A bit about me ...
First, I've decided to follow in the great blogging tradition of our forefathers and remain nameless. I think it will greatly aid my candor. Ok,where do I start? I came to Denmark almost ten years ago with my Danish wife. Where did I come from? Well, it's a country with a "western and democratic" culture, so I don't consider myself culturally incompatible with my new adoptive home. I am not a Danish citizen, though am permanently resident. I have a reasonable command of the Danish language, and actually enjoy speaking it when called upon to do so. I have a university education and hold a technical job. I'm Joe Anyone.
Why did I start this blog?
Since moving here, I couldn't help notice that Denmark had a "slight" problem dealing with foreigners. A few years ago I started collecting immigrant-related newspaper stories from Danish newspaper websites, a kind of digital scrapbook if you will. A great deal gets said about us in Denmark, in forums public and private. We're extremely popular fodder for the media, and some of the stuff that gets said about us is pretty outrageous. After showing my collection of articles to a friend, it was suggested I put them all online, because, well, people deserve to know what's going on here.
One of the problems about Denmark is that no one really knows anything about it. It's kind of small, and you could easily drive through it without noticing. People don't get to hear much about it, because, well, nothing much comes out of it. Except for ham. That means that just about anything that's known about it originates from Danes themselves, who, being a generally nationalistic bunch, are a bit biased in their accounts. Most people seem to believe Denmark is a slice of heaven on earth, populated by fabulously happy and tolerant people. And for the most part it is. If you're a Dane.
Most foreigners who have lived in Denmark will tell you about the darker side of Danish society though, one which Denmark has recently become increasingly infamous for. For Denmark has something of a problem with xenophobia. It's actually a tightly integrated part of the society, and you'll find that in most cases, Danes have so endeared themselves to xenophobia that they hate calling it that. That would imply there's something wrong, and as any Dane will tell you, there's nothing wrong with Denmark. No, over here they like to call being afraid of all things foreign .. "sund fornuft" also known as "common sense".
What is this blog anyway?
When I started collecting new stories, the first few were chosen mostly because I couldn't believe what I had just read, and figured I'd better hang on to them in case I recount the tale and no one believes me. This blog consists mostly of newspaper articles. I give you my own translation of the article, and then I write some kind of commentary at the end. You get to commiserate with me by writing all sorts of sympathetic comments. Or if you're Danish you can tell me to sod off back to where I came from. All kinds of feedback are appreciated, and thanks to me remaining anonymous, I don't have to fear reprisals from the Danish Front (Denmark's largest Nazi movement).
Who is this meant for?
The world. I want to show some of the harsher and darker "truths" about Denmark because ... like ... people have a right to know. Man. While I won't hide that my primary motivation is to pull back Denmark's Utopian mask, I hope to be at least somewhat nuanced and show that Danes aren't a singular nation of baby-eating trolls. The xenophobic climate here, while real and steeped in tradition, has come into its own only recently, and after a great deal of hand wringing from many Danes themselves. I hope to show that things as they stand now come down largely to aspects of Danish culture which many Danes themselves are uncomfortable with, coupled with the actions of one political party and a handful of powerful, opportunistic career politicians. The situation may be absurd, even comical at times, but it's not entirely bleak.
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30 comments:
Please, please keep this blog going. I am an American who lived in Copenhagen for six years because I fell in love with a Danish man who was attending university here in the U.S. when we met. When I got to Denmark I was absolutely traumatized by the arrogant culture. My personality completely changed. I feel I slowly disintegrated.
I know so many ex-pats there who feel the same way.
Denmark is a xenophobic hell on earth.
Thanks for commenting. I stopped doing it because it gets a bit tiring thinking about it all, but mostly no one seemed to be reading it. I guess it's finally showing up in search engines. Time to get back into gear!
Yes, please, get back in gear, Mr. Manky!
Also, do you socialize with other dirty foreigners, and bad immigrants in particular? If so, I'm pretty sure our little coven of disaffected bad immigrants would love to shower you with praise at one of our next meet-ups in Copenhagen. Send me an email and I'll get you added!
Denmark is a dictatorship - ruled by evils. It's much better in Somalia. It's a fact.
"I am an American who lived in Copenhagen for six years because I fell in love with a Danish man who was attending university here in the U.S. when we met. When I got to Denmark I was absolutely traumatized by the arrogant culture." Yeah, right ;-)
"Denmark is a dictatorship - ruled by evils. It's much better in Somalia. It's a fact."
Somehow you and a lot of your compatriots labor under the delusion that there are only two countries in the world, Denmark, and Islamistan. The capital of Islamistan is Mogadishu, and bad things happen in Mogadishu all the time, because centuries ago they all forgot how to rub sticks together to make hygge.
I deal with it by largely ignoring it. I've floated along here the past four years and enjoyed it for the most part. I have good friends (mostly expat, but many Danish), a good job and little hassle. I love biking to work, I love Copenhagen.
That said, I've recently thought about having kids and I've started to wake from my slumber. The images of the police hitting those kids outside the church, the lunacy of DFP, the bloody-mindedness of many Danes who can't see that their country is institutionally bigoted... it's all food for thought.
Keep up your blog.
Why do you choose to stay this anonymous? Denmark has free speech.
Thanks Aaron.
And to answer Anonymous, I stay anonymous because my identity isn't important in what I'm saying - I just make sure that all of the ugly stories and details of Danish life gets out in English, so people who are thinking of coming to Denmark get a fair warning. Yes, Denmark has free speech, but I have very little faith in the Danish police and politicians to protect me should someone threaten me. I've lived in Denmark long enough to know that stuff like that isn't taken seriously. No, being anonymous is a lot easier.
"Why do you choose to stay this anonymous? Denmark has free speech."
- Hahaha!! This is ALWAYS so damn important for FREE SPEECH loving Danes!! It is ALWAYS important for danes to see from what direction the wind is blowing, if an american or canadian have said something about danish human rights, well, danes would maybe even hear them out, but if your nationality falls out of the western friends the danes will highly likely tell you to F-OFF straight away without thinking!!! Even the Queen once commented "Denmark is like a little village, we all would love to know everything about everyone!". Said enough!! :((
From my experience, most westerners that are here fell in love with a Dane and really have no choice but to live here. Many of them have faded into the woodwork as to not offend the locals here and to have as peaceful a life as possible.
This is what I have done for the past 4 years. Nod, agree and try to keep my mouth shut.
I was hired at a large company in Copenhagen to work on a range of projects. I learned upon arrival that I wasnt told the whole truth and that, in fact, about 4 or 5 years worth of projects had been mismanaged. I struggled for 2 years and put them back on track.
My company then hired several scandinavians to take over these projects. Guess what? They went back to their old ways and screwed them up again.
I have heard the most ignorant things said by people here. Those people were not the poor white trash you see shuffling about, but supposedly intelligent people with PhDs and other qualifications who, I would later discover, live with their heads in the sand.
"Denmark is the best" they say. "Danish design". "In England, the food is bad and housing is no good". "Denmark is higher standard".
However, in my efforts not to offend people with my different foreign ways I have lost a large part of my personality since I am not really allowed to express myself. I've become literally a robot - wake up, go to work, go home, do a bit of socialising in the most polite, sterile way.
But I've had enough. Im not trying to convince people to change. At my company, when things are going pear shaped, I just do what they do and pretend I didnt know about it. I've finally chosen to go home this Christmas and never to come back to Denmark.
@anonymous
Your story is uncomfortably close to mine. Right down to the job experiences. Funny, a comment on this blog mentioned how expat workers from places like India and Poland have difficulty keeping their deadlines. I've haven't worked with either nationality here, but one thing I can say is : Danes have extreme, and I mean EXTREME difficulty agreeing to and sticking to a plan. They meet their deadlines because everyone does his/her own thing, and then it's often been my job to keep the circus together.
I think Denmark works very well for flat, semi-autonomous work structures because that's how the general society is organized, but heaven forbid, don't try to build something complicated here. There's a good reason Denmark excels at design and marketing, and has almost no heavy industry or complex IT.
I really feel for you when you say you're leaving and not coming back. I'm close to it myself. As in, I'm already in the formal process of applying to move to another country.
I am a Dane... and i am truly sorry to hear you alle feel this way, not that i cannot understand you, because we DO have a problem on this matter...
I lived in England for sometime a few years back, i loved it, loved the differences, the culture. But I also found out what the Brits thought about the Danes/Denmark and I agreed on most parts... the fact that we often think of Denmark as "the best" ect.
As I agree with alot of the things said on this site.
But saying it is a dictatorship and that "a project at work" is being messed up by Danes is just plain silly... i could say the same thing about alot of other countries i have visited. Sure i understand you are hurt by some Danes fear of "people from abroad", but dictatorship?? come on.
I will not apologies for my narrowminded countrymen, but remind you that it is not all that bad... if any of you have alle bad experiences whith Danes let me know, you are here by invited to spent a weekend with me and my family...
Best wishes
Allan Pedersen
Its terrible in Denmark.
The country is filled up with racists. That why I dont understand that increasing numbers of foreigners wants to move here, and that pretty much everyone who gets into the country decides to stay for the rest of their lives. And basically as soon as they get here, they do whatever they can to attract as many family members as possible.
And by the way. Some people are so ubelievable stupid that they mix up everything. When they read a danish newspaper or hear the comments from a politician, they just mix it all up. To think that the political discussion about immigration is not always about ypu personal or that alle groups of immigrants are included in each discussion is just beoyend their comprehension.
Could it be, that most danes and the politician, when they talk about immigration more specifically are talking about the poor hostile immigrants from the middle east, and not about the highly skilled immigrants who comes here to work.
Is it that hard to understand, or are you just in love with yourself and your anti-racist attitudes ???
When you constantly hear it on the news "foreigners, immigrants, refugees" in a very direct and extremely close association with "bad people, crime, gangs", even if you know when they are not talking about you personally, you get slighlty uncomfortable and you cannot escape the impression that Denmark is solid xenophobic hysteria and paranoia!
Denmark is the only place on Earth where they constantly refer to you as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th or 5th generation of "foreigners"! You are never allowed to fully feel that you are in fact a dane, danish, one of their own, or as integral part of the danish soceity, that is beyond any comprehension to the "native" danes. In Denmark, as a foreigner, immigrant, refugee, married to a dane, etc, you are always seen as someone different and ultimately as a guest, yes, you are just a guest in Denmark. It is not important what the rest of the World may or may not think about Denmark, but what the danes think of Denmark no matter how wrong they might be in their behaviour, actions, statements and everything else. Many people have left Denmark already, many are in the process of leaving it, while the others of those who are an intended object of danish xenophobia are contemplating of leaving the country to start a new life somewhere else where they will be able to lead a normal, decent, dignified life with no one danes to blame them for being foreigners, immigrants, refugees, being unacceptably different to their little minds.
Yes, please keep going! Don't stop writing this blog! I've been looking for a blog or a spot like this forever an just stumbled across it today! I moved to Denmark 6,5 years ago and every day, when I read the newspapaper, I feel like crying or punching something/someone really hard. The saddest thing about the atmosphere in Denmark is that there is hardly any debate about xenophobia and racism, it's as if just doesn't exist! Whenever the EU or UN breaks in and tries to do something about the way Denmark treats immigrants, it's always muffled or disclaimed by politicians and the media. That's why we desperately need blogs like this - to cast light over the fact that racism very much exists in Denmark, that it is structural and not only consists of individual cases and that xenophobia is about to take over the whole society.
Welcome to Sweden! With more tolerance and hospitality but less 'hygge' (meaning beer) the farther north you go, we nowadays like to think of ourselves as slightly superior to the neurotically xenophobic Danes...
This blog is a good idea but you have to be careful not to become too negative. I've been living here since the early 1990s - and visited several times during the 1980s - and have watched levels of xenophobia increase. Ont he other hand, Denmark - and Copenhagen in particular - has become much more international. If the country is to remain wealthy and continue to function it will have to deal with this problem, otherwise it'll end up as a poverty-stricken backwater with old folks ranting about keeping foreigners out...
Great blog. Please keep writing. Hopefully foreigners will read it and stay away from Denmark. And it would be great if the foreigners already here would read it and leave.
Doe Castle, I think you're right about becoming too negative. I'm trying to focus my diatribe a bit more these days, instead of lashing out at the entire country, but I'll still rely on others to tell me if I'm losing perspective.
Thanks for the your comments btw, everyone.
So crude generalizations about the Danes as incompetent and xenophobic are ok? How about these then: arabs are fundamentalist throat-cutters and terrorists due to their primitive religion, the French are faggoty and lazy, Isralis are greedy and conspiratorical, Eastern europeans smell, have no initiative and lousy teeth, the Italians are corrupt and vain. Are these generalizations ok, if ones is able to back it up with a personal anecdote or two, or would that constitute - gasp! - the horrible xenophobia?
Crude generalizations? Yes, that's how Denmark escapes all criticism. It's a perfect society with perfect government, and anyone who complains is clearly off-kilter. People like YOU caused the debate to degenerate to it's current level, because you file all criticism in the trash.
Come on, is it really all THAT negative, or are you just venting your frustration a bit? I'm a Dane living abroad, and although I find the general xenophobic atmosphere in DK extremely worrying as well, I refuse to believe that it's really only a "xenophobic hell on earth" with nothing positive whatsoever! I live in Spain (which is pretty xenophobic too) and I have noticed that when I get together with other foreigners, sooner or later conversation usually turns to criticizing Spain and how Spaniards always talk as though coming here meant that you had been rescued from the terrible fate of living out a bleak and depressing life in your own country (which they couldn't even point out on a map if you asked them to). Does that mean I hate Spain and that there's nothing positive about it at all? Of course not, it's just that we can't really express our frustration at some things when we're with Spanish people, so we do it when we're just a group of foreigners. Actually a lot of the things you've said are very similar to things I've heard here, so I truly hope this is a similar case. Otherwise I truly advice you to get out of DK and find somewhere you'll feel more comfortable before you're completely consumed with hate for your surroundings.
I do agree that there's a problem and I certainly hope society will learn to deal with it in DK, and pointing out the issues and creating a debate is certainly a good thing, but a general hate campaign against the country does not really help, does it? You're all offended when something bad is said about "foreigners" as a general group, but if you respond by talking about "Danes" as a general group, you're being just as unfair. I started reading this thinking "wow, how interesting, it's good to hear about this issue from foreigners in DK", and I ended up feeling just as personally insulted by your generalizing comments about the Danes as you do by comments about foreigners. So even though you have a very valid point, this way of expressing it will ensure that you lose the sympathy and attention of a lot of people who might have read this and agreed. But of course if your objective with this is just to warn people to stay away, I guess starting a constructive debate is not important anyway.
Oh, if only I got a kroner for every time a Dane told me to leave instead of criticize.
La Guiri, I've lived in several countries, I've experienced xenophobia in all of them, and yes, Denmark's is the worst. Accept it. Am I unconstructive in criticizing Denmark this way? Who knows. I can only call it as I see it. Am I consumed with hatred? No, I don't think so. Just fed up with total lack of progress. I expected a lot more from a society that claims to be so much. And strangely enough, yes I am leaving, like all the other well-functioning but exasperated foreigners I've befriended. I never set out to win over as many people as I could with this blog, or change Denmark for that matter (Danes are the only ones who can do that). I just wanted to make sure people got to see the bad news about Denmark, instead of the fairytale image that misleads people into coming here. So you can say whatever you like about my words, but I think the news, statistics, EU/UN reports and countless corroborating observations will back me up.
I somehow figure I should apologize for the short length of my comment, but I nonetheless just want to say, 'bliv ved'. It's a very interesting read and, with an open minded view, quite fascinating.
For whatever you might find it relevant, I've lived in Denmark all my life and have no foreign roots, so that probably puts me in the 'group' whose opinion needs a second view like yours gives.
Once again, please keep it up.
This is a very interesting blog. I've been here for 18 months and would agree that Denmark is incredibly xenophobic. What is worse, it seems to rejoice in its bigotry.
It's also an incredibly boring place to live. I consider it a cultural wasteland, although Danes seem to disagree with me on that.
But what is there to do here that doesn't involve sitting around a long table for hours, drinking coffee and being 'cosy'?
I'd leave but I'm stuck here for the for at least a few years.
Hope to read more of the blog in the future.
Mr. Manky,
Jus came across your blog last night, and what can I say except it's your fault I haven't slept and I hv these ugly eye bags now lool- seriously well written stuff!!
You are kick ass!
I was also jus thinking, you could be Crown Princess Mary ;)
Why do I dig your blog?
Well, I used to live in Cph- left the place due to immigration issues-bless their hearts.
And now (what are the odds), I'm engaged to a wonderful Danish man- which means I shall be back...
The idea is kinda overwhelming, to be honest.
Hence the research...
Daedul
Regarding la Guiri's comments about Spanish xenophobia. I spent 3 years in Spain and while yes, it's true that Spaniards tend to know little about other countries they don't usually preach to you about the superiority of their own country, something which happens with sad regularity here in Denmark. And I've never been given the impression that I should leave Spain because I express criticism...To be fair to the Danish commentators, you can't really understand what it's like to live here as a foreigner unless you decide to dress up like Günther Wallraff and speak broken Danish.
Anonymous "Dane", John, Daedul and Doe Castle, thanks for your support.
Daedul, no I'm not Mary, :) I wish I had her case handler though. A few months to get citizenship, and no language test? I should have stood in THAT line at the Immigration center :)
John, I've been stuck here for a while now. Right now I'm here because my work situation is particularly good, and I've got a small circle of friends (some Danes too I must add) who allow me to pretend I live elsewhere. Denmark is a nice place to live, if you think you're elsewhere. Pity, no?
Anonymous Dane, it always make me a little extra happy when I get positive feedback from the locals. I know not everyone has gone over to the Dark "Folkeparti" Side, just wish it was easier know where you all are. Fortsæt god dag!
I love your blog. I'm Danish, but have lived most of my life outside Denmark.
I could never move back. I spend far too much time banging my head against the wall wondering how on earth so many Danes do not see the issues in their own country -and how they manage to ride on their high moral horse without any reasonable grounds to do so what so ever.
It's just so darn embarassing sometimes.
Thanks.
The best blog I have found about the crude reality many foreigners have to face when the try to build a life in Denmark!
I relocated to Denmark to live with my danish girlfriend trusting on my Aerospace Engineer master degree as the best way to prove myself as a profitable worker in order to find a job at a danish company.
I am going to focus just in facts, not opinions:
1) Although I really appreciate my girlfriend's family, It's astonishing when they say me 'Oh, we accept you because you are a western european with a high education and not a muslim.'
2) I only had one job interview after 4 months and dozens of CV's sent(yes, I completely survey a company website to understand its philosophy and prepare an honest Cover Letter). The interview lasted 2 days and I was really surprised when they told me 'It's an advantage that you don't understand danish. Therefore you won't understand blue collars insulting you'.
3) I was strongly committed to live in Denmark and eventually become a 'new dane'(I didn't know that time It is an insult). Therefore I started attending danish lessons at the Laerdansk net.
Anybody who tried It would quickly remember the videos where a muslim woman were unable to distinguish a car, a muslim guy stole his danish teacher money to buy a soda and a couple of muslims (previous described woman and her husband)were reluctant to say 'hello' to their new danish neighbour.
No grammar, no structured danish language education, just the same photocopy for over a week and videos about the queen Margaret.
4)The beautiful green grass fields are almost all of them private. I walked my girlfriend's dog in a field and a guy warned me. 'You are not allowed to walk inside the fields. Hunting season is about to start and animals doesn't like dogs'. It was the time I was doing my best to understand danes and apologized but, in order to prevent further mistakes, I asked how could anybody know It?, there were no door, no markings, no wire nor fence and It was right beside a road were trucks drive noisily. The guy just answered me that danes just know those facts wthout any need of further explanations. He was very smiley and polite...but I knew soon afterwards that nobody hunted around that area.
5) If an arab-looking person talks on danish with a slight accent on TV, subtitles appear. If an scandinavian-anglosaxon looking person talk on tv subtitles never appear even though some of them have an stronger accent than the arab person.
6) It is true that danes spend most of their time indoors sitting around a table drinking coffe. But It is their culture. What I actually can't understand is why they have such a strong need to tell foreigners their countries should learn from Denmark about everything.
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