No Need to Emigrate!

Vilhelm Moberg wrote an epic tale called The Emigrants of how Swedes emigrated to America in the mid 1800s.  But would they wish to emigrate to America now. I don't think so. 

Around 1850 Sweden was ruled by an oppressive, inflexible hierarchy. Above all, it was considered vital that the common people obeyed their masters. How else would the order of society be preserved, eh? The servant law was a corker! It stipulated that all servants must remain in their place of service. Servants couldn't even leave their master's grounds without permission. 


Some Swedes dreamt of a place where all workers would be treated equally. In The Emigrants the farmhand Robert dreams about what he hopes to find in America:

"And no false pride existed among Americans; no one was looked down upon or snubbed because he had a dirty or mean employment. All work was considered equally important" 

(Moberg, Vilmhelm. The Emigrants: Book I) 

Is all work considered equally important in today's America?  

Uh...no. Just like the English, the Americans consider occupation the most essential status symbol. Every first conversation includes the inevitable, inescapable question: "So what do you do?" There is a world of meaning in this simple phrase. It could translate as: "Alright. Small-talk's over. Tell me what job you've got so I know your societal status. If it's a shit job I'll proceed to smile condescendingly and say 'that's nice'. If it's a job that's better than mine I'll raise my eyebrows and allow you to lead the conversation, while I listen intently".

Which jobs are considered 'shit jobs'? Here's one:

It seems pretty acceptable to ridicule security guards in the USA!

With Swedish people today it's a different story. Swedes will take most jobs on. There's no obsession with status. They genuinely believe that all work is important. And Swedes don't bring up jobs during a first conversation. What do they talk about, you cry? OTHER STUFF! Hobbies, pets, literature, food...

Yep, there's a whole other world outside what you do for a living...

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**NOTE: To be fair, I must mention that there is one job Swedes  don't seem keen on. Cleaning jobs are all done by immigrants in this town. But for the most part Swedes seem prepared to take on a far wider range of jobs...