Saturday, April 01, 2006
VII. Labor Day in Denmark [originally posted 5 May 2000]
Witnessed my first actual traffic jam here in Aalborg the other day. Three identical gray Mercedes Benz coupes were gridlocked at a "T" intersection. The vehicle on the side street (which wanted to turn left) had pulled out a little too far into traffic, while the car with the right-of-way refused to pull forward out of fear of straying too far into the on-coming lane, and the car in the on-coming lane was also stopped out of fear that one of the other two vehicles would cut him off. All three drivers stared at each other in confused panic, then the car in the on-coming lane moved forward, the second car pulled around, the car on the side street made its left turn, and as all three cars drove away I noticed that they each sported an identical bumper sticker as well: SKOLEVOGN (literally "schoolcar"). I just stood safely (?) on the sidewalk and laughed out loud, wondering what kind of country would put its student drivers behind the wheel of a new Mercedes. By the way, the local Politi ("Police") all drive Ford Escorts.
May 1st was Labor Day here in Denmark, and there was a big afternoon rally in the park behind the Banegård. At first glance it was indistinguishable from any other Labor Day picnic I've attended: plenty of beer and hot dogs, unintelligible political speeches, even a Country and Western band. Some folks had set up shop offering pony rides to youngsters, and everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. But I was also a little surprised by the number of underage (at least by US standards) drinkers at the rally - large groups of High School-age teens openly carting around cases of beer and enjoying the holiday apparently oblivious to everything and everyone else around them. By five PM they were the only ones left in the park, with the exception of a small group of even younger kids who were busy scurrying around picking up the numerous empties so that they could collect the deposits.
When I arrived here, my initial impression was that Denmark seemed stuck in the Seventies: lots of disco, embroidered bell-bottom pants, etc.... But what I'm starting to realize is that Denmark offers a glimpse of what America might have looked like without Ron and Nancy Reagan: no war on drugs, no trillion-dollar military build-up, money spent on schools and social services rather than cops and prisons... but also high taxes, entrenched unions, and plenty of red tape everywhere you turn. I'm a little skeptical of traditional economic indicators like "productivity" figures and the like, because I don't think they really tell the whole story; Danes enjoy a terrific lifestyle, with excellent vacation and family leave benefits, often enough disposable income to purchase summer homes and the like, and undoubtedly one of the best health care systems in the world... even if the shops do close early and service is slow. And they also work hard to be able to pay for these things... the difference being that, in Denmark, the expectation is that people are supposed to work for the good of the society, rather than simply being in it for themselves. I may be romanticizing things just a bit, but it's hard not to. Greed is NOT good in Denmark. But Danes still sure know how to have a good time.
I think the most significant difference though is that Americans tend to tell ourselves that we live in "the greatest nation in history," while Denmark sees itself as a "little country" threatened with a loss of cultural identity and economic autonomy by the apparently overwhelming cultural and economic hegemony of the United States and (more close at hand) Germany. America prides itself as a "Land of Opportunity," a nation of immigrants and self-made entrepreneurs where one can always start over, get a second chance, reinvent oneself and begin again. In Denmark, these kinds of opportunities seem more limited, and when times get tough and work is hard to find, the question of who "belongs" and who does not becomes very poignant, The journeyman blacksmith Steen, for example (who I met at the Påske Frokost) seemed frustrated by the amount of additional education required to become "certified" as a professional photographer (even though I'm confident, given his training and certification as an ironworker, that he could probably still shoe a horse if you asked him). In America, all you need to call yourself a photographer is a camera and ambition, and then (at least we tell ourselves) only your own talent and work-ethic will limit your success. Yet in both countries, it seems, there are plenty of talented photographers who are out shooting weddings on the weekends in order to pay the bills.
Tuesday was my big presentation to the SPIRIT seminar, and it seemed to go over pretty well. My topic was "The Significance of Religion in American Society History" and (without going into too much detail), I basically examined some of the reasons American historians have typically given to explain the fact that on any given Sunday roughly half the population of the United States is attending church, while in Denmark most churches receive more visits from tourists than they do from worshippers, and if you ask a Dane "do you attend church regularly?" they will typically tell you "Sure. Every Christmas." The seminar seemed most fascinated by my description of some of the techniques that Henry Ward Beecher used in the 19th century to "market" his ministry, and with the entire idea of "designer spirituality" and "religion a la carte" which characterizes the American religious scene today. In any event, I'm very relieved to have my one tangible responsibility here out of the way, especially now that the weather has turned so nice.
Spent most of Wednesday helping my mom make arrangements to take a "Norway in a Nutshell" tour on her own next week: Monday she takes the ferry to Larvik, Tuesday is spent cruising on the Fjords, Wednesday she sight-sees in Bergen before taking the night train to Oslo, and then Thursday she will take the night ferry back to Denmark and arrive here in Aalborg on Friday morning just in time for us to catch the train to Copenhagen for her last weekend here. This coming weekend we have plans to travel by train down to Ærø island to meet up again with Mary Lou, and to spend some time bicycling in the countryside there. So life is good, I'm still eating well, and all seems at peace in the Universe... despite the fact that I only learned YESTERDAY of the Justice Department raid on Easter morning which reunited Elian Gonzales with his father. Like I said, Denmark is a little country.
Til næste gang................twj
Mom and Me at Lindholm Hoje - Aalborg's Viking-era cemetary
Witnessed my first actual traffic jam here in Aalborg the other day. Three identical gray Mercedes Benz coupes were gridlocked at a "T" intersection. The vehicle on the side street (which wanted to turn left) had pulled out a little too far into traffic, while the car with the right-of-way refused to pull forward out of fear of straying too far into the on-coming lane, and the car in the on-coming lane was also stopped out of fear that one of the other two vehicles would cut him off. All three drivers stared at each other in confused panic, then the car in the on-coming lane moved forward, the second car pulled around, the car on the side street made its left turn, and as all three cars drove away I noticed that they each sported an identical bumper sticker as well: SKOLEVOGN (literally "schoolcar"). I just stood safely (?) on the sidewalk and laughed out loud, wondering what kind of country would put its student drivers behind the wheel of a new Mercedes. By the way, the local Politi ("Police") all drive Ford Escorts.
May 1st was Labor Day here in Denmark, and there was a big afternoon rally in the park behind the Banegård. At first glance it was indistinguishable from any other Labor Day picnic I've attended: plenty of beer and hot dogs, unintelligible political speeches, even a Country and Western band. Some folks had set up shop offering pony rides to youngsters, and everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. But I was also a little surprised by the number of underage (at least by US standards) drinkers at the rally - large groups of High School-age teens openly carting around cases of beer and enjoying the holiday apparently oblivious to everything and everyone else around them. By five PM they were the only ones left in the park, with the exception of a small group of even younger kids who were busy scurrying around picking up the numerous empties so that they could collect the deposits.
When I arrived here, my initial impression was that Denmark seemed stuck in the Seventies: lots of disco, embroidered bell-bottom pants, etc.... But what I'm starting to realize is that Denmark offers a glimpse of what America might have looked like without Ron and Nancy Reagan: no war on drugs, no trillion-dollar military build-up, money spent on schools and social services rather than cops and prisons... but also high taxes, entrenched unions, and plenty of red tape everywhere you turn. I'm a little skeptical of traditional economic indicators like "productivity" figures and the like, because I don't think they really tell the whole story; Danes enjoy a terrific lifestyle, with excellent vacation and family leave benefits, often enough disposable income to purchase summer homes and the like, and undoubtedly one of the best health care systems in the world... even if the shops do close early and service is slow. And they also work hard to be able to pay for these things... the difference being that, in Denmark, the expectation is that people are supposed to work for the good of the society, rather than simply being in it for themselves. I may be romanticizing things just a bit, but it's hard not to. Greed is NOT good in Denmark. But Danes still sure know how to have a good time.
I think the most significant difference though is that Americans tend to tell ourselves that we live in "the greatest nation in history," while Denmark sees itself as a "little country" threatened with a loss of cultural identity and economic autonomy by the apparently overwhelming cultural and economic hegemony of the United States and (more close at hand) Germany. America prides itself as a "Land of Opportunity," a nation of immigrants and self-made entrepreneurs where one can always start over, get a second chance, reinvent oneself and begin again. In Denmark, these kinds of opportunities seem more limited, and when times get tough and work is hard to find, the question of who "belongs" and who does not becomes very poignant, The journeyman blacksmith Steen, for example (who I met at the Påske Frokost) seemed frustrated by the amount of additional education required to become "certified" as a professional photographer (even though I'm confident, given his training and certification as an ironworker, that he could probably still shoe a horse if you asked him). In America, all you need to call yourself a photographer is a camera and ambition, and then (at least we tell ourselves) only your own talent and work-ethic will limit your success. Yet in both countries, it seems, there are plenty of talented photographers who are out shooting weddings on the weekends in order to pay the bills.
Tuesday was my big presentation to the SPIRIT seminar, and it seemed to go over pretty well. My topic was "The Significance of Religion in American Society History" and (without going into too much detail), I basically examined some of the reasons American historians have typically given to explain the fact that on any given Sunday roughly half the population of the United States is attending church, while in Denmark most churches receive more visits from tourists than they do from worshippers, and if you ask a Dane "do you attend church regularly?" they will typically tell you "Sure. Every Christmas." The seminar seemed most fascinated by my description of some of the techniques that Henry Ward Beecher used in the 19th century to "market" his ministry, and with the entire idea of "designer spirituality" and "religion a la carte" which characterizes the American religious scene today. In any event, I'm very relieved to have my one tangible responsibility here out of the way, especially now that the weather has turned so nice.
Spent most of Wednesday helping my mom make arrangements to take a "Norway in a Nutshell" tour on her own next week: Monday she takes the ferry to Larvik, Tuesday is spent cruising on the Fjords, Wednesday she sight-sees in Bergen before taking the night train to Oslo, and then Thursday she will take the night ferry back to Denmark and arrive here in Aalborg on Friday morning just in time for us to catch the train to Copenhagen for her last weekend here. This coming weekend we have plans to travel by train down to Ærø island to meet up again with Mary Lou, and to spend some time bicycling in the countryside there. So life is good, I'm still eating well, and all seems at peace in the Universe... despite the fact that I only learned YESTERDAY of the Justice Department raid on Easter morning which reunited Elian Gonzales with his father. Like I said, Denmark is a little country.
Til næste gang................twj
Mom and Me at Lindholm Hoje - Aalborg's Viking-era cemetary
# posted by The Eclectic Cleric @ 3:09 PM 
