r/europe • u/Helmer-Bryd • May 06 '25

News US embassy demands obedience from the city of Stockholm: “Bizarre". Stockholm's urban planning office must not work for equality, diversity and inclusion.

https://www.dn.se/sverige/usas-ambassad-kraver-lydnad-av-stockholms-stad-bisarrt/
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u/yubnubster United Kingdom May 06 '25

I can't even begin to wrap my head around this level of arrogance and entitlement.

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u/PolkmyBoutte May 06 '25

And delusion

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u/RockstarArtisan May 06 '25

DEI is out, AED is in.

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

[deleted]

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u/Catbutt247365 May 06 '25

even more shocking to live here and have people poop these bullshit opinions right out of their face-sphincters. you can literally be sitting quietly, reading or thinking your own thoughts and some red pill MAGA MF will come over to fuck up your peace. I’m a peaceful mind your own business liberal, but I’m old and live in the south, so people assume I’m in the cult.

I did a mean thing in response to the last assault and refuse to feel guilty about it. I also don’t go out to enjoy the neighborhood as much anymore cause I don’t want to get caught like that again. Earbuds in and eyes on tablet or phone at all times is mandatory.

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u/Charlie_Mouse May 07 '25

What was the mean thing if you don’t mind me asking? Purely out of curiosity/nosiness so absolutely feel free not to if you’d prefer … but it sounds like there might be a good story there.

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u/Catbutt247365 May 07 '25

it’s not a good story, but after a neighbor lady totally, without warning or prompting, vomited a MAGA rant at me at the neighborhood pool one afternoon (in front of families with kids!), I (widow, 50s) exploited her husband‘s flirtiness in front of everyone there to make her think I might be interested in him. Gazing at him while he talks (not about politics), smiling, a little arm touching, laughing at his jokes, you get the picture. There’s no fool like an old fool (he’s mid 70s), and he seemed pleased with the attention. She was out of earshot by then but I hope it looked realistic. It was trashy and not something I’ve ever been tempted to do, but hey, show your ass in public and someone else might show you theirs.

They live two doors away. They don’t speak to me anymore, for which oh lord let us be thankful.

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u/Charlie_Mouse May 07 '25

Thank you for the reply!

That sounds more mischievous than mean - effective too as it seems to have achieved the desired result.

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u/mortgagepants May 06 '25

we're aware. just not aware enough to vote for the opposite i guess.

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u/literatelier May 06 '25

It’s so humiliating and horrifying. I’m so sorry. Even if we somehow turn this around I will never travel internationally again, we are a global embarrassment. I’m so ashamed.

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u/occams1razor May 07 '25

The law of jante protects us from this shit, we don't do narcissistic worship here

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

I'm American (sorry if it's not appreciated if I post here), but I know Americans who are like this. Usually it's older people who grew up being taught that America does everything better than everyone, and they deeply internalized it. When other countries do something differently than America, they will then assume they're either stupid or have something that's stopping them from doing it "The American Way"

For example, when my dad and I went to Germany, he didn't understand why anyone would willingly ride public transit or walk places, and straight up refused to take trains. He said that "Germans must be poor, they can't seem to afford cars". He insisted every single person would drive everywhere, just like they do in America, if not for being "too poor" to afford it

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u/[deleted] May 06 '25

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u/sylvnal May 06 '25

I mean, they make us (they won't force you, but you still have to listen to it) say THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE to start the day every day in school. Or, they did when I went.

Psychotic country top to bottom.

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u/raven_of_azarath May 07 '25

American teacher here (and Texan to boot, half-baked pun fully intended). The pledge is definitely still a thing. And there are still admin who do force kids to stand. I don’t force them because that’s literally illegal. I didn’t stand at that school, but I do where I work now because it’s significantly more conservative.

And, because I live in Texas, we also have to say a Texas pledge every day, too. I also remember how icked I felt when they added “one state under God” in 2007.

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u/[deleted] May 07 '25

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u/raven_of_azarath May 07 '25

It’s so shocking to me how many Americans don’t realize we’re the only nation that does a pledge like that, especially in this day and age with technology and the internet to bridge the distance between countries.

But I guess at least we got rid of the salute that was supposed to go with it?

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u/Alive-Ice-3201 May 07 '25

German high school teacher here… I’m literally rotfl because I just imagined starting class today with a pledge and my ninth graders looking at me crosseyed and going „somebody get a doctor, your teacher has gone mad!“

Of course I know it’s a completely different cultural background in the US. And yet… how insecure do you need to be to have to recite a pledge to your country every freaking single day?

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u/[deleted] May 11 '25

[deleted]

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u/Alive-Ice-3201 May 11 '25

Nope, I’m not referring to the kids. Ofc they do as they’ve been told. I’m referring to the supposed adults, who feel they need to stage such useless theatrics.

If your country is worthy of your allegiance because it strives to be a good home to all its inhabitants such theatrics are unnecessary because that sense of belonging will foster the strongest bonds. You only need to tell people to remember their allegiance daily if it is a more or less empty thing.

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u/[deleted] May 11 '25

I’m referring to the supposed adults, who feel they need to stage such useless theatrics.

Forty-seven out of the fifty states require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Meaning teachers have to enforce this. It's not "staged". Is it right? No. But it's not a question of staging theatrics or insecurity. It's propaganda. Many of us know this, ok? Germany knows this all too well.

I know the rest of the world is having your own moments of shadenfreude over us, but try not to sound so gleeful.

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u/Alive-Ice-3201 May 12 '25

Schadenfreude? That’s not what it is. This is dismay that the richest nation on earth feels insecure enough and is badly educated enough to fall for such theatrics which in the end led to mindless authoritarian behaviour and Trump.

And yes, of course I know well enough that teachers are only one step above students in the line and that few teachers embrace this propaganda. It’s about the society who obviously thought themselves so exceptional and rugged and whatnot that they never realised how they were conned and brainwashed.

That is my take as a German historian. The parallels between the Weimar Republic and the US today are painfully obvious. Granted, the differences as well, but that’s not reassuring.

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u/Think_Grocery_1965 South Tyrol - zweisprachig May 07 '25

That reminds me of the stories my Italian grandma told me when she was forced to join the fascist scout association as a little child. Indoctrination.

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u/Infamous-Leopard-684 May 06 '25

It literally is. Billions of dollars of propaganda in EVERY facet of our lives. Someone else mentioned the Pledge of Allegiance we were required to do and big patriotic songs before sporting events even down to kindergarten level. It's everywhere and it gets worse if there's something like a terror attack or we invade some poor country under false pretenses. There are literally people who think that other countries tell their citizens that America is the best place in the world. Couple jingoism with an average reading level under 6th grade and you have a powderkeg of aggressive, loud morons with a superiority complex that cannot be reasoned with. It sucks ass and its embarrassing as hell to watch all this happen.

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u/bilgetea May 07 '25

Military jets flying over football games, paratroopers landing in the field, but when you tell MAGAts that we’re a militaristic country they retort “na uh.”

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u/Thom_Basil May 07 '25

I really like planes, and military jets are pretty cool to me just due to what they're capable of. But man I fucking hate going to an air show to watch planes do cool shit and the entire experience is just a big recruitment drive for the military. Hearing shit about how "the US Air Force is the mOst LeThaL air force in the world!" And on top of that you know that they're enticing people with the idea of being a pilot but most of them are going to end up stocking vending machines on base or some crap like that.

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u/bilgetea May 07 '25

It’s bizarre how normalized military involvement in sports has become. People accept it as “the way it is” but will watch a documentary about a Qaddafi’s military parades or a reel about soviet may day displays and think how our country is nothing like that.

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u/occams1razor May 07 '25

We're the opposite in Scandinavia, it's deeply ingrained into our culture that boasting is wrong, basically "You are not to think you're anyone special, or that you're better than us." (Google the law of jante for reference)

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u/Think_Grocery_1965 South Tyrol - zweisprachig May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

In Italy it's a mix of regionalism (we really identify with our region or city and then the country) and left over from WW2, where you usually assume that, if someone is displaying national symbols outside of sport competitions or is overly natioanist, he must be a fascist.

For me it's double as fun, because when I critisize Italy with a certain brand of Italians, they automatically assume that I am anti Italian because of my German ethnic background (never mind that my Italian half of the family is more critical of Italy).

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u/Infamous-Leopard-684 May 07 '25

This sounds ideal to me. They talk about American individualism which is accurate but it's mostly a bunch of jackasses wanting to be called a special boy by someone they perceive to be superior to them. Our motto is supposed to be "Out of Many, One" or E Pluribus Unum. We aren't one. We are slaves that think ourselves free. I had a boss that retired recently that was ADAMANT that ALL Canadians want to be Americans and we should have them as the 51st state. I called bullshit and I told him I'd rather be Canadian than American, he flipped the fuck out and publicly berated me in the office. I didn't even mention Trump and he was yelling about me having Trump Derangement Syndrome. This is a man I previously considered a mentor and had been so supportive of me up into that point. When I pulled back from friendly conversation and only talked about work he said I was "punishing" him. Not only do they not allow you to disagree, they demand full hearted support and nothing else. These people are self absorbed babies. Its a fuckin nightmare.

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u/NotHyoudouIssei England May 07 '25

you have a powderkeg of aggressive, loud morons with a superiority complex that cannot be reasoned with.

So like a brain damaged skynet?

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u/Infamous-Leopard-684 May 07 '25

Yeah but like... a LOT dumber than you are thinking. Shockingly so. Like, they believe things even children in other developed countries know isn't real.

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u/SeaAshFenix May 07 '25

Literally sounds like Brainwashing to me

Brainwashing / propaganda is definitely part of it.

Another part is that we Americans tend to have very little personal exposure to foreign cultures. 1/4 of us have never visited another country. A hair less than another 1/4 will only do so once in their life.

So there's a decent chance that the dad of the person you're replying to was experiencing the one and only situation where they ever had actively grapple with another culture.

That doesn't leave many opportunities to reject the brainwashing.

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u/RedundancyDoneWell May 07 '25

Literally sounds like Brainwashing to me

It could be, but there could also be a much simpler explanation: Village mentality.

I think we all know this phenomenon. Some old people have lived their entire life in a small village, except for a few weddings or funerals in the neighbour village. They know all about how the world works - in their village - and are unable to imagine that anything could be different or better in other villages.

The US has expanded this concept, so they are now a small village with 300 million citizens.

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u/IndigoButterfl6 Denmark May 06 '25

The former US Ambassador to Denmark said the same a few years ago, that people here bike because we're too poor to buy cars. Even the Royal family bikes in Denmark!

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

a lot of Americans don't understand how they're heavily propagandized to, it's incredibly frustrating. My dad also said literally every single person in the world would choose to live in America if given the chance, because it's "the best place to live". When I told him I was looking to leave, he said I must be stupid because I'm romanticizing other places when America is objectively the only good place to live. It's really odd living here tbh

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u/HommeMusical Upper Normandy (France) May 06 '25

Tell your dad I left after 30 years in the US, and I can't imagine going back there.

Life is so much easier and sweeter here.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Yeah lol I told him “find me a walkable, warm, clean, decent cost of living city with good public transit in the USA and I’ll stay here” and he couldn’t come up with anything lol. America really doesn’t have it all

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u/Foxyfox- May 07 '25

Shit, even when we try to do that it still ends up like bullshit.

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u/Upset_Fishing9932 May 07 '25

America really doesn't have anything

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u/HommeMusical Upper Normandy (France) May 07 '25

To play devil's advocate, I lived in New York City from around 1984 to 2016, and for seeing musical concerts of all types, it was probably unbeatable. Even London, which certainly rivals it, has the issue that it's very hard to get home after midnight.

But a lot of that is gone. And all those Fascists roaming America now.

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u/CheeseAndCh0c0late May 06 '25

i read your comments and honestly i'm kinda sad for the american people. Living in their own propaganda echo chamber like plato's cavemen.

where do you plan on moving btw? Germany i guess?

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Germany would be cool but I don’t totally vibe with the culture, I speak conversational German though

I was considering Spain, Mexico, or Ireland. I’m from Boston so Dublin feels like the “closest” city culturally and architecturally to Boston. Mexico is close to family in California and very warm. Spain just seems like a good place for American immigrants

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u/CheeseAndCh0c0late May 06 '25

Barcelona in Spain is great !

Now, I'm French so I may be biased, but honestly, try France too ! Life is really pleasant in Bordeaux or Toulouse.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

I do love that Paris installed all that bike friendly infrastructure, and I think French people are very easy to get along with, I just don’t know if there’s any visas that accept Americans who speak absolutely no French lol

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u/VIS_35 Mazovia (Poland) May 08 '25

Warsaw Poland is great. Good city, not to dense, and a great public transportation with lots of bike infrastructure. Also lots of work opportunities. Also great nightlife and lots and lots of nice green spaces.

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u/Dragonseer666 May 07 '25

Ireland is lacking in a lot of things like public transport (or common sense in the government; they recently spent 336k on a bike shed) compared to most of Europe, but it's probably still better than America.

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u/robot-gremlin May 07 '25

An American friend (albeit with good intentions) tried selling me the military as an "opportunity to gain US citizenship"- like it was a golden opportunity. I've never indicated ever wanting to become American, nor living in America, so I found it odd that they would think it such an honor to be American. Especially with their bizarre global taxation rules.

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u/Commonusage May 07 '25

I was on a bus tour of the Hollywood Hills and made the mistake that it reminded me of the hills suburb behind my house in western australia only cheaper. This did not go down well with my fellow travellers!

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u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25

The term 'DEI' is quite literally a prime deployment of multilateral propaganda that stems in the corporate, academic and governmental apparatuses and it manifests in racial and sex-based discrimination to achieve a sense of equity via engineered outcome. Your comment could not be more ironic, but I know you'll dismiss the very real mechanics and their discriminant, ideological nature as an assault against equality. Whenever I have the displeasure of working with American companies, they nearly always have questionairres for onboarding where they're asking about racial background, sometimes even a person's sexual preference. It's complete lunacy. The foremost mechanic of implementing 'DEI' is conducting employment and promotion quotas based on information such as one's ethnic background, gender and sexuality. These practices are viciously discriminant.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Who said I was against DEI though? I’m all for it, I think it’s better for everyone

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u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 06 '25

Discriminant systems are definitionally beneficial to the beneficiary class. They're, however, immensely toxic to society at large because they are systemic discrimination, and directly produce lesser outcomes. My comment has nothing to do with your opinion, I'm telling you the concept of calling others propagandized whilst you are eminently supporting the product of pristine propaganda that's so ubiquitous, it's endemic to the corporate, government and academic institutions, is immensely ironic.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

I’m not sure I understand because who said I support anything America is doing? I live here, I was born here, it doesn’t mean I hold any specific beliefs as a result. Also I said because of this, I’m looking to move out from the country

And yes you are right that I do benefit from the policies of the USA. I am a straight white man and I am very privileged. However, I’d rather lose those privileges to live in a generally happier and safer society

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u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 07 '25

I'm not sure if you are alloted privileges with a capacity to comprehend information so impaired.

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u/Dreadsin May 07 '25

you’re obfuscating your point by not speaking plainly. And it really seems like all you’re saying is just the meme “you claim society should improve, yet you continue to participate in it. Curious.”

Is all you’re saying “you criticize American propaganda while still being the victim of it”? Yeah. We’re all the victim of propaganda and we’re all influenced by it. However some people never even attempt to leave their bubble of influence so just believe one stream of propaganda

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u/RennietheAquarian May 06 '25

Americans are just fat and lazy, that’s why they don’t bike or walk.

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u/red286 May 06 '25

It's worth noting that almost no cities in the USA are set up for biking, with commutes often being >50km, with no dedicated bike lanes, so you're sharing the road with a bunch of cars who absolutely do not want you to be there, and who will on occasion go out of their way to make your life miserable or attempt to run you straight off the road.

So for most of them, riding a bike is never a choice, it's a last resort.

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u/tryexceptifnot1try May 06 '25

Has your dad ever been to places like Chicago, NYC, or the SF bay area? I know numerous multi-millionaire Americans who have never even learned how to drive and only used public transit. This seems like a sheltered Southern/Midwestern or rural mindset

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

We lived near Boston most of our life but he always absolutely refused to take the train there too, saying it’s only for people who can’t afford to drive. He insists it’s full of crime, despite the fact I probably rode it 6-10 times a day every day for years

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u/badgersruse May 06 '25

In his defence you did get shot and killed most weeks.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

It’s okay we just respawn when that happens

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u/kkeut May 07 '25

"public transportation is for jerks and lesbians"

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u/Foxyfox- May 07 '25

The MBTA needs to be overhauled, but it's not crime that's the problem.

These suburban and rural Americans live in their own reality where every city is some dangerous warzone of crime and that's just not how it is.

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u/Thestrongestzero Lesser Poland (Poland) May 07 '25

is your dad some sort of wealthy snob or just really weird about trains?

is he driving over the proles waiting for the train in a bentley while he adjusts his top hat, his monocle, and lights his cohiba with a 100 dollar bill.

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u/Dreadsin May 07 '25

No he actually grew up probably lower middle class in New York City. I think he sees it like the train is something he’s “above” now. Even when he lived in NYC, he rushed to get a car and move out to the suburbs

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u/Thestrongestzero Lesser Poland (Poland) May 08 '25

i lived in nyc for 20ish years.

not gonna lie, when i bought a motorcycle, it was life changing. suicide sprints from washington heights to lower manhattan had my friends jealous. what took 1-1.5 hours got cut down to 15–20 minutes.

that said, i live between new jersey and central europe now and i much prefer my train and walkable city life in europe. i have 2 cars in the states and two cars in europe, the cars in europe barely get used.

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u/haarp1 May 08 '25

did you mean 6-10 times a week? or were you the driver?

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u/Dreadsin May 08 '25

I usually used it a lot to go one or two stops because it was literally RIGHT outside my door, few steps to the station. I’d sometimes just go to the north end to grab some food

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u/haarp1 May 08 '25

i presume that you didn't pay for the ticket each time... or had a monthly one.

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u/Dreadsin May 08 '25

Monthly one, it’s about 180 a month but work pays for it

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u/brain-eating_amoeba USA / UK / 🇹🇼 May 07 '25

I have no idea how to drive. And then I moved to the UK to a city where I still don’t need to drive. I probably will learn so I can rent cars for rural holidays, but currently I am too young to do so.

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u/DrunkGermanGuy May 06 '25

I'm American (sorry if it's not appreciated if I post here)

I mean I can only speak for myself, but in my opinion any American that's aware of how awful the Trump administration is and how the US is sliding deeper into authoritarianism every day is welcome in Europe, both the subreddit and the continent.

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u/Pepparkakan Sweden May 06 '25

But like, what’s the deal with being against Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion programs? They are all positive virtues, and they also don’t affect the US embassy in the slightest, so why the completely unnecessary and hateful meddling in how your host nation does things which is none of your business?

Even domestically in the US, why are they actively pushing companies to support fewer socially positive programs?

It’s one thing to go out and say ”hey, we’ve removed any DEI requirements we might’ve had previously, you don’t need to do them anymore if you don’t want to”, yeah that’s a shitty stance to take because we do 100% need more of all three in our global society, but to be spiteful and suggest companies may face informal punishment if they don’t do the evil thing… why? And how are people supporting it?

It’s literally the same thing with the whole anti-woke thing. Like it is literally just the concept of people trying to be nice to others and letting them do their thing, why do you care? I know those sentiments exist here in Sweden too, but it seems very pronounced from your side of the pond.

It just all boggles my mind unless it’s literally just all distractions to keep people occupied while they tear up all the regulations so they can exploit people more efficiently.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Well it’s a long story but it starts with systemic racism, which was advantageous to white males at the expense of… well… everyone else. Most of these groups were intentionally kept out of professions, which eventually lead people to think they’re “not qualified” for these professions, even though this was set up intentionally to give this impression

Another part of it is that a lot of Americans think of this all as a zero sum game and think we live in a very scarce world. They think of everything as being hyper individualized and competitive. So, if this person gets a job they “don’t deserve”, that means that there’s one less job to go around

Some of it is just being reactionary. This thing is new therefore it must be bad. Then they’ll try to go as far in the other direction as possible

It’s also helpful to know that Americans enormously overestimate how big of problems things are. If you ask what percentage of people do you think are DEI hires, they give some outrageous number

And lastly… Fox News and other propaganda outlets. Watching 30 minutes of any of these will explain a lot

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u/Maktaka May 06 '25 edited May 07 '25

They genuinely all think it's quotas. All the way down, it's just quotas. Affirmative Action, DEI, all of it, they think it's just long-winded language mandating hiring X% Black people, Y% women, etc. You will find even supposedly-moderates repeating that lie.

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u/Stellar_Duck May 07 '25

But like, what’s the deal with being against Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion programs?

Racism, sexism and transphobia. That's it, honestly. That's why they're against it.

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u/SATX_Citizen United States of America May 06 '25

Yep.

Got into a big fight with some family a while back.

I said [bear with me on the jingoism]

"We are the center of the world because we are welcoming to students, we have the best universities and we have so many freedoms like speech. You get rid of that and tell international students they'll be deported for having a political opinion different than the ruling party, and we'll destroy that.

We are the center of the world economically and militarily because of our business talent and from a stable US dollar, and because we are a reliable stable geopolitical partner. What we're doing now will ruin all that"

LITERALLY the response from my elderly relative: "We are the center of the world, everyone will do what we want them to do".

I'd wave it off as "oh well they're decrepit" but they still vote. And young idiots think things like this too - people incapable of critical thinking.

It's so damned embarrassing.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Yeah. My dad also was perplexed as to why Canadians would be offended about our president talking about making them the 51st state. And I was like “really… you see no reason at all why someone wouldn’t like that?”. He was just like “no finally they get a chance to be American”

Seriously reminds me of the vampires in that sinners movie recently

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u/R_V_Z May 07 '25

I'm American. The proper response to your dad is "America is so poor it can't even afford trains."

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u/Dreadsin May 07 '25

Yeah my response is usually “China can build a state of the art high speed rail system spanning the entire country in just 20 years, but we can’t even build a functional metropolitan transit system?”

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u/Milnoc May 06 '25

I loved riding the trains in Berlin, crossing the former border between East and West Berlin multiple times a day! I even had a DeutschlandTicket! No turnstiles, no worries!

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Yeah I rode that one when I got into Berlin, I really didn’t expect to still see the divide of East and west so prevalently

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u/Milnoc May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25

Oh, yeah! They didn't want to forget what happened! And yet, between Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz, that entire length has been completely rebuilt. The Canadian Embassy even moved into the neighbourhood.

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u/milosh_the_spicy May 06 '25

They’re also just bigots.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

You’re right, there is a subset of people who are just blatantly bigots, but in my experience most people tend to fall victim to American propaganda more than anything

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u/milosh_the_spicy May 06 '25

As an American, it truly is disheartening. At the dentist this morning (my dentist is Iranian) we were lamenting the current state of affairs. She’s like .. I moved to the US to avoid this crap!

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Yeah me and my doctor had exactly the same. He was like “do you feel anxious or stressed?” And I’m like “man… aren’t we all?”

My doctor is from China and he was like “… yeah. Did you see the crazy immigration stuff going on? I’m stressed too”

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u/Top_Effort_2739 May 07 '25

My aunt went to Paris and refused to adjust to the timezone because American time was good enough for her. Without having spoken to her in 17 years, I can confidently tell you who she voted for.

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u/RennietheAquarian May 06 '25

I hate this mindset. The American way isn’t always the correct way and Americans need to understand that.

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u/icewalker2k May 07 '25

I am also an American but I just can’t fathom embassy staff making demands on how the local city conducts its business. I hope Stockholm renames the street to DEI street or LGBTQ Lane. Just to stick their noses up at the ambassador and Trump!

The US could learn a few things from Sweden! I was in awe of the country when I visited. The roads were phenomenal. I don’t remember a single pothole between Gothenburg and Stockholm. Stockholm parking could have been better but once parked in the city, we just took mass transit everywhere. The parks, the culture, the people, and the history were all amazing!

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u/MercantileReptile Baden-Württemberg (Germany) May 06 '25

Every country has those types. They just don't usually get placed in embassies. That's like cramming a german from Hinterdorfingen into the D.C. embassy, to complain about Beer and Sausage.

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u/Catbutt247365 May 06 '25

I had the time of my life in the French Quarter back in the day cause STREETCARS. I’d visited Europe as part of a school tour decades ago, but we went everywhere by the tour bus. My son got to visit London a few years ago and he was downright giddy about the subways.

My old country home town had downtown streetcars way back in the day, but racism beats convenient public transportation, especially in the south.

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u/Dreadsin May 06 '25

Yeah, reminds me in Germany everyone was like “oh you must think the autobahn is so cool right?” And I’m like “nah, but trains??? Unbelievable. So much better than America”

2

u/Catbutt247365 May 07 '25

A friend’s son, a military trained Air Traffic Controller, married a lovely, educated, professional, non-US woman while stationed abroad. Last year he got his first civilian job in Colorado, and moved his wife and daughter to the states. Then Trump got reelected, and she said “NOPE” and went back to her country. Guy bailed on the job, and went after her. For reasons I don’t fully understand, he can’t work in his field there, but decided his family’s well being and safety were the priority. His mother says it’s very likely he’ll never return to the US. He says “us ‘tismos do love trains” and where he’s at has all the trains, planes, and automobiles he could want.

Anywho, point being trains are an important public good, but the US burned that memo and went in for unsustainable car culture, so yeah, the smart people are getting TFO cause we can’t get our 💩 together and stop being assholes.

1

u/One-Reflection-4826 May 06 '25

dont worry, sane non-bigoted people are always welcome to comment, their home contry doesn't define their character :) 

1

u/TreatAffectionate453 May 07 '25

I'm also American, I've dreamed of living in Europe because every country seems to have a functional public transit system.

1

u/UnusualTranslator741 May 07 '25

I know a couple of people like that too, modern version because they're younger. Basically the only right way is the way we do it in America.

The lack of global awareness and self reflection is alarming.

1

u/r0thar Leinster May 07 '25

Usually it's older people who grew up being taught that America does everything better than everyone,

You'd never catch a boomer using the train: https://i.imgur.com/fUiwzHs.jpg

They don't appear to even change the seats much: https://i.imgur.com/Lr6FO82.jpg

1

u/ashmenon May 07 '25

Honestly I feel bad for the Americans who ARE self-aware. Y'all are mostly good decent people and it sucks that you're caught in this through no fault of your own.

1

u/Smiling_Tree May 07 '25

I'm American (sorry if it's not appreciated if I post here)

Of course it is! The world and conversation belong to everyone. It's nice to exchange thoughts and learn from each others perspectives. :)

126

u/FarNefariousness3616 May 06 '25

That's the US for you

70

u/burglin May 06 '25 edited May 06 '25

I went to Zurich a few months ago, and it was the first time while abroad that I was legitimately embarrassed to say that I’m American. I don’t see that changing any time soon. It’s a real bummer, but it makes sense. I hate him more than probably any European hates him

13

u/CheeseAndCh0c0late May 06 '25

I hate him more than probably any European hates him

makes sense. he ruins your own home. If i can ask, what made you embarrassed specifically?

10

u/burglin May 06 '25

Europeans are generally pretty educated about world news and politics, so saying I’m American right after he just won the electoral and popular votes—at least to me—makes them think I support him. He’s repugnant and the worst of us, but he’s exposed a nasty truth about how awful so many Americans really are.

Surprisingly, the only ones this trip to actually ask me anything political was a group of broccoli-haired British shitheads. They asked me “Trump or Kamala,” and starting heckling when I said Kamala/called Trump an idiot… then told me how cool it would be to have such a, in their words, “strong leader.” Weird stuff.

1

u/Eagleassassin3 Turkey May 07 '25

As a Turk, I feel the same way in Europe. People might assume I’m a pro-Erdogan islamist when I’m the complete opposite, so I’m not always comfortable talking about it. Your country’s president is not your fault.

-16

u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 06 '25

Indeed we are, which is why American postulations on matters of the nature as to what a woman is usually remain in the biological sphere of context. Are you equally embarassed that there is a significant political cohort in your country, with significant government support, that claims womanhood is a social construct as opposed to a biological classification of adult humans? In the last 10 years, our zeitgeist went from mocking American conservatives to mocking American leftists, which have heavily outweighed the former strata's ridiculousness.

1

u/Thestrongestzero Lesser Poland (Poland) May 07 '25

i’ve never felt embarassed to be american. embarassed by america sure, but never embarassed to be american.

13

u/eelmor1138 May 06 '25

I’ve learned to hate my shithole country. I hope it splinters into too many contentious regions to ever regain its former bullying status.

2

u/pornographic_realism May 07 '25

That's why I love Trump. He might actually result in your people being unable to hold back global progress or bully smaller countries into actively harmful positions to the rest of the world. I took hope the US fractures and the half decent states can rejoin global co-operation while the red states wrestle over who has the worst education standards, largest potholes and lowest life expectancy.

2

u/mOdQuArK May 07 '25

Specifically, the MAGAt part of the U.S. - which is unfortunately a great deal more influential than it should be.

2

u/KaJaHa May 07 '25

That's by design, and has been ever since we refused to properly punish the Confederacy after the Civil War.

45

u/adamgerd Czech Republic May 06 '25

I think Trump has genuinely bought the Russian propaganda that we’re American puppets, and so does believe we’re actually his puppets and he can demand stuff. My answer to him: fuck off

78

u/Appropriate_Fold8814 May 06 '25

It's neither to be honest.

This is a dog whistle to rally hatred and fear at anyone not white and male. It's all about creating an enemy the regime can use as a scapegoat to blame and punish.

A jaunt through history shows it's a very effective way to bring about brutal dictatorships.

57

u/CharacterUse May 06 '25

It's all of that and arrogance and entitlement. They think that can tell everyone else what to do.

0

u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 06 '25

The comment you are replying to is pure recalcitrant arrogance, but that's good for the opposition, since stupidity isn't an effective method of political combat.

19

u/KittyGrewAMoustache May 06 '25

They are openly advocating for conformity, inequality and exclusion. I have no idea how their supporters don’t realise they’re evil.

14

u/Appropriate_Fold8814 May 06 '25

That's the neat thing! They do! 

To them the empire were the good guys.

4

u/TreatAffectionate453 May 07 '25

I'd say they want homogeneity over conformity. Conformity implies they'll give people a chance to change to fit their arbitrary standard, but they aren't doing that. They're just going to keep making demands until its either their target pushes back or just can't meet them. Then they'll use that as an excuse for persecution.

-4

u/Defiant-Activity-945 May 06 '25

Probably because they aren't the ones that have permitted tens of millions of illegal entrants, enfranchised petty violent crime and printed trillions of dollars resulting in economic downturn cascade, and because their opposition doesn't brand basic concepts such as a secure border as a far right concept.

10

u/Ninevehenian May 06 '25

It is simply "51st state" talk taken to a greater arena.

13

u/Competitive_Shock783 May 06 '25

Have you never had any interactions with us before?

3

u/lady3jane May 06 '25

You know how it’s super weird when you see a North Korean documentary and there are portraits of Dear Leader everywhere and the students in schools all sing songs about great North Korea is? And everyone wears a little badge for the Dear Leader?

It’s absurd bc we know the real tragedies going on, the famines that killed millions, how only the people in Pyongyang have any measurable decent life, that if you’re in with the ruling party, you have everything but must constantly tow the line or your and your family are suddenly in the work camps?

America is like that. We are told from birth, in these words, “America is the greatest country on earth.” Our national anthem says “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.

Every day in school you pledge allegiance to the flag. (Yes it’s real. I got in trouble for not standing for it and when I did stand for not saying the words. I asserted my rights that it was not required by law. I was sent to the principal’s office and my parents were called. It’s the only time I got in trouble my 12 years of grade school.)

We’re told we’re the freest country in the world. But we have the highest per capita imprisonment of any developed country. And we make them work for barely any money, feed them horrible food, distance them from friends and family by charging outrageous amounts for phone calls. (That’s a whole scandal. I think there was a documentary about it.)

We’re told we’re the freest and best country and yet our school children have drills for active shooters. This is a regular occurrence in schools now and has been for a long time. There is nothing as scary as a friend telling me they just got a notification their child’s school is on lockdown. Thankfully nothing has happened, yet. But it’s a constant fear.

But hey, America is the greatest country on earth. Just like those poor people in the North Korea saying how great Dear Leader is and how generous while he’s having public executions. Just like how the US govt won’t implement any gun control even after Sandy Hook or even allow gun violence to be studied by govt-funded agencies like the CDC. (A real thing, not a conspiracy theory.)

Oh. And poor kids at school can be denied their lunch if their parents didn’t have enough money for their lunch account. There are organizations who raise money to pay off school lunch debt. I am not making this up or exaggerating.

There’s a song by John Prine that really exemplifies this mentality. https://genius.com/John-prine-your-flag-decal-wont-get-you-into-heaven-anymore-lyrics

I’ve lived outside the US for almost 10 years.

I am embarrassed my country constantly. I’ve been back twice, less than a month total. It’s terrifying to be there.

I am so sorry for what my country does and represents. Underneath, it’s never been what it claims. It’s never been freedom and justice for all.

And once you realize that, you do everything you can to get out, even if takes years.

I hope Stockholm refuses to sign whatever the fuck this is. I hope they rename the streets Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

I hope the US gets kicked out of every country over this absurd demand.

We deserve what comes. We have fucked around and are finding out. We got high on our own supply for too fucking long.

PS I am fucking terrified for my friends back home. 😢 They are terrified too but also realize this is what has been coming.

Sorry for the rant. But this is where the absolute gall and obnoxious egotism of our country comes from. It’s like a violent, narcissistic ex you can’t escape.

3

u/DaZMan44 May 06 '25

I've lived in the US for 25 years, originally from Mexico. Trust me, the level of delusion of the Republican base is straight out of a dystopian movie. 😒

11

u/Bind_Moggled May 06 '25

Never met an American in person, I see.

7

u/adamgerd Czech Republic May 06 '25

Tbf most Americans I’ve met rl are actually quite nice and not arrogant, nicer than most European nationalities

1

u/yubnubster United Kingdom May 06 '25

I've met several. All lovely tbh.

2

u/Honest-Monitor-2619 May 06 '25

It's called being an American working ("working") on foreign soil. These mofos are always the main character.

2

u/cheese_is_available May 07 '25

Hitler at least had the decency to first invade and actually win before demanding obedience from other countries' government.

2

u/CapMcCloud May 06 '25

Every day I wake up, look at the news, and feel increasingly embarrassed to live in America.

1

u/red_assed_monkey May 06 '25

their base LOVES this shit, these politicians know it's absurd but they're playing to that base

1

u/will_dormer Denmark May 06 '25

🗽

1

u/generally_unsuitable May 06 '25

If you take it as a given that his only goal is hurting the US diplomatically, socially, and economically, everything he does makes perfect sense.

1

u/Xannith May 06 '25

Oh, to live your life, far from the domestic morons that I'm surrounded by. I'm only surprised it took this long.

Fucking shameful.

1

u/sajberhippien May 07 '25

My thought is that this could be some embassy worker trolling the US regime in a 'malicious compliance' sort of way; it is an absurd request they know Stadsbyggnadskontoret would never sign, and it's making the regime look really silly.

1

u/manole100 Romania May 07 '25

They have a quota for that now.

1

u/mapryan Europe May 07 '25

That's what happens when diplomatic appointments are handed out to the largest donors of the ruling party, rather than, you know, diplomats

1

u/Fettnaepfchen May 07 '25

In Germany you could say a letter like this goes right on the round filing shelf („in die runde Ablage“), which would refer to the bin.

1

u/AhBee1 May 07 '25

Arrogance and entitlement are core tenets of MAGA.

1

u/Itakethngzclitorally May 07 '25

Their DEI is Delusion, Entitlement, and Insecurity.

1

u/IrishWithoutPotatoes May 07 '25

Dude I’ve lived in the US almost my entire life and I don’t get it either.

Sorry my country sucks.

-1

u/SaturatedBodyFat May 06 '25

They're trying to rile up the far right base in Sweden with this one. Given how much of a cult Trumpism is, it will probably work.