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This is 100% true. People like to pretend that the higher equality in sweden actually means that rich people share with poor people, but in reality it's the wor

by jseban 4y ago

This is 100% true. People like to pretend that the higher equality in sweden actually means that rich people share with poor people, but in reality it's the working middle class that pays the price for it. And it leads to a more classist society with even higher wealth concentration, and real struggles with motivating people to actually perform, because of the lack of opportunity and glass ceiling. Sweden probably has the poorest middle class of all of the western nations, and way poorer even than many asian and south american countries. I really can't see how sweden could stay competitive, I think there will be some significant brain drain with the younger generations that can speak fluent english.

donw 4y ago
Yeah, same thing in Germany. I recall chatting with some highly-placed dude in Deutsche Post a few years back. He had come in from the tech industry to unfuck their... well, tech, and was amazed at the level of opulence available to him as a highly-placed public servant. A full-spec Mercedes S-class limousine with a chauffeur for his exclusive use was just the start. It was nuts. The marketing is fantastic. Let's all chip in to help each other out, take care of the poor, all that jazz. But sweet baby Jesus doesn't that machine just grease the hell out of its own wheels.
- Cederfjard 4y ago
  This is not the same thing that the person you were responding to was talking about. Swedish civil servants do not lead extravagant lifestyles, even at the highest levels, nor do politicians (not directly by virtue of being in politics, at any rate, although sometimes indirectly). What they were saying is that the Swedish system is very friendly to wealthy individuals operating in the private sector, while letting the middle class bear the brunt of subsidizing costs for those with lower income, which is true.

by jseban 4y ago

donw 4y ago

Yeah, same thing in Germany. I recall chatting with some highly-placed dude in Deutsche Post a few years back. He had come in from the tech industry to unfuck their... well, tech, and was amazed at the level of opulence available to him as a highly-placed public servant. A full-spec Mercedes S-class limousine with a chauffeur for his exclusive use was just the start. It was nuts. The marketing is fantastic. Let's all chip in to help each other out, take care of the poor, all that jazz. But sweet baby Jesus doesn't that machine just grease the hell out of its own wheels.

Cederfjard 4y ago
This is not the same thing that the person you were responding to was talking about. Swedish civil servants do not lead extravagant lifestyles, even at the highest levels, nor do politicians (not directly by virtue of being in politics, at any rate, although sometimes indirectly). What they were saying is that the Swedish system is very friendly to wealthy individuals operating in the private sector, while letting the middle class bear the brunt of subsidizing costs for those with lower income, which is true.