Stop Comparing Me to Norway

There is no "quality of life" comparison to be made about the United States and some Scandinavian country with the racial diversity of a lacrosse game.

I’ve heard this argument since I was in college, but I heard it most recently on NPR from Inside Job director Charles Ferguson.  And in articles like this.  He was rambling about how the United States doesn't provide the same quality of life, infrastructure and education of countries like Sweden and Switzerland.  On paper, this may be true, but let’s apply some common sense and explain why this is total bull shit.

 

First, comparing the United States as a whole to a Scandinavian country is like comparing New York City to Concord, NH.  To make a food analogy, one city is a simmering pot of delicious mystery stew, the other is a weird-smelling white guy in hiking boots.  Norway is usually cited as having the highest quality of life. Norway is 5-fucking-million people.  5 Million.  The United States is 312 million people, which makes it some 98.4% bigger than Norway and perhaps a teensy bit harder to govern.  The commonalities between the United States and Norway are that they are both considered independent sovereign nations, and nothing else.  Different populations, priorities, economies, problems, resources, goals, responsibilities, and overall existences.  I wonder how Norway corrects their centuries of discrimination towards minorities and assimilates the constant influx of new cultures and immigrants into their society?  Because whatever they're doing, let's just do more of that.  Oh, right, Norway is all white guys named Sig that consider the Swedish an inferior race.  



Actually, it is the Viking's official position that
Swedes smell bad for hygeniac,
rather than genetic reasons.

It’s an unfair comparison with no substantive value outside allowing armchair liberals to downsize American accomplishments, and of course bolster that self-esteem of the historically insecure Nordic population.


The same goes for the other countries cited: The Netherlands, Finland, South Korea, Denmark, and Tawain.  It’s a competent government overseeing a small, homogeneous, loyal, and educated population.  It's like bitching at LA for not being as clean as Aspen, Colorado.  Fuck off.