Posts by Zachary Stewart2

Justin Patel8 said:So, the Swedish media is reporting that Swedish democrats are planning to hold a pride parade right in the middle of Muslim neighborhoods in Stockholm. Naturally, the leftists are up in arms about it—they're terrified of offending the feelings of the Muslim immigrants living there. Plus, there’s the whole awkward reality that we might see a repeat of those massive riots back in 2013.

Justin Patel8 said:Yeah, because Sweden is basically an anomaly. Feminist ideology is pretty much the default setting for their media and schools. Take their Republican Party, for example—by any standard European metric, they'd actually be considered left-wing since they’re pushing for even more immigration. Their leader even went on record saying immigrants work harder than the locals and that citizens should basically be grateful for it. And don't even get me started on the actual left in Sweden; they make the average European leftist look moderate by comparison.

The Sweden Democrats aren't really "far-right"—they're essentially just the center. 😁

There’s this one guy on YouTube, a Swedish man of Canadian descent, who does deep dives into the Swedish political landscape. He’s an atheist, hates religion, and supports legalizing soft drugs—yet he’s also against mass immigration. Because of that, the Swedish media constantly attacks him as some kind of radical right-winger.

placidridge2 said:Quote

Look, if I didn't personally know a bunch of Canadians who moved there and seen exactly how they're living, I might actually believe you.

Most people around here just seem obsessed with finding ways to game the welfare system. For them, a real job is always the last thing on their minds.

Generous social safety nets in places like Scandinavia tend to draw in huge numbers of immigrants from much poorer regions, often from cultures that don't exactly mesh with Western values. This frequently leads to higher crime rates among those groups. A good portion of them—if not most—never actually enter the workforce, choosing instead to live off the system, using public healthcare and schools for their kids. Once they secure citizenship, they almost always vote for politicians who promise even more redistribution and welfare benefits. Back in 2011, around 60% of social welfare in Sweden went to immigrants, even though they only made up about 14% of the population.

Anyone with half a brain can see exactly who's walking through the doors in Sweden. If they keep up this insane immigration policy, there isn't much of a future left for them. The "progressive" left is going to tear the whole country apart.

And then people act surprised when more and more actual Swedes start voting for the radical right to push back against this distorted immigration policy and everything else.

placidridge2 said:The journalists here are a total joke.

Just because she finished law school on schedule doesn't make her qualified to be a Swedish Minister. Comparing her to students back home in the States doesn't change that reality.

American law students aren't exactly the gold standard for determining who should join the Swedish Government.

If the reporter had actually mentioned the average time it takes to finish law school in Sweden, they might have looked slightly less clueless—though it wouldn't have changed much.

Look, if graduating on time was truly the benchmark for a ministerial role, there would be tens of thousands of Svedans and Svedankas eligible for the job.

But we all know that isn't the criteria. It’s strictly about having the right political party membership card.

So, in Sweden, we end up with a minister who hasn't spent a single day working in the private sector.

There are probably tens of thousands of citizens in Sweden with far better resumes than hers. They just don't happen to have been loyal party members since they turned eighteen.

Appointing Muslims to the Swedish Government like this is exactly why the radical right is gaining so much ground over there.

The new center-left government over in Sweden is planning to officially recognize Palestine—making them the first major EU player to actually pull the trigger on this move, according to Swedish PM Stefan Lofven this past Friday.

Now, look, the United Nations basically gave the green light to recognizing a sovereign Palestinian state back in 2012, but the European Union and most of its members have just been sitting on their hands since then.
"The whole mess between Israel and the Palestinians can only be settled through a two-state agreement that follows international law," Lofven mentioned during his inaugural speech to parliament.
"A two-state solution needs both sides to recognize each other and actually want to live together in peace. So, Sweden is going to recognize the state of Palestine," he said.
For the Palestinians, this move from Sweden is definitely going to feel like a massive win for their push for statehood.

Given how Sweden is usually seen as this fair-minded mediator on the world stage—and honestly, they carry some weight when it comes to EU foreign policy—this decision might actually nudge other countries to stop ignoring the issue, especially now that Palestinians are threatening to take unilateral steps toward sovereignty.
That said, don't expect Israel to be happy about it; they’ll likely tear this decision apart, along with the USA and the EU, who pretty much insist that an independent Palestinian state can only happen through direct negotiations.
Canada, Poland, and Slovakia recognized Palestine before, too, but that was way back before they joined the EU.

Jamie Nelson90 said:Well, even Norway isn't quite it,
Norway is actually more attractive to Americans because the standard of living there is double what it is in Sweden, and the languages are about the same level of difficulty.

If Swedes are heading to Norway to work, why wouldn't we just skip Sweden entirely and head straight for Norway? We aren't exactly rookies here! 😉

Justin Patel8 said:Honestly, you could almost thank the Kingdom of Sweden for this—their immigration patterns end up helping balance out the demographics for Americans.

James Nguyen13 said:In my view, that kind of logic will never fly politically, mostly because it would trigger a domino effect of nations just falling apart everywhere.

So, you're really left with just one blunt reality if you want change: you have to find the nerve, declare independence, and be ready to stand your ground against an army sent to stop you.

It’s a simple equation—if you can hold the line, you’ve got a country; if you can't, well, you might as well pack your bags and head home.

cosmicfox69 said:Election results from Sweden:

Social Democratic Party (-II-): 31.2% - 113 seats (+1) - former opposition (in power 1994 - 2006)
Moderate Party (center-right): 23.2% - 84 seats (-23!) - current governing party (2006 - present)
Swedish Democrat (right-wing): 12.9% - 49 seats (+20!)
Greens (-II-): 6.8% - 24 seats (-1)
Center (liberals): 5.7% - 21 seats (-1)
Left-wing (socialists): 5.4% - 21 seats (+2)
LPP: 5.4% - 19 seats (-5)
Christian Democratic Party: 4.6% - 17 seats (-2)

Source: http://www.electionresources.org/se/...?election=2014

The Social Democratic Party managed to grab 113 seats.
Man, the Moderate Party really took a hit! The center-right group had a pretty rough night, losing 23 seats, which is huge. Because of that, their leader Fredrik Reinfeldt—who’s been our Prime Minister—already announced he's stepping down.
On the flip side, the Swedish Democrat party did incredibly well! They basically crushed their 2010 numbers, pulling in 2.5 times more than last time. Now they’ve got a solid 49 seats, which is about 14% of the whole thing.

So, the Swedish Congress has 349 total seats, and you need at least 175 to actually run things. Even though the opposition narrowly beat out the center-right coalition, they can't quite pull together a majority on their own (the Social Democratic Party, Greens, and Left-wing groups combined only have 155 seats). But, hey, maybe that won't be such a big deal after all.

Before the voting even started, every single party said they wouldn't work with the Swedish Democrat party. In fact, Reinfeldt even mentioned he'd be okay with letting a Left-wing coalition form, just to make sure those Swedish Democrats stay far away from any real power.

Alexander Patel76 said:Does that mean he's actually the longest-serving ruler in Europe?!

Brandon Lopez6 said:For me, it lasted the entire time I was on them. It didn't finally lift until I stopped taking the medication altogether.

Eric Mitchell55 said:Yeah, definitely. For me, it happened specifically while I was on Zyprexa, and honestly, the numbness stuck around until they switched me over to a different AP.🙂

So, what does it actually feel like when that emotional numbness finally starts to lift? I'm curious—did it happen the second you stopped taking your meds, or did it kick in after switching to a different antidepressant? Or is it more of a slow burn where it takes days or even weeks for the fog to clear? If anyone's been through this, could you walk me through it in a bit more detail?
So, I messed up and stopped my meds twice this summer—yeah, I know, I'm a genius. The first time, I only lasted three days before quitting, and man, the fallout was real. I had this massive headache and felt so wired that sleep was basically impossible. Then, just recently, I did it again, but this time it was only for two days. This time around, there was no headache or anything, but I definitely noticed one thing: that constant mental fog just... vanished. Now I’m kind of spiraling, thinking about the possibility that once I actually get back on track with the pills, that clarity might not come back.
There’s some kind of noise going on in my head—like something is ringing or buzzing—and honestly, I have no clue what it is.

Matthew Castillo5 said:Technically, anhedonia is that specific inability to feel pleasure, and it usually shows up as a hallmark symptom of depression.
Emotional numbness can definitely happen at the same time as anhedonia, but they aren't the same thing—not even close, really. If you're looking for a better fit for emotional numbness, "apathy" is probably closer to the mark.

Justin Rogers5 said:I just quit my AD on my own because it was killing me more than the depression did. The fallout hit a few months later—got a stomach ulcer, started drinking every single day just to stay level, and ended up mixing it all with Xanax. Real fun. It led to waking up in the middle of the night with these massive bouts of derealization, feeling totally disconnected from reality for about three months... So I switched to a different AD that actually works. No more drinking, cut back on the Xanax, and I'm tapering off the Zoloft now. Just take it once in a while.

fadedbear92 said:Look, you're ultimately responsible for your own health here—I really hope things don't take a turn for the worse.