Posts tagged with "Stockholm"

Stalkholming

Posted by Marcus Cederström No Comments
Oct 26 2011

Websites featuring good looking Swedish men and women out partying are not at all uncommon in Sweden. Every weekend, thousands of pictures are published featuring people out at the clubs.  Sometimes these websites are hosted by the clubs themselves, other times not.

A new website in Sweden has emerged though, this one also publishing pictures of beautiful Swedes.  But with a twist.  Stalkholmed features photos of men on the SL public transportation system in Stockholm which are supposedly taken without the men knowing (there’s a verb for that – smygfota).

What is interesting though is not necessarily the voyeuristic aspects of the website, but instead the reason for those voyeuristic aspects.  The creators of the site claim that the photographs are meant to spur a discussion on gender roles (as well as entertain people by sharing beautiful people online).  The website asks:

“As a general question, why is it widely perceived as acceptable to view women as passive, sexual objects, but not men? And in a contradictory double-standard, is it more acceptable to  ”stalk” male subway passengers, while many people exhibit a visceral reaction if the subjects were instead changed to women?  And finally, as we come under ever greater surveillance by both businesses and governments while we are in both public and private spaces, what happens when our fellow citizens become part of that discussion?”

This community art project then claims a noble cause.  Their “About” section takes a decidedly defensive stand against anyone who might in the future one day maybe complain about their motives or actions, but as of this writing, only 19 photos are available online.

I love community art projects. I find them fascinating in their ability to bring out the creative sides of people from so many backgrounds. While photography is an art form that should be celebrated, I don’t know that voyeuristic photography on public transportation is one that should be celebrated.  Regardless of the gender being photographed.  I also have to question the motives of a group that seems to deliberately seek controversy under the guise of art.

Of course, the questions raised by the website are legitimate ones when discussing gender roles and even privacy roles.  But is this a legitimate way of bringing this discussion to the fore?  What do you think? Is this a harmless art project meant to spur discussion, or a sexist website meant to spur controversy?

For a short article on this phenomenon (and a good activity to work on your Swedish reading skills) check out Metro’s article titled Smygfotade killar läggs upp på nätet.

And for a blast from the past, check out Anna’s article on gender equality in Sweden titled When Daddies Take Care of Kids – Gender Equality.

Age Discrimination in Sweden?

Posted by Marcus Cederström 3 Comments
Aug 29 2011

I have been refused entry to a bar in Stockholm. Because of my age. I was 23 at the time. The drinking age in Sweden is 18, and the age at which you can buy alcohol from Systembolaget is 20. But, at the age of 23, I was still refused. I had not been drinking before arriving at the bar, I was not wearing inappropriate clothes (although I was once refused entry to a bar in Stockholm in the middle of the summer for wearing shorts. It was hot out. I wanted to wear shorts. I was not pleased.).

Bars throughout Sweden are allowed to set an arbitrary age limit on their patrons.  It varies, but you’ll find all kinds of age limits. Of course, there are plenty where the age limit is the same as the drinking age limit. It’s not uncommon though to find a bar that requires you to be 23. Or 25. Or even older sometimes.

Photo courtesy of Bernt Rostad

The idea is of course to keep the clientele of the bar a bit more mature.  To avoid the drunken 18 year olds who make poor choices and drag others into those poor choices. Of course there are plenty of 23 year olds and 25 year olds who make poor choices as well, but I suppose the bar owners are hoping that by putting a few years on you’re also learning a bit of responsibility.

That may be changing though. Not the level of responsibility, but the ability of bar owners to set arbitrary age-limits.  A recent study by the Swedish government is claiming that the age limits are actually a form of age discrimination and that they may need to be done away with.  Bar owners aren’t too pleased with the potential change.

There are other ways to keep people out of bars. Dress codes for example. They are meant to keep the riff-raff out. Riff-raff who wear shorts. Like me.  Or course, it would not have been difficult for me to go home and put on a pair of pants and return to the bar. I didn’t, mostly because I was quite annoyed that I was expected to have pants on in the middle of the summer. I’m a sweaty man. Shorts keep me cool. But I digress.

In the end, I believe the complaints of the bar owners are unnecessary.  While there is the occasional 18 year old who makes a fool out of himself, there is also the occasional 25 year old who does the same. The age limit gives a false sense of maturity.

But what do you think?  Is it necessary to have age limits to keep a certain level of maturity at bars? Should Sweden be working to eliminate this sort of age limit in the name of equality?

Childcare and Kulturkrock

Posted by Marcus Cederström 4 Comments
Aug 18 2011

By now, most Swedeophiles now that the Crown Princess of Sweden is pregnant. Yay. Her marriage was one of the biggest news stories of the year last year. I can only imagine what the birth of an heir to the throne will be like. Interesting to say the least.

But with the birth of a Swedish child comes some interesting issues. Like child care. We all know of course about the parental leave and the child allowance and day care and all the benefits afforded to Swedish parents in exchange for their tax money. What sometimes is missed are the little things. Unfortunately for one Swedish mother, those little things led to some big misunderstandings.

In Sweden, it is quite common to leave small children in strollers outside. Some restaurants and other establishments in Stockholm actually have signs posted explicitly prohibiting strollers from being inside the building.

You can find yourself in the dead of winter in Stockholm and a stroller with a small child bundled up and sleeping away while the mother is inside the café having a coffee. It’s something that I don’t really find all that strange. There’s no need to wake the child if it’s sleeping. There’s no need to drag an oversized stroller into a small establishment and encroach on everyone else’s space.

Of course, leaving a child outside is akin to neglect in some countries. Especially the US. In fact, a Swedish mother in Massachusetts recently ran into a bit of trouble with this. Apparently she headed inside at a taco restaurant and left her child in the stroller outside. She claims to have been inside for about ten minutes. By the time she was back outside she had been reported for child abuse.

This is what Swedes call kulturkrock. Literally culture crash, it is the kind of culture shock or culture clash that can sometimes lead to funny situations. You know, when you shake your head yes and it actually means no and all of a sudden you find yourself with a plate full of… something. Of course, it can also lead to the kinds of situations where police are involved and you don’t really know why. As I said before, I really see no problem with leaving a sleeping child in a stroller outside of a café or restaurant. That being said, I do see a problem with not understanding the customs and mores of different cultures. So I find myself disappointed in what I deem to be an overreaction by the American authorities in this case, but also disappointed in this woman’s lack of awareness for her surroundings.

While there is plenty to discuss when it comes to a news story like this, what I am most interested in is the kulturkrock. Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which your culture clash led to serious problems? Or funny ones? Let’s hear.

Stockholm’s Pride Festival

Posted by Tibor No Comments
Jul 29 2010

Okay my dear gay friends and straight friends. Stockholm’s Pride Festival (Stockholms Pride) is the biggest Pride Festival in Northern Europe. No one really is astonished anymore about Pride in Sweden and that is one of the reasons why Pride has become more of an intercultural festival (and less of sub-culture festival) where people celebrating love, unity and they have lots of fun. (I know… it sounds like a rave party from Berlin). I have never been on the festival myself so I am maybe not the most authentic person to write about this event, but it would be absolutely interesting to go and experience it someday. I saw the parade once when I was on a work trip in Sthlm. The crowd was massive. The festival is open for everyone. I have just realized that they have sign language interpreters as well. (Did you guys know by the way that sign language is one of the official minority languages in Sweden?)

They have a lot of interesting programs and they also have seminars and workshops where they discuss sex and sexuality, new agendas or other ”sensitive taboo topics”. (If they are sensitive at all nowadays. It is hard to see for me at least… growing up with my family’s standards). First of all there are plenty of seminars where people discuss sexuality very openly. But do not think it is all about sex and sexuality. As one of the biggest cultural events in Sweden Stockholm’s Pride has a lot of live concerts with both Swedish and international artists at the Pride Park outside of the Maritime Museum in Sthlm and also club events all around the city. You can buy a day-ticket or a card so called festivalpass. It would allow you to visit many clubs, exhibitions and theaters as well in down town. Lots and lots and lots. “It takes a fool to remain sane” as one of Sweden´s own gay glam rock band The Ark sang once.

The Swedish politicians and artists like to back up the festival and you can see famous faces in the crowd or at parties or dancing in the streets each year. It is funny watching them on the evening news from my sofa. Oh I want to see our Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in drag. Ha-ha that would be awesome! And maybe it wouldn’t surprise anyone at all. As I recall some leading Swedish politicians kissing from last year. I think I saw Mona Sahlin (the leader of the Social Democratic Party) dancing in the caravan on TV last year but I am not sure Or did she kiss RFSL:s Ulrika Westerlund…?

If you want to find out more about the festival visit: http://www.stockholmpride.org/

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Santa Lucia and Fire Hazards

Posted by Marcus Cederström 5 Comments
Dec 10 2009

On December 13th, Swedes will celebrate Saint Lucia, an Italian saint and martyr from the fourth century. Santa Lucia, as both the Saint and the day are known here in Sweden, will be venerated by a stereotypically blonde Swedish girl walking around with live candles on her head. She will be followed by boys (stjärngossar or star boys) dressed in white robes with conical hats on decorated with golden stars. To top it all off, this motley crew of innocence will form a parade, known as a Luciatåg (Lucia train) and walk around with baked goods, such as Lussekatter (Lucia buns).

And you thought the Swedes were completely normal…

The Swedish Lucia walks around in a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head. Usually, a wet or damp towel is placed under the wreath to minimize the fire risk if live candles are used. She is sometimes followed by other girls carrying a candle in one hand. The prominence of candles in the procession ties back to Santa Lucia herself and her eventual feast day.

Saint Lucia is said to have had her eyes gouged out because she was a Christian, but miraculously (hence her eventual canonization) she could still see. After her canonization, her feast day was set as December 13th, which, because of the calendar used during the middle ages, was right around the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. The symbolism of blindness and darkness lent themselves well to the use of candles. Of bringing light to the winter. Of warding off any sort of evil the darkness might bring. That tradition of lighting candles carries on today.

In many towns throughout Sweden, a Lucia is chosen. Historically, this has been a young girl, often times blonde, who acts as Lucia and leads the Luciatåg. Recently though, the choice of who will wear the crown of candles has become a more political topic with gender issues coming into play as some young men have been nominated as Lucia. Despite this, the male role in the Luciatåg continues to be predominantly as a stjärngosse.

The Luciatåg often makes an appearance at office buildings and schools throughout Sweden, and every year at Skansen, the large outdoor living museum in Stockholm, Stockholm’s Lucia is crowned. But it isn’t just about Lucia. It’s also about delicious baked goods.

The traditional Luciatåg brings Lussekatter, pepparkakor (gingersnaps), hot chocolate, and coffee to as they parade those very offices and school. Lussekatter are made with saffron and are in the shape of a figure eight with a raisin dotting each side. They are delicious and start popping up in stores and bakeries (and even 7-Eleven) a couple of weeks before December.

So despite what might at first seem like madness, what with girls walking around with candles on their head, there does exist some method (and history, and symbolism, and did I mention the delicious baked goods?) to the Swedish celebration of Santa Lucia.

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