Comment

Sep 07, 2016
Despite the whimsical title and cover art, the author is making serious points comparing the Nordic social democracies to US society, from the point of view of individual families and people. While many Americans think of the Nordic states as socialist "nanny" states that create dependent citizens, Partanen argues persuasively that just the opposite is true: it is US society that is mired in dependent, archaic and almost feudal (my word, not hers) relationships that are ill-suited to the modern age. To give only a couple examples, is it any wonder people stay in unhappy relationships if the other spouse is the one whose income is critical to affording child care? Or stay in a soul-destroying job because it provides health or pension benefits? And why should businesses be put in the position of taking care of the health and family needs of their employees instead of focusing on running their business? She argues that these relationships of dependency not only create resentment and add immeasurably to the stresses of US families' lives, but are unsuited to the nimbleness that modern economies need.