Sweden is definitely trending well for the time being. It’s even possible that these days fewer people confuse Sweden with Switzerland as a result. Not sure, but it seems like more people shout out IKEA, Lisbeth Salander and H&M instead of skiing, chocolate and watches when I disclose that I live in Sweden.
Vanity Fair recently published a rather pithy and humorously insightful article about Scandinavia and its people.
I particularly appreciate this summary of Scandinavians, “They are formal and easily shocked. They are welcoming but not particularly friendly to strangers. They manage to live with this dichotomy, without suffering its contradictions, because it is practical. Society must work, and it works best if it’s fair and compassionate.” While I think the description is relatively fair and it does try to add the depth Scandinavians deserve in the follow up, there is still a lack of rounded nuance of the very meant kindness that is expressed in minding one’s business.
