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Have you ever been in Sweden? Swedes practice social distancing in regular daily life. Also, it is a very introverted, borderline anti social type of society.

Have you ever been in Sweden? Swedes practice social distancing in regular daily life. Also, it is a very introverted, borderline anti social type of society. I had a couple of French co-workers that said it was very hard to form friendships outside work there (in Stockholm), while in the US (NYC) they had no problem. Compare this to Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Albania, or other Mediterranean countries, which are polar opposite. People are friendlier, that talk to each other more, they hug, they kiss more. If you go to smaller towns, you regularly see older people hanging out with each other, playing chess and socializing. You just don't see that in Sweden. I think this is one of the main reasons that some countries like Germany and Sweden are not fairing that bad, but the south gets hit harder. Also, from my understanding, many folks in Sweden are practicing some form of social distancing, and many are working from home when they can. It is a 'voluntary' type of thing. Swedes tend to follow civi rules well in general, and are a homogeneous society, so I think that is contributing to the lower rates of transmission as well. while the US attitude varies from wear a mask, to 'don't take my freedom away', i do what i want, type of attitude. Ps. Here is what bus line looks like in Sweden (before the pandemic): https://i.redd.it/4q36jg5ofi831.jpg https://i.redd.it/4q36jg5ofi831.jpg Their culture just wants/respects people spaces more, and are more 'introverted' by nature. Swedes are friendly/polite, but not necessary 'warm'. And you can see with their social interactions as well. Hope that makes sense. Good luck trying to replicate that type of distancing in most of the Europe or the US unless it is mandated (i.e. you will get kicked out of a store if you don't respect the line).

dimitrios1 6y ago
My own personal theory is smoking. All the Mediterranean countries still smoke like chimneys.
- pvaldes 6y ago
  Not necessarily. Take in mind that lots of the deaths happened in nursing homes, where tobacco is restricted or frowned upon.
  - gojomo 6y ago
    ...but also where the residents often smoked for decades when they were younger.
- malkia 6y ago
  that, and being too "macho" (all genders included). (Bulgarian here, living in Los Angeles). Also "not believing" science, and not trusting "authorities" - believing too much pseudo-science instead. No wonder Trump is being liked there - same "life goals" ;)
arkitaip 6y ago
> Also, it is a very introverted, borderline anti social type of society. This is just an ridiculously offensive stereotype. If you were in downtown Stockholm this weekend, you couldn't even tell there was a pandemic considering how many people there are one the streets.
- bbarnett 6y ago
  It is a stereotype, certainly, as a "grouping of people" to define characteristics, is. Is it offensive? Well, maybe, but that's tact. However, is it true? Bear in mind that an excessively gregious society, and yes there are differences in societies, cultures, might view a more reserved culture as such. And the real reason I'm responding is, how many "people there are on the streets" is irrelevant, in terms of being 'social' or not. People going places != social. It can equal work, needing supplies, traveling, etc. I grew up in a small town, population < 1000, in a massively large county (>1000 square km), with barely 15,000 people in it at the time. When I first moved to the city, I would walk down the street and wave at people. People reacted, to my perspective, quite oddly. Some actually shied away, others looked at me as if was a lunatic. Yet where I grew up, not waving would have been beyond rude. In the city, it was seen as absurd behaviour. I guess what I'm saying is, Sweden could be quite anti-social, without it being "mean" to say so. It's all perspective.
  - ardit33 6y ago
    They are, they just don't understand it.... I was not doing value judgment, but just an observation
  - runald 6y ago
    I'm not a Swede, but if an random person that I don't know waves at me for no discernible reason, I too would be cautious. Although, it's not clear if you wave at everyone you see, or just at people you need to interact with (such as a store clerk).
    - bbarnett 6y ago
      This is more of a rural versus urban thing, and just an example of cultural differences. Canadian ones, FYI. As per my example, it is rude to not wave, stranger or not, at least where I grew up. Yet when I moved to the city, entirely different! Same language, country, region. Just urban vs rural. So it is not surprising to see nation-wide cultural differences.

dimitrios1 6y ago

My own personal theory is smoking. All the Mediterranean countries still smoke like chimneys.

pvaldes 6y ago
Not necessarily. Take in mind that lots of the deaths happened in nursing homes, where tobacco is restricted or frowned upon.
- gojomo 6y ago
  ...but also where the residents often smoked for decades when they were younger.
malkia 6y ago
that, and being too "macho" (all genders included). (Bulgarian here, living in Los Angeles). Also "not believing" science, and not trusting "authorities" - believing too much pseudo-science instead. No wonder Trump is being liked there - same "life goals" ;)

arkitaip 6y ago

> Also, it is a very introverted, borderline anti social type of society. This is just an ridiculously offensive stereotype. If you were in downtown Stockholm this weekend, you couldn't even tell there was a pandemic considering how many people there are one the streets.

bbarnett 6y ago
It is a stereotype, certainly, as a "grouping of people" to define characteristics, is. Is it offensive? Well, maybe, but that's tact. However, is it true? Bear in mind that an excessively gregious society, and yes there are differences in societies, cultures, might view a more reserved culture as such. And the real reason I'm responding is, how many "people there are on the streets" is irrelevant, in terms of being 'social' or not. People going places != social. It can equal work, needing supplies, traveling, etc. I grew up in a small town, population < 1000, in a massively large county (>1000 square km), with barely 15,000 people in it at the time. When I first moved to the city, I would walk down the street and wave at people. People reacted, to my perspective, quite oddly. Some actually shied away, others looked at me as if was a lunatic. Yet where I grew up, not waving would have been beyond rude. In the city, it was seen as absurd behaviour. I guess what I'm saying is, Sweden could be quite anti-social, without it being "mean" to say so. It's all perspective.
- ardit33 6y ago
  They are, they just don't understand it.... I was not doing value judgment, but just an observation
- runald 6y ago
  I'm not a Swede, but if an random person that I don't know waves at me for no discernible reason, I too would be cautious. Although, it's not clear if you wave at everyone you see, or just at people you need to interact with (such as a store clerk).
  - bbarnett 6y ago
    This is more of a rural versus urban thing, and just an example of cultural differences. Canadian ones, FYI. As per my example, it is rude to not wave, stranger or not, at least where I grew up. Yet when I moved to the city, entirely different! Same language, country, region. Just urban vs rural. So it is not surprising to see nation-wide cultural differences.