(written by Tom)
Many of you may be wondering what Danes are like (at least the ones that live around Copenhagen). Well, here is a list of what I've learned from the culture classes, heard from other people, and observed for myself. Yes, I am stereotyping and I know that not everyone here fits this mold, but I will use the first item as an excuse...
1. Danes love to stereotype - things works better if everything and everyone fit into neat little categories
2. Danes do not like to initiate any sort of interaction - if you pass someone on the street, they will always avert their eyes, even on the train it is often eerily quiet
3. Danes love to hear what foreigners think about Danes
4. Danes love to explain to foreigners what Danes are like
5. Danes resent the fact that their country is known primarly by the Little Mermaid statue
6. Despite #5, Danes make sure everyone knows who H.C. Anderson was
7. Danes are humble - I have never met a single one who was snotty or condescending
8. Danes do not like being compared to Swedes
9. Danes think of Germany as a country they have to drive through to get to the rest of Europe
10. Danes can speak excellent English - except for the older generation
11. Danes will usually not stop to help or hold the door for you, unless you ask, in which case they will be very willing
12. Danes love pizza
13. Danes think bathtubs are a luxury
14. Danes complain about the high taxes but really don't mind so much
15. Danes are obsessed with candles
16. Danes use any excuse to display the flag
17. Danes are patient in all circumstances except for getting on and off the train/bus
18. Danes don't like George Bush (but then again, who does outside of the US?)
19. Danes are very liberal with their use of swear words
20. Danes still fondly remember when they won the European Football Championship a few years ago (actually it was more like 15 years ago...)
21. Danes from Copenhagen consider their island the mainland, while Danes from Jutland consdier their peninsula the mainland
22. Danes are not all blonde-haired, blue-eyed - but a lot of them are!
23. Danes leave their babies outside in their prams while they shop
24. Danes dress their babies up in extremely warm clothing, even when it's not that cold outside
25. Danes are not known to provide excellent customer service
26. Danes put a strong emphasis on work-life balance
27. Danes are fond of their Viking heritage
28. Danes love their royal family - the emblem of the crown is seen everywhere
29. Danes have a do-it-yourself attitude
30. Danes have a forward thinking sense of gender equality
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3 comments:
that is, a surprisingly accurate observation of the danes, i can't disagree on any of the mentioned.
Looking over your list of likes and dislikes, i can say that 95 % of your points are more or less correct. I am a Dane so i am fairly certain how the common dane thinks and acts. Thank you for being so observing and taking interest in 5 million people.
There is your humble dane again:)
Wow, I wrote this over 2 years ago. I'm sure the list has changed (and grown) somewhat, in my perception.
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