 1970s mishmash of funny kids music -Shake your happy rumpen- is indeed the high point- and psychadelic 1970s characters.

Also, the whole, lets abduct toys and totally be a creepy pedophile type but am really a 1970s loveable cartoon -- as I first assessed thru the trailer-- really didn't play out. Dunderklumpen is some weird androgynous character who, well, is just plain old creepy - that's about it.

So at the end, after a few glasses of wine, we popped in the DVD and, well, lets just say it was a bit like watching Eurovision. You start out giggly and laughing at things, and then, it just gets really really really boring until the voting at the end actually seems exciting. Except there is no voting at the end of Dunderklumpen.

I am guessing, that like teletubbies, this movie might have something to offer someone on a form of chemical stimulus, but I cannot speak to this.

I would say, enjoy the trailer, skip the movie -- and just shake your happy rumpen.

Swedish Christmas Present of the Year 2012!!!!

Every year the Swedish marketing something or other decides on the official Christmas gift of the year – the thing they think will be flying off of the shelves and into every single home.

Sometimes they get it wrong – Like the year they predicted it would be really super expensive flat screen TVs (note to Swedish marketing something or other, this isn’t really something people give as a gift).

Sometimes they are just insane – The year they wanted everyone to buy 70 dollar plastic mats that were supposed to be like lying on a bed of nails. Who the hell came up with that one? And you can now buy them for 5 dollars from all of those suckers who are reselling them and at pretty much any gas station. But really, do you want a plastic bed of nails?

Last year it was food delivery – a grocery bag delivered to your house weekly with recipes and everything you need to cook for the week. Not really my cup of tea as a vegetarian, but a lot of people seemed to jump on that bandwagon.

This year, I think they actually hit the mark. They have announced that the Christmas Present of 2012 is COAL! No, just kidding. The Swedish people have been good this year and that is why you should buy them headphones.

Why do I think headphones is a pretty good choice? For one, it beats getting a poker set if you don’t play cards, like recommended in 2005. But because it is something you can buy in a variety of price ranges and there are a lot of qualities and features out there to choose from. Most people have a smart phone or work in an open landscape where a pair of headphones could be used daily.

So if you are still trying to figure out what to do with that robot dog you got as present of the year in 1997, you should be grateful for your useful pair of headphones!

Swedish gun laws – yes there are many guns in Sweden

Recent events in the US have hit me pretty hard. I think it is hard for any parent not to sit up and notice such tragic events. I try to keep this blog relatively free of political slant, but sometimes it is difficult. I am pretty opinionated.

It is times like this that I do wonder about gun culture in the US. I grew up learning to shoot a gun. I learned to shoot a rifle before I hit puberty and my father took me to the shooting range to try out some more powerful weapons when I was young. I learned to respect guns.

We did not, however, have guns in our house. There was no need.

Since moving to Sweden, I have had a little bit of encounter with gun culture here, mostly because of family and colleagues who are hunters. And I know they have an incredible respect for their guns.

This is what I have learned about Swedish gun laws. Please though, I am not a legal expert. Don’t take this as the final word. If I have gotten anything wrong, please let me know!

1) There are actually a lot of guns in Sweden, mostly because there is a lot of hunting. A hunter needs to pass a test or/and be the member of a shooting range for over 6 months to get a license to purchase weapons. Once they get the license they can purchase multiple weapons.

2) You cannot carry your gun around - only while you are hunting. I remember one colleague freaking out about what to do with a gun on the way home from a hunting trip while stopping at a grocery store. He removed a part of the gun that was essential for its function and took that part into the store while leaving the rest in the car – and was still not sure of the legality of this.

3) You keep your guns locked up. This is key. Your guns are not for protecting you, they are for hunting. You need to keep your guns locked away and the key not easy to get. People should not be able to access your guns.

4) If you shoot an intruder, you will go to jail. There are laws out there that limit the amount of force you can use. If the choice is between taking someone’s life and losing your TV, you will be punished for taking the life --- I could be wrong about this one, since I cannot seem to find the actual law on the books -- but I have heard a few examples of this. 

I think the biggest difference between guns in the US and guns in Sweden is that guns here are not for self-defense. There are no conceal and carry laws.

These issues are not black and white. It very much goes hand and hand with the mentality of Swedes and Americans. When you live in a society that looks down upon spanking, bullying and other minor acts of violence – instead of considering these all ‘parts of growing up’ I think it does affect your take on all acts of violence. If your answer to getting your kid to stop hitting is to hit them back, the next step may just be that that the best way to deal with a burglar is to hit them first. 

Dear Sweden – Why do you hate sneeze guards?

I’m not naïve. I spent my college years working in restaurants. I know things happen to food. I know you can never be certain of anything you do not prepare 100%, and even then a lot happens behind the scenes (unless you pick and mill your own flour).

The Swedes have never seemed to be big fans of sneeze guards – plastic screens that are required in the US when you have food placed around large groups of people (think of what you typically see at an American buffet, or on a cruise, or the Sizzler). You don't see them on smorgasbords or at Christmas buffets. But you used to have them at gas stations and kiosks, at least in the form of plastic cabinets.

This fall I have noticed more and more baked goods moving out from underneath plastic seethru cabinets and into nice big baskets underneath customers noses. And all I can think of is ‘Ick!’

Take Pressbyrån for example. They are at most Swedish train stations and bus stations. Usually I grab a cup of coffee and a croissant for breakfast when I am running late for work. But lately they have started placing all the croissants out in the open, where customers can cough, sneeze or just go about their business all around them.

Pressbyrån even went so far as to place a basket full of cinnamon rolls right in front of the cashier. I know the idea is to entice me to make a last minute purchase of a roll, but I have not bought a croissant since. All I can imagine is everyone reaching for change, dropping small things into the rolls, coughing, grabbing their hot dogs, pouring mustard and ketchup and just generally exposing the rolls to stuff I don’t want to ingest.

Am I overreacting? Probably. As I said, I have worked in the food industry. I know wearing caps and plastic gloves are largely for show – I mean, most people still scratch their nose with the gloved hand and reach back in the food – but still sneeze guards are about a little more than illusion. They do limit the exposure to some bacteria. And in flu season, I want whatever help I can get.

I was most disappointed with my local Ica store. We have a great, albeit expensive, local Ica store that specializes in local produce, has taste stands for new products, and even recently started to stock Paneer in their cheese section. Yay!

And I have written about their great selection of breads. Sadly, I will no longer be purchasing said breads. Three weeks ago when I went to grab a loaf from the plastic cabinet, I noticed a large piece of duct tape and a chord to a lamp dangling onto the loaves of bread. The tape was covered in flour and seeds.

‘Gross’ I thought and decided to try again a few days later, figuring someone would clean it up. They didn’t. A week later, and I realized how seldom they must be cleaning in the cabinets, as the tape and chord were looking really nasty – glue, plus lightbulb, plus flour, plus tape = petri dish wet dream.

That was when I decided I would not buy bread there any more. But I also wanted to tell the store, because I love them and I thought this was against their policy.

It took me 3 weeks until someone was there from the department to complain to. when I pointed out the giant piece of duct tape, now turning brown and nasty, she shrugged her shoulders, ripped down the duct tape, put it in her pocket, left the chord dangling in the bread and went continued to put freshly baked bread in the cabinet.

I turned around and told her that ‘I would not be  purchasing bread from there again since I thought it was disgusting’ and walked away. I plan on emailing the owner of the store as well, because something about the whole thing feels so wrong to me. But what do I know.

Until then, I am working from home next month, and will go back to working the bread machine – and miss my sourdough bread. 

Happy Lucia!

It is Santa Lucia, one of my favorite Swedish holidays. And as the Swedish church and the Swedish school system continue to divide, I do hope this little tradition remains.

Because really, while this certainly has a religious background, I don’t think many people pray to Saint Lucia, they just like the snacks, the clothes and the songs.

In fact I would tell you the story of St. Lucia, but I never manage to get it right and I don’t think it has much to do with the celebration today.

Most schools and cities celebrate with a parade of girls dressed in white with candles in their hair. The boys dress as Star guys, Santa Claus or Gingerbread men (which even brought controversy this year – as the Gingerbread man song includes the refrain ‘So brown, so brown, so brown are we – a reference not to skin color, but you know, them being made of gingerbread).

I am very grateful that Little Swede’s school celebrates St. Lucia indoors. It has become more and more popular to have Lucia parades outdoors. As the temperature was -10 Celsius, the idea of sitting around outside was not high on my list of things to do.

The kids were adorable, the teachers sang beautifully, and we had a nice breakfast of rice porridge and Lussekatter (Saffron rolls – search my blog for a recipe!).

Learn a Lucia song below – 3 Gingerbread Men has been a favorite in our house this year! 

10 Good Things to Know About Sweden!

This is a really cute video about 10 things you should know about Sweden. I think I have covered about 7/10 on this blog, so not bad. I have plans to cover at least one more (that no spanking one!) but haven't had the chance yet.

I don't know much about the company that put this together so can't say much there. It looks like some of what they do is part of the 'job coach' switcheroo that the Moderate government launched when they took control of the government a few years back. This was a move that meant that instead of increasing unemployment benefits, which have not been raised for years if you don't have private additional insurance, the government pays a bunch of job coaches to cheer the unemployed on to getting a good job. Because obviously the Unemployment Office wasn't doing enough.

In many ways this has created a lot of jobs for the unemployed, who now are job coaches. But considering these people have had limited success in the job market themselves, I have questioned how exactly the have helped those who struggle to find work -- who cannot get a job as a job coach.

A recent study showed that the job coaches had not done much to improve the situation for the unemployed. Once again, a chance where the Swedish government could have just called me, and I could have told them this ahead of time. (They should have also called when they made the brilliant choice to have the post office no longer work with the post).

But as I said, I don't know this particular company, and they make really cute videos -- and the teach SFI. So I feel OK about posting this here!