One of the interesting things about having a *"public"* business — in our case, we had a small gallery and gift store — in a place that gets a lot of visitors is that you get to talking to all sorts of people with all sorts of beliefs... political, financial, religious, philosophical and whatever else you might conjure up.

![20240107_014535.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23xeba7fyhMNYqfTB8xuYU517ES7n2S7pjKHYu6eniDa8415tB19BCc61M77XnZGz5Ggv.jpg)

I'm typically cool with listening to all sorts of different viewpoints, provided they are shared in the interest of *learning and understanding,* rather than as some from of *proselytizing* or trying to *impose* a belief system on someone.

And then there are the *"armchair experts"* who think they know everything there is to know... but the have no actual *"field experience.*

## *You're Just a SOCIALIST!*

Being Danish by birth and having lived in northern Europe till my 20s — and still having lots of relatives back in Denmark — I often hear some very interesting things when people discover where I am from.

![20230709_002217.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/EoeGtGqLkoQfyzfRgubUF2QKDXMbs6BVHws75FgpzPgv5FQQ27AfTiL4BcyfCbeAkWF.jpg)

One of the more common ones... typically offered up by those of more *"conservative"* (or *"Libertarian"*) persuasions is that I must be — *by definition* — a *"Socialist"* or even a "*Communist*" because I am Danish and happen to believe **[The Nordic Model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model)** of societal structure actually has a lot to offer. 

And it definitely has its share of *flaws,* as well. 

But I digress.

People ask me — outright — questions like *"Why is Denmark so socialist?"* and I just want to shake my head and ask the person back *"Do you even KNOW what that word MEANS?"* and *"why do you look at it like it's a virulent disease?"*

![20230701_014846.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23wgWaSRhzYjDG7Vpp5T6gyu43tbnMc4R6WDNQb7jBde5Fq8J9TxJmQQSNDydc3aBykBM.jpg)

Reminds me of an incident shortly after I arrived in the US for college, and someone replied to a statement I made with *"Well, that's a COMMUNIST thing to say!"*

All I could think — in that moment — was *"That was an IGNORANT thing to say!"*

## *Yeah, but What Is a Socialist?*

Semantics offer an interesting area of human communication.

After 35 years of living in the US, there seems to be some definition of "Socialism" here that I don't understand. And believe me, I have sincerely *tried* to!

![20240207_142940.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23x19PBsGdJP89sH94yxCbnbUfGg48P9dPZYiRYQMV4wuS5mD8n2CDav5WRTkjUnDLiTb.jpg)

One theory I have is that *"if a place has higher taxes than the US, it is socialist!"* That seems to cover a lot of people's issues.

Another idea is that *"if a place has more public services and focuses more on the common good than the US, it is socialist!"*

Some seem to lean more towards *"if a place has a bigger government than the US, it is socialist!"*

A few — a little more "on the fringe" — seem to think that *"if a place has more firearms control than the US, it is socialist!"*

![20240113_005537.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/48PTVYJoKYPZnzHKqzWk998bF9scaGfs83PmwXWgdDBY97YuUW9481aUyony2gZLmp.jpg)

All in all, though, nobody seems quite able to home in on what they mean other than a generalized *"I think this represents something I don't like and makes me slightly afraid and I don't understand... so therefore it is Socialist and EVIL!"*

Often the phrase *"my RIGHTS!"* is strongly peppered into the conversation.

The whole thing is rather baffling to me as I have often felt far more *"constricted"* in the US during the 30+ years I have lived here than I *ever* did in Denmark.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that Denmark isn't actually socialist, at all! It's a *Social Democracy,"* and actually very pro-business and free market. 

![20231209_233317.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23xKvGqhkWL4XjxV1bwMjsApCzNCxVvwTcirix5uCRaEGKjWbNGGBLmqr7wXGk1qwwooq.jpg)

Of course, many of these biases came to life during the years I lived in Texas... and I did a *lot* of explaining!

All I know is that I came from a nice place and we were free to do pretty much what we wanted.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great remainder of your weekend!

***Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!***

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