[lobster_johnson]

> It's considered polite to pretend not to notice things like someone crying on a park bench, if they aren't someone you know

As a Scandinavian, I strongly disagree. It's not that it's considered polite, as such. It's just that Scandinavians are deeply inhibited by nature.

Someone crying on a park bench, or someone tripping and hurting themselves in the street, or a similar situation where a person needs help or shows signs of needing help, would simply be embarrassing. Most people would dearly want to help, but would hesitate to get involved because that means having to sort of open up socially and no longer be a neutral stranger.

The Scandinavian countries were, up to just a few decades ago, generally unmodern countries, sparsely populated and divided by physical distance and dominated by a sort of severe, patriarchical farming culture. Norway a little more so than the more centrally located Denmark and southern Sweden, I think. And this is something that is still imprinted on the mindset of later generations. This, by the way, is also why Scandinavians binge drink: To overcome their — our — social awkwardness.

Scandinavians, by the way, are terrified to death of initiating spontaneous connections with strangers, but they will open up right away if you approach them in an outgoing, friendly way.

[Dewie]

Nice caricature you've got going there. I like how sometimes people tend to shit on a people/group because they themselves are a part of because, hey, if they're a part of that same group they can supposedly say whatever they want without scrutiny since they have first-hand experience and they are 'only talking about themselves' (well, this is just an impression that I have since I don't know how to mind-read).

Yes, Scandinavians aren't ones to strike up conversations with strangers. Hell, they might be hesitant to respond positively to a stranger that is requesting their help. But I wouldn't say that they (we) are downright socially dysfunctional, as you seem to be saying.

[lobster_johnson]

When you have travelled a bit, you come to recognize that people do have interesting social behaviours that are intrinsic to the region and/or culture which are different from your own. The inhibition of Scandivians is easy enough to recognize, just as the British "stiff upper lip", which is very similar, is. It's not a caricature (did my description seem particularly grotesque or comical to you?), although it is obviously a generalization.

[Dewie]

> When you have travelled a bit, you come to recognize that people do have interesting social behaviours that are intrinsic to the region and/or culture which are different from your own.

What? Didn't I just say that yes, Scandinavians are not ones to strike up conversations? I merely pointed out that the Scandinavians being relatively reserved, while true, you're exaggerating it IMO.

And you don't know how much I have travelled. I have not been living in that neck of Europe all of my life (and I'm currently not).