What Matters Most to Swedes? Unlocking the Secrets of Swedish Culture

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  • Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
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    🇸🇪 In this video, I'll dive deep into Swedish culture and explore the key beliefs and values that define the Swedish way of life. From the importance of social equality to the love of nature and the emphasis on work-life balance, I'll uncover the fundamental elements that shape Swedish culture and help you better understand this fascinating country and its people. Whether you're planning to visit Sweden, study or work here, or simply want to learn more about this unique culture, this video is for you. Join me on a journey of discovery as I unveil the secrets of Swedish culture!
    Chapters:
    00:20 Swedish Culture 1
    01:19 Swedish Culture 2
    02:13 Swedish Culture 3
    03:42 Swedish Culture 4
    06:25 Swedish Culture 5
    07:24 Swedish Culture 6
    08:04 Swedish Culture 7
    09:39 Swedish Culture 8
    12:40 Swedish Culture 9
    14:25 Swedish Culture 10
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    🎥 Watch next:
    Should You Move To Sweden? • Should You Move To Swe...
    What Is Typical Swedish? • What Is Typical Swedis...
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    #Sweden #Stockholm #swedenculture

КОМЕНТАРІ • 67

  • @LivingSwedish
    @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +4

    What matters most to you? 😊 Let me know!

    • @martinlomsater9660
      @martinlomsater9660 Рік тому

      It’s important that you have a function of welfare when you get sick and it’s nice whit “allemansrätten” I am using that right a lot 🙂 it’s important it makes you feel free 😊

  • @svergurd3873
    @svergurd3873 9 місяців тому +9

    Hi Uli, I have a theory. Most of the features you mention can probably be explained by our background. We are a countryside people. Until just a few generations back almost all Swedes lived in the countryside or in small villages, very few in towns. You knew the people in the same parish (who went to the same church), thats maybe 200-300 and you lived with them your whole life, and for many generations. Very stable society. Then it is necessary to behave well. If you steal something you can't get away with it. Everybody will know it, and they will remember it for the rest of your life. You can not litter or damage the common parts in the village or cheat or lie. On the other hand, you get help when you need it. It gives a good behaviour, not necessarily because you love everybody, but because of the stable system. Also, people were much on their own and had to solve problems themselves. The backside is maybe that you are not supposed to stick out, you know the Jante law: never think you know better than others. - And nature was always present and important to understand, the forest gave much useful things. - It is good behaviour, but the problem is that it must be mutual. When Swedes came to the US in the 1800s, they were fooled and stolen from, because they were used to trust. And today we have lots of criminals which exploit the system and welfare. If trust and care for the common is lost it is very sad and impossible to repair.

  • @razzuie
    @razzuie Рік тому +11

    You could try looking into pet ownership and animal rights here in Sweden, we have rather strict laws for animal welfare compared to many countries. I think that is something that is also important to swedes😊

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +1

      Good point! Thanks for sharing! 👌🏻

  • @lindasimson7790
    @lindasimson7790 Рік тому +6

    I just love your videos, your a very kind lady, and very thoughtful,Sweden is a lovely country, with very nice people, best wishes from Linda in Scotland xxx

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +1

      Linda, you just made my day! ❤️ Thank you so much for your kind words 😊 Have a lovely day!

  • @martinjohansson7535
    @martinjohansson7535 Рік тому +7

    I would say empathy and understanding. I totally agree that we are very trustful. We are also very good at organising and making good structures.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому

      Love that Swedes are also good at organising and structures 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • @LoneWolf731000
    @LoneWolf731000 8 місяців тому +2

    I really liked your way to review us Swedes, our way of life and our country in general, I have my likes and dislikes but I could'nt find a better way to put it myself so thank you very much for that! 👍

  • @f.goossens8118
    @f.goossens8118 Рік тому +4

    Mrs F here. I never knew freedom of speech was protected under the Constitution. I like that (we moved here to Jamtlands last April). To date, we have found the locals to be quite friendly (we'd been told all Swedes are stand offish and aloof) and respectful. One or two things we've found to be not too great...healthcare..I've even heard Swedes complain about it and I've been waiting for an appointment since last year! And Swedish businesses or authority workers either take an age to respond to emails, or don't answer them at all! But, not knocking Sweden. Each country has it's cons, and we do love it here. Most of all, I love both the Jantelagan and the Allemansracht. Apologies if I massacred the spelling of both words. I just bought my first set of skis. I'm sixtyone and blind in one eye. I figure, why not be optimistic. :) Re the littering, it is SO refreshing to see how clean and tidy the countryside is kept, compared to my native Scottish Highlands where it would break my heart to watch tourists and locals who should have known better throw their rubbish all over the place.

    • @f.goossens8118
      @f.goossens8118 Рік тому +2

      Oh PS, one thing I find difficult here is the ability to learn Swedish. As an elderly couple with no personal transport, we cannot find anyone who can help teach us Swedish so we're trying to learn it from sites like UA-cam. Not sure how good that is, but for now it's all we have. I wish there was more access to such amenities as language lessons etc in rural areas.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +2

      Thanks for sharing! Yes, healthcare is a big issue in Sweden right now, unfortunately. I hope it'll get better.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +2

      Maybe an online tutor can help? Not the same as face-to-face in the real world though but maybe the best option/compromise. Like this website preply.com/en/online/swedish-tutors but I haven't tried it myself so not sure if it's any good.

    • @f.goossens8118
      @f.goossens8118 Рік тому

      @@LivingSwedish I will check that out, many thanks for your kindness. :)

    • @marcusfridh8489
      @marcusfridh8489 Рік тому +1

      ​​​@@f.goossens8118 and after learned a few words and grades, it is all about speaking to native Swedes to improve. I know it can be a little difficult when Swedes are reserved and speaks fairly good English. There, we Swedes needs to be more patient and more attentive and not just turn into the "cooler" English for convinience.

  • @calyla1044
    @calyla1044 Рік тому +2

    Hi I am a black American who speaks English. I have Swedish in me but want to learn more about the history and what is ok and not ok! I have a good ethic and os very loyal to everyone. I think I might fit in just fine. I am excited to visit to this interesting country

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому

      You sound like a curious and open person. I'm sure you'll love exploring Sweden 😊

  • @stigmadsen3441
    @stigmadsen3441 Рік тому +1

    Another great video from you and very precise on sweden 😊 Greetings from Denmark

  • @curtpiazza1688
    @curtpiazza1688 10 місяців тому +1

    Enjoyable educational video! 😊

  • @mikaelkarlsson635
    @mikaelkarlsson635 Рік тому +3

    Great video, again! You put it so well. Another interesting and perhaps future topic is WHY do the Swedish culture look like this. Each aspect you mention has its own history. And what are the similarities and differences between other countries. That is something I like and find very interesting. And your your channel is one source to get a different input on what Sweden is like. I like it very much!

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +1

      Thanks a lot for kind feedback and the inspiration! 🙏🏻

  • @skojigoquist9288
    @skojigoquist9288 10 місяців тому

    could you Please make a video about the sustainablility practices?

  • @kennethsteelhammer
    @kennethsteelhammer Рік тому +2

    I would definitely help you with your pram Uli 💯😉🙋‍♂️

  • @ssirfbrorsan
    @ssirfbrorsan 5 місяців тому

    Born in 1949, I still feel progressive, while being conservative. We fail with many of our goals in Sweden, while exceeding many of the same goals in comparison. Right now we "have" the problem of making it understandable, communicating, what it means to "be Swedish" in Sweden. Almost 25% of our residents are of foreign birth. It is up to us to make ourselves understood. So far we haven't quite succeeded. BUT...The new arrivals, or coming from outside, are necessary for our welfare. THAT is our biggest challenge, to convince a big minority that immigrants are needed. Aside from the humanitarian aspect.

  • @alquezada5910
    @alquezada5910 6 днів тому

    Pretty soon I'm going to think Swedes walk on water. I was told Swedes don't like to brag but what I hear here is how wonderful things are there. Maybe it would be more humble and better to demonstrate how Sweden is helping us poor backward people around the world to be more Swedish. But then we would probably make videos of how wonderful we are. Be humble not all countries have same conditions culture, and possibilities.

  • @Joseph-xt2qg
    @Joseph-xt2qg Рік тому +1

    Great video! In the US, many things are not mandated at the federal level, but they are at the state level. Parental leave and annual leave are mandated in some states, but also most companies have to provide them in order to be competitive.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +2

      Thanks for clarifying! Yes, I can't imagine people would want to work for a company that doesn't provide holidays. However, I can imagine that sometimes people really need to work in order to earn money and if there's a company not giving much holiday you still have to go with it.

    • @yahyahussein425
      @yahyahussein425 Рік тому +3

      @Joseph It's not the same at all. I am an American from New York and I have been living in Sweden now for 2 years now and I could tell you empathically that the Americans have a long way to catching up. Don't try defending the indefensible. Try coming to see for yourself; it may surprise you.

    • @Joseph-xt2qg
      @Joseph-xt2qg Рік тому

      @@yahyahussein425 you misunderstood what I meant If you think I was defending anything. Sweden obviously has superior benefits to the US. I simply meant that while Sweden mandates certain things for the whole country, the US delegates that authority to the states. So it can differ on a state-by-state basis. Furthermore, many companies offer much better benefits than what is mandated, but many do not.

    • @yahyahussein425
      @yahyahussein425 Рік тому +3

      @@Joseph-xt2qg Ah I see what you mean now. Indeed what you say is true however even at top well paying firms here in New York City for example. the home leave for new mothers is still extremely paltry. That's another facet of America unfortunately; it's a purely a capitalistic society with labour protections. In countries where I lived like Japan, the UK and now Sweden, their societies are more structured to avoid glaring social inequalities.

  • @joachimkylhammar5084
    @joachimkylhammar5084 Рік тому +2

    ett litet tips besök Slätmossens naturpark mellan Vallavägen och Jordbrolänken.om du har tur kan du se bävrar men vanligast är änder,ankor och andra vatten fåglar och ank,änder ungar är så söta

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +1

      Oh, thanks so much for the tip! I definitely want to check it out 👏🏻

  • @ssirfbrorsan
    @ssirfbrorsan 5 місяців тому +1

    Swedes are "quiet", don't want to talk about the weather, but. If you get the Swede to talk, he will never be silent.

  • @falukropp2000
    @falukropp2000 9 місяців тому +2

    Swedes are very secular, although nature are our church. That's our common religion today. Full circle, coming back to animism... ;-)

  • @christinesalomonsson1082
    @christinesalomonsson1082 Рік тому +1

    I like you. Maybe bc you see the positive things in our country while we always complain. Refreshing to our low mod…But separate förskolor for children with same sex parents! No way, children don’t care, they just adjust. The parents can have their own group for discussing their obstacles.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому

      Thank you very much! 😊 I don't think it would be separating children. I believe it's just highlighting to be same-sex friendly. At least, that's how I understood it.

  • @ssirfbrorsan
    @ssirfbrorsan 5 місяців тому

    Typical of Sweden are the "People's Movements". That is, voluntary study associations, temperance movements, sports associations, cultural associations, and so on. The "Swedish musical wonder" is said to be a result. But what do I know, modest as I am...

  • @LAnhajjen
    @LAnhajjen 11 місяців тому

    in general swedes think do you as long as im not involved =)

  • @lovisalindstrom7920
    @lovisalindstrom7920 11 місяців тому +1

    Well the "strong" laws we have regarding sustainability is largely due to the fact that the green party shared governance with the social democrats for a few years. With our current government a lot of money going to nature conservation and sustainability projects have been cut to extremes. Somehow the individuals ability to contribute to the future of the human race have been more emphasized than the fact that the governance of our country can and should do most of the work,... with the right people in governance that is.

  • @ESPirits87
    @ESPirits87 Рік тому +4

    In some instances the equality is kinda skewed because they strive for equality which means it's important to maintain a balance between both men and females, but i've seen in some media publications they said "we care about equality" and then they had 8 females on the cover and no males, so it's alot of propaganda from the left side currently.

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +1

      I can only imagine that there were many covers with just men on it before 😉

    • @ESPirits87
      @ESPirits87 Рік тому +1

      @@LivingSwedish Of course, but if that was a mistake why repeat it?, you're not trying to be better just more of the same.

  • @torekristoffersen176
    @torekristoffersen176 6 місяців тому +1

    You’re definitely getting the diversity in Sverige…. Since about 2015…

  • @MrJacobs55
    @MrJacobs55 5 місяців тому +1

    I don't find Sweden the same way as you say in your film. Some of it I can relate to. Meanwhile alot of it is more the socialism party how has run this country for too many years. It is hard to know if it is culture or policy.

  • @quwipyui6519
    @quwipyui6519 Рік тому

    a more white are important in Sweden

  • @dumpsterfirefrl
    @dumpsterfirefrl Рік тому +1

    As someone from the US, I’m surprised you mentioned diversity as a pillar of Swedish culture. I was under the impression Sweden was more closed off and teetering on islamophobic more recently given the Quran burning rallies and Swedistan epithet.
    Granted, the number of refugees you’ve welcomed in probably correlates to the spike in crime. However, even as a free speech absolutist, it comes off as normalizing discrimination against second-class citizens in your own country making it even harder for them to assimilate.
    This sews the seeds of division and in all likelihood led to the Nuance party gaining support among the Muslim community. Conversely, the rise of Sweden’s SD Party and their ethnic homogenous platform gives the hallmarks of fascism even if they refute it-it’s a slippery slope.
    I’m curious if the news stories actually reflect the social and political climate or is it just being sensationalized to a wider audience?

    • @LivingSwedish
      @LivingSwedish  Рік тому +4

      These are fair points. However, I do think the media hypes those instances executed by a very small minority (like one person). Of course, the country is not without its struggles and some people want crime to end (or at least lower it) looking for a group of people to blame (and to generalise). It's human nature and it happens in many countries. But from what I see and experience it's not the overall sentiment of the country. In my daughter's kindergarten are all sorts of nationalities and religiously diverse carers (although all carers speak Swedish). Again, I think there's always room for improvement and Sweden is not a perfect country. But I still get the sense it's striving for diversity.

    • @draug7966
      @draug7966 11 місяців тому

      This a complicated issue. I'd say yes, there is a bit of racism/islamophobia going on here but in a way there are reasons for it since immigrants are highly overrepresented in crime and also we have some fanatic muslims who support sharia laws and shit like that. That's not to say every immigrant is a bad egg of course, but those who are should get the f*ck out of here imo. Another factor is that before the refugee crisis in 2015, it was almost impossible to say a critical word about migration without getting judged as some kind of fascist or whatever, and that has caused a lot of anger and resentment against the "establishment" wich is quite understandable. Back then, the whole narrative was what i would call some kind of extreme anti-nationalism and now it's swinging a bit in the other direction.
      So as i see it, we wouldn't have this situation if the migration policies would have been a bit more moderate to begin with. The rise of SD can be seen as a symptom not nevessarily of swedes suddenly going racist, but as a response to years and years of migration policies that were quite extreme compared to many other countries. Just my two cents though.

    • @falukropp2000
      @falukropp2000 9 місяців тому

      It's a total media coup, nothing else. There's one Danish guy running around and tweaking the system of absolute right to freedom of speech (which we usually aim towards ourselves) misusing it in order to insult the muslims and to create social disturbance. That's it. I've never heard anyone supporting this, not even "alt-right" people. Even insults are within freedom of speech, we always thought it would be used by "underdogs" to expose the "big man", it was never in our thoughts it could be used like this. That's why we can't handle the situation.
      We hear about riots and protests against the burnings, but when it happened in a city suburb and the muslim community just peacefully watched it taking place, not allowing themselves to give it the reaction it was intended for, only local press bothered to mention it. It became a total flop for the Dane. But the media didn't want to forward this message.
      It serves several purposes. Social disturbance allows the government (wether led by left or right) to form stricter policys in everything from police fundings to migration. Social disturbance destabilizes the country, which would be on the Russian agenda. This is just part of the low-intense warfare that replaced the cold war, handing out cheek-slaps from east and west. And it serves both sides equally well.
      You are correct, most non-european immigrants are treated like second class citizens. I believe there's a purpose of this. The wealthy Sweden had no proletariat anymore, but now we do again. It keeps the wheels turning. Arriving here, the union demand that jobs only go to those qualified for the job. If you haven't gone through the swedish education system, there's no way in hell you're qualified to anything. You can't even raise goats if that was what you did profesionally in your homeland, you need to be qualified to own live stock. So you will live from welfare, that demands something in return, which is labour, to payment below what it would cost to employ someone doing the same job.
      It's a kind of slavery system, we had it well into the 20th century, if you had nothing, you could sign a contract as a farmhand in return for food and shelter, nothing else. You were obliged to work at the farm owners will under this contract, you could not end the contract, it was a crime that would put you in jail if you walked away. Every contract were renewed each 1 september, this was your opportunity to change to another farm or get out of the system. But vagrancy was a crime too so you couldn't just leave. The industrialisation took their labourers from this system and gave them salary so they could become "independent". This system ended in 1949.
      Now it's back again. 1st generation immigrants are being used as cattle for the government. They create jobs because the state needs to take care of them, because they will never be taken into the system as independent. There are lots of govt bureaus working with handing out some money, others craving something in return, labour or going to pointless educations that doesn't make anyone attractive on the job market and so on. It creates jobs to swedes being integrated in the system as case managers or teachers and some free labour as state sponsorship for local councils and private companies.
      2nd generation immigrants have a shot at it, because they go through the school system from square one. But we see regulary reports in the local news (never in national news) about well integrated immigrants that works hard and pays taxes being expelled after many years in this country, based on technicalities, in some cases because they've been working "too hard" and earning just too little, but still enough to not being a load on society. Think of it as anti-America: You will never make it, no matter how hard you work for success.
      From 3rd generation, there's a possibility that you're fully integrated. But not a promise.
      For a young 1st or 2nd generation immigrant, the only option for a decent life would be criminality. Yet not everyone chooses that path which is amazing and a high rating of their moral. Although a significant number do, enough to change the societal climate, enough to put blame on all immigrants. That's why so many immigrants support the alt-right SD party, they are playing on feelings of decency.
      Ukranian refugees in my hometown are climbing on the walls after nearly a year in this country without any means whatsoever to make a living, even though they are supposed to provide for themselves to some extent, and fully over time. As they are "unemployable" as not being integrated, the government are supposed to give them options within the new "slave" system but they haven't managed this yet. So the ukranians are more or less put in a refugee camp and left there to rot.
      This is the people the bookburning Dane wants to offend in order to create chaos. Not to mention the effects it had on international relations.The bookburnings are just a destabilization campaign, nothing else. The Dane is just a tool in this campaign.

  • @artkidolee2162
    @artkidolee2162 Рік тому

    Boring😮

  • @johnturtle6649
    @johnturtle6649 4 місяці тому

    I wantt listen to a man