All for one and one for all...
The uniformity here kills me. Everyone has the same baby stroller and the same black/navy pea/overcoat with the same striped scarf tied in that I'm-a-model-you-know-what-I-mean way. This is a functional society, so everything works. But when they find something that works, they stick with it. And only it. Not a lot of variety here, folks. Often makes one squirm a bit. Me, in my gray-and-red Eddie Bauer ski jacket from a million years ago. THAT stands out. It is like a walking Banana Republic ad over here. Or a country full of well-dressed homosexuals. Even the women dress like gay men. They certainly look sharp. They have chosen a couple of very flattering styles with which to become zombified oompa-loompas. (Are they oompa-loompas or are they the guards of the palace of the Wicked Witch of the West? I have the oh-lee-oh song in my head and I think the oompa-loompas had a wholly different tune. The tune in my brain is definitely more cold, sullen and dreary than the whistling melody of the seven dwarves.)
And they all speak the same language. (The Swedes, not the dwarves. Well, the dwarves DO, but...) I have an aversion to lingo. I find lingo pretentious and try not to use it. Especially to people outside the milieu. While some jargon is necessary, I find it can be alienating and "clubforming." So, I try to steer clear. ANYWAY, (Don't give me an online microphone, people. You all know me. I ramble...) ANYWAY, I am having a mild aversion to the "lingo" of Swedish. I find it silly that everyone uses the same word to say "Right" ("Precis") or "absolutely" ("absolut"). I think Swedish has a smaller vocabulary than English and so the words are used more often. I never believe MYSELF when I use jargon, so I am having that same reaction to using the colloquialisms of Swedish. I feel mildly pretentious. Does this make sense to anybody?
I have to say that the Swedish sense of humor is quite good. Even the TV commercials are subtle and dry. One phone company's campaign uses video and concert footage of David Hasselhoff without commenting on it. Hysterical.
PLEASE TELL ME YOU'LL VISIT THIS WEBSITE TO SEE THE COMMERCIALS! http://www.djuice.se/sweden/services/addArchive.jspCLICK ON "VISA FILMEN." There are THREE of them.
Please don't take this rant as anything more than observational.
Oh my god, Dr. Carter just proposed to Abby. Gotta go.
posted by Chris A @ 22:52
3 Comments:
What about Americans calling anything and everything good or pretty or tasty as 'fabulous' or referring to taking responsibility/accepting something as 'owning it.' It's just how people talk these days. But words and phrases get replaced by new words and phrases all the time. I'm certainly waiting for 'owning it' to go away.
Regarding the language, just be thankful that you don’t have close relative or friend who continually describes everything as “fabulous,” “superb,” and “mind boggling.” (No. He’s not an artist. And yes. It drives me crazy.) Regarding everyone dressing alike, I think it’s just that time of year. Good wool coats are expensive, their style doesn’t vary dramatically, and they come in basically three dark colors each year---brown, black, and navy or green. Which would you choose? Also, consider that you’re in Sweden. It’s not a capital of fashion like NYC. Regarding the Hasselhoff videos, is the sponsoring company perhaps selling a product, service, or concept named “Freedom?” (Love that headband, by the way. Talk about a fashion statement.) Hope you’ve enjoyed your trips to London and Barcelona. Keep on bloggin’. - Barb
Oh my god, those "Night Rider" videos are hysterical. I just forwarded the link to someone I know who looks a lot like him...
Fun blog, Christopher!!
Jackie
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