by Brianna Acuesta at trueactivist.com
True Activist recently posted and circulated a meme that made some pretty bold statements about Denmark and their economy and raised a lot of questions about whether such an economical structure really leaves its citizens satisfied. The meme was set in the format of the Blobla memethat went viral on Facebook, which inserted your name and generated one of its statements to describe you and tell others to be like you. Similarly, the Denmark meme aimed to convince others, namely Americans in a capitalist society, to be more like Denmark in their socialist structure. But is the Danish structure as simple as the meme claims it is, or is there more beneath the surface? More importantly, is there really something we can learn from Denmark’s structure and do we want to be more like them?
Let’s break it down. The first section states that Denmark has free healthcare and free college education. This is true if by “free” you mean you don’t directly pay for your doctor visits or college tuition, but, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Though you likely won’t pay directly for these services, you will certainly pay for them when you pay any kind of taxes. Perhaps the biggest criticism Denmark faces is their high tax rate; for example, their income taxes range from 41-56%. Sales tax begins at 25% and can often increase based on the items you buy. Compared to taxes in the United States, these figures seem alarmingly high, but that’s because we aren’t factoring in how much we pay out-of-pocket for our health insurance and college tuition. If we were to add up those figures, the amount we are paying is significantly more than the money that Danes are paying in taxes.
Credit: kygl.com
As if it weren’t enough to receive a free college education, Denmark also pays its students a stipend of up to $900 per month if they are enrolled in college, beginning at the age of 18. This stipend can extend for up to 6 years and the only major stipulation is that the student not live with their parents. So yes, when you hear that Danish students get paid to go to college, it is actually true. Additionally, when the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development studied the happiness of almost 40 democracies, it found that people with only a primary education rated their overall life happiness to be a 5.9 out of 10, versus those with a tertiary education, who rated their happiness to be much higher at a 7. This means that Denmark is directly assisting its citizens in eventually leading a happier life.
What do all these taxes balanced out with free tuition and healthcare mean for the citizens? According to statistics, it means that the citizens are happier and more satisfied overall. Though Danish people themselves gripe about how high the taxes are, and many who happen to achieve wealth leave the country to avoid the income tax, the benefits seem to outweigh the complaints some have. International statistics show that 90% of Danes are completely satisfied with their healthcare, which is a stark contrast to the United States satisfaction rate, where 90% of the population isn’t even insured because they cannot afford it. Additionally, though some high-cost items also have high tax rates, such as cars, whose tax rate is on average 180%, there is a reason for these higher taxes. For cars, Denmark wants to encourage people to buy less cars and instead use public transportation or walk/bike for their daily commute in order to reduce the use of fuel. Studies show that material items such as cars do not make people happier anyways, so maybe Denmark is just saving its citizens some money while keeping them at their same level of happiness.
Credit: NY Daily News
Now we come to the alleged $25/hour minimum wage and 35 hour work week. The simple truth is that there is no minimum wage; however, the average lowest wage that is paid to workers is actually $18/hour, which is not a far cry from what the meme states. The average work week is also 33 hours, which sweetens the deal even more. Denmark does not stop there for its workers, though. Each worker is guaranteed 5 weeks of vacation every single year, the maternity and paternity leave is longer and can even be intermittently stretched out over the first few years of your child’s life, and the child care costs are subsidized by the government so that it is very affordable for parents to work. On top of all this, it is common for Danes to work very close to where they live (what a concept!), reducing the stress of a long commute everyday and making it possible to travel when you don’t have a car. These all contribute to the way that Denmark keeps the balance between work and family and allows its citizens to stay happy and healthy.
As for saying that Denmark is the happiest country in the world, this may be exaggerating it a bit, but the intentions are good. The OECD found Denmark to be among the happiest of the nearly 40 countries it assessed, which is, of course, not the entire world. But all of these countries were democracies with market economies, so perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the developed world.
The answer to the question this article posed is yes, of course there is more beneath the surface of an economical structure whose policies are almost all compliant with a social structure. It’s difficult to be raised in a capitalist society and pretend to understand right off the bat how an economy like Denmark’s works without diving into the deep end to fish around a bit. Whether or not there is something we can learn from this and possibly take away from it truly depends on who you ask. In a country with presidential candidates whose economic policies are so widely dispersed but who all have significant support, it’s hard to say if we could ever be capable of taking huge strides to get just a little closer to Denmark’s policies, but we are closer now than we have been in decades because of candidates like Bernie Sanders. As for Denmark, it’s clear that the high taxes are certainly worth a laundry list of all-inclusive services that directly benefit its citizens and help them lead a happier, less stressful life. The question is, would you want to be like Denmark?
This article (Viral Meme Crowns Denmark As Best Country, But Denmark Has Some Secrets) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commonslicense with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
well here is the issue i have…and it is the same old mentality that MONEY AND THE MASSIVE ACCUMULATION THERE OF IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE HERE IN THIS REALM AND APPARENTLY MOST FOLKS STILL BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT ONE SHOULD BE DOING WITH THEIR LIFE WORKING TO ACQUIRE PIECES OF PAPER THAT ARENT WORTH THE PAPER THEY ARE PRINTED ON LET ALONE THE INK TO PRINT THEM CURRENCY IS THE PRIMARY TOOL OF CONTROL USED BY THE BANKING CARTELS TO RULE AND CONTROL YOUR LIFE TO SIPHON OFF YOUR LIFE FORCE TO ENRICH THEMSELVES NOT TO MENTION EVERY ONE IS GOING TO GET HUNG UP ON THE 41-56 % INCOME TAX RATE AND THE 25% SALES TAX RATE WHICH WOULD BE RIDICULOUSLY HIGH IN A COUNTRY WITH A POPULATION OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS LIKE HERE IN THE STATES BUT DENMARK ONLY HAS A POPULATION OF 5.6 MILLION SO QUESTION DO WE CARE ABOUT THE WELL BEING OF HUMAN BEINGS OR DO WE CARE ABOUT MONEY….MONEY ANOTHER PRODUCT CREATED BY MAN BUT USED IN AN EVIL FASHION THIS ARTICLE IS PATHETIC IN ITS APPROACH IN DISSEMINATING THE FACTS IF ONLY BECAUSE YOU ENTIRELY LEFT OUT HOW SMALL THEIR POPULATION IS SHAME ON YOU KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO EVERYONE EQUALLY AND FREELY EXCLUDING FOLKS FROM OBTAINING IT UNLESS THEY PAY THROUGH THE NOSE FOR IT IS EVIL IN THAT MANY WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM GETTING IT AND THEREBY HAVE NO CHANCE OF BETTERING THEIR LOT IN LIFE BUT IN OUR EGO DRIVEN SOCIETY I AM NOT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED ITS ALL ABOUT ME ME ME AND FUCK THE OTHER GUY
Dude, your caps lock is stuck. I know it is capitalist and egoistic, but you really should buy a new keyboard. Some times it is alright to spend money.
haha x)
Don´t be that guy!
Caps locking your words doesn’t make your argument any better. It just makes it… ‘what is it called?!’… Ah, yes… STUPID!!
So, let’s try it this way: Imagine Denmark as a state (like Florida), now multiply it by 50. Got it?
(Maybe i should’ve wrote this in caps lock mode)
Sure, the minimum wage is high… and did you also know that a pair of jeans cost $143 in Denmark?
After the gov spends more of your money and limits your choices, however allegedly getting more for each dollar spent, a Dane’s disposable income is indeed higher than an American’s… by $11 per month.
So what is choice worth ie not being limited because gov make the decisions for you? To me? More than $11.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Cost-of-living/Clothing-and-shoe-prices/Jeans/1-pair-of-Levi-501s-or-equivalent
please.. dont talk if you dont know what you are talking about, im not even gonna make points, cuz ur wrong in everything you say.
Have a good day 🙂
Mate if you pay that much for a pair of jeans in DK you are paying for a brand, as you can easily get jeans much much cheaper than that.
Then buy some cheaper jeans!! It’s not a human right to owe a pair of Levi!?I live in Denmark, and I’m proud to pay my taxes. I don’t need to worry about healthcare: I don’t need to pay my hospitalbill – it’s already payed for through my taxes.
Im Merica all i see is big cars and ugly jewels, that cost a million…
So we pay more taxes, have greater healthcare and free education. Those the ones that is limited… if i had the time. I could easy rip all ur exampels to shreds… but u cleary didnt do ur homework.
A pair of normal jeans cost 20-30$ in Denmark. If we want to support USA war crimes, we can buy a USA trademark like Levis for 100$ I don’t support warfare.
Thank you from Canada for making that ethical/moral choice
If you like it so much.. move to Denmark!!I hope nobody takes these articles seriously. 90% of Americans are uninsured? Did Bernie put you up to this? The government got into Healthcare and my premiums skyrocketed for less coverage and a higher copay. What do you think is gonna happen to higher education? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!!
It is true that Denmark has some benefits other countries do not have or at least not in the same way, such as free Health-care and school and those things are paid through the taxes we pay. However that do not mean that the meme is completly wrong in what it says.
You just have to look at it, in another way.
All the benefits Denmark has and all the other things this article highlights and explain, means that the danes can fokus on what we love and what makes us happy… spending time with friends and family. Most people does not care about how much they make a month, they just love during what they do.
I agree that saying that Denmark is the happist place on earth is exaggerating it a bit… HOWEVER, we are one of the happesit countries for a reason.
I’m a young danish adult and I love EVERTHING about my country and I understand and
respect everyones’ opinions and views.
However try visiting the place and see it for yourself before drawing a conclusion, you may learn something.
Damn the hate is real. well while you’re fighting here I think I would go out and cash in my check for attending school
I like it here.
Not because it’s called Danmark. (Field of Dan (one of the Jewish tribes))
Not because of 56%, 180%, 25% taxes or 90% satifaction with healthcare or 900$. All of these are just numbers!
I like it because I can make people smile and I feel they like me.
The governement and moneymakers are just as corrupted here as in any other place on the planet. They’re just playing with the numbers to make you believe the grass is greener on the other side.
Trust me. Your health and wellbeing is just as much at stake in DK as in the US, if you let it in the hands of the socalled healthcaresystem.
They feed people pills like candy, and most people take prescription medicine for some made up disease.
The educational system is just as stupidifying as in all the western world.
People are getting fed the same crappy food and TV and news as anywhere else.
Our wellbeing and education is our own responsibility. Just like anywhere else.
I like people and people like me, because I tell what I believe is the truth. If I realise I’m wrong I change.
You don’t get to hate on my country in a stupid article or online, unless you’ve actually visited or lived in denmark and seen for your self how denmark works and why it’s ACTUALLY one of the best countries in the world (and also one of the least corrupt countries aswell)
Article comapres to America, almost every developed !market economy is better than America. America is run for the rich not the people.
The high tax is all about caring for the weakest in your system. Something USA absolutely does not. No money = No options
Danish guy here, and i can honestly say yhat living here is awesome. Most of us are pretty wealthy because we share our things, thats what makes our country work. We see that in order for everyone to lead the best life possible everybody has to chip in, those who have more than others give more.The concept is that is if people are ok then society is ok and vice versa. So yeah we pay a high tax, but i can go to the doctor as much as i want and will never have to take money out of my own pocket, as a student i don’t have to worry about anything other than my studies, when i get kids i don’t have to worry about them getting hurt og educated because i will know that the society i contribute to will give it all back. Yes it’s socialism, yes it works and yes it will benefit everyone end of discussion
Repatriated UK citizen here.
I lived, worked, and paid my taxes in America for 20 years. I also spent quite some time working in Denmark, and Holland, earlier in my life.
I think one of the key observations in the article is that it’s hard to imagine living within a particular social and economic system that is so different to the one in which you were raised and are accustomed to. This applies no matter which side of the fence you’re peeking over if course.
No hating on America from me but,from experience, I prefer Denmark.
And no, I wouldn’t be paying $145 for a pair of designer jeans, no need to.
Best wishes to all
As I read this I start to believe that maybe this type of economy could work, just not in America. America is a great country and in no way am I bashing the country but in recent decades the country has sunken slowly into depravity and seems to slowly keep sinking. This economy could never work in America, why? Because of the work ethic of this nation. The masses now believe that the government owes them and they want to sit back and freeload off of the average hard working American. If you have the same or more drawing off of the government then this type of economy will never work.