One very striking thing about Sweden is that so many people have Swedish flags flying on the homes. In a country that is so scared of being nationalistic, it is one of the few politically acceptable ways to show ones national identity.
In England you just don't see this, accept on football fields and at special times of national celebration. One reason is that flying the Union Jack or Saint George's Cross is so often associated with the far right movement. For them the flag is a symbol of Britain for the (white Anglo-Saxon) British. Whenever you see the British NF marching they carry Union Jack and Saint George's Cross flags.
In SvD today they review the film, 'This is England', a portrayal of skinhead culture in the 1980s Britain. The film makes clear the distinction between the skinheads who worship Ska and Reggae and the ones who support the NF and the far right. The article features a picture of the lead character, a twelve year old boy, holding up a Saint George's Cross and the with his shaven head, he looks like the stereotype neo-Nazi.
If I was publishing this blog in England I would not use the Saint Georges Cross as an associated image, for fear of being labeled a racist. For me the flag is a symbol of my English heritage and I show it with the same pride as football supporters around the world fly their national flags.
A sign of life
6 months ago
2 comments:
Såg dig på nyligen.se, och klickade in eftersom du valt en så rolig rubrik! Och började läsa. Såg då, att du fått några kommentarer, och lustigt - de svarade på engelska! Eftersom du är "Swen-" också, så får du anstränga dig och läsa mitt svar! Bra, va'?
Du skriver om vimplarna många har på sina hus. Ja, alla är, precis som du, i ditt hemland, rädda att räknas som rasister. Jag tror, att flaggorna används så mycket av "vanligt" folk, för att inte nynazister och extremhöger skall få ha den som sin symbol - den tillhör även oss andra. En bra inställning tycker jag. Skulle vara roligt, och läsa, om du försökte skriva på svenska också!
Hi Hatcho,
I can read and speak swedish ok, but I am not comfortable writing in swedish since a)My spelling and grammar would be terrible and b)I find it much harder to express myself in Swedish and so I feel I have more interesting things to say in English.
It's a classic chicken and egg situation, that if I wrote only in Swedish, eventually I would become really good, but then maybe nobody would read my blogg as it would be too boring and painful to read.
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