Post by pieter on Apr 12, 2018 10:07:18 GMT -7
Dear Jaga,
For some reason some people complain about Scandinavians and Northerners (North-European Europeans) in general that they are less warm, less life enjoying, cold pragmatic, technocratic and result driven people. Over organised societies, collectivist or inhabited with national brands of Social Democracy, National liberalism and the various brands of European Christian-democracy. But if you look behind the thick layers of the North-Germanic Scandinavian social rules, heavy social organisation and apparent distance, you see real people, passionate people, family oriented people and warm people too. We Dutch, the Flemish people, the Germans, Austrians and Swiss Germans are close to that Scandinavian people, but we are also closer to the latin-Romanesque (French, Walloon, Spanish, Portugese, Italian and Romanian) cultures and the Slavic and Hungarian cultures, because in the German and Austrian sense they border these latin and Slavic nations, peoples and cultures and in the Duch sense, we have a lot of Central-European and Eastern-European immigrants and people with mixed relations.
I am the result and thus an example of a West-European (North-West-European) and Central-European relationship, and thus a merger of West-Slavic, West-Slavic, and maybe (from a distant past) some other West-Germanic and latin (French/Spanish) influences. Therefor in genes I feel very European. Like the Dutch, Germans and Flemish people and the Brits the Scandinavians love Southern-Europe, Africa, the Middle-east, Asia and the America's. We are European Globe trotters and so you will find Dutch people and Danes all over the world. Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders and Finnish people too. Allthough I am slightly more individualistic than the Scandinavians I am very fond of them and secretly admire their fantastic social systems and collectivist attitude. Maybe, I don't know and it is dangerous to say who is better or superior, but maybe the Danish system is better than the Dutch one. I have always stayed in the Netherlands and invested in the Netherlands and thus my Dutch language life, Dutch culture and Dutch circle of friends, family and colleagues. I am very fond of them and am greatful that I can live and work over here. It is a great country with great people, the Netherlands. I can't complain and am lucky that I live over here. You could compare the Netherlands to Denmark. Denmark is more like the Netherlands than for instance like Germany.
Both nations Denmark and the Netherlands are commercial navy countries, small countries with large multi-nationals, both nations have modern food processing industries, both countries are great design (3D) and architecture countries. Both countries are very modern, sophisticated, advanced, with innovative economies, excellent Human Capital, Research & Development driven, pragmatic rather than ideological, liberal, progressive and sport oriented. Both are beer producing countries (Carlsberg and Tuborg in Denmark; Heineken, Amstel, Grolsch, Brand, Bavaria, Hertog Jan and Jopen bier in the Netherlands) and both countries are Germanic, Northern and have a sophisticated education system, social Welfare system and good health care.
Next to the fact that I met and spend some good time with two lovely ladies from Copenhagen in Montpellier, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, I simply like Danish people, Danish movies, Danish tv series, Danish art, Danish design, the Danish hill country and the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard and our own 50% Danish Karl, with his Danish mother, aunt and cousins. I think Karl recognise a great deal in common, despite some differences. The German-Danish mix is slightly different than the Dutch-Polish mix. But more important is that we have more in common than that what takes us apart. The European mindset, a specific North-West-European understanding maybe only North-West-Europeans understand, a climate thing, mentality and way of living maybe. Both of us also value our Transatlantic connection with the USA, and in the same time the importance of good diplomatic and trade ties with Russia. Small nations who depend on trade often have an international sensor, diplomatic attitude and developed special communication and negotiation skills, because they had to survive inbetween greater powers and empires like the German Prussian empire, the Spanish habsburg empire, the British empire, the French kingdom and etc. Both nations also were reformist, Protestant nations, with their Lutheran and Calvinist natures.
I am used to that Calvinist mentality which I had to coop with to be able to live in the Netherlands. Another trait to survive over here is to deal with the multi-cultural society and the rich linguistic diversity. If you can't stand that than Poland, Hungary, Slovakia or the Czech republic would be better places to live, work and thus stay. I liked Copenhagen due to the Pan European, harbour city, Gdańsk, Brussels, Amsterdam, Liège (Luik) and Luxemburg city elements in it. I am curious how other large Scandinavian cities like Oslo or Stokholm would be like.
Cheers,
Pieter
For some reason some people complain about Scandinavians and Northerners (North-European Europeans) in general that they are less warm, less life enjoying, cold pragmatic, technocratic and result driven people. Over organised societies, collectivist or inhabited with national brands of Social Democracy, National liberalism and the various brands of European Christian-democracy. But if you look behind the thick layers of the North-Germanic Scandinavian social rules, heavy social organisation and apparent distance, you see real people, passionate people, family oriented people and warm people too. We Dutch, the Flemish people, the Germans, Austrians and Swiss Germans are close to that Scandinavian people, but we are also closer to the latin-Romanesque (French, Walloon, Spanish, Portugese, Italian and Romanian) cultures and the Slavic and Hungarian cultures, because in the German and Austrian sense they border these latin and Slavic nations, peoples and cultures and in the Duch sense, we have a lot of Central-European and Eastern-European immigrants and people with mixed relations.
I am the result and thus an example of a West-European (North-West-European) and Central-European relationship, and thus a merger of West-Slavic, West-Slavic, and maybe (from a distant past) some other West-Germanic and latin (French/Spanish) influences. Therefor in genes I feel very European. Like the Dutch, Germans and Flemish people and the Brits the Scandinavians love Southern-Europe, Africa, the Middle-east, Asia and the America's. We are European Globe trotters and so you will find Dutch people and Danes all over the world. Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders and Finnish people too. Allthough I am slightly more individualistic than the Scandinavians I am very fond of them and secretly admire their fantastic social systems and collectivist attitude. Maybe, I don't know and it is dangerous to say who is better or superior, but maybe the Danish system is better than the Dutch one. I have always stayed in the Netherlands and invested in the Netherlands and thus my Dutch language life, Dutch culture and Dutch circle of friends, family and colleagues. I am very fond of them and am greatful that I can live and work over here. It is a great country with great people, the Netherlands. I can't complain and am lucky that I live over here. You could compare the Netherlands to Denmark. Denmark is more like the Netherlands than for instance like Germany.
Both nations Denmark and the Netherlands are commercial navy countries, small countries with large multi-nationals, both nations have modern food processing industries, both countries are great design (3D) and architecture countries. Both countries are very modern, sophisticated, advanced, with innovative economies, excellent Human Capital, Research & Development driven, pragmatic rather than ideological, liberal, progressive and sport oriented. Both are beer producing countries (Carlsberg and Tuborg in Denmark; Heineken, Amstel, Grolsch, Brand, Bavaria, Hertog Jan and Jopen bier in the Netherlands) and both countries are Germanic, Northern and have a sophisticated education system, social Welfare system and good health care.
Next to the fact that I met and spend some good time with two lovely ladies from Copenhagen in Montpellier, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, I simply like Danish people, Danish movies, Danish tv series, Danish art, Danish design, the Danish hill country and the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard and our own 50% Danish Karl, with his Danish mother, aunt and cousins. I think Karl recognise a great deal in common, despite some differences. The German-Danish mix is slightly different than the Dutch-Polish mix. But more important is that we have more in common than that what takes us apart. The European mindset, a specific North-West-European understanding maybe only North-West-Europeans understand, a climate thing, mentality and way of living maybe. Both of us also value our Transatlantic connection with the USA, and in the same time the importance of good diplomatic and trade ties with Russia. Small nations who depend on trade often have an international sensor, diplomatic attitude and developed special communication and negotiation skills, because they had to survive inbetween greater powers and empires like the German Prussian empire, the Spanish habsburg empire, the British empire, the French kingdom and etc. Both nations also were reformist, Protestant nations, with their Lutheran and Calvinist natures.
I am used to that Calvinist mentality which I had to coop with to be able to live in the Netherlands. Another trait to survive over here is to deal with the multi-cultural society and the rich linguistic diversity. If you can't stand that than Poland, Hungary, Slovakia or the Czech republic would be better places to live, work and thus stay. I liked Copenhagen due to the Pan European, harbour city, Gdańsk, Brussels, Amsterdam, Liège (Luik) and Luxemburg city elements in it. I am curious how other large Scandinavian cities like Oslo or Stokholm would be like.
Cheers,
Pieter
