Zlatan interview with Olivier Dacourt | Blasts Swedish media for "undercover racism"

[7even]

I'd say that you've forgotten the biggest part of all in your social structure and that's the middle class. Otherwise you're lumping together about 7-8 million Swede's as either wealthy with good jobs or hillbilly's.. and that doesn't really sound right.

Thanks but the wealthy people I’m talking about is the middle class. Approximately 40% of our population.

I have deliberately excluded the top 5-8% mega rich people because they mostly don’t take part in the public society. If you’re familiar with Sweden you probably know this. Take a walk at from Stureplan to Djurgården, in the summer you can visit Sandhamn or Båstad and you find the majority of our millionaires on an area close to ten square miles in these places.

 

[Theonas]

Great post @7even. I lived in Sweden for a long time now, at first in a small town in the south and currently in Stockholm so I experienced different levels of spectrum you are talking about and it is largely accurate from my experience at least.

I think one thing is forgotten when talking about Sweden is how relatively new they are to this whole immigration thing. Sweden lived in relative isolation for longer and until more recently than the likes of Britain or France. This is especially the case for small towns in the country where you meet people who will tell you they have not seen a black person until their late teens and we are talking about people in their '30s. They have gone through less compared to other countries when it comes to interacting and dealing with other cultures which can make a lot of Sweds very inexperienced and in some cases, awkward.

I think what this translates to is that the reaction to this inexperience differs depending on the social classes and educational levels. Old school Swedes will yearn for the old times where things were simpler and recognizable. The aversion of confrontation however means that this yearning will be done behind closed doors. The other parts of Sweden which you refer to as wealthy middle class are largely liberal tolerant people not too dissimilar to the Hollywood elite that the alt right hate so much right now. Difference is they are a little bit awkward about their tolerance, you can sense it is based on more of a duty to fit in and be a nice person than any deep understanding of the problems facing the world. You can sense that it is a very new challenge presented to them. Naturally this leads to a lot of resentment from the lower classes because they feel the wealthy middle class rightly or wrongly is too sheltered to feel what they perceive to be negative consequences of issues like immigration.

I understand that this sounds a lot of like what is going on in the rest of the West and it is kind of the point. Sweden is not that different in that regard, it just may be slower in the process of integration and is still more of a divided society due more to, in my view, the inherent reservation of the average citizen, than anything else.

 

[Denis79]

sounds about right
Listen, I've lived here for 12 years and it's a great country. I have also lived in the UK and the difference between how you're perceived in both countries is very easy to recognize. I felt more at home in England than I ever did Sweden despite the fact that i've been a Swedish citizen for as far as I can remember.
I still maintain that Swedish people aren't racist but in many cases they just don't know better and that's due to the geographical segregation that exists between us. I've had many Swedish friends tell me that they had the wrong idea about Middle Easterns and that image changed after actually making Middle Eastern friends, the food is usually a good ice breaker

Also felt very welcome in England I have to say, They really gave me a chance before before having an opinion of me. I'm glad that you found a way to integrate in to the society, I really had a hard time in Sweden but I learned to keep quiet when I had to and keep my personal beliefs to myself, I could handle it knowing I would leave when I finished my work there.

 

[NoLogo]

Someone has been listening to Trump's propaganda far too much. The statement "there's not enough prejudice" is seriously fecked up on so many levels that one wouldn't know where to start! You're far worse than the people Zlatan is complaining about that you wouldn't look out of place one bit on Stormfront.

Don't need to go as far as Trump. Every European country has at least a couple of "alternative new" sites that peddle this crap and some parts of the yellow press are just too happy to jump right into shit creek and peddle it as well. And don't get me started with Facebook who acts like a diarrhea hose for this brand of "news", making sure even those are hit who usually never would trust these "reputable" sources who produce all this shit in the first place.

 

[Red_toad]

So I don't get this a White guy is claiming racism from a majority white media? He must mean prejudice? Or am I missing something?

 

[Zlaatan]

Thanks but the wealthy people I’m talking about is the middle class. Approximately 40% of our population.

I have deliberately excluded the top 5-8% mega rich people because they mostly don’t take part in the public society. If you’re familiar with Sweden you probably know this. Take a walk at from Stureplan to Djurgården, in the summer you can visit Sandhamn or Båstad and you find the majority of our millionaires on an area close to ten square miles in these places.

I've been in Visby during Stockholms-veckan so I'm unfortunately very familiar with what you're talking about. Stureplans finest in action is a truly horrible sight.

 

[Zlaatan]

Great post @7even. I lived in Sweden for a long time now, at first in a small town in the south and currently in Stockholm so I experienced different levels of spectrum you are talking about and it is largely accurate from my experience at least.

I think one thing is forgotten when talking about Sweden is how relatively new they are to this whole immigration thing. Sweden lived in relative isolation for longer and until more recently than the likes of Britain or France. This is especially the case for small towns in the country where you meet people who will tell you they have not seen a black person until their late teens and we are talking about people in their '30s. They have gone through less compared to other countries when it comes to interacting and dealing with other cultures which can make a lot of Sweds very inexperienced and in some cases, awkward.

I think what this translates to is that the reaction to this inexperience differs depending on the social classes and educational levels. Old school Swedes will yearn for the old times where things were simpler and recognizable. The aversion of confrontation however means that this yearning will be done behind closed doors. The other parts of Sweden which you refer to as wealthy middle class are largely liberal tolerant people not too dissimilar to the Hollywood elite that the alt right hate so much right now. Difference is they are a little bit awkward about their tolerance, you can sense it is based on more of a duty to fit in and be a nice person than any deep understanding of the problems facing the world. You can sense that it is a very new challenge presented to them. Naturally this leads to a lot of resentment from the lower classes because they feel the wealthy middle class rightly or wrongly is too sheltered to feel what they perceive to be negative consequences of issues like immigration.

I understand that this sounds a lot of like what is going on in the rest of the West and it is kind of the point. Sweden is not that different in that regard, it just may be slower in the process of integration and is still more of a divided society due more to, in my view, the inherent reservation of the average citizen, than anything else.

I think you hit the nail on the head there, we're not that different but immigration is a relatively new thing compared to many other countries.
The leap from my parents generation to mine (80's kids) is quite big when it comes to tolerance in my experience and a different world compared to the kids of today. Kids today are growing up with 3rd generation immigrants, they will think that having non-white classmates or neighbors who are not named Svensson is the most natural thing in the world because they won't know of anything else, which is definitely not something my parents could say and it was also fairly unusual for my generation, at least outside the three biggest cities.

Growing up with people where the biggest difference by far between you is the color of your skin is a very different proposition than being introduced to immigrants for the first time as an adult and they not only don't look like you, but can't speak the language and are complete strangers to your culture (and vice versa). It's a night and day difference.

 

[Ballache]

So I don't get this a White guy is claiming racism from a majority white media? He must mean prejudice? Or am I missing something?

It's not about the fact that he's white, he's not an ethnic Swede. If I'm not mistaken, people with origins in the Balkans are the largest immigrant group in Sweden.
It's not a Black/white thing, it's more an ethnic Swede/non Ethnic Swede thing.
I was once asked who I'm supporting at a Sweden match despite blasting out the Swedish national anthem

 

[7even]

In Sweden and many other western countries the political correct people, mostly liberal, are also part of the establishment.

As I mention before criticizing the majority opinion is alsmost suicide so when Zlatan raises concerns about underlying racism he creates publishing problems. First, everything Zlatan says is newsworthy. Second, he’s not supposed to have a political opinion, and if he has one the establishment except him to stand in line. (and sing the national anthem)

So when Zlatan brings this subject to the table it’s like he swear in the church. The media tries to ignore it. And those of them who open their mouth starts to criticize him, or worse, tries to dismiss his experience. I have already seen signs of journalists who stars to question his character.

Sweden and many western countries has a huge problem with underlying racism. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the power to make a difference. The question is if he’s willing to take this road because it will cost him one way or another.

Just see what’s happened to 49ers Colin Kaepernick.

 

[Theonas]

I think you hit the nail on the head there, we're not that different but immigration is a relatively new thing compared to many other countries.
The leap from my parents generation to mine (80's kids) is quite big when it comes to tolerance in my experience and a different world compared to the kids of today. Kids today are growing up with 3rd generation immigrants, they will think that having non-white classmates or neighbors who are not named Svensson is the most natural thing in the world because they won't know of anything else, which is definitely not something my parents could say and it was also fairly unusual for my generation, at least outside the three biggest cities.

Growing up with people where the biggest difference by far between you is the color of your skin is a very different proposition than being introduced to immigrants for the first time as an adult and they not only don't look like you, but can't speak the language and are complete strangers to your culture (and vice versa). It's a night and day difference.

The last paragraph is so spot and on. It seems obvious but its impact is always criminally underrated when it comes to these issues. Someone commented that Europe has more underlying racism than the US and in my view it is this familiarity or lackof with strangers that is the cause of that. I wouldn't call it racism myself but that lack of interaction which is even more relevant in Nordic countries like Sweden definitely poses a different proposition. Some mainly in the smaller towns who are still living a relatively isolated life, will simply base their view points on whatever media platform they choose or worse, are exposed to which nowadays can be a dangerous prospect. In the bigger cities and among the academic liberal types, there is more interaction, more relationships but they are relatively new as you say. This means that a lot of these types are tolerant but also unprepared and in some cases, unwilling to really dig deep into understanding the problems that have plagued the rest of the world for a long time. This leads to a cookie cutter representation of events that is noble in its intentions in its aim to give everyone a fair prejudice free chance, but it just cannot help but come across as preaching and too sanitized which is the perfect excuse for the vile extreme right groups to jump onto and feed the rest of the country the message that the elite do no understand you and are more concerned with saying the right things than engaging in productive discussions.