Read on Twitter
My least favorite thing abt living in #Sweden is the type of thing that happened on Twitter today. I was told to stop using English on my own social media account if I want to criticize government policy in Sweden. I should also refer to Sweden only in the first person ("we"). 1/
A lot to unpack here. 1st, what if I don't speak fluent Swedish but live here? Am I not entitled to express an opinion, even if I obtain citizenship, until I've learnt fluent Swedish? There are great English news sources like @TheLocalSweden that provide enough info to have a POV
Also this is a personal social media account. I use the global lingua franca to reach a broader audience. If you don't like the language, perhaps I'm not tweeting for you. Pedestrians in Sthlm regularly chastise me for speaking English TO MY DOG.
Why must I speak Swedish in my private capacity?
Then there is the general belief, common in Sweden, that "outsiders" should not criticize Sweden. Susan Sontag wrote about the bizarre, severe sensitivity to foreigners' criticism of Sweden in a 1969 essay on the country.
Then there is the general belief, common in Sweden, that "outsiders" should not criticize Sweden. Susan Sontag wrote about the bizarre, severe sensitivity to foreigners' criticism of Sweden in a 1969 essay on the country.
So it's nothing new, but it is frustrating. Also, it's deeply hypocritical. The debate pages of Swedish newspapers - and indeed, most of the Swedish public - express strong, detailed, nuanced, highly critical opinions of other countries (especially the US) every day. In Swedish.
The person who criticized me today appears to be, in fact, a journalist.
Why do Swedes feel that they should be able to write critically about other governments/cultures in their own (rather arcane) language but take such offense at use of the lingua franca to criticize Sweden?
Why do Swedes feel that they should be able to write critically about other governments/cultures in their own (rather arcane) language but take such offense at use of the lingua franca to criticize Sweden?
Whether I'm an outsider or an insider, discussing Sweden as an entity distinct from myself (as a scholar of government, I do the same with the US, for the record) in the language I choose should not be particularly offensive - unless and until Swedes refrain from doing the same.
Just to note - I read the news in Swedish every day and speak decent Swedish. But my Twitter, my rules.
