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cimoreneChristian Christensen on Twitter: "1) Reporter @Frisund at expresen publishes one of most important stories on #COVID19 in Sweden, lost in much of national & intl coverage. Namely, how #COVID19 has spread and impacted Stockholm residents in poorer, diverse districts. Key points here. https://t.co/hlNXxinBgP" / Twitter
Thread summarizing the racist and incompetent bureaucratic trainwreck going on in Sweden's response to ballooning hot spots of pandemic in densely-populated low-income Somali-Swedish immigrant suburbs of Stockholm via![[twitter.com profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
LexiAlex.
Finland managed to act early in the trajectory of the disease and the measures seem to be helping thus far, but there were delays in appropriate action too, which were dealt with pretty promptly and apparently much better than this, as Wax pointed out: when they had to throw out their initial models and estimates the Prime Minister announced she had lost confidence in whoever was in charge of them and replaced them promptly, and apparently they're investigating? So although they're apparently continuing on trajectory for a min. 2-week lag before recommending face masks - still not an official peep in favor - on the whole it seems light-years better in terms of responses to changing situations, honesty and transparency on the part of officials etc (to say nothing of Sweden still sticking to leaving everything open, which has been discussed elsewhere).
We were speculating about what the differences are, and I think it might be down to the strong strain of what I call Fairness Kink in Finnish culture. Finnish culture strongly emphasizes the importance of fairness, and this leads to a logical focus on equality, and, I would argue, the relatively direct and plain-spoken norms are perhaps also connected. Finland has problems with corruption like everywhere, but the rates of corruption are lower; Finland has lawbreakers like everywhere but overall higher confidence in government and interest in following the rules. Finland has bureaucracy like everywhere, but it's maybe less obstructive and impossible to navigate. (Swedish culture does not share this. Sweden is big on egalitarianism and lagom - that is, moderation, restraint, reasonable medium, perhaps? - but there's a cultural trend to insist on upbeatness, far less plain speaking, much bigger problems historically with corruption, and far less equal gender distribution in the workplace. Wax says you even see it on customer service phonecalls: both artificial cheer and sometimes repellant amounts of passive aggression and indirectness.)
expresen publishes one of most important stories on #COVID19 in Sweden, lost in much of national & intl coverage. Namely, how #COVID19 has spread and impacted Stockholm residents in poorer, diverse districts. Key points here. https://t.co/hlNXxinBgP" / TwitterDespite warnings in mid-March that certain segments of Stockholm were disproportionately impacted (with many cases involving Somali-Swedes), authorities were slow to react. Of the first 15 deaths in Stockholm, 6 were Somali-Swedes. A week after that, the number had doubled.
Thread summarizing the racist and incompetent bureaucratic trainwreck going on in Sweden's response to ballooning hot spots of pandemic in densely-populated low-income Somali-Swedish immigrant suburbs of Stockholm via
Finland managed to act early in the trajectory of the disease and the measures seem to be helping thus far, but there were delays in appropriate action too, which were dealt with pretty promptly and apparently much better than this, as Wax pointed out: when they had to throw out their initial models and estimates the Prime Minister announced she had lost confidence in whoever was in charge of them and replaced them promptly, and apparently they're investigating? So although they're apparently continuing on trajectory for a min. 2-week lag before recommending face masks - still not an official peep in favor - on the whole it seems light-years better in terms of responses to changing situations, honesty and transparency on the part of officials etc (to say nothing of Sweden still sticking to leaving everything open, which has been discussed elsewhere).
We were speculating about what the differences are, and I think it might be down to the strong strain of what I call Fairness Kink in Finnish culture. Finnish culture strongly emphasizes the importance of fairness, and this leads to a logical focus on equality, and, I would argue, the relatively direct and plain-spoken norms are perhaps also connected. Finland has problems with corruption like everywhere, but the rates of corruption are lower; Finland has lawbreakers like everywhere but overall higher confidence in government and interest in following the rules. Finland has bureaucracy like everywhere, but it's maybe less obstructive and impossible to navigate. (Swedish culture does not share this. Sweden is big on egalitarianism and lagom - that is, moderation, restraint, reasonable medium, perhaps? - but there's a cultural trend to insist on upbeatness, far less plain speaking, much bigger problems historically with corruption, and far less equal gender distribution in the workplace. Wax says you even see it on customer service phonecalls: both artificial cheer and sometimes repellant amounts of passive aggression and indirectness.)
(no subject)
Date: 14 Apr 2020 09:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 15 Apr 2020 08:58 am (UTC)