Posted at 10:07h
in
Economy,
Health
by Anne Boysen
Despite cultural similarities, there are a few crucial differences between Norway on the one hand, and the U.S. and Southern Europe on the other, which affect their citizens in significant ways. One difference is that while youth in other countries currently face austerities and unemployment Norway's economy is still going strong. The other difference is that there is a health care system here that actually works. I don't say this to be a snooty European, but most people I've met agree on this. Public and the private healthcare here are both
more affordable compared to the United States. (Many people are surprised by this fact, assuming private alternatives must be non-exiting or more expensive in countries with "socialized" healthcare.) On the other hand, the perception that the U.S. healthcare system is fraught with costly inefficiencies is pretty common among most Americans I've talked to, whether from right-leaning as well as left-leaning, young or old.
So it's a big surprise to me that when they are searching for jobs,
Norwegian Millennials view health insurance as an important perk.
Miley Cyrus sporting a less raunchy style[/caption]
What can Barack Obama and Miley Cyrus learn from Karl Marx this past week? Maybe they should take to heart a famous quote where he says that the second time a tragedy comes around, it comes as a farce*. That's true whether you're following the footsteps of Madonna or George W Bush.
Were anybody seriously "shocked" at Miley Cyrus' VMA performance? Underwhelmed and disappointed, maybe. I get that people are tired of a sexualized pop-culture where female artists turn to twerking and groping and self-subjugation to male co-performers. I get the fatigue that follows the trite and oh-so-predictable scheme of innocent teen-star turning adult by means of shock performances or other crazy-looking antics. But shocked? In many ways Miley is in the same boat as Lance Armstrong. If predecessors push the benchmark impossibly high (or low) to meet or beat, you've got to go to extreme lengths to be noticed. How in the world is a has-been-Disney-star like Cyrus to compete "shock-wise" with all the Madonnas and Britney Spears out there? Maybe she would have done better choosing a completely different strategy.
