Saturday, December 30, 2006

Those Racist Swedes

Racism in Sweden?? It can’t be! Surely you are mistaken…

The Swedes love the black people and the brown people and the red people and the yellow people. That’s why they invite thousands of them in every year.

They love the Muslims and the Sikhs and the voodoo doctors. They love the Somalis and the Turks and the Pakistanis and the Samoans.

But there’s a limit of tolerance beyond which not even the Swedes will go. Want to guess where they draw the line?

Woman turned away by doctor — for being American

Americans not allowedAn American woman has been refused treatment by a doctor in Blekinge in southern Sweden because of her nationality. The woman’s husband has now reported the incident to the Medical Responsibility Board.

Valery Johansson, who lives in a small town just outside Nashville, Tennessee, was in Sweden to celebrate Christmas with her husband’s family.

On Christmas Day, worried that she may have contracted strep throat, she sought medical help. Her husband and niece made an appointment for her at a clinic in the town of Karlshamn.

“We went up there and the nurses were really nice. They did some swab tests, which they then passed on to a doctor,” Johansson told The Local.

But when the American woman, accompanied by her husband and niece, went to meet the doctor in his treatment room, he declined to examine her.

Rather than introduce himself, the doctor waved the patient’s papers and shouted “she doesn’t have strep throat, she doesn’t have strep throat”. He then added that he would not treat her.

“He said he didn’t like Americans,” said Johansson.

He also disliked hearing English spoken in his treatment room and soon walked out.

“We just couldn’t believe it. We were left standing there with our mouths hanging open,” said Johansson.

This doctor is a piece of work, eh? But there’s more:
- - - - - - - - - -
According to Johansson, the doctor was a Palestinian who objected to American foreign policy in the Middle East.

Mrs. Johansson, fortunately, knows how to play the game by Swedish rules:

In the report Johansson has claimed that she was discriminated against on ethnic grounds.

Before returning to the United States at the beginning of January she also intends reporting the incident to the American Embassy in Stockholm.

Stockholm. The worldwide center of human rights. The Olympus of Moral Superiority. The home of those high-minded folks who love to lecture the American barbarians on their misguided, ignorant, and benighted ways.

What goes around comes around.


Hat tip: LN.

28 comments:

Francis W. Porretto said...

Yet Arabs and Muslims are welcome in Sweden almost to an unlimited degree, without conditions.

These folks had better not need anything from the "hyper-power" any time soon. Assistance at suppressing an Islam-powered insurrection, for example.

3Case said...

...or they'd best be prepared to pay us handsomely for their freedom...North Sea oil fields would be best, if they have them.

rickl said...

Guess I'll have to cross Sweden off my vacation itinerary. Though it's not as if I was planning to go there anyway.

Voyager said...

It should be made an official complaint to the Swedish equivalent of the AMA............

This is a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights...........and no dobt of the employment contract of the doctor with the Swedish Health Service

Voyager said...

Where faults or negligence are attributable to members of staff, the matter can be referred to the National Medical Disciplinary Board (Hälso- och sjukvårdens ansvarsnämnd), a government authority whose organisation is somewhat similar to that of a court. A patient or the relative of a patient can approach the Board if he considers that health service staff members have acted incorrectly. The Board can decide on disciplinary measures (warning or admonition) or remove the person from the professional register.

Don Miguel said...

I wonder if this doctor has ever heard of the Hippocratic Oath?

Birkebeinr said...

The Swedes atempt to emulate united states has gone wrong. Especially in the former Danish territory of Scania. This is just another story of an elite swede beeing jealous towards Usanians and showing it in a childish way.

And 3case, the swedes have no oilfields but too many immigrants. That is a swedish saying.

Voyager said...

wonder if this doctor has ever heard of the Hippocratic Oath?

It is a bit quaint to speak of Hippocratic Oath when most posters on this blog are happy for women to take oral contraceptives viz:

I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.

Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion.

Epaminondas said...

Next, Americans will be required to wear patches with our flag while outside in Eurabia, give way on the sidewalk, eschew owning businesses,...hey this sounds familiar

Can I still go out with some pulchritudinous french chick?

Frank said...

I am deeply offended by this historic treatment of my people. Well, not "my people" in the strictest sense, because I'm Canadian, but I'm an American wannabe. Anyway, I'm offended because its my human right to be offended.

Nothing that a bit o' compensation won't help clear up, but I'm deeply offended nonetheless.

Voyager said...

Americans will be required to wear patches with our flag while outside in Eurabia

They did just that in India in 1947 so the rioting mobs knew only to murder British soldiers

Yorkshireminer said...

Dear Voyager,

I think I would discourage any American drawing attention to himself while in Europe or outside of Europe . The American presence in India in 1947 if my memory serves me correctly was virtually non existant. The hand over of power went off with very few incidents and the British evacuated India in good order. Which by the way they did in most of the colonies that they gave independence too. The British Empire the largest Colonial Empire the world has ever seen and likely to see was disolved with hardly a squeak when compared to the French, Dutch, Belgium, Spanish and Portugese empires. The only european colonial empire, if you can call it that, that was dissolved with less fuss, was the Danish when they sold what is now called the American Virgin islands to America around the time of World War I, for the Grand total of $17,000,000. The Horrors of the Indian Independence came when the Hindus and Muslims started to settle scores when the British handed over the reigns of power. Ghandi's fast unto death in Calcutta save thousands of Muslim lives for which they have been eternally ungrateful.

rebel jedi said...

I'm surprised this is an isolated incident. The number of Shemaghs on the streets all over Europe is increasing at an unprecedented rate day by day.

Yorkshireminer said...

I think I had better correct a few points. Ghandi or Gandhi call him what you will, unfortunately I have been cursed with a form of dyslexia it runs in the family. I cannot spell and never could, even after over 50 years of omnivorous reading. I might not like Bill Gates but I praise him every time I use his spelling check in Word. I will certainly use it this time before I post this comment. I now write and post with more confidence because I know people will judge me by what I say and not judge me by how I say it. I would also like to point out to you Talnik that Hans Christian Anderson's, stories were first published in “Berlingsky Tiden” a Danish newspaper because some pretentious Danish editor thought he might have a bit of fun because of Hans Christian Anderson's idiosyncratic spelling. The Danes by the way took him to their hearts because they realised that when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it is content not form that count. Now Ghandi or Gandhi, take your pick started a fast unto death, I did not say Fasted unto Death to stop the murders which the muslim and hindu communities were committing against each other. His influence was so great that he succeeded, the murders stopped, and he stopped his fast unto death. I am also fully aware that Ghandi or is it Gandhi was killed by a fellow Hindu your text books are correct.

Don Miguel said...

It is a bit quaint to speak of Hippocratic Oath when most posters on this blog are happy for women to take oral contraceptives viz

Isn't it also a "bit quaint" to make an assumption -- i.e. make an ass out of "u" and "mption" -- about what most posters on this blog believe?

Birkebeinr said...

I got it all wrong there. A philistine doc it was, no wonder. Don´t be to harsh on the swedes. They got this superpower complex you see. Moral superpower that is these days. Du vakra du fria, heep de deep chicken in de er an so on.

And Baron why have´nt you mentioned what the Swedes did to the Polish when Jan the third was out and kicking the Turks blue and yellow?

God damn backstabbers

Birkebeinr said...

Just the same usual business they had with Fjordman´s district the years before.

what for a shameless supersmug nation.

These days their evil come out in a little different fashion. And still aligned with the saracens. Just read Jan Gilliou books about Arn or see the upcoming multimillion series about this altruistic megaknight.
You´ll see

Brotherfolks

Mariano said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
VinceP1974 said...

My God mariano, get over it... really.

Name me ONE society in the world that doesn't have the "soft" racism that you talk about.. Name ONE.

Swedes aren't racist... All people are.

Mariano said...

This incident with the doctor is not surprising. Once, I had to go to the hospital because I fell on the ice and hit my face. (It takes some skills to learn how to walk over ice if you come from the south) In the hospital, I didn't remember my Personal Number, some sort of Swedish ID number, so they refused to accept me. I had my passport, I had my face black and cover with blood, and if I didn't come up with those stupid 10 numbers they said: "We can't take you in, It's the rules". Eventually, I called my wife and I gave them those 10 numbers and was admitted. Now, according to the Human Rights convention, every person must be accepted to a hospital to receive first aid treatment, regardless of his nationality and there is also an oath Doctors must swear before they receive their license. This I write is a fact and I can write a whole book about this "Tolerant Country" and similar cases like this one. So please, to all you Swedes writing in this blog; Stop being so naive and open you eyes!

Mariano said...

VinceP1974, you are right, butt still that does not justify anything!! I bet you're Swedish!

VinceP1974 said...

What do I win when you lose the bet? :)

Click on my name and find out.

Baron Bodissey said...

Mariano --

Gates of Vienna's rules about comments require that they be civil, temperate, on-topic, and show decorum. Your comment violated the last of these rules. We keep a PG-13 blog, and exclude foul language, explicit descriptions, and epithets. This is why I deleted your comment.

Use of asterisks is an appropriate alternative.

Because you're new here, I've gone to the trouble of amending your comment and re-posting it below.

--------------------------

Mariano said...

Swedes ARE racist and Sweden is a racist country!

I'd like to think the beginning of this blog was sarcastic! I lived in Sweden for more than 5 years already and really I don't see Sweden as a tolerant country. Lets put things straight; People don't call you a "f***in n***r" of a "f***in Jew". Nobody is gonna tell you that you cannot enter a bar or restaurant because you're black or make you sit in the back of the bus. But because these things don't happen, doesn't mean that Sweden is not racist.
Swedes manage to get away with being racist using the law in their favor. For example; If you are a foreigner, you have less chances to getting a job than a Swede does, even is you have more skills than a Swede does. Employers tend to discriminate CV's based on the applicant name, if it's a strange foreign name, that CV is very likely to end in the trash. Is this not racist? If any of you want to find out for yourselves, come to Sweden! Come to Dalarna! And good luck to ya!

Mariano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mariano said...

Baron Bodissey, sorry about the language. Thanks for not taking things out of context. I'll have this in mind from now on.

Vince, I see you're from Chicago, but I still stand by what I said. That there is racism all over the world does not justify anything.
I grew up in Miami, 6 years of primary school and then moved to Argentina. What I love of the USA is that all those values and freedoms that today many people around the western world are enjoying were a consequence of the triumph of the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. I learned all these things in school probably the same way you learned them up in Chicago. And I don't care in what part of the world I live in, I will fight for those values as long as I live.
Many Swedes love to brag about their country, "The Swedish Model" and all that but there is one reality, Sweden is no better than any other country in the world. And it irritates me to read in blogs things like "Racism in Sweden?? It can’t be! Surely you are mistaken…".
It CAN be, it does happen all the time. I'm not gonna go in any details because it has nothing to do with this blog. But I tell ya, come over and check it out for yourself.

VinceP1974 said...

I never been to Sweden but from everything I've read about the place and what's going on there lately.. I do not have much respect for the place.

My impression is that they are racist, but against themselves.

From what I read , the people in control of the country are allowing a flood of Muslim immigrants and anyone who speaks against it is silenced.

X said...

Mariano, I won't for a moment try to minimise what you've experienced, but my experience tells me that you're seeing mostly what you believe you should see rather than what's really there. Of course there are racist swedes. My aunt (by marriage) is one of them; she thinks the jews run everything. On the other hand her two brothers, one of whom is my father in law, are the kindest and least judgemental people you could hope to meet.

Everywhere has racists. Saying this doesn't mean that I'm trying to pretend that it's not a bad thing, but your judgements have to be taken in light of the wider context. For example, your experience in the hospital is not a racial issue, despite what you might think, but a result of Sweden's healthcare system. Those little numbers are required from everybody. On the other hand being prevented from going in bars because you don't look swedish, well, that's inexcusable. But that doesn't make Sweden somehow racist by nature, and nobody here is claiming otherwise.

No-one here has claimed that sweden is somehow pure sweetness and light. Nobody has said that there aren't racists in sweden because there definitely are (though, as has been pointed out, many of them are not swedes). The problem isn't racism. The problem is using the spectre of racism to cow people into submission, and the accusation of racism to silence critics of that very "swedish model" you're arguing against.

Mariano said...

Graham Dawson (Archonix), What ever!!
I lived here for more than 5 years, don't patronize me with the stupid personnumer! What if I were a tourist without that ID number? I can't go to the hospital? Did you ever read Article 25 of the Universal Declaration Human Rights Convention? In fact, there are many more articles in separate declarations regarding fist aid and medical care. A hospital has the obligation to accept patients regarding of race, religion and so on.
Long term treatment is a different issue.
I'm not arguing against any Swedish Model. Simply, there is no Swedish Model and if there is one, it it's very outdated.
I lived in 5 different countries, one of which I lived for two years without a work permit and there I never had a problem to find work or to get along with the people. I came to Sweden to experience the Swedish way of life and I found it to be crap, full of hypocrisies and arrogance. I don't see what I want to see, I only see what I see, and like it or not I accept it. My wife is Swedish, my son is Swedish, I know a few Swedes how are not arrogant or racist. So what, that doesn't change anything.
My Swedish teacher, which is more Swedish than smoked salmon and Absolut vodka, told me "Sverige är en liten dammanka av lättmjölk" (meaning it's a very small insignificant place compared with the rest of the world). But most Swedes I met disagree with this. Sweden is the best place to live in. Sweden is equal, neutral, everyones religion and political opinions are respected and therefor, Swedes are not racist. But what about finding jobs? Why is it that foreigners has it so difficult to get a job? Why is it that Swedes with less qualifications are more likely to find work than a foreigner with more skills? There are people in Sweden, unfortunately a handful of them that speak about this on the radio and they consider it RACIST.
Sweden is a racist country, but nevertheless, some people are trying to change things. Sweden's past is not one to be proud of. In WW2, Sweden supplied iron to Nazi Germany for more than 10 years, including during the war. Until the end of the 60's and beginning of the 70's, Sweden had a "Sterilization" program where down syndrome people and people with certain mental disabilities, were sterilized, so they don't spread their inferior DNA to future generations. This sterilization program was copied from the Nazi's. This is also known in Sweden and also ignored by many. I can continue for ever with these sort of stories.
But to finish, I'm sure every country has done things that were unethical. But if you come to Sweden and ask about, very few people will recognize one of these things and admit it was a mistake. And this is the very big difference between Swedes and people form other countries I met (Americans, British, Irish, Spanish etc.) There is a racist mindset in Sweden based on superiority. Maybe today it's not all about race, but it is about nationality. And foreigners in Sweden, even those that are not foreigners but they are considered foreigners anyway, because their parents are foreigners, have a hard time.
And to end this, how long did you live in Sweden? You speak because you have an aunt?