2024-11-17 21:57
our conceptual framework, our assumptions

 

This site is like a garden: we plant and try to keep things in order, but things grow here and there. Some things wither, weeds spread, we get new plants, and sometimes we forget to take care of the ones we planted earlier

 

philosophical background 
"The State has a ultimate power of control and repression"
"All acquired power consists in command over some of the powers of other man." 
Thomas Hobbes, philosopher, one of the founders of modern political philosophy.

 

Before you continue we would suggest you to learn how to manipulate citizens.
The guide  is professor Noam Chomsky 		 

 

collectivism
In our efforts to become responsible citizens by understanding the inner workings of Swedish society, we have been exploring these sources of inspiration for years
    new

 

 

Swedish, the english version follows below
Frågor som vi kommer att belysa
Kollektivism, Individualism, Religion, Frihet, Egalitarism, Identitet i Sverige i den europeiska kontexten av interkulturell interaktion. 

Vi beskriver sociala fenomen i Sverige och andra moderna högt industraliserade liberala demokratier, och vi använder exempel från Storbritannien, Frankrike, Italien, Tyskland, Österrike och Danmark, där vi ofta jämför svenska sociala särdrag med dem i andra länder.

  • Vissa sociala fenomen och personliga attityder kan vara svåra att förstå inom det samtida  svenska sammanhanget.

  • En tendens att undvika djupare personliga diskussioner, särskilt kring känslor eller politik.

  • En brist på stark individuell identitet utöver materiella värden.

  • En upplevd avsaknad av livsmening bortom ekonomiskt och fysiskt välbefinnande.

  • Rädsla för att uttrycka åsikter som avviker från de som föreskrivs av kollektiva institutioner.

  • Deltagande i Svenska kyrkan trots brist på tro på Gud – i praktiken en "kyrka utan Gud."

  • En uppfattning om att sociala strukturer bygger på vetenskapliga sanningar snarare än att se dem som konstruktioner baserade på gemensamma värderingar.

  • En hög grad av tillit till myndigheter, ibland gränsande till godtrogenhet.
En del saker som vi analyserar
../coll_intro/index.html

 

engish version
issues we wil discuss;
Collectivism, Individualism, Religion, Freedom, Egalitarism, Identity in Sweden in the European context of intercultural interaction  

We describe social phenomena in Sweden and other modern highly-industrialized liberal democracies, using examples from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Denmark, often comparing Swedish social traits with those of other countries.
  • Certain social phenomena and personal attitudes may be challenging to comprehend within the contemporary Swedish context, these are;
  • A tendency to avoid deeper personal discussions, particularly regarding emotions or politics.
  • A lack of strong individual identity beyond material values.
  • A perceived absence of meaning in life beyond financial and physical well-being.
  • Fear of expressing opinions that diverge from those prescribed by collective institutions.
  • Participation in the Swedish Lutheran Church despite a lack of belief in God—essentially, a "church without a God."
  • Viewing social structures as based on scientific truth rather than recognizing them as constructs built on shared values.
  • A high degree of trust in authorities, sometimes bordering on gullibility.
Some extracts from the articles
../coll_intro/index.html

 

  here are articles addressing the issues descibed above
   
Collectivism, Individualism,  Religion, Freedom, Egalitarism, Identity in Sweden in the European context of intercultural interaction

 

FACEBOOK

Jag är djupt tacksam mot SVT och Uppdrag granskning-journalisterna som vågade skildra verkligheten och bekräftade det vi redan visste från många källor. Vi är medveten om att myndighetskritik inte är lika accepterad här som i andra demokratiska länder

Att sopa saker under mattan har en lång tradition, med både historiska och psykologiska orsaker bakom.
(se Prästen-skattmasen-länsman – en lokal maktfigur i svensk historia)
Det bidrar till den underdåniga attityd man ofta ser. Trots den formella friheten vågar få ifrågasätta makten.
 
 
 

   

FB inlägg
 
Konst har mening och budskap. Det som förvånar mig är att man i Sverige inte diskuterar konst på samma sätt som i Wien, London eller Paris, där det kan bli tumult efter vissa teaterföreställningar. Där är man både för och emot, och man måste hitta vad som verkligen berör. Vad är det som pjäsen belyser? Är det något nytt, något fundamentalt? Är det den svenska 'husförhörs'-andan som bromsar, eller Jantelagen? Eller kanske en oförmåga att leva sida vid sida med andra kulturer utan att behöva assimileras? Kan detta diskuteras? Är Systembolagets 'mentalitet' något som borde diskuteras – den paternalistiska inställningen att ta hand om dem som är 'förlorade' i andra idéer och levnadssätt? Det skulle vara intressant att diskutera. Avsaknaden av en konfliktkultur kunde vara ett intressant tema. Det finns många brinnande ämnen, men det verkar som om allt vänds ryggen till.
är det trivialt eller är den "bepansrade" mannen rädd, löper hellre maraton, hur når man balans mellan mind and body, varför behöver vi skyddas från oss själva, vad är det som systembolaget skyddar oss från och varför?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/
901615588663745/permalink/964225945736042/
 
Verklighetern är som det är, men det stora problemet är att den allmänna uppfattningen bygger på önsketänkande. Många lever kvar i föreställningar som var sanna för 30 år sedan. När man visar fakta blir folk ofta ledsna, som om det vore en personlig kritik. Men om man fortsätter att hålla fast vid en illusion utan att agera, kommer sanningen förr eller senare att bli uppenbar – och då blir besvikelsen desto större


Freedom

 

Freedom is inherently constrained when living within a society. At its core, freedom requires self-regulation of impulses, even when understood as the ability to act as one wishes without infringing on the freedom of others.

In Sweden, there is a significant willingness to accept restrictions on freedom if it is for the good of society or to protect individuals or groups who are deemed incapable of taking responsibility for their own lives, such as limiting their alcohol consumption.

The idea of imposing benevolent restrictions on personal freedom, justified by claims of acting in an individual's best interests, is often seen as a valid reason for reducing personal liberties.

 

   
Why is it that in a country like Sweden, where  freedom of expression prevails, such a large part of the population feel insecure or afraid to express their opinions?
Hundreds of years of "house interrogations" may be the culprit, says Katarina Barrling, researcher at Gothenburg University
  Why is it that in a country like Sweden, where freedom of expression prevails, such a large part of the population feels insecure or afraid to express their opinions?
According to Katarina Barrling, a researcher at Gothenburg University, hundreds of years of "house interrogations" (husförhör) might be the culprit.
"Dissident 2023" – Katarina Barrling: "Great faith and spirit of inquiry."

translation of the text above
Varför är det så att i ett land som Sverige, där  råder yttrandefrihet, så stor del av befolkningen som känner sig osäkra eller rädda för att uttrycka sina åsikter?
Hundratals år av ”husförhören” kan vara boven säger Katarina Barrling, forskare vid Götebors Universitet
Avvikande 2023 – Katarina Barrling: Stortro och husförhörsanda.
This seminar examines deviation as a phenomenon within a historical context. We explore both historical and contemporary examples of individuals who have challenged societal norms. Additionally, we consider how the Swedish perspective on deviant behavior may have been shaped by the country’s historical connection to Lutheranism and the intertwining of state and church. We question whether the long-standing relationship between religious faith, the church, and state power in Sweden has resulted in a concept of "state Lutheranism." Moreover, we investigate possible parallels between how modern secular society treats those who deviate and how the church historically treated heretics. (Katarina Barrling)

  se LÄNK

the seminar is an early presentation of ideas included in the book below
 

translation
Detta seminarium behandlar avvikandet som fenomen. Mot en idéhistorisk bakgrund ger vi både historiska och samtida exempel på personer som verkligen brutit mot normen. Vi ställer också frågan hur den svenska synen på avvikaren kan förstås mot Sveriges historiska arv av lutheranism och de nära banden mellan stat och kyrka. Är det så att en kultur där religiös tro och kyrka genom seklerna sammanflätats med statsmakten har gett upphov till en form av ”statslutheranism”? Och går det att dra paralleller mellan det sekulära samhällets behandling av dem som avviker och kyrkans behandling av kättaren i äldre kristen tid? 
(katrin Barrling)

   



 




 
 


 


Power and satire


 
 
 
To understand the Swedish society we have identified 2 main cultural traits; Ingmar Bergman's bishof Vergerus teachings and teachings of the Swedish Lutheran Church. (how it influences a social life see below )
 
Ethos
Ethos of a society is a construction, it is an illusion we labour on and sometimes we die for it.

illustration of the basic principle of every society
"it is done for your own benefit"  
Society "radiates"  messages so that all citizens know how to behave. On the photo we see Bishop Edward Vergérus  teaches  Alexander to love ethos. (from Ingmar Bergman "Funny and Alexander")
Still this method of teaching the good Swedish ethos is in use but  we differentiate between "characteristics of an ethos" and "teaching to love an ethos". ethos
     
Currently, we have two inspirational sources, Jean-Jacque Rousseau and Cass Sunstein 
"conformity means to copy what other do"

“The government acts paternalistically when it overrides people’s choices on the ground that their choices will not promote their own welfare.”
Cass Robert Sunstein, professor at Harvard Law School  		  


x
All Societies are, and will be in essence an arrangement of human beings based on the restriction of personal freedoms.

All Societies are, and will be in essence an arrangement of human beings based on the restriction of personal freedoms.
   
"Ethos (/ˈiːθɒs/ or US: /ˈiːθoʊs/) is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. wikipedia"
 



collectivism
  

 
 
   
       
 
Sweden's hirerchical and paternalistic past
       
 

 Reflections around
Inte alla män -Inte alla män – Veronica Palm – Bok | Akademibokhandeln		  
   
 
this was one time
   



     


Collectivism
The Swedish society will try to lead you on the right path, make you a member of a collective, persuade you from pursuing choices, help  you to reduce your expectations and insist that you disassociate from an exclusive relation with God.
here below we show how it is done;
 From the Swedish Citizen's Book
Collectivism is Evil and Irrational - YouTube"It is peculiar to Swedish culture that it is not the state that has forced the citizens to take any collective action, but it is they themselves who have voluntarily joined forces, voluntarily adopted rules and programs for their activities, voluntarily submitted to the restrictions in the personal freedom that the organization must demand. We Swedes believe that such voluntary collectivism is more valuable than a state-commanded, uniform cooperation."
the orginal in Swedish
This is a self=deception
Our discourse is aimed to adjust to what is expected from us. But first we have to understand the mechanisms and unspoken expectations. After acquiring  good understanding of the Swedish culture, especially the ethos we hope to live happily and enjoy life in Sweden





       

loneliness, identity, depression are they connected?

more 
 
 
Is privacy an illusion
bildt The STATE and the privacy
"the surveillance technologies that are there (including this country by the way) they do not limit in any sort of way freedom of expression and information" Carl Bildt
  The STATE and the privacy versus information exchange
the STATE has right to brake any privacy sphere. Hence it is naive to insist on the high level of confidentiality such as PGP encryption. Digital Mail system provide complete AUTHENTICATION and  INTEGRITY of the exchanged information
  Carl Bildt's statement 

       

 
       
Crusade of the utilitarian ideology
 
abort, bad conscience? Swedish "modernization" crusade
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loving law and forgetting that the law is restriction of personal freedom.
law
loving rules of the society.		 following J-J Rousseau I learn to love the liberal-democratic ethos, especially the Swedish implementation

We distinguish between "learning to love" an ethos what describes a conscious process of accepting and interacting with ethos. "To love" an ethos on the other side means a total unconscious submission to the ethos. law

 

Depression as a loss of idenntity

depression
The diagnosis of the current times
 It can be so exhausting to uphold social constructs (ethos) a depression is the only solution offered by the  society when the pain is too big.

depression

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

   

authoritarian past
 
communication with the citizens