Liberal America Has A Sweden Fetish – GOOD Magazine

Swedish Fetishism may include coveting idyllic countrysides, lively urban centers, and universal healthcare. Also: great ski gear.

When New York City shut down lastweek for a blizzard that never came to be, a particularly quirkyhashtag poppedup on Instagram and Twitter feeds across the Eastern seaboard: #hygge, the Danish lifestyle movement fetishizingall things cozy. Yet, according to The Cut and Vogue, #lagom is the Scandinavian trend we need in 2017.

Named after a Swedish concept (roughly translatedas not too much, not too little),the phenomenon is just the latest instance of Americas longstanding fascination with Sweden, known for its attractive, leggy populace, austere design aesthetic, and unusually cheerymusic.

For left-leaning Americans, however, the nations primary appeal stems from its reputation as aprogressive utopia, arguably Scandinavias most successful example ofmixing socialist politics and a capitalist economy.Offeringfree college, universal health care, and a robust social safety net, Swedens egalitarian reputation became anespeciallypoignant fantasyafter the 2016 election. Then, on February 18,Trump opted to defendhis controversial travel ban byvaguely invokinga phantom Swedish terrorist incident, bafflinghis constituents and renewingour fervor for the apparent liberalwonderland.

That night, Leif Pagrotsky, Swedens consul general in New York City and one of the nations top diplomats, was watching the Saturday evening news. The attack was news to Pagrotsky, news to everybody in Sweden. So hespent the rest of his weekend researching whether there was anything to Trumps claims. By Monday, the official Swedish response had been determined: a polite, quizzical note sent to the White House, along the lines of Pardon?

Pagrotskys own response wasmore sardonic. After a Twitter user discovered that the biggest incident of Sweden last night was a horse called Biscuit being rescued from a well, he tweeted,tongue firmly in cheek, Thanks to your prayers #MakeBiscuitDryAgain.

Pagrotsky, adapper 65-year-old, is aNordophilesdream.He hasexceedingly fine manners and exactly the minimalist chic office decor onemight expect from a man whos been called the ambassador of IKEA meatballs.Grinningslyly over a demitasse of strong Swedish coffee, he recalls, I wanted to circulate the news that Biscuit had been rescued, so everyone could sleep well at night.

Though he was amused, Pagrotsky doesnt think Trumpwas firing randomly. The seasoned politician has seen his wee country of 10 million garneran outsized share of U.S. attention, used as a political ball in your ping-pong matchfor decades. Thesame perks that delightprogressive Americans have turned Swedeninto a useful bogeyman for conservatives who fear the creep of socialism.

Back in the 1960s, Eisenhower called Swedens social welfare system a breeding ground for sin, nudity, drunkenness, and suicide. In 2009, when the U.S. government was bailing out major corporations from failure, Bill OReilly wrung his hands over the idea thatwe might morph into Sweden. And Marco Rubio fired shots at Bernie Sanders last year, suggesting hed make a great Swedish president. (Pagrotsky is quick to pointout that Sweden has a king, not a presidentand that The New Yorker is very good at cartoons.)

Despite the toxicity of Trumps Sweden claims, Pagrotsky says hes gratefulthat so many Americans are eager to learn more about his homeland. He fondly recalls that after OReilly insulted Sweden, Jon Stewart sent a crew to the country to uncover its faux horrors. Pagrotsky was interviewed for The Daily Showsegment; hes still recognized by strangers.

Still, Pagrotsky believes our view of Sweden can be rather two-dimensional. We revel in its perennialranking as one of the top 10 nations onthe World Happinessreport, its low unemployment and crime rates, and even its charmingleaders like Pagrotsky himself, who gladly participatein gay pride marchesandkick off their shoes for summervacations.

Yet Sweden isno Shangri-la, and Pagrotsky believes its unwise to focus only on the positive.Days after Trumps impetuous comment, a small riot broke out in one of Stockholms suburbs, which Pagrotsky attributesto general discontent among a poor and disenfranchised immigrant community. A few cars were burned, no one was seriously hurt, but we are not such a dramatic country, he says. These things are upsetting to us.

Eventually, it was revealed that Trumps initial comments were inspired by a largely discredited documentary calledStockholm Syndrome, which had recently been featured on a Fox News segment. It presented a Sweden being torn asunder by open bordersMuslim immigrants robbing, raping, and killing the native population, while draining the countrys finite resources. As incendiary as the film was, Pagrotsky admits that his country struggles with immigration, as well.

In response to a global migration crisis in 2015 (specifically the news of thousands drowning in the Mediterranean), Sweden opened its borders to refugees from some of the worlds most desperate nationsAfghanistan, Syria, and Somalia. But when no other European countries besides Germany followed suit, Sweden was quickly overwhelmed. The borders closed up again, and tiny Sweden experienced a tough reckoning.

It was a very hard decision, says Pagrotsky. You see, our immigration policy is based on compassion, an attempt to alleviate suffering. We do not accept immigrants because we need more workers, or because people need more servants in their homes.

Pagrotsky will not condemn or criticize Trump, at least not to a reporter. He says you can guess his views based on past political alignments (he leans left), but it would be foolish to close doors by spouting off his personal views. Though he likes to promote Swedish values like workplace equality, and sometimes these values can run afoul of U.S. policy, Pagrotsky says hiscountry is far fromperfect; its dangerous to assume that anywhere on Earth is.

My job is to make people understand what we do, and why we do it, he says. Its not to say the rest of the world who does not do it is bad or inferior or stupid. That's not my thing.

When I ask him about a Swede I recently met who claimed that approximately 99.999 percent ofSwedes hate Donald Trump, Pagrotsky grows circumspect. I think, perhaps this is an exaggeration, he says, a light twinkle in the eye. I would guess its more like 90 percent. Then he laughsit turns out histossed-off figure is verifiable.Actually, I read a poll.

Portraits of Leif Pagrotsky by Martin Adolfsson courtesy the Consulate General of Sweden. Top images via Getty (left to right: by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives and Michel Setboun) and Pixabay.

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Liberal America Has A Sweden Fetish - GOOD Magazine