OK, Norwegian pop culture. My initial reaction was, and kind of still is, "does Norwegian pop culture exist?" I don't mean to say that it doesn't exist, but it is kind of like trying to define the pop culture of a single US state (Norway has a population of about 5 million). Like a state it has things that are unique to its culture, but it is very much influenced by the larger world around it. And I think you have to live here a little longer and watch a lot more TV than I do to get a feel for the unique culture here.
That being said, there is a lot that is especially Norwegian. Instead of football and baseball and basketball, the big sports are skiing and soccer and handball. Don't feel bad, I'd never heard of handball either. I once saw a group of Norwegian guys "throwing" the football around and was tempted to step in and help.
Olympic gold medal in handball last summer. Go Norway!
Many people in the US may picture Norway and think of a country that hates the Sweden. They don't hate the Swedes nearly as much as we like to think. They are more than happy to be independent from them, but now it's much more of a friendly rivalry/brotherly love type of situation. But Norwegians my age grew up watching Swedish cartoons because for a long time Norway didn't have its own. They are fond of their neighbors, and even if they do consider themselves superior, I think it's all in good fun. Except beating the Swedes in winter sports, that is a matter of utmost importance.
I don't feel qualified to say much more about Norwegian pop culture, but here's a good example of something Norwegian women can get excited about:
As you may know, the climate in Norway is on the chilly side and this has made knitting very popular over the years. There is a Norwegian television talk show host who made up a new sweater design and started knitting them. She made the instructions public and now these sweaters are all the rage. I thought that was kind of funny. Then my friend's (awesome) mom knitted me one and it's the warmest, most comfortable thing I own. And apparently very in style. So it's not out of the question for a Norwegian talk show host to design and knit her own clothes, and easily influence the rest of the country style-wise. When's the last time Oprah did that?
Norway's latest fashion craze.
You want one now, don't you?
You want one now, don't you?
Now, what do Norwegians think about Americans? Since we were just talking about pop culture, I will point out that a lot of people think about Americans is based on what they see on television and in movies. And rightfully so, TV is our national pasttime, after all. But all jokes aside, that is kind of scary. Think about all the crap we export to the rest of the world. It doesn't represent the average American very well, or does it?
I'm just one person, and I don't want to say these are the views of every Norwegian. But I've heard a few things about America since I've been here, so here's my stereotypes of their stereotypes of Americans:
Everything is big. Everything is cheap. Everyone is fat. To elaborate on that, some think all we eat for breakfast is donuts. And if something here seems abnormally large people label it the "American" version. Fair enough, a lot of stuff we produce is larger than it would be in other countries and a lot of Americans are overweight.
On the plus side, Americans are seen as very friendly and helpful. Though maybe they're just saying that to make us feel better.
He looks friendly enough.
All this helps me see the importance of getting to know people for who they are and not just applying everything you've heard about a place to the person you're talking to. We are so much more than our cultures, so let's stop reducing one another to labels and find out for ourselves by truly getting to know people who are different than us. Every day here is a day I get to learn something new about Norway and understand the people around me a little more, and that is an opportunity I'm thankful to have. Thanks for reading, and sorry this pathetic post took a year to write. ;)
