Rascism in Sweden ?

Originally posted by Renata
I hear a lot about rascism in Sweden. Is this true?
Or is it as common as in other european countries?

HiLow Renata...

A former girlfriend of mine from sweden was discriminated
in sweden (thrown out of a party )
because she insisted to be of scanian origin and proudly
speaking a few sentences in SCANIAN which is a Danish-like
language.
This is still a dangerous problem in Sweden.

Racism is everywhere, unfortunately, is kind of human reaction to anything seems different from your surrounded enviroment. I've been few times in Sweden and although in general people is very nice and gentle, they are quite aprehensive to (dark) foreigners. I have heard swedish refering to refugees (Mostly came from Chile and Turkey)as kind of dangerous community and lack for the country. As Latina I can not share that view. World population is made everywhe for migrants and those who have not a position as "natives" work harder to find a place inside societies

[veliman]

I hate Sweden and cannot wait to get out of here.

[veliman]

it's probably not racism. For some stupid reason, Swedes beleive they should be cold to strangers.

Show me a Swede smiling at a stranger and I'll show you a flying pig.

I'm in Sweden (Luleå) until end of August because of research (chemical Engineering), and, frankly, I cannot wait to leave these sour-faces.

Until I asked, I thought 'excuse me' doesn't exist in the swedish language (it does, and it's 'urshekta' or some such).

Damn! I've been to richer and poorer countries, but I have not experienced anything close to this. Male or female, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

[Mayweed]

Originally posted by veliman
it's probably not racism. For some stupid reason, Swedes beleive they should be cold to strangers.

Show me a Swede smiling at a stranger and I'll show you a flying pig.

I'm in Sweden (Luleå) until end of August because of research (chemical Engineering), and, frankly, I cannot wait to leave these sour-faces.

Until I asked, I thought 'excuse me' doesn't exist in the swedish language (it does, and it's 'urshekta' or some such).

Damn! I've been to richer and poorer countries, but I have not experienced anything close to this. Male or female, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Kinda sucks that you're experience of Sweden is so bad. But I have to admit I know what you mean. I have a tendency to smile at everybody, cause I'm constantly happy for one or another reason. Sometimes I just get an odd look, but most of the time I get a (shy) smile back.

It's not the fact that people 'think they should' be cold to strangers, it's just the way people are. Swedes are in general very helpful and kind people, but at the same time quite reserved, so the nice side doens't show too much.

It's much worse in the northern part of Sweden though.
Must have something to do with the cold
Well, actually it might have something to do with the cold and dark winters. People stay inside most of the winters, it's extremely dark and quite depressing. I think this might have a big impact on how people act against each other. You just don't have the energy to make new friends and socialize as others do.

/ May

[Marzia]

Hello,
I´m a 22 years old Italian girl, and I live in Sweden now.
I came to Sweden one year ago because my boyfriend is Swedish.
I´m from European Community, but even this doesn´t help in this "nice", "open-minded" and "friendly" country.
I´ve attended University in Italy for one year before moving here, I was studying German and Swedish (I had really a fantastic average, 28/30, and considering that I hadn´t studied these two languages before going to University, it means that I´m quite good at learning languages). Moreover, I have experience with PR, sales, office work, some accounting and working with children.
My job here in Sweden? It´s easy to guess: CLEANING TOILETS AND WIPING FLOORS!!! It´s not a joke, I´ve sent my CV to I-don´t-know-how-many firms, schools and so on... I´ve found only this job, and only because my boyfriend has a friend who works in the same company (I´ve tried to find some extra job in the same field... The problem is that my name is not Anna Eriksson or Ulrika Svensson, in other words, I´m not Swedish!).
I´ve tried to attend University here, but I need to have a diploma in Swedish language before applying for a course... Since I want to study English (I started to study it when I was 6 years old!) and Italian (my native language!!!), it´s ABSOLUTELY important to know Swedish, how can I be able to pass an exam in English or Italian language otherwise?
I think Swedish people prefer to "import" foreign people to make them clean the floors or live on welfare, instead to give a chance to the ones that want to do something more with their lives... Btw, at the Universities where I asked to study English, they have problems to fill the courses, so even if a poor, deficient Italian girl would like to attend one of them, I think she wouldn´t be such a damage for the University to allow her to attend a course and become something more than a cleaner, to which people look at like if a dog who has just rolled in the **** is passing...
You can reply that the rules are these, and that we must apply them ,even if they don´t seem to be right... Well, in the Italian University I was attending, there was a Swedish boy who WASN´T on an exchange program (like Socrates or Erasmus), didn´t speak Italian, and was studying Swedish and English. He didn´t even attend Swedish langage lessons, and he scored 30/30 in the final exam anyway, because he is a mother-tongue Swedish, doesn´t need a proficiency in Italian to know that the plural of katt is katter!!!
I think that your famous "integration" doesn´t exist at all, you only put people in ghettoes.
Integration doesn´t mean "make me live on welfare" or "give me a disgusting and humiliating job if I don´t want to take welfare, and I´ll be grateful for the rest of my life", integration means "give me a chance to show what I can do" and "treat me as a PERSON, not as an object"!!!!!!!!!
Marzia

Maybe we should start a I-hate-Sweden thread, for all the boohoo-postings. Its brilliant.

[Didac]

perhaps an whole forum, lonely!

But, seriously, I think we should expect that people who arent satisfied with their stay in Sweden drops in at sweden.com now and then. It would be strange if they didn't.

I won't comment Marizas post since I think it's more an personal statement than a question, but I think it's good that she writes. Sometimes we just have to let the anger out and show the world what we thinks.

[veliman]

Apparently the Italian lady's experience is not unique. A Swedish lady who teaches at LTU (where I'm doing my research) was telling me how difficult it's always been for her Eritrean-born (but Swedish-educated) husband to get jobs (in Sweden) for which he was more than adequately qualified. He had to go live in England to pursue his career. The lady puts it down to racism.

[Mayweed]

Originally posted by Marzia

I´ve tried to attend University here, but I need to have a diploma in Swedish language before applying for a course... Since I want to study English (I started to study it when I was 6 years old!) and Italian (my native language!!!), it´s ABSOLUTELY important to know Swedish, how can I be able to pass an exam in English or Italian language otherwise?



Yeah, that is a problem. Some Universities have courses where you don't need to have passed a Swedish exam, but unfortunately they are not many. Since almost all courses are based on Swedish (i.e the teacher speaks Swedish some of the time to explain things for example) you have to be able to show that you can speak Swedish. It sucks, but it might change.


I think Swedish people prefer to "import" foreign people to make them clean the floors or live on welfare, instead to give a chance to the ones that want to do something more with their lives...


Nopes, definitely not. Personally I think that it's extremely disturbing that we have so many highly educated people in our country that doesn't get a chance to do what they have an education to do.
It's one thing to want the person to know Swedish since that's the spoken language (that's a common requirement in most countries) but to not give a person a job because of their lastname or an accent is just terrible. I don't think it's because of racism, but because people are afraid/wary of things that are different.


Well, in the Italian University I was attending, there was a Swedish boy who WASN´T on an exchange program (like Socrates or Erasmus), didn´t speak Italian, and was studying Swedish and English.


Well, maybe you have better rules for entering the Uni in Italy. Maybe you have to pay for the education, I don't know. But I still agree that it IS a problem here.
But as I said, there are courses in the University for non-swedish speakers.


I think that your famous "integration" doesn´t exist at all, you only put people in ghettoes.
Integration doesn´t mean "make me live on welfare" or "give me a disgusting and humiliating job if I don´t want to take welfare, and I´ll be grateful for the rest of my life", integration means "give me a chance to show what I can do" and "treat me as a PERSON, not as an object"!!!!!!!!!
Marzia

Our famous integration? Umm.. It's a common fact that we have HUGE integration problems. People aren't put in ghettoes, people move there. Sometimes because they can't get an apartment anywhere else, sometimes because they choose to live near people whom they can relate to.
Personally I live in what you might call a ghetto, but I kinda like it.

Just a tiny note though. It's usually much harder to get a job if your young. I know quite a lot of people, mostly Swedes, that can't even get a job as a cleaner because they don't have the experience or contacts. They have to be on welfare, because companies doesn't seem to want to hire a person under 25. I had problems getting a job myself because of lack of experience, lack of education and so on.
Basically this isn't only an immigrant problem. It's a problem amongst young swedes as well, just not as big of a problem.

Have you tried with the bigger 'agencies' like Manpower, Adecco and Proffice? That might be a way.

// May

[Marzia]

Originally posted by lonely_swede
Maybe we should start a I-hate-Sweden thread, for all the boohoo-postings. Its brilliant.

Maybe you should start to understand that your "perfect" system has more holes than a strainer (durkslag), in other words, it doesn´t work (if you aren´t Swedish)! See my replies to the other threads for more information.
Btw, what are the requirements a person has to fulfil in order to become a senior member of this website?

[Marzia]

Originally posted by Didac
I won't comment Marizas post since I think it's more an personal statement than a question, but I think it's good that she writes. Sometimes we just have to let the anger out and show the world what we thinks.

My name is M-A-R-Z-I-A! I´m supposed to study Swedish before attending University, while Swedish people can mis-spell my name in all the ways they want, and this happens all the time, even if they have to write an official paper!

[Marzia]

Originally posted by Mayweed

Our famous integration? Umm.. It's a common fact that we have HUGE integration problems. People aren't put in ghettoes, people move there. Sometimes because they can't get an apartment anywhere else, sometimes because they choose to live near people whom they can relate to.
Personally I live in what you might call a ghetto, but I kinda like it.

From "The concise Oxford dictionary":
1 a part of a city, esp. a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.
2 hist. the Jewish quarter in a city.
3 a segregated group or area.
In my thread, I meant definion number 3, maybe it wasn´t very clear, but I meant "ghetto" as social status, not as a place.

Just a tiny note though. It's usually much harder to get a job if your young. I know quite a lot of people, mostly Swedes, that can't even get a job as a cleaner because they don't have the experience or contacts. They have to be on welfare, because companies doesn't seem to want to hire a person under 25. I had problems getting a job myself because of lack of experience, lack of education and so on.
Basically this isn't only an immigrant problem. It's a problem amongst young swedes as well, just not as big of a problem.

Well, I know quite a lot of people (Swedish and non-Swedish)that prefer to live on welfare instead to apply for a job as a cleaner... You should see the faces of the people when they ask "what is your job?" and I answer "I´m a cleaner"... Who is more decent? The Swede who cannot lower him/herself to this disgusting job, or the immigrant who has to much dignity to lower herself to accept charity from other people and prefers to work as a cleaner (and try to survive with the enormous sum of 4500kr per month (after taxes)), even if it isn´t the funniest job in the world?

Have you tried with the bigger 'agencies' like Manpower, Adecco and Proffice? That might be a way.

I did, I´m still waiting for them to find a job.

// May

[Didac]

Originally posted by Marzia

My name is M-A-R-Z-I-A! I´m supposed to study Swedish before attending University, while Swedish people can mis-spell my name in all the ways they want, and this happens all the time, even if they have to write an official paper!

I'm sorry Marzia, for misspelling your name (It was actually a typo, since i read it like Marzia).

From VHS (Verket för högskoleservice, http://www.vhs.se/ ):

Vad fordras för att min utländska förutbildning ska ge grundläggande behörighet?
- Fullföljd utländsk gymnasieutbildning och
- kunskaper i svenska: lägst betyget Godkänd i Svenska B/Svenska som andraspråk kurs B från komvux eller godkänt TISUS-resultat (Test i svenska för universitets- och högskolestudier) eller godkänt resultat på Rikstestet eller preparandutbildning vid någon högskola med godkänt resultat på det avslutande testet och
- kunskaper i engelska som motsvarar Engelska A, med lägst betyget Godkänd, eller årskurs 2 från svensk gymnasielinje eller etapp 2.

As I understand it you allready have some knowledge in Swedish, perhaps you could pass the TISUS-test then? It might be worth a try since it would be a way to attend University without further Swedish studies.

more about the TISUS here:
http://www.nordiska.su.se/TISUSsveri...ussv.html#krav

Cheers!
/David

[jornfjord]

There is some racism in sweden but there is racism everywhere.

Not getting a job because you come from some other country?
That is probably true but I myself can't get a job.

I'm 2 times educated to be a IT-technician. But I can't get a job.
Not even as a cleaner because of too much education.

In Sweden most people mistrust foreign schools. Sometimes because some people have lied.
It is horrible to see a engineer work at a pizza place but to see an engineer from Iran not knowing what's up or down on a wrench makes everyone a little bit suspicious about "foreigners" and their education.