Constantly comparing Sweden to the United States will not make Sweden’s problems disappear, and let’s not forget, Sweden does have problems.
The other day I was talking to a Swedish man who had been living in the United States for ten years. We were discussing the recent crime increase in Sweden, and he was quick to defend Sweden by pointing out that the crime in Sweden does not compare to the crime in the United States. While that is true, it seemed as though he completely disregarded increase in crime in Sweden and considered it to be a non-issue because the United States was worse. I wondered how could a person disregard crime increase in his own country by using another country as a scapegoat?
I have observed this response many times from both Americans and Swedish people who defend the socialist-leaning system in Sweden, correlating with articles like this from Swedish media outlet Aflonbladet comparing crime in Sweden to the United States. Whether it’s crime, education or healthcare, they will say, “At least Sweden is not as bad as the United States!” In a sense I feel this reasoning is almost like saying, “At least we’re not as bad as Africa!” The United States is obviously much better than Africa, but it is ridiculous to compare Sweden to the United States to ignore looming problems.
Sweden and the United States are incredibly different. The United States has the third largest population in the world at 326 million, has a history with slavery and was built upon immigration (meaning, built upon people from all kinds of different backgrounds). Sweden, on the other hand, has a population of a mere 10 million, does not have a history with slavery and was not built upon immigration (it has a considerably monoculture society compared to the United States). Obviously Sweden is not going to have as many problems as the United States when it comes to crime and public sectors, so what’s the point in comparing it to the United States?
Sweden should ultimately be compared to itself in order for its problems to be solved. The problems are there and are not going away by themselves. Using the United States as a scapegoat is irrational and prolongs inefficiency. Has Sweden’s crime increased? Has Sweden’s schools been performing worse? Has Sweden’s healthcare system been failing? Analyze the history of these sectors and determine what should be done. The United States should not be a reason to ignore problems in a country known for peace in recent history.
Photo credit: MTMLinguasoft.com
Lauren Ell is an American blogger born and raised in Southern California and is currently based in Sweden. She discusses Epilepsy, Politics and Fun. Professionally Ell is an Online Marketing Consultant and Virtual Assistant. She is also founder and president of Republican Atheists and GunSafetySociety.org. Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.