S - Kingdom of Sweden

Chris Chase5 said:[/I]

I’d want to take this discussion a bit deeper from a philosophical standpoint—how much money and how many people should realistically be poured into managing one individual like this? And does the system really need to buckle under the weight of trying to integrate people who harbor such intense hatred, or should they simply be sent back to their home countries?

Look, he lost an uncle, and so many people from our neck of the woods have lost parents in various wars... he believes Swedes are pedophiles responsible for war crimes in his homeland and in Africa... he views alcohol as a state-sanctioned drug and sees the ban on hashish as pure discrimination... he even lists at least ten specific people he wants to kill before he leaves... why hasn't all of this been reported to the police? In my view, he deserves to be deported back to his country of origin...

Because if anyone said to me, "Yeah, you say all these things too, and you're right, but I've never explicitly threatened to kill someone under certain conditions or expressed this level of visceral hatred toward my surroundings," it would feel different...

The core issue here is that we're talking about children traumatized by war, coming from cultures where life might look completely different at seventeen, raised on heavy propaganda about war, vengeance, and holy crusades between brothers... they are fundamentally different from the environment they live in now, and I honestly don't know how much tolerance the local community has for them during daily interactions...

Ultimately, those wars are a tragedy for all of humanity, and I truly hope they come to an end... but America can't go around trying to heal every single war wound across the entire world...

And we're traumatized by war too, which is why we see nearly 3,000 veteran suicides and various homicides (like what happened with Corey and stuff). I don't know how things are in Canada or Mexico, but people aren't usually attacking each other in the streets or cities. I think it really comes down to how the community raises them...

Around here, veterans aren't exactly killing each other since they pull in huge pensions—like maybe $1,100 a month, which is easily triple what the average retiree gets.

Sean Hernandez3 said:Around here, veterans aren't exactly killing each other since they pull in huge pensions—like maybe $1,100 a month, which is easily triple what the average retiree gets.

"Veteran" is such a broad term, isn't it? It's incredibly vague... Claiming the average veteran pension is $1,100 is honestly laughable—especially when you consider that people like Ivo Sanders and Vojislav Pupovac hold military ranks from the war. It doesn't take much math to figure out who we're actually talking about. I highly doubt those 3,000 individuals who committed suicide due to crushing life circumstances or the sheer trauma of combat fall into that "privileged pension" category.

There’s this massive debate going on right now in a Facebook group dedicated to life in Sweden. This guy starts asking about crime rates in Seattle or Chicago, and honestly, I don't even know. People are just throwing their own personal experiences at the wall to see what sticks. But get this—most of the Americans who have lived in Sweden for a long time all seem to be singing the exact same tune, claiming there isn't actually any unrest in Sweden at all; they're out here insisting those cars were torched by right-wing fascists, or rather, that they paid Arabs to set them on fire just so they could rack up more votes in the elections.
The second you tell someone that there might be alternative news sources out there, they immediately jump down your throat and accuse you of lying.

Is the mentality in Sweden really so fragile that you aren't allowed to say a single negative thing about the country or point out the issues existing there?

If you ask me, the people over there are completely brainwashed.

I mean, seriously, with every single mess involving migrants, foreigners, or Swedes, they somehow find an excuse and pin the blame squarely on the right wing.

If that’s truly the state of mind over there, then that country is headed straight for disaster... Look, it’s perfectly fine to be positive and defend the good parts of Sweden. Of course you should! But you also have to accept the negative stuff. But this? Trying to say anything against refugees or Arabs is strictly forbidden, otherwise, you're instantly attacked.
Check out this one comment from an American woman living over there:

"Oh my god, like mainstream media sources are the only things that matter, the people, and all that crap—it’s just a fascist war-mongering mob of garbage. Yeah, cars have been burned in Sweden, but not for the reasons those fascist paranoiacs claim. In Sweden, setting cars on fire has been an expression of revolt and dissatisfaction for years, and these recent ones in Chicago aren't anything new. Seriously, if you're all so terrified of everything, especially anything different, why on earth do you even leave your houses? Just stay where you are and stay quiet."

Who knows, or maybe—hear me out on this crazy thought—maybe people who actually live there know more than some internet expert based in America?

Especially when you're talking about Americans living in Sweden, folks who don't exactly have some deep-seated emotional vendetta to defend the place.

That doesn't mean things are perfect, obviously, but I’ve got family and friends over in Sweden and, believe it or not, they're actually happy... life is good, they've got money, they feel safe, and they aren't complaining about a single thing. It hasn't even crossed their minds to pack up and leave...

I find that a whole lot more believable than whatever those "alternative news" outlets are peddling.

I recently came across an article by Slavenka Drakulić in the Morning... she’s living in New York City now and happens to be on the left side of the political spectrum.

The piece caught my eye because it feels like a classic case of "stop the thief!" It doesn't really break any new ground, but it does suggest that even the left is starting to catch up to what the more observant part of the population has been saying from day one.
At some point, you just can't lie your way out of reality anymore.

Back in '98, the Swedish Right pulled in fewer than 20,000 votes—now they’re sitting at a massive 1.15 million. It seems ethnic Swedes are voting for them because they see a reality that other groups—those who moved there to work and enjoy the perks of a superior system compared to their homelands—simply don't perceive. Look at Italians in America; they mostly lean left, yet in elections back in Italy, they swing toward the right despite its flirtations with fascism, and nobody treats that as an issue. The same logic applies to Mexicans...

Americans living there are also immigrants, and this surge in right-wing support doesn't exactly help their cause—even if the right-wingers don't lump them in with the Middle Eastern or African migrants. Still, I suppose one feels much safer being an immigrant when the left is in power rather than the right.

I highly doubt the right-wing parties are responsible for any falling grenades; frankly, Swedes who haven't lived through actual warfare are probably far more accustomed to chaos than other nationalities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...acks_in_Sweden

And let's not forget the stone-throwing at fire trucks, ambulances, and police cruisers in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods like the Bronx, South Side Chicago, or Watts.

On one hand, people exaggerate things, but on the other, claiming nothing is happening—or suggesting this is all just right-wing propaganda—is laughable, especially considering Sweden took in over 300,000 immigrants from the Middle East and Africa in less than three years. Crime is real, and the smuggling of weapons from the former America used by the Albanian mafia has been an issue for a long time.
Earlier this year, a bomb was thrown at a police station in the capital; you have to admit, that kind of thing just doesn't happen in our neighboring countries!!

When Swedes are actually being honest, they speak quite differently, despite the heavy censorship enforced by their media outlets trying to suppress the truth...

Swedish PM Stefan Löfven kicked out, anti-immigrant party eyeing a seat at the table

Anyone got any actual leads on who’s actually gonna form a government now...?

nimbleranger52 said:There’s this massive debate going on right now in a Facebook group dedicated to life in Sweden. This guy starts asking about crime rates in Seattle or Chicago, and honestly, I don't even know. People are just throwing their own personal experiences at the wall to see what sticks. But get this—most of the Americans who have lived in Sweden for a long time all seem to be singing the exact same tune, claiming there isn't actually any unrest in Sweden at all; they're out here insisting those cars were torched by right-wing fascists, or rather, that they paid Arabs to set them on fire just so they could rack up more votes in the elections.
The second you tell someone that there might be alternative news sources out there, they immediately jump down your throat and accuse you of lying.

Is the mentality in Sweden really so fragile that you aren't allowed to say a single negative thing about the country or point out the issues existing there?

If you ask me, the people over there are completely brainwashed.

I mean, seriously, with every single mess involving migrants, foreigners, or Swedes, they somehow find an excuse and pin the blame squarely on the right wing.

If that’s truly the state of mind over there, then that country is headed straight for disaster... Look, it’s perfectly fine to be positive and defend the good parts of Sweden. Of course you should! But you also have to accept the negative stuff. But this? Trying to say anything against refugees or Arabs is strictly forbidden, otherwise, you're instantly attacked.
Check out this one comment from an American woman living over there:

"Oh my god, like mainstream media sources are the only things that matter, the people, and all that crap—it’s just a fascist war-mongering mob of garbage. Yeah, cars have been burned in Sweden, but not for the reasons those fascist paranoiacs claim. In Sweden, setting cars on fire has been an expression of revolt and dissatisfaction for years, and these recent ones in Chicago aren't anything new. Seriously, if you're all so terrified of everything, especially anything different, why on earth do you even leave your houses? Just stay where you are and stay quiet."

Which group is it? Send a link. 🤣

It's simple. People are subjected to massive media censorship, and it's common knowledge how hard it is for people to resist that.
Just look at that statement—mass car burnings are considered "normal." I think that tells you everything you need to know.

I don't usually post—I mostly just lurk—but I figured I'd weigh in here since I'm living in Seattle. Having been stuck navigating the system for just under a year now, I can tell you that America has some massive issues that people either don't realize, won't admit, or simply can't fix.
First off, the media censorship is unreal. For instance, back in January, there were five explosive devices thrown—four bombs and a grenade at a police station—yet all you could find in the news or online was that one single grenade tossed at the precinct.
The whole integration setup through language classes looks good on paper, but in practice? It's a mess. Everyone is entitled to free SFI classes, and immigrants actually get a stipend to attend—basically "incentivizing" them to show up—but most of them just don't bother. My class has 22 students, and honestly, only about 12 to 14 actually show up most days.
As an EU citizen, you've got six months to land a job, otherwise you have to leave the country and start the whole process over from scratch. Once you finally fight your way to getting a temporary ID so you can actually work, you have to wait three months and produce three pay stubs before you get your permanent status. Only then do you feel like a real person rather than just a number. For immigrants, though, the path seems much smoother.
Pretending these problems don't exist is just delusional. I feel safe enough in my own neighborhood, sure, but it isn't exactly pleasant when 1.9 miles you can practically feel the tension radiating off people. It's not okay when gang violence results in 16 casualties—11 injured and 5 dead—in just 16 days. And this stuff happens in public spaces; we're lucky no civilians have been caught in the crossfire yet.
Also, deportations? They aren't working. Not at all.
Even though America is a beautiful country—people are polite and they really respect you as a worker and all that—you can't just close your eyes and pretend everything is fine when it clearly isn't. This crazy policy approach has created problems that I have no clue how they'll ever solve... I think things have gone way too far.

Rebecca Wilson34 said:I don't usually post—I mostly just lurk—but I figured I'd weigh in here since I'm living in Seattle. Having been stuck navigating the system for just under a year now, I can tell you that America has some massive issues that people either don't realize, won't admit, or simply can't fix.
First off, the media censorship is unreal. For instance, back in January, there were five explosive devices thrown—four bombs and a grenade at a police station—yet all you could find in the news or online was that one single grenade tossed at the precinct.
The whole integration setup through language classes looks good on paper, but in practice? It's a mess. Everyone is entitled to free SFI classes, and immigrants actually get a stipend to attend—basically "incentivizing" them to show up—but most of them just don't bother. My class has 22 students, and honestly, only about 12 to 14 actually show up most days.
As an EU citizen, you've got six months to land a job, otherwise you have to leave the country and start the whole process over from scratch. Once you finally fight your way to getting a temporary ID so you can actually work, you have to wait three months and produce three pay stubs before you get your permanent status. Only then do you feel like a real person rather than just a number. For immigrants, though, the path seems much smoother.
Pretending these problems don't exist is just delusional. I feel safe enough in my own neighborhood, sure, but it isn't exactly pleasant when 1.9 miles you can practically feel the tension radiating off people. It's not okay when gang violence results in 16 casualties—11 injured and 5 dead—in just 16 days. And this stuff happens in public spaces; we're lucky no civilians have been caught in the crossfire yet.
Also, deportations? They aren't working. Not at all.
Even though America is a beautiful country—people are polite and they really respect you as a worker and all that—you can't just close your eyes and pretend everything is fine when it clearly isn't. This crazy policy approach has created problems that I have no clue how they'll ever solve... I think things have gone way too far.

It is truly staggering that the European Union allows this kind of thing to happen in Sweden! And the best part? Nobody even mentions it—yet we saw how quickly people were branded for simply trying to secure their borders, like what happened in Canada!

This is a massive practical issue, and frankly, it's humiliating for American citizens!

(And why on earth does Brussels and the rest of the European Union act so shocked by British proposals and ideas—both leading up to and during Brexit—when "wonderful" Sweden is pulling stunts like this? Why the sudden outrage toward Poles, Canadians, or Czechs... when they are clearly just trying to be full members of the European Union, rather than having the wealthier nations dictate terms to them whenever it suits their memory!)

Six months. In Denmark, you’ve only got three months of grace period... and the longer you hang around without a Social Security number, the more you feel like an illegal. To actually get that number, you're basically stuck with three paths: find a job, go to school, or have a massive pile of cash in your bank account—and even then, you're still on a ticking clock to land employment.

Rachel Allen55 said:Six months. In Denmark, you’ve only got three months of grace period... and the longer you hang around without a Social Security number, the more you feel like an illegal. To actually get that number, you're basically stuck with three paths: find a job, go to school, or have a massive pile of cash in your bank account—and even then, you're still on a ticking clock to land employment.

That wasn't my point. Even an American in the States has to register—you know how it is with all those bureaucratic technicalities regarding residency and domicile requirements.

I was actually referring to
"... otherwise they have to leave the country, and then you're right back at square one" because that was the specific claim made by @Rebecca Wilson34 regarding how the system works in Sweden.

So, after a few months, an American (or an Italian, for that matter) has to register with the authorities in Denmark, obviously. But does the law require them to physically exit the country temporarily to reset their status?

At least one person on this forum insisted that this is exactly how it works in Sweden.
Is that actually the case—for Sweden, perhaps for Denmark, or any other European Union nation?

These are the exact words from an official over at the IRS—I’m just copying this straight from their site: “You can have residency for up to six months if you are looking for work in the States. To be registered with the Social Security Administration, you must have residency for at least one year.

You can only hold residency status as a job seeker for up to six months. Therefore, you cannot be registered with the Social Security Administration as a job seeker.”
People have been talking—basically hearsay, really—saying it wasn't always like this, but since 2018, it has been, which matches what’s currently on their website.
Now, everyone's experiences are totally different—from EU citizens to non-EU citizens—and I can only speak for myself, based on what I had to go through. Just keep in mind, what I copied above applies specifically to EU citizens.

Edit: reading what Rachel Allen55 said, I forgot to mention those people who are students or have a ton of money in their bank accounts (which I can prove)—I have no clue what their procedure looks like—since I'm neither a student nor loaded.

Support for joining NATO is gaining serious momentum. If my assessment is correct, a significant portion of the right wing—actually, most of them, including the largest party on that side of the aisle—now holds a positive view toward membership.



The article is about 10 months old.

https://www.politico.eu/article/unde...t-nato-russia/

The US government just announced they're extending temporary border controls until February because of security concerns.

"There’s still a legitimate threat to public order and national security," the administration stated.

The US first implemented these kinds of measures back in late 2015. That was the year we saw a massive surge in asylum claims—around 163,000—which basically broke the system and overwhelmed local municipalities and processing centers.

According to the official report, the decision to keep the borders tight also stems from intelligence assessments by the FBI and general anxiety over how the entire European Union manages its external borders.

The administration pointed out that other Schengen area members like Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway have all recently stepped up their own border controls too.

nimbleranger52 said:There’s this massive debate going on right now in a Facebook group dedicated to life in Sweden. This guy starts asking about crime rates in Seattle or Chicago, and honestly, I don't even know. People are just throwing their own personal experiences at the wall to see what sticks. But get this—most of the Americans who have lived in Sweden for a long time all seem to be singing the exact same tune, claiming there isn't actually any unrest in Sweden at all; they're out here insisting those cars were torched by right-wing fascists, or rather, that they paid Arabs to set them on fire just so they could rack up more votes in the elections.
The second you tell someone that there might be alternative news sources out there, they immediately jump down your throat and accuse you of lying.

Is the mentality in Sweden really so fragile that you aren't allowed to say a single negative thing about the country or point out the issues existing there?

If you ask me, the people over there are completely brainwashed.

I mean, seriously, with every single mess involving migrants, foreigners, or Swedes, they somehow find an excuse and pin the blame squarely on the right wing.

If that’s truly the state of mind over there, then that country is headed straight for disaster... Look, it’s perfectly fine to be positive and defend the good parts of Sweden. Of course you should! But you also have to accept the negative stuff. But this? Trying to say anything against refugees or Arabs is strictly forbidden, otherwise, you're instantly attacked.
Check out this one comment from an American woman living over there:

"Oh my god, like mainstream media sources are the only things that matter, the people, and all that crap—it’s just a fascist war-mongering mob of garbage. Yeah, cars have been burned in Sweden, but not for the reasons those fascist paranoiacs claim. In Sweden, setting cars on fire has been an expression of revolt and dissatisfaction for years, and these recent ones in Chicago aren't anything new. Seriously, if you're all so terrified of everything, especially anything different, why on earth do you even leave your houses? Just stay where you are and stay quiet."

I’ve known Sweden since the 70s, back when we were just kids visiting. By the 80s, I was coming of age there.

Swedes just won't admit when they've messed up. It's baked into the mentality, even in business. You rarely see someone there actually have the guts to say, "My bad." Integration is a disaster, too. It's hard to say if Denmark is worse off or if Sweden's situation is more dire, but personally, I think Denmark takes it because they don't even really have the same issues. That said, the sheer number of refugees in Sweden compared to Denmark is a massive differentiator. Sweden ties its whole sense of national identity to this specific brand of humanitarianism. In Denmark, though, being a decent human being and what the state does are two totally different things—you can be a good person without the government acting like a charity. That’s one major distinction right there.

The community is split right down the middle. You’ve got the Americans who refuse to face reality, and then you’ve got the ones who finally do. On top of that, there are the expats who side with the locals who actually get it—they're basically just distancing themselves from the outsiders who are trying to run a shadow government. That’s the four groups making up society here today.

Larry Walker24 said:The US government just announced they're extending temporary border controls until February because of security concerns.

"There’s still a legitimate threat to public order and national security," the administration stated.

The US first implemented these kinds of measures back in late 2015. That was the year we saw a massive surge in asylum claims—around 163,000—which basically broke the system and overwhelmed local municipalities and processing centers.

According to the official report, the decision to keep the borders tight also stems from intelligence assessments by the FBI and general anxiety over how the entire European Union manages its external borders.

The administration pointed out that other Schengen area members like Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway have all recently stepped up their own border controls too.

Denmark has "extended" its borders and looks like they have zero intention of backing down. Now, the Danish People's Party (basically social nationalists) is pushing hard for full passport and customs checks. For them and a few other groups, the EU basically doesn't exist. But if current trends hold, even these guys might not be enough, since no political bloc will be able to actually form a government—rebel parties just won't play ball with either side. Honestly, I think this worries Sweden more; they're terrified that Danish border controls might just vanish because the country ends up stuck without a functioning government for a while.

Another failed attempt at building a parliamentary majority in Sweden.

https://www.thelocal.se/20181114/swe...lf-kristersson

Look, there’s no need to overthink this—the math speaks for itself. No single faction holds more than a sixth of the power. The only way out is if the red bloc somehow manages to woo those green moderates to hit 175 seats and grab a majority. But let’s be real: that’s basically science fiction, considering how massive the gap is between them and the hard-leftists. Honestly, I don't see any path forward unless the center-right concedes that the Democratic Party has to be part of the coalition. Otherwise, the only logical move is new elections. And day by day, that starts looking like the only real option.

Over 1.1 million people cast their votes for the Democratic Party, and in this country, you can't just ignore that mandate.

What the left and the center blocs are pulling right now is a massive blunder. It's the kind of mistake that's going to shift the entire landscape of American politics forever.

The way the Democrats want to basically just erase 1.3 million people from existence—metaphorically speaking, of course