values – Watching the Swedes

Why fascists should be allowed no platform in Sweden

Posted on June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 by Neil Shipley's watching the Swedes

‘The trouble with being empathetic‘, somebody once said, ‘is that you also feel sorry for assholes.’

But I have had enough! I have had enough!

I’m sick of being liberal and accepting and allowing. I’m done with it. Although far from everybody, Sweden and Europe is full of assholes.

Yesterday in Sweden, a left wing politician was physically attacked by members of the nazi party on the street. This is only one of many anti democratic incidents we are witnessing in our society.

After the EU election, it is abundantly clear that a climate of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant racism is being stoked in Europe and Sweden.

There are many examples. In Sweden, like in many other countries, the main nationalistic party (called SD) gained ground. White supremists demonstrate openly on the streets of Sweden. Last week, in Sweden, RFSL (The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights) said they would not participate in Sweden’s politics week due to threats from a nazi party.

Enough!

The democratic dilemma

As liberals, we have a dilemma on how to handle this spiraling situation. As self-identified beacons of democracy, we believe that freedom of speech should apply to everybody – even if their ideas are heinous. Banning opinion is, in itself, a fascistic move. Or is it?

I am a democrat. I believe in freedom of speech. But for me the solution is simple. The fascist opinion is not like any other opinion. It is filled with violence and hatred and should be allowed no platform in an open society.

No platform for fascists

When I say that there should be no platform for fascists, I mean that pro-democratic legislation should be stricter. I mean far right supremist groups should be criminalized in Sweden. I mean fascist meetings should be shut down, their attempts to rally and march should be prevented, counter-picketed and blocked.

It is not just because what they say is offensive. It is not a question of whether I like or agree with what they have to say. It is because hate speech does not end as speech. It is a call to violence, a tool to organize attacks on vulnerable communities.

When fascists get a platform, violence against minorities goes up. This we know. This we are seeing.

Fascism is a disease

Fascism is a disease in Swedish society. It aims to destroy our democracy and concentrate power in the hands of a “racially superior” minority. To succeed, it requires the destruction of freedom of speech. It requires destroying mass organizations of working people and unions. It requires the dismantling of free press, as SD has suggested the privatisation of public service radio. It uses an army of internet trolls. Fascism uses the blinkered limitations of liberalism to destroy itself.

Today’s fascists in Sweden and Europe try to re-brand themselves as something less threatening than their past incarnations. They are “alt-right” and pretend to be champions of free speech. They are not. They wear suits and smile into the camera. They claim they are anti-establishment and present themselves as scapegoats. They pander to the sick and the elderly by offering them more money. They pretend they aren’t racists or homophobes, just champions of white people and Swedish culture and “values”. They try to keep their real ideas and aims in the dark.

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is not absolute. When thugs disrupt Pride parades that is not free speech. When fascists demonstrate during the May 1st celebrations, it is not free speech – it is intimidation and an attempt to incite violence. We have a right and a duty to prevent it, through the law, superior numbers and organization.

Unfortunately, racism cannot be defeated by logical argument. Racism, and fascism, grows by an appeal to the irrational, fear and hatred. It has to be smashed.

You might think I’m a drama queen who is making a mountain out of a mole hill. But I have had enough! I’m sick of allowing undemocratic people access to our democracy.

We cannot under-estimate the threat fascism poses in Sweden, our communities, schools and workplaces. Pro-democrats must make it a top priority to expose it and organize to stomp it out wherever we find it. We must unite in saying – not here, not on our watch, not in Sweden.

Sweden, that means: no platform for fascists.

The debate over Swedish values

Posted on July 12, 2016July 13, 2016 by Neil Shipley's watching the Swedes

Every summer in Sweden, there is a politics week held on the Baltic island of Gotland. Over 8 days, each of the main political parties gets a chance to promote their agenda. This year, there has been a lot of talk about Swedish values, which in turn has started a debate about what are Swedish values and if they even exist.

If we are looking for values that are exclusive to Sweden, the answer is no. If however we are looking for values that are prioritised in Sweden and function as a way to move society forward then, yes, they do exist. It is a matter of definition. They may not apply to every Swede, but researchers have seen clear values in Swedish society that, while not unique to Sweden, are very strong.

There has been a lot of talk about values of equality and tolerance. These values have been strong in Swedish society in the past and have enabled the welfare state, the laws and the political systems we enjoy today.

According to the World Values Survey, which is a credible and extensive body of research that looks into what values drive society, there are two main value sets that separate Sweden from many other countries in the world. Those values are so-called secular/rational values and values of self expression/self actualisation.

Secular/rational values. In other words, the importance of the church and religion has deminished in Swedish society, religion and politics are separated, traditional family structures exist side by side with less traditional structures. Decisions are made ‘rationally’ and not based on scripture or a religious morality. This is very different from most places around the world.

Self expression/actualisation. The right and the need to say what one thinks is a strong driver in Swedish society. The right to your own opinion, your own perspective and to live the life of your own choice are considered undeniable human rights. This is different from many other places around the world.

Many behaviours we see in society, in families and in the work place can be traced to these underlying driving values in Swedish society.

The danger in discussing Swedish values lies in the belief that these are static and fixed. As society changes, so do the prevailing values. As the world around us changes, so do the values. As the environment is impacted, as war and crisis occur, values change.

When political parties want to reinforce Swedish values, they are romanticising and simplifying. This is dangerous rhetoric as they are wilfully and deliberately using values to exclude.

Swedes – the healthiest in the EU?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Neil Shipley's watching the Swedes

The image of the healthy, well-trained Swede has found support in some research from the Europabarometer released recently.

According to this research, ‘41% of Europeans exercise or play sport at least once a week, while an important proportion of EU citizens (59%) never or seldom do so.’

Generally speaking, ”citizens in the Northern part of the EU are the most physically active. The proportion that exercises or plays sport at least once a week is 70% in Sweden, 68% in Denmark, 66% in Finland, 58% in the Netherlands and 54% in Luxembourg. The lowest levels of participation are clustered in the Southern EU Member States. Most respondents who never exercise or play sport can be found in Bulgaria (78%), Malta (75%), Portugal (64%), Romania (60%) and Italy (60%).”

So, Sweden tops this research at 70% of interviewees saying the exercise at least once a week, closely followed by Denmark and Finland. Why might this be? Why could there be such a difference between Scandinavian countries and the Southern European countries?

One answer could be the climate – maybe the long, dark winters require some kind of exercise regime in order for us to survive?
Another answer might be ‘peer pressure’ or ‘training hysteria’ as it’s sometimes called in Sweden. Does a tendency to Group Think mean that we follow what others are doing in order to be ‘in’?

I think a major contributing factor is values. We all know that values differ from group to group , and that those values often determine the desired behaviours of the people.

According to the respected ‘World Values Survey’, in Scandinavia, and in Sweden especially, a strong value is self-actualisation, or self-realisation. In other words, we as individuals have the right to be who we want to be, live how we want to live, think what we want to think and make the most of ourselves in the way we choose.

While other countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania, are focusing on how to survive the day, many Swedes are focusing on self-development, education, environmentalism and, not least, physical appearance and health.

So that Sweden comes out top in this research is not surprising. In Sweden, most of the serious ‘survival problems’ of life have already been solved, allowing many citizens to focus on other things.

Such as themselves.

If you’re interested in reading more about the research, find it here.

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