How Swedes and Norwegians broke the power of their "1%."

[Cal33]

Sweden and Norway are two of the richest and most democratic nations in the world today, and have
been so for many years. But they weren't always so. Norway didn't even become an independent
nation until 1905. Prior to that it was ruled either by Denmark or Sweden.

Both Sweden and Norway were living under the oppression of their own "1%," until they learned how
to throw off their yoke through non-violent means. It was a long and difficult struggle, but they
succeeded. Maybe we can learn from them.


http://www.alternet.org/story/153929/how_swedes_and_norwegians_broke_the_power_of_the_%E2%80%981_percent%E2%80%99?akid=8187.20699.NZf-k4&rd=1&t=5

[dionysus]

1. good read

[Cal33]

3. And very enlightening. If they could succeed, so can we.

[dkf]

2. So why isn't everyone trying to immigrate to Sweden?

[Cal33]

5. Sweden has taken in many immigrants, and is continuing to do so. But remember,

Sweden is a small country with a population of about 8 or 9 million - about the
size of NYC. The numbers they can take in are of necessity small when
compared to ours.

[gristy]

11. There are many reasons everyone is not

Unfamiliar language, uncertain job prospects, family ties, etc., etc.

[HughBeaumont]

21. "LoveItOrLeaveItTommy!!"

. . . also ignores that hoop jumping has increased a great deal in the last decade when it comes to intercontinental mobility.

It also means conceding America to the neo-fascists. Why not stay and make change happen here?

[Cal33]

27. "It also means conceding America to the neo-fascists." Yes, it does. And this must never happen.

Can you imagine a fascist America bullying, pulling its weight, looting
and taking from its own people as well as from the rest of the world
whatever it wants?

The Oil People have already been doing that the past 60+ years. They
have been doing it with some degree of subtleness, of course, since open
aggression was no longer tolerated after WWII, after the examples of
Germany and Japan. But things have changed with Bush Jr. The
reason he gave for attacking Iraq was an outright lie. Later, even HE
openly admitted that our being in Iraq was for its oil.

If we conceded America to the neo-fascists now, before long even
subtle lies will be thrown to the wind, and open aggression will be the
order of the day. We cannot allow this to happen.

More and more people with anti-social criminal personalites are getting
into positions of power - both in government and in private industry.
It's unavoidable that we will become a Neo-fascist state if our nation
is ruled by these greedy and ambitious criminals. We cannot allow it
to happen.

We'll have to be on our guard and fight it whenever and wherever we
se it happening.

[2ndAmForComputers]

24. That's the best you got? Come on.

[SomethingFishy]

26. Yeah.. and don't let the door hit you on the ass

on your way out...


Now that's how you solve the income inequality problem in America. Leave.

[Howler]

4. Excellent Read!!!

Thank you Cal33! K&R

[Duer 157099]

6. Now *these* are the kinds of discussions we should be having

Knowing that some other societies have already gone through the struggle and transition, we should be focused on how they did it and how we can do the same.

[Cal33]

23. Googling "Global Nonviolent Action Database" yields a large number of articles on how

Sweden and Norway had done it in the 1930s and on. It was a long and bitter struggle lasting
decades. People were killed. In spite of it all, the Swedes and Norwegians, which were miserably
poor people, had managed to become the two nations with the highest living standards in the
past 50 years.

There is a lot of reading material. Enjoy. If they can do it, we can too.

[edhopper]

7. The Swedes also reacted to the Banking Crisis the right way

and are much better off now. Of course we ignored that too and followed the path that doesn't work.

[chowder66]

8. I have been looking for an article like this for a while

Thank you for posting this.

[Cal33]

9. Thank you. I also found the article intriguing when I first read it.

[dipsydoodle]

10. Cuba did it another way.

.

[Cal33]

15. Yes, and I've read that the infant mortality rate in Cuba is lower than ours. And such

a poor country, too. Just don't leave things to the 1%. They never mean you
any good.

[riderinthestorm]

12. Duplicate thread. Course that one dropped like a stone a few days ago, maybe this will fare better

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002226381

[Cal33]

13. There will always be duplicate threads in this forum for the simple reason that

it is so huge. Nobody could possibly read all the messages in it -- and
on a daily basis to boot. The time will come when you, too, will
inadvertently be writing a duplicate thread.

[riderinthestorm]

16. Not complaining. Just a remark. Like I said, I hope this one attracts more attention

It's a great article and deserves to be posted a lot. It was more a sad reflection on how much it was ignored the first time around.

Unfortunately, I also think this type of article often rises or drops off the page based on the popularity of the OP poster.

Kick for more exposure.

[Cal33]

18. Okay, and thanks.

[Starry Messenger]

14. I posted it in Socialist Progressives Group a few days ago, but I'm glad to see it getting around.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1024745

[TxVietVet]

17. This should explain to "democrats" on how it's done.

Sometimes, I don't think the dems are looking out for working folks.

"We've got the best democracy money can buy." Bigbux Doug "

[Cal33]

19. Just Google "Global Nonviolent Action Database." There is a treasure of info on how to do it.

"...the Swedes and Norwegians paid a price for their standards of living through nonviolent struggle. There was a time when Scandinavian workers didn’t expect that the electoral arena could deliver the change they believed in. They realized that, with the 1 percent in charge, electoral “democracy” was stacked against them, so nonviolent direct action was needed to exert the power for change."

Cal: The above is action so typical of people with anti-social personalities in positions
of power. Their sole goal in mind is to grab all the loot and have complete power over
the rest of the people. This was the state the whole world was in during the Middle
Ages. The nobilibty owned the people on their land - lock, stock, and barrel. Today's
Corporatists, Neocons, Libertarians and Teabaggers are doing their best to return to those
Dark Aages, and with themselves as the nobility -- they hope!

"In both countries, the troops were called out to defend the 1 percent; people died. Award-winning Swedish filmmaker Bo Widerberg told the Swedish story vividly in Ådalen 31, which depicts the strikers killed in 1931 and the sparking of a nationwide general strike. (You can read more about this case in an entry by Max Rennebohm in the Global Nonviolent Action Database.). "

Cal: Isn't something similar happening right now between the local governments
and some individual OWS centers?

[pampango]

20. Great point. "Swedes and Norwegians paid a price for their standards of living through nonviolent

struggle. ... They realized that, with the 1 percent in charge, electoral “democracy” was stacked against them, so nonviolent direct action was needed to exert the power for change."

They restructured their societies from within rather than looking for "others" on the outside to blame.

[Cal33]

22. You are correct. Democracy and a fair chance for everyone to make a good life aren't handed

to us on a plate. We have to work and fight for them - again and again.

Why "again and again?" Because roughly 4% of the general population is
made up of people with anti-social personalities (sociopaths). These are
greedy, aggressive, ambitious criminal types who cannot help but seek
money and power over others - by hook and by crook. It lies in their
nature to do so. They can't be really blamed for being sick, but we don't
have to be their doormats either.

So our struggle against their rapacious greed and ambition will have only
moments of brief rest, and the struggle will go on again - because of
this 4% of the population.

I think there is a higher percentage of them among corporate executives
and politicians, because these are the jobs where the money and the power
are to be found. The smarter ones don't get caught and sent to jail. Yes,
prisons have a very high concentration of sociopaths also. They are likely
to be the less smart ones.

[2ndAmForComputers]

25. Right ON. I always though right-wingness was a personality disorder.

You explained it perfectly.

[Cal33]

28. Yes, and our nation is in such deep trouble because too many criminal Al Capone types

are holding high positions in both government and private industry. America is being ruled
by too many criminals. This is our national problem, and our national disgrace how they
got into power in the first place. It's through propaganda, lies, bribery and corruption.
From top to bottom and from inside out, they are solid rot, decay and vile stench.