Skilsmässa

Here’s Your Learn Swedish Word of the Day

(en) skilsmässa – (skilsmässan, skilsmässor, -na) – divorce; separation;
parting; divorcement
Skilsmässor är sorgliga, eller hur? (Divorces are sad, aren’t they?)

This morning I got a letter from a student who told me that he was in the
middle of a divorce and it made me want to share a few ideas with everyone
concerning the notion of marriage in Sweden. Perhaps many of you have a
Swedish lover or fiance and if you do, I am in no way trying to discourage
you. I just wanted to offer some perspective on some things you may not have
been aware of. Every Swede is different and every Swede is an individual. If
I say something about Swedes in general, I am not saying that the person you
are with is like the herd. I simply paint with broad strokes in order to
awake interest and make a point.

When it comes to divorce, almost no one does it better than Sweden.
According to the most recent statistics , Sweden has the _second highest
rate of divorces in the world _ with a whopping 54% of marriages ending in
divorce. The only country that has more divorces is Belgium where nearly 60%
of marriages end in divorce. Actually, when it comes to percentages of
divorce overall, Scandinavia dominates the world. Finland, Denmark, Norway,
and Iceland are all amongst the _TOP 15_ countries with the highest
percentages of divorce. Too bad divorce isn’t an olympic sport.

Let’s face it. If you are looking for commitment, Sweden is not your best
bet. Swedes are notorious for not wanting to commit to anything, and not
just when it comes to marriage. We all remember what happened during World
War II when the Swedes decided to be “neutral”. In fact, historically, the
only thing Sweden has really ever committed itself to is its so called
“neutrality”. Not only is this a silly notion but it is also an egregious
contradiction in terms. Nonetheless, I still hear many Swedes utter words
like “Sweden is committed to neutrality” or “We believe in neutrality”.

On the spiritual front, Sweden is filled with agnostics and atheists. The
average Swede does not believe that morality exists, rather only the law of
the land and political correctness.

Socially speaking, a fanatical sense of feminism dominates the country and
has figuratively castrated the male population while turning the female
population into what foreigners jokingly refer to as “men with c#nts”. They
have even gone so far as to literally start castrating statues and even the
lion on the Swedish Coat of Arms.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Sweden is my home and I embrace it
fully…the good, the bad, and the ugly. I just want to give those students
of mine who live outside of Sweden a realistic picture of the country. It is
easy to glorify countries that you don’t live in before you get there. There
is however no paradise. Every country has its pluses and minuses. Where you
ultimately decide to live will be based upon your personal priorities at the
time. Your pluses may be another person’s minuses.

Many people value Sweden’s lack of commitment. They see it as progressive
thinking. I would be lying if I said that I was one of these people, but I
do acknowledge their place in the world. Sweden has a rich history and a
beautiful language and I hope that I am able to be the catalyst that helps
you learn all about it…from all angles. The good, the bad, and the ugly!

If you are a man who’s thinking about marrying a swedish woman, proceed with
caution (I am talking to the men now because the vast majority of divorces
are initiated by women). She might not have the same understanding of
commitment that you do. The environment she was raised in might not have
prepared her to live up to your expectations.

Alright, if I haven’t offended you all so much by now, that you have
unsubscribed from my newsletter, I just want to say one more thing….

The best way to keep any relationship in tact is communication, and if you
do not know your partner’s native tongue (Swedish), you are not going to be
able to communicate effectively. It doesn’t matter how good he/she is at
English. Entire cultures are hidden in languages. If you want to ensure
effective communication with your swedish partner then you need to pick
up the “Find Your Flow” course at www.SpeakSwedishStupid.com . It’s
the first and LAST program you will ever need to learn Fluent Swedish!!!

You owe it to yourself to give your relationship the best possible chance,
so you and your precious loved one don’t end up being just another
statistic.

Lycka till med allt i ditt liv!

Prof Paul

Tagged As: Learn Swedish, Speaks Swedish, Swedish Language