Scandinavian Culture

• Report rights infringement
• published: 17 May 2016
• views: 1

TO USE OR PRINT this presentation click : http://videosliders.com/r/977 ============================================================== Scandinavian Culture CHAPTER 6 ,Scandinavian Culture PRISMS Equal opportunity vs. equal results The welfare role of government Lifestyle pragmatism: Should the state be values-neutral? Jante law: Are some people “better” than others? Unisex culture: Should women be treated differently than men? ,Individualism Extended family Community Monochronic Poychronic Low Context High Context Social Ambiguity Social Certainty Low Power Distance High power Distance Mastery Adaptation Emotionally Neutral Emotionally Expressive Quantity of Life Quality of life ,Norwegian Fjords ,Norwegian Viking ship ,The midnight sun ,SCANDINAVIAN EGALITARIANISM ,Egalitarian values:equal results, not just equal opportunity ,In contrast to Americans, most Scandinavians believe in equal results rather than merely equal opportunity (because no society can truly provide equal opportunity for everyone) A Scandinavian millionaire paid a $174,000 speeding ticket because that equaled the same percentage of his income as a $200 fine for the common wage earner. ,COMMON CAREER BARRIERS FACED BY AMERICAN WOMEN Loss of workplace seniority when having or caring for children Subordinating the wife’s career to the husband's career, especially when job transfers are involved Working in a male corporate climate based on competition rather than cooperation & autocratic decision-making rather than participative ,SCANDINAVIAN SECURITY ,ORIGINS OF SECURITY CULTURE IN MODERN SCANDINAVIA Ethnically homogeneous population (promoting a strong social conscience) A class-free society Geographic isolation & the hostile northern climate Strong feminine influence within the culture ,The (“cradle to grave”) welfare state Free health care, college, pregnancy leave, even euthanasia ,CHILD POVERTY COMPARISONS Scandinavian countries have the lowest child poverty rates in the world thanks to their welfare system; in Denmark just 2.4% of children live in poverty; 3.4% in Norway; 4.2% in Sweden Mexico & the U.S. have the highest child poverty rates in the developed world: 27.7% for Mexico & 21.9% for the U.S. ,WHY HASN’T AMERICA PURSUED “CRADLE TO GRAVE” WELFARE? 1.Opposition to high taxes & the lack of communal consciousness—perhaps due to America’s ethnic & religious diversity. 2. Higher income Americans have more ways to legally reduce their taxes than the middle class 3. Sales taxes, which America strongly relies on for tax revenue, discriminate against lower income Americans (who pay the same tax as rich Americans). ,SCANDINAVIAN vs. AMERICAN CULTURE ,WHERE THE AMERICAN EMOTIONAL PROFILE DIFFERS MOST FROM THE SCANDINAVIAN Greater American propensity for risk-taking & uncertainty American tend to be more aggressive & competitive The American cult of personality (movie stars, rock stars, etc.) American social status differences are based largely on money & “conspicuous consumption” (Jay Leno’s warehouse of vintage cars, extravagant weddings, mansions for homes, lifestyle excesses of rock stars, entertainers, & pro athletes, etc.) ,American culture is less libertarian (no rules for “morality”) than Scandinavians because the Judeo-Christian ethic still has some influence in America & there is also a strong strain of religious personal piety left in America. Americans are more Darwinian (“survival of the fittest”) than Scandinavians based on the success-orientation of Americans & rugged individualism. Americans are more tolerant of class differences (based on wealth & standard of living) than Scandinavians. ,America’s commercialized culture has generated an entire industry of promoters, agents, PR consultants to manufacture glamorous, larger-then-life celebrities who are icons of America wealth, success, & fame. Scandinavians prefer real people to celluloid holographs. Swedish-born American actress Greta Garbo (famous in th