It’s nice having Americans living here in Denmark, debunking some of the things other Americans are so miss informed about. Love your channel guys, stay positive ❤️
This was your BEST video ever! As a Canadian, I get SO tired of hearing Americans' misinformed criticisms of societies who prioritize taking care of their people. And who usually perform better economically at the same time!
What I like most about living in the Kingdom of Denmark (I'm from the Faroe Islands) is that healthcare is mostly paid for by everyone. I say mostly, but what you pay for directly is reduced, like dentist or drugs from the pharmacy. the rest is paid by everyone through tax. so if you go to the hospital or something like that, it doesn't cost you anything. That is what I like most about my country.
Yes, it's a fantastic thing about living in the Danish realm - it's also nice to know that everyone is always going to be taken care of when it comes to their health and wellness 😀
Not true. They just had a dispute with the unions which got solved. No company can be barred from doing business in Denmark, just bc. They do not go the union way. The unions and society at large just pressure them to go along with it. It gives us great stability. Almost all mid to large size companies directly support dealing with the unions. It makes their dealings more smooth. Some large foreign companies have come here hoping not to deal with the unions. Just about all have changed their stance, bc. Its just easier for everybody. In the end they all talk good about the system. There are also very few strikes. There are ** to some of this as always, but its the exceptions to what could have been easy pages on the topic.
Now McD is a great plase to start working for the kids. Also for the middleclass kids because of their union dealings, which is by the union dealings made a safe and secure work invironment. The young ones learn to work and there is a rolling inflow/outflow of young workers and leaders. Yes they can get to lead at a very young age. They have become a cog for the development of kids/young in Danish society. Work ethics, safe inviroment, ok pay, desicion making and responsibility is the name of the game. We have suggested our young daughter she can start her worklife there. Plenty of options for her, but its sincerely on the table.
This is perhaps one of the things the United States can learn from. It may well be possible to give employees a salary they can live on while the company still makes money. The food at MD is also more expensive in Denmark than in the USA.
@@EmmelineSama I know. My comment was aimed at the people that actually thinks that Denmark is a socialist country. Not you, me, Robe Trotting or anybody else that know otherwise.
I believe that the reason many Americans believe that Denmark and other countries are socialist, is due to American polarization. Anytone left of you is a socialist, no matter how far right you are.
Maybe things get so polarized in the US because you only have two political parties. And then it's amplified by social media where you just listen to your own "tribe". In DK we have more parties that need to compromise to form a government. In the US it's "winner takes all" making it very hard to form new political parties. I guess our system would be too strange to Americans, but you could take inspiration from New Zealand or maybe Canada if you want change. It looks to me as if the current US democracy is in danger.
I love how here in Denmark our taxes actually get used to keep everyone safe, healthy and educated. (at least most of the time) It just makes sense to do it this way.
On the point about Denmark being homogeneous, I think it's due to a lot of things in the USA being turned into a question of race/skin color. USA has more non-whites than Denmark, especially since USA classifies Hispanic/Latino as a race on its own which is sort of weird considering they may have absolutely nothing in common besides having their country invaded by Spain hundreds of years ago. To most Americans it seems like diversity, multiculturalism etc. are only about skin color, where as it tends to refer more to culture in Europe. If you took an Irish guy, a Finnish guy, a Portuguese guy and a Bulgarian guy, that would be a very diverse and multicultural group, even though it'd be four white guys, they basically have nothing in common besides their skin color and sex after all. Different ethnic groups, different languages, different histories, different cultures, different foods, different mentalities etc. And yet a lot of Americans would likely label them "white guys" and leave it at that which is weird to most Europeans. The important thing when it comes to getting the benefits of being homogeneous (ie. social cohesion, high trust etc) it's much more about culture and mentality then it is about skin color. Clearly a middle class black guy from the USA has far more in common with a middle class white guy from the USA than he has with some black guy from Kenya or whatever, or than the white American has in common with a random Romanian or whatever.
Guys! Really enjoy your videos. My husband and I have visited friends in Copenhagen twice over the years, and we are planning to visit again next year. Your thoughtful vids have been both informative and fun. Can’t wait to be back on a bicycle checking out the city again very soon!
Hey Greg, thanks for the kind words and sweet comment! It’s really cool that you’ve been to Copenhagen and are coming back - definitely check out more of Denmark too if you can. Hopefully we’ll run into you on a bike or out and about when you’re here next. Definitely let us know 😃
@@RobeTrotting Great to hear back from you! We have visited some around Denmark but want to see more for sure. We got to see the Kronborg castle and the Louisiana modern art museum, both amazing in their own right. Believe it or not, we didn’t get to a single gay bar 😉 So happy to be making plans to return to Denmark, one of our favorite countries.
I liked your comment about marginal tax rates. American politicians love to quote the highest tax rates from other countries and make it sound like people abroad pay that rate on all their income, and as you stated that’s not the way it works.
@@Ziaoe Oh, they CAN explain what marginal taxes are. It’s simply that they don’t WANT to explain it. They want people to think that the marginal tax rate is on all their income.
I'm Danish. Thanks for understanding my country better than me, now I'll be better able to explain my country to Americans or just have them watch your video, because I'm not known for great patience! I've lived in the U.S. because my paternal family is American and I lived there on-off during my toddler years and again for 6 years in the 1990s. A high school teacher *very knowing tone*: "Oh Denmark, that's on the[U.S.] East Coast!". "But you're not white...". Even other Danes think to ask if I'm from Greenland or adopted from Asia? Right, we don't have a minimum wage. That honestly shocked me when I realized that, but my union explained that, that's in part because of the reason you gave and because we otherwise risk that the minimum wage could be whatever it is in some other EU country, where wages are much lower than here, so that wouldn't serve us well. Before dad retired, he was a city employee. Then the city went bankrupt. You can imagine what that did to the "Cadillac" healthcare insurance he thought he could rely on for life. He nearly lost his life in 2017 and he can't afford new or recurring serious ailments. Americans like to ask me if I regret leaving their country? If I'd like my sons to move to the U.S. and study there? We can't afford that! They're getting free education here. I'm finally able to get a free education here with a student income (I'm not confusing that with SU = stipend), two of my sons have asthma. My husband has hypertension and asthma and they've been in hospital for various reasons and boys do things that sometimes land them in ER, oh and I gave birth 3 times. I don't know how we would've afforded all of this in the U.S. For over 20 years when I took care of our sons (1 autism, 1 ADHD), we only had my husband's mid-range income. There's no way we could've been able to live near my family in CA and had the same living standard as we have now. It's also less likely that I would eventually get an education.
THANK YOU !!! I Really Like your Channel MORE AND MORE !!! - It's SOOO difficult as a Dane to convince Americans that those wrong ideas they have about how things works in Denmark ARE ACTUALLY WRONG !!! Some times it seams like Americans have been Brainwashed with those ideas. And when you try to tell them how things actually work - they refuse to believe you. Very irritating !!! I lived in North America for 7 years. And when ever the conversation was about Denmark - apparently those Americans knew much better than I - A DANE how Denmark works ! So I'm finding myself feeling a tremendous relief and also a satisfaction to hear two Americans actually explaining those exact things that I've tried to explain over and over !!! A Question for you Mike & Derik; I do not understand why all those people, in all of those conversations did not believe me when I explained how things actually works here ??? I actually used Google to show a lot of people about our political system and actually everything else to. I obviously needed to prove my words. And even so - most Americans remained suspicious about what I told them. So once again; THANK YOU !!! I think that Americans are more likely to believe other Americans that's actually living in Denmark !!! Also - I Love that you are actually doing a lot of research along the way too !!! Warmly & Kindly Anja - a Danish Lady
I am 100% Danish! A Copenhagener! I just LOVE you guys and your deep and qualified insight!!🙂🙂. You're right on all points! And one thing: if we should ever meet please do NOT great me by asking "How are you"!!🤣🤣. That way of greeting is just ridiculous!🥰🥰
Very nice video. Have had so many discussions with Americans on many of these topics, and usually it is impossible to get through to them because they heard that that's how it is from some "news" outlet or politician. But i guess that might be the after effects of yelling we're number 1 for years.
Another great video! This was informative- a.) I didn’t realize that the tax rate was a marginal tax rate (but since we have that in the US that makes sense to me) and I also didn’t realize that the hourly wage was union negotiated. My only (small) quibble here is that you said in the US it’s hard to fire people. I think that may be said for jobs with unions (teachers, police officers, etc) but for many jobs without unions (aka “at-will” employment) you can be fired for any reason that’s not prohibited by state or federal law-and that’s usually narrowly tailored to specific groups or “protected classes” such as sex, race, marital status, and sexual orientation and (sometimes) gender identity. Otherwise many places in the United States can fire you without notice and for generally any reason except the reasons listed above. I wish we had more security in that regard.
Great video, thank you. I am glad having you living in here, and it is relieving to see Americans dismiss these myths about my country. You guys brought some much needed enlightenment here. Thumbsup! Addition, number 7 - Denmark is not extremely cold and we don't have icebears roaming the streets (they live in the arctic, not here).
A long time ago my mom told me I should have my future kid in Denmark since I love it so much (I'm not sure if she was being rude or not), so glad I know birth tourism doesn't work there
Haha, yeah, sadly they don’t make it easy at all. You would need to have Danish citizen parents. Even marrying a Danish citizen requires a LOT of time and requirements.
@@RobeTrotting Exactly. My Danish husband got US citizenship from me, and despite learning the language more or less fluently, I can't have Danish citizenship. I spent loads of time and money to get UK citizenship, assuming it would give me EU rights, but ha ha. Ha.
@@anahidkassabian4471 It's not super difficult for married couples, you can get opholdstilladelse through the marital immigration process, and then find a job. I looked it up years ago, but it's not that difficult, it's definently the naturalization (9 years living here) that's the biggest hurdle, because you can't go back to the US for longer periods f.ex. there is some leeway so it's not totally uninterrupted, but it's pretty close. I'd look into it if i were you. Like, you can't actually get citizenship, without having lived here for quite a while, although you can get dispensation for the naturalisation based on how long you've been married, if 3 years or more it's "only" 6 years, which is quite a big chunk, but also still 6 years. Also, since your husband has Danish citizenship, any kids you adopt will automatically get citizenship (that's the good part about jus sanguini, that is inherited citizenship as opposed to jus soli, the American ideal) the adoption just has to be legal according to Danish law.
Yeah the tax thing is pretty much always getting confused, even when you explain exactly how much you pay in taxes. I expect to make just under 600000 DKK this year(plus 10% in pension, but that isn't taxed till I retire and start getting a payout), and expect to pay about 200000 DKK in actual taxes, including "AM-bidrag", so roughly one third of my income. But then there is always a but, because you have sales taxes, extra taxes on everything from gas, electricity to alcohol and cigarettes, etc., should you include those as well? Sure other countries have those as well, but they vary, but it just makes it extremely hard to calculate a precise tax rate, and then if you are a member of the church, that is part of the taxes as well in Denmark, I have opted out, but people who haven't pay slightly more in taxes. So if you want to compare countries, I think you should pretty much forget about taxes, and just look at what do you actually take home at the end of the month versus costs of living, that is what matters in the end.
And also @@RobeTrotting I think you do touch uupon it, to compare, shall medical/education cost be put ontop of the US tax calculations, since it is inherit in the danish tax, if the state/city etc taxes in the us are put ontop of what an avg. american pay in taxes, then I would think (and I seem to remember having read/heard it elsewhere just cant point to it right now) that the difference in taxes wont be that much
It is my experience that Robetrotting gives a fair picture of what purchasing power is available. For you and me as a consumer, what matters is the price for 12 eggs, not who gets the money.
I just stumbled on to your channel. I posted on one of your other videos just before coming to this one, but I am a fellow American who has been living in Denmark for ten years now. You are so spot on with everything I have seen so far. Completely agree with all of your impressions and opinions. Thank you for sharing, and I have definitely hit the subscribe button.
Great job guys - I remember being in the US for a sport event held in Blue Bell, PA and the speaker announced they had a participant from Copenhagen, Netherlands not Denmark :D
A lot of US lefties, politicians included, claim to be fond of "democratic socialism" lately, but few know or can explain the difference between socialism, democratic socialism, and social democracy. I also get very annoyed when I say something about Denmark and (even presumably very educated) people will say, "Oh, I've been to Amsterdam." The "homogeneous" excuse Americans use is basically saying we can't have nice things, because racism.
It's just an excuse politicians use to avoid giving people what is rightfully theirs. "If it weren't for those foreigners, we'd give you all free healthcare". It's a lie designed to segregate Americans into camps and force them to argue with each other, instead of the corrupt politicians who should be taken to task.
As always a great video, guys. However, there is one thing that I would like to challenge. You say that Denmark is not as homogeneous as Americans believe and therefore can not explain why a welfare state works in Denmark but would not work in the United States. But the Danish welfare state was primarily built up in the 1960s, where immigration from other cultures had not yet taken place. When the values underlying the welfare state were created in the 60s, Denmark was still a very homogeneous society. Immigration from the Middle East and Asia did not occur until the 1970s. The United States has always been culturally diversified, while Denmark only began to become so from the 1970s onwards. So right here, your countrymen may have a point. But the rest was spot on 👍
Hey Kim, that’s a great point, we didn’t follow the thought all the way through. Hmm… I wonder if that means it would be more difficult to establish a welfare state with today’s demographics.
I think you have a very good point Kim. I’m not sure it would be an easy thing to build up the Welfare State today because of our more inhomogenious society compared to the 60ies.
@@RobeTrotting That's partially true. Yes, immigration from culturally more distant places is more common today than before the 60's. However, Denmark has for centuries had a fairly high percentage of immigrants, mainly in Copenhagen. In the 18th century, the city was the center of a multicultural empire that included Norway, Iceland and northern Germany and bridgeheads in Guinea, the Caribbean and Trankebar. At the same time, like most European states, they pursued an active policy of attracting enterprising foreigners who could both counteract the city's chronic demographic deficit and increase the prosperity and wealth of ideas in the capital. Up to 20 percent of the population had German as their first language. Judging by the citizenship protocols of the period, the proportion of immigrants was comparable to today's. Throughout the 18th century, only approx. 22 percent of those who took citizenship, were born in Copenhagen, over 20 percent in Jutland, 5 percent in Norway and over 17 percent outside the kingdom's borders. Among the city's 9,000 poor in the early 1800s, 16.5 percent were born outside the kingdom. These proportions of immigrants are almost identical to the proportions of immigrants in present day Copenhagen, whose numerical population is, however, considerably larger. It is an expression of historical ignorance or possibly national chauvinism, when it is argued that todays number of immigrants would be an obstacle to the formation of a welfare state. Btw thank you for a great vlog.
@@TheJerida You are absolutely right that there has always been immigration. I think it was Holdberg who said that he spoke French (the civilized language) to the ladies, German to his dogs and Danish to servants. German was used in the Danish army well into the 1700s. So yes, there have always been foreigners in Denmark to enrich our culture. My point was about the emergence of the welfare state and the values that were at play when it was created. And in the period up to the emergence of the welfare state, there had been no major waves of immigration to Denmark, primarily due to the two world wars. Denmark was predominantly a homogeneous society in which agriculture still played a major role and industrialization, the basis for the creation of the welfare state, had only just begun again after the war.
I think the important point is, that welfare has nothing to do with homogeny; it's just an excuse so you don't have to try. Building a welfare state might not be easy; getting people to agree on every finer point of how public funds should be distributed among the population is difficult under any circumstances. But saying you can't have a welfare state because your country isn't "homogeneous" is basically code for "I don't want x ethnic group to receive welfare."
Very nice video. Appreciate the concise delivery. You guys are awesome. One thing to note though, is that while you are absolutely spot on regarding many public endeavors being outsourced to private companies, we still have roughly ~30% of our entire workforce hired by the state. That's a huge chunk and I believe one of the biggest public sectors in the whole world (if you compare by ratio, which is of course the best method of comparison between datasets of different magnitudes). That's just a minor note I'd like to share. Again, very nice video. I did enjoy it!
On the nose, guys!! Now, send it out to everyone! 🤣 The intro was perfect too: Denmark? so you're learning to speak Dutch? or... Denmark? is that the capital of Sweden?? 😖 Made me smile, thanks 😊 hello from Hundested 🌸 🌱
I applaud your attempt to replace myths and misperceptions with facts...as a dane i would like to add that our taxes in many areas are spent to redistribute wealth and opportinities, in order to provide reasonably good and standardized healthcare, daycare, retirement and education to everybody...so our economic system is capitalism and socialism at the same time...or as danes are familiar with it.. a socialdemocratic welfare-system
As a dane, I am very happy to hear that. I hope you and your family will feel safe and happy here. It is so tragic what is happening to your wonderful country
I really like how yous guys brake down some of the myth about our lovely little Denmark, i can tell you its hair-raising to hear how people gets it awefully wrong sometimes.. Stay jolly.. ;)
as a Dane, this is so relatable. Especially about Denmark being a socialist country and the one about everything being free. You can't even imagine how many non-danish people i talk to, that think that and not just americans, but people of all different nationalities. lol. You hit the nail right on the head with this one.
We’re so glad you can relate Joshua. It’s frustrating having people make assumptions without truly understanding the way things work here - it must be even more for you and other Danes 🇩🇰😊
Hey guys! Thanks for a great clip! IMHO you have a great understanding of us as a people, and our society as a whole. In your defence (as Americans), there are also other English speaking nations that have some....shall we say "interesting" misunderstandings of Denmark 🤭 This one in particular comes to mind, "Isn't Denmark the capital of Stockholm?" Seriously! These people _were not kidding_ ! 😳🙄 Anywho, keep up the GREAT posts and stay safe! Have a good'n! 👋👋
My funniest personal American misunderstanding: "So, do you have polar bears walking around in the streets?" "Uh...Sure. We learn to wrestle them when we are kids"
1. You could say that Denmark built the foundation using socialism, but then built the rest of the house using capitalism. A safety net in case capitalism fails for whatever reason, and then the safety net helps you get back on your feet and rejoin the workforce. 4. Here on the Jutland west coast we actually are very homogeneous, but go to any bigger city and that stops being the case almost immediately. 5. In Denmark we have Fleksjob, a type of employment for people with disabilities. I have autism, I can't handle a full 37 hour work week. so instead of getting early retirement and just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs, I work 22 hours. the company pays for those 22 hours, and the government pays for the rest. that's handy in increasing the work participation rate.
I really love your videos guys throwing all this light and information on Denmark.. I'm born in Rudkøbing, Langeland (long island) lol.. My mom is from St. Louis, US and may dad is from NørreBronx, Copenhagen.. Btw go visit Langeland the most beautiful place with a lot of Viking history... 1luv guys ❤️
thank you guys for this. As a Dane these presumptions always annoy me! thank you for putting into words what I am incapable of. Greetings From Randers.
Very informative, and in all honesty, I think most countries citenzen have some misconception, of other countries, simply because they don't live there for a longer period of time, so dont really get how the inner workings of a country really is. ... but great video hope you guys keep it up :)
Great vid, learned quite a bit. Two comments: 1) Actually, Denmark was much more homogenous when the welfare state was established, and over the time the immigrant population has been growing, there have been cutbacks. I don't think those have to be linked, but sometimes they are in voters' minds, including in DK. 2) One of the best things about things like the daycare system is that there is much less class division in DK, because wealthy, middle-class and poor kids meet each other in day care, school, etc. Of course, neighbourhoods mean there's separation, but not as much as in the US or UK.
Haha i was a danish foreign exchange student in Minnesota and this is so accurate. “Oh Denmark! That’s super socialist huh” “Oh Denmark, that must be in Amsterdam right” 🤣
@@RobeTrotting i definitely had. It wasn’t an insult or anythin. Just thought it’d be fun to share. I love some of the friends I made in mound, Minneapolis even though most of them are trump supporters haha. Also thank you for these videos I think they are super entertaining for someone who has lived both places too! 😄
I'm kinda questioning whether or not I understand what socialism means, but I swear Denmark is way more socialist than USA. In the US, you are basically on your own in a world with no real safety for you as a person. Very capitalistic country due to very loose laws on work ethics. And on the other hand all of those things I pointed out, Denmark has, so I personally don't understand anyone's side here..
I couldn’t agree with you more! I spent 30 years in Asia and am currently living in Italy. I only go back to the States for funerals. I plan to return to Thailand, where I lived for 15 years, at the end of 2024. Denmark has never been on my radar, but I love hearing about your life in Denmark. Was only there as a tourist long before you guys were born! 😂 Oh, BTW, I’m a retired woman, so cost of living matters. ❤❤❤
One of our friends is a tourist guide here and has shown a lot of Americans around. They frequently ask how we deal with the Viking problem, or if they can go to a reservation and see some Vikings. Faced with that question he just points at him self and moves on...
Always sobering to hear foreigners (You are still beloved friends of us all), but a peer review is very healthy for us! Very interesting and fair comments. I always get sad, hearing the wrong facts about my country.
You guys are great, I am new to your channel and this was the 3rd video I have watched. Totally love the facts you guys bring to the table in a fun way. ❤️
1:25 Depends, typically in the outskirts. But a lot is. Our ambulance and firefight services are also partially outsourced to private firms, specifically Falck.
Yes about minimum wage, my mom who is a nurse, she gets around 2500-3000 dollars a month here in Denmark and to be fair 2500 dollars is nothing compared to all the hard work they do.
Hey really loving your guys content. As a Dane living in Canada. You guys make me miss home. I even learned something, i did not realize that the minimum wage was union based.. here i was saying that it was government aswell. Anyways i wanted to address the homogenous society idea, yes its true Denmark has a 12.5% immigration population but of the 88% a very big chunk of that is ethnic Danes who subscribe to Danish culture. So the sense of pride for helping the system, and being Danish is very broad. Anyways really happy i found your channel.
It's so funny having to explain on the internet that Denmark in many ways is a more capitalistic country than the US and is better suited for starting a business. One of the key reasons why Denmark has one of the highest rates of startup companies in the world, and has more Linkedin users per capita than any other country in the world, and Linkedin are actively looking at Denmark to see how to be more effective in other countries such as the US. Of course people rarely believe it because "US is no1 and Denmark is socialist" Often linked with a high consumption of Fox news.. Always makes me laugh, if only people know what they were missing out on :D
There's another way. If one of the parents applies for citizenship before the child turns 18, he/she can be pulled into the application (as "biperson") and get the citizenship together with the parent.
@@gandalf1124 If you havnt done illigal things its mostly just papers that need to be signed. But as in every country, that can take some time, so better do it before last minute.
Great job explaining the taxation. One thing left out is the double taxation. As Americans living abroad and tax law change of 2010, generally what is that rate?
On minimum wage and unions. As a dane.. i was baffled that people hate unions so much in the state.. that its looked down upon and people almost feel patriotic about not being in a union.. because as you mention, unions negotiating terms with employers is a very big thing in Denmark
It's really interesting to look at the role of organized labor unions in both countries. In America they've slowly been dismantled by the political right since Reagan. Part of the reason is because unions in America are negotiating major aspects of life that are already settled by the state in Denmark (and most other industrial democracies) - healthcare, sick leave, family leave, pension, holiday time, etc.
@@Glaaki13 No I think USA has a unique attitude to socialism, possibly generated in the McCarthy era. Calling someone a socialist is regarded as an insult whereas in most countries people are proud to call themselves socialist.
On the citizenship: Denmark can be VERY strict about that. You can actually LOSE the citizenship, if you spend enough time outside Denmark. And you can be in the strange limbo that you were born in Denmark, speak Danish, went to school etc etc, but because you unknowingly missed applying citizenship between 20 and 21 (believe you have a window of 1 year) you actually have to apply along with somalis, afghans etc etc. You HAVE to test a Danish language test, and you must provide papers of parent's marriage, school etc that may be loong gone. Super super strict and unfair.
Thank you for your videos. They are always so insightful. It puzzles me how bad the narrative in the US is about us and our tax system meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor poorer in the US. How can that be so difficult to explain?
Thank you for watching! 😀 We really agree with you too, every year it's like the rich pay less in America and we have crumbling roads and massive inequality to show for it but they misinform people about Danish tax policy to defend the system in the states.
Haha, what a skilled way of annoying all the Scandinavians at once! (I imagine a Norwegian hearing that would think 'great, if you can't tell those two appart I suppose you haven't even heard of us'.) 😂
My cousin and her family lived and worked in Texas for a few years and one of their daughters were born there. Now they are back in Dragør and have an American living with them.
Hey there. Thanks for an enlightening video. One question about tax - Could it be people think of the effective tax rate of the tax of your wage + MOMS which is a tax you pay on *every* penny spent, whether it's the mechanic, the bakery, medicine or getting work done on your house? I pay effectively 32% tax on my wage, but also 20% MOMS which would amount to 52% tax
There are generally two concepts that allow a person to receive citizenship at birth. Jus Sanguinis - law of the blood, means a person receives the nationality of the parent(s). Denmark is a Jus Sanguinis country. A person receives Danish citizenship at birth by having a Danish parent. The other citizenship concept is Jus Soli - law of the soil, which means a person receives citizenship of a country where he or she is born. Jus Soli is most common in the Western Hemisphere countries. Most Jus Soli countries do have Jus Sanguinis provisions in their nationality laws to allow their citizens to pass their citizenship to a child born abroad. Additionally a number of countries also have a modified type of Jus Soli where they will give citizenship to a child born in the country but only when at least one parent is either a citizen or legal full time resident of the country. This is done to prevent people purposely coming to the country to give birth solely for the purpose of gaining citizenship for the child. Problems can occur when a child is born in a Jus Sanguinis country to Jus Soli parents. There are cases where the parents’ country does not grant citizenship to the child in which case such a child may end up stateless - having no citizenship.
Good breakdown. And it makes sense - in the "new world" there was no real connection to the land by blood, so they had to make people citizens for being there. The US is an example of both - children of American citizens can be American citizens no matter where they are born.
@@RobeTrotting Oddly enough a child can be born with 4 citizenships, if for instance a child is born to a Danish mother, and Iranian father in a US plane that is on the ground in Spain, they're Danish, Iranian, American and Spanish.
@@vrenak Is that an American thing or does it apply to all airlines? The best thing about being born on a passenger aircraft is that airlines have been known to give the child free travel on that airline for life.
@@peterc.1618 Correct. Up to 1983, the UK nationality laws were based on Jus Soli. If you were born in the UK you were British. However, persons born in the UK in 1983 or later are not British unless at least one parent was either British or was a non-British citizen who was “settled” in the UK. To be “settled” in UK meant being ordinarily resident with no time limit on their stay. There were also some other restrictions such as if the parents weren’t married then it had to be the mother who met the requirement of being either British or settled. This was changed in 2006. Additionally there were changes as to when EU citizens in the UK were considered to be settled.
My father was born in Denmark and came to the US when he was 25 in 1929. He was planning to work a few years and go back - well that didn’t happen. He was very impressed with birthright citizenship. His parents owned farms or what he called plantations and used immigrant workers for the field work - mostly Poles in the sugar beet fields, I think. He was always even as a little boy, upset that his born of Polish parents little friend’s were not Danish. They were born in the same town as he was but they would always be Polish even if they had not even been to Poland.
Therefore, I have always been aware that the birthright citizenship we have in the US is very unusual in most of the world. It was planned originally by the Founding Fathers,
I dont know if you did it...but pls consider making a video about the JANTE law...it is very very interesting...it would require some research...as a Dane I know its implications..and it would be imensly interesting to hear your take on this very important issue...thanks for great videos...I was american married lived in your country for 14 years...kudos
@@Flamechr People often fail to recognize the difference between an "evil" system and evil people. Communism isn't evil, but there have definitely been evil *communists* - by contrast, lots of *capitalists* are not evil, but the Capitalist system is entirely based on people being selfish and greedy to succeed (which I would argue *is* evil).
You may just have surpassed yourself. I've tried to tell US friends and others, exactly what you managed doing tonight (for YEARS). Thank you for that !! You know I'm sharing you on my FB !! Yeah! You hit it right on the nose. !! Most of us totally HATE being called "Socialist" 😒! It's a good way to piss off most Danes (and other Europeans). Europe is - as you indicated - based on a free market economy! We're Capitalists, with a Human soul, as most of us see it 😊. (Side note! And I think this is funny! The color for “Socialism/Communism/liberal style parties” in the rest of the World is “RED”. Right winged parties usually are “Blue” 🤣 ) !! You get it 😁! Where the US has 10+ choices of Cornflakes, but only two parties to choose from, DK (and others) may only have three choices of Cornflakes, but 10+ parties to choose from, to run a country. As you guys know, we usually end up with a coalition government. They have to work together, if they each want some of there stuff done. We mostly compromise and get shit done 😊 ! We're not perfect by any means, but we also don't claim to be. And most of us don't believe in a concept of ”The Best country in the World” type thing!! That view is based on ones personal perspective ! But until you've traveled and been to other places (like you guys), how can you possibly know? Good show guys 👍😀👍
As “Monty Python” used to say. “And now.., on to something completely different” ! Taxes: Your are right that our income tax (for most of us) is no where near 50%. After my monthly deduction, of about $1200 is given to me tax free, before they pull taxes, I'm down to paying about 30% . I get about 2/3 of my pay in my pocket. And I still get Healthcare and all the other good stuff. I sleep well a night, knowing that I don't have to worry about my Healthcare or if my Niece and Nephew can have the education and dream, they want 😊! But when you include the fact that every item (or service) you buy, has an individual tax + the 25% sales tax (VAT - Valued added Tax), you've probably payed a minimum of 50% taxes every month. So it's not only your income tax, it's also the day to day taxes in the shops. in the Restaurants and so forth. But the above said and done! I don't mind, since I feel that I get so much back ! I don't have Kids, but I don't mind paying taxes, so my neighbors kids can go to College and get a well paid job, and maybe have to pay (with there taxes) for some operation I may need in the future. Hell! I may not even like my neighbors (or there kids), but who gives a "flying Eff"! As we say in DK. “One Hand washes the other” ! I believe you 🇺🇸"Colonists"🇺🇸 🤣🤣🤣 say! "You scratch my back..., I'll scratch yours" 😊 ! That's basically Denmark for you, right there 😀 ! And that we trust you, until you give us a reason - not to 😉 ! You "Robe's" are some of the good guys..., so your safe 👍😉👍 ! Y'all better have a good weekend 😊 !
Can you talk about how retirement works in Denmark? Also, when I visit, what are the chances I could meet with you two? I am looking to move in about 18 months.
At the world badminton championships in Copenhagen in May 1999, one of the Mexican players had brought skis, so he could go skiing, when he had been knocked out of the tournament.
Also, just the entire thing about "paying" taxes isn't technically something we do here... Everything that needs to be paid in taxes and other fees are already deducted from your salary before you even see the money. What you need to do when your pay changes, or just your circumstances changes, that would change certain deductions or increases in things you have to pay, you just go into your "tax card" online, change what you earn, how far you travel to work, and what you expect to earn in an entire year (most people set it a tiny bit higher than they expect). Then, when you get your yearly tax overview, telling you if you set your amounts too high or too, low, you will be told if you get a return, or need to pay extra from setting your numbers too low... So for us, unless something changes, most people won't even have to look at their tax papers unless they notice a mistake, and you barely have to do anything tax related after you get your first pay from a new job...
when I first arrives in Australia as an 19 years old, (1970) all Australians knew about Denmark was Hans Christian Andersen and free love. Not much into H.C. Andersen.
along with danish citizenship, if you have a danish parent but you weren’t born there or have lived there, you have to spend i think 3 months in the country before you turn 25 otherwise you could lose your danish citizenship (i might have the numbers slightly off, but thats what my little sister is going through right now)
![Kodak Black - Versatile 4 [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VcP_1Ua__vY/mqdefault.jpg)
It’s nice having Americans living here in Denmark, debunking some of the things other Americans are so miss informed about.
Love your channel guys, stay positive ❤️
Tusind tak! It's fun getting to bridge two cultures for our audience!
@@RobeTrotting nice a thank you in Danish, you guys are awesome 👍🏻
MY thought exactly! 😀
Is Denmark a town in Germany, etc...
Who is Miss Informed?
Rød grød med fløde
This was your BEST video ever! As a Canadian, I get SO tired of hearing Americans' misinformed criticisms of societies who prioritize taking care of their people. And who usually perform better economically at the same time!
You are spot on in your observations…this from an American who heartily agrees!
Don't we just, 🤭👏🤗
So true, i AM from Denmark.
Misinformed ppl Are the worst.
IT is like, bully the one, we dont get 🥴
What I like most about living in the Kingdom of Denmark (I'm from the Faroe Islands) is that healthcare is mostly paid for by everyone. I say mostly, but what you pay for directly is reduced, like dentist or drugs from the pharmacy. the rest is paid by everyone through tax. so if you go to the hospital or something like that, it doesn't cost you anything. That is what I like most about my country.
Yes, it's a fantastic thing about living in the Danish realm - it's also nice to know that everyone is always going to be taken care of when it comes to their health and wellness 😀
That is my favourite part too. It just makes me feel very safe 😊
The minimum wage always gets to me. I find it so hilarious that no1 - even McDonalds - dares wrestle with scandinavian unions.
Ohhhhh yes, McDonalds learned their lesson hehe 😜
From what I heard, they didn't want to pay the amount to begin with. Then they were told they couldn't come in to Denmark
Not true. They just had a dispute with the unions which got solved.
No company can be barred from doing business in Denmark, just bc. They do not go the union way.
The unions and society at large just pressure them to go along with it. It gives us great stability.
Almost all mid to large size companies directly support dealing with the unions. It makes their dealings more smooth.
Some large foreign companies have come here hoping not to deal with the unions. Just about all have changed their stance, bc. Its just easier for everybody.
In the end they all talk good about the system.
There are also very few strikes.
There are ** to some of this as always, but its the exceptions to what could have been easy pages on the topic.
Now McD is a great plase to start working for the kids. Also for the middleclass kids because of their union dealings, which is by the union dealings made a safe and secure work invironment.
The young ones learn to work and there is a rolling inflow/outflow of young workers and leaders. Yes they can get to lead at a very young age.
They have become a cog for the development of kids/young in Danish society.
Work ethics, safe inviroment, ok pay, desicion making and responsibility is the name of the game.
We have suggested our young daughter she can start her worklife there. Plenty of options for her, but its sincerely on the table.
This is perhaps one of the things the United States can learn from. It may well be possible to give employees a salary they can live on while the company still makes money. The food at MD is also more expensive in Denmark than in the USA.
Claiming that Denmark is a socialist country insults both socialists and capitalists and everybody in between in Denmark.
Yes. Therefore, noone claimed that. They are trying to explain how some people in the U.S ask, because they don't know or understand..
Totally agree! It's just a throw-away word that people use to try and play a Cold War politics game.
@@EmmelineSama I know. My comment was aimed at the people that actually thinks that Denmark is a socialist country. Not you, me, Robe Trotting or anybody else that know otherwise.
I believe that the reason many Americans believe that Denmark and other countries are socialist, is due to American polarization. Anytone left of you is a socialist, no matter how far right you are.
Maybe things get so polarized in the US because you only have two political parties. And then it's amplified by social media where you just listen to your own "tribe". In DK we have more parties that need to compromise to form a government. In the US it's "winner takes all" making it very hard to form new political parties. I guess our system would be too strange to Americans, but you could take inspiration from New Zealand or maybe Canada if you want change. It looks to me as if the current US democracy is in danger.
I love how here in Denmark our taxes actually get used to keep everyone safe, healthy and educated. (at least most of the time) It just makes sense to do it this way.
On the point about Denmark being homogeneous, I think it's due to a lot of things in the USA being turned into a question of race/skin color. USA has more non-whites than Denmark, especially since USA classifies Hispanic/Latino as a race on its own which is sort of weird considering they may have absolutely nothing in common besides having their country invaded by Spain hundreds of years ago.
To most Americans it seems like diversity, multiculturalism etc. are only about skin color, where as it tends to refer more to culture in Europe. If you took an Irish guy, a Finnish guy, a Portuguese guy and a Bulgarian guy, that would be a very diverse and multicultural group, even though it'd be four white guys, they basically have nothing in common besides their skin color and sex after all. Different ethnic groups, different languages, different histories, different cultures, different foods, different mentalities etc. And yet a lot of Americans would likely label them "white guys" and leave it at that which is weird to most Europeans.
The important thing when it comes to getting the benefits of being homogeneous (ie. social cohesion, high trust etc) it's much more about culture and mentality then it is about skin color.
Clearly a middle class black guy from the USA has far more in common with a middle class white guy from the USA than he has with some black guy from Kenya or whatever, or than the white American has in common with a random Romanian or whatever.
Hello
So true
Excellent observations. Very true
Guys! Really enjoy your videos. My husband and I have visited friends in Copenhagen twice over the years, and we are planning to visit again next year. Your thoughtful vids have been both informative and fun. Can’t wait to be back on a bicycle checking out the city again very soon!
Hey Greg, thanks for the kind words and sweet comment! It’s really cool that you’ve been to Copenhagen and are coming back - definitely check out more of Denmark too if you can. Hopefully we’ll run into you on a bike or out and about when you’re here next. Definitely let us know 😃
@@RobeTrotting Great to hear back from you! We have visited some around Denmark but want to see more for sure. We got to see the Kronborg castle and the Louisiana modern art museum, both amazing in their own right. Believe it or not, we didn’t get to a single gay bar 😉
So happy to be making plans to return to Denmark, one of our favorite countries.
The best one I've heard was "So... how do you deal with the polar bears?". I tried really hard not to laugh. And failed miserably....
wont they get stuck in all the mud rofl..
if they get mad you can always walk to the next cave in the zoo ;-)
Ha ha, love it! 😂
Except if you live in Greenland
I laugh at it because I have spend my childhood in Greenland but that’s even harder to explain
I liked your comment about marginal tax rates. American politicians love to quote the highest tax rates from other countries and make it sound like people abroad pay that rate on all their income, and as you stated that’s not the way it works.
@@Ziaoe Oh, they CAN explain what marginal taxes are. It’s simply that they don’t WANT to explain it. They want people to think that the marginal tax rate is on all their income.
End in the end, what ever you pay or how you do it, it is what left that counts.
I'm Danish. Thanks for understanding my country better than me, now I'll be better able to explain my country to Americans or just have them watch your video, because I'm not known for great patience!
I've lived in the U.S. because my paternal family is American and I lived there on-off during my toddler years and again for 6 years in the 1990s. A high school teacher *very knowing tone*: "Oh Denmark, that's on the[U.S.] East Coast!". "But you're not white...". Even other Danes think to ask if I'm from Greenland or adopted from Asia?
Right, we don't have a minimum wage. That honestly shocked me when I realized that, but my union explained that, that's in part because of the reason you gave and because we otherwise risk that the minimum wage could be whatever it is in some other EU country, where wages are much lower than here, so that wouldn't serve us well.
Before dad retired, he was a city employee. Then the city went bankrupt. You can imagine what that did to the "Cadillac" healthcare insurance he thought he could rely on for life. He nearly lost his life in 2017 and he can't afford new or recurring serious ailments.
Americans like to ask me if I regret leaving their country? If I'd like my sons to move to the U.S. and study there? We can't afford that! They're getting free education here. I'm finally able to get a free education here with a student income (I'm not confusing that with SU = stipend), two of my sons have asthma.
My husband has hypertension and asthma and they've been in hospital for various reasons and boys do things that sometimes land them in ER, oh and I gave birth 3 times. I don't know how we would've afforded all of this in the U.S.
For over 20 years when I took care of our sons (1 autism, 1 ADHD), we only had my husband's mid-range income. There's no way we could've been able to live near my family in CA and had the same living standard as we have now. It's also less likely that I would eventually get an education.
THANK YOU !!! I Really Like your Channel MORE AND MORE !!!
- It's SOOO difficult as a Dane to convince Americans that those wrong ideas they have about how things works in Denmark ARE ACTUALLY WRONG !!!
Some times it seams like Americans have been Brainwashed with those ideas. And when you try to tell them how things actually work - they refuse to believe you. Very irritating !!!
I lived in North America for 7 years. And when ever the conversation was about Denmark - apparently those Americans knew much better than I - A DANE how Denmark works !
So I'm finding myself feeling a tremendous relief and also a satisfaction to hear two Americans actually explaining those exact things that I've tried to explain over and over !!!
A Question for you Mike & Derik; I do not understand why all those people, in all of those conversations did not believe me when I explained how things actually works here ???
I actually used Google to show a lot of people about our political system and actually everything else to. I obviously needed to prove my words. And even so - most Americans remained suspicious about what I told them.
So once again; THANK YOU !!!
I think that Americans are more likely to believe other Americans that's actually living in Denmark !!!
Also - I Love that you are actually doing a lot of research along the way too !!!
Warmly & Kindly
Anja - a Danish Lady
this was very accurate... and funny to hear what Americans say/think about Denmark :D
Glad you liked! We had fun 😆
That "Google it" face is perfect meme material. 😄
Haha Derek's dream in life is to go viral as a meme 😂😃😂
@@RobeTrotting Too bad you cant upload pics in youtube comments. I would love to make that Derek meme. 😃
or, read a book about it!
I am 100% Danish! A Copenhagener! I just LOVE you guys and your deep and qualified insight!!🙂🙂. You're right on all points! And one thing: if we should ever meet please do NOT great me by asking "How are you"!!🤣🤣. That way of greeting is just ridiculous!🥰🥰
Very nice video.
Have had so many discussions with Americans on many of these topics, and usually it is impossible to get through to them because they heard that that's how it is from some "news" outlet or politician.
But i guess that might be the after effects of yelling we're number 1 for years.
Another great video! This was informative- a.) I didn’t realize that the tax rate was a marginal tax rate (but since we have that in the US that makes sense to me) and I also didn’t realize that the hourly wage was union negotiated.
My only (small) quibble here is that you said in the US it’s hard to fire people. I think that may be said for jobs with unions (teachers, police officers, etc) but for many jobs without unions (aka “at-will” employment) you can be fired for any reason that’s not prohibited by state or federal law-and that’s usually narrowly tailored to specific groups or “protected classes” such as sex, race, marital status, and sexual orientation and (sometimes) gender identity. Otherwise many places in the United States can fire you without notice and for generally any reason except the reasons listed above. I wish we had more security in that regard.
Great video, thank you. I am glad having you living in here, and it is relieving to see Americans dismiss these myths about my country. You guys brought some much needed enlightenment here. Thumbsup!
Addition, number 7 - Denmark is not extremely cold and we don't have icebears roaming the streets (they live in the arctic, not here).
Det ret kold i dag er det ikke
A long time ago my mom told me I should have my future kid in Denmark since I love it so much (I'm not sure if she was being rude or not), so glad I know birth tourism doesn't work there
Haha, yeah, sadly they don’t make it easy at all. You would need to have Danish citizen parents. Even marrying a Danish citizen requires a LOT of time and requirements.
And that is exactly why that rule exist 😁
@@RobeTrotting Exactly. My Danish husband got US citizenship from me, and despite learning the language more or less fluently, I can't have Danish citizenship. I spent loads of time and money to get UK citizenship, assuming it would give me EU rights, but ha ha. Ha.
@@anahidkassabian4471
It's not super difficult for married couples, you can get opholdstilladelse through the marital immigration process, and then find a job. I looked it up years ago, but it's not that difficult, it's definently the naturalization (9 years living here) that's the biggest hurdle, because you can't go back to the US for longer periods f.ex. there is some leeway so it's not totally uninterrupted, but it's pretty close. I'd look into it if i were you. Like, you can't actually get citizenship, without having lived here for quite a while, although you can get dispensation for the naturalisation based on how long you've been married, if 3 years or more it's "only" 6 years, which is quite a big chunk, but also still 6 years.
Also, since your husband has Danish citizenship, any kids you adopt will automatically get citizenship (that's the good part about jus sanguini, that is inherited citizenship as opposed to jus soli, the American ideal) the adoption just has to be legal according to Danish law.
As kong as letting your babies take a nap outside in a tram doesn't scare you. I had both my kids do that. And I slept outside as well.
Yeah the tax thing is pretty much always getting confused, even when you explain exactly how much you pay in taxes. I expect to make just under 600000 DKK this year(plus 10% in pension, but that isn't taxed till I retire and start getting a payout), and expect to pay about 200000 DKK in actual taxes, including "AM-bidrag", so roughly one third of my income.
But then there is always a but, because you have sales taxes, extra taxes on everything from gas, electricity to alcohol and cigarettes, etc., should you include those as well? Sure other countries have those as well, but they vary, but it just makes it extremely hard to calculate a precise tax rate, and then if you are a member of the church, that is part of the taxes as well in Denmark, I have opted out, but people who haven't pay slightly more in taxes.
So if you want to compare countries, I think you should pretty much forget about taxes, and just look at what do you actually take home at the end of the month versus costs of living, that is what matters in the end.
Exactly! There are so many other ways to look at your cost of living and standard of living, rate of savings etc 👍
And also @@RobeTrotting I think you do touch uupon it, to compare, shall medical/education cost be put ontop of the US tax calculations, since it is inherit in the danish tax, if the state/city etc taxes in the us are put ontop of what an avg. american pay in taxes, then I would think (and I seem to remember having read/heard it elsewhere just cant point to it right now) that the difference in taxes wont be that much
It is my experience that Robetrotting gives a fair picture of what purchasing power is available. For you and me as a consumer, what matters is the price for 12 eggs, not who gets the money.
I just stumbled on to your channel. I posted on one of your other videos just before coming to this one, but I am a fellow American who has been living in Denmark for ten years now. You are so spot on with everything I have seen so far. Completely agree with all of your impressions and opinions. Thank you for sharing, and I have definitely hit the subscribe button.
Great job guys - I remember being in the US for a sport event held in Blue Bell, PA and the speaker announced they had a participant from Copenhagen, Netherlands not Denmark :D
Oh wow, that’s near where Derek grew up - but 🤦🏻 what a bad mistake 😂
So do you speak Dutch? 😂😂😂 Sorry, I couldn’t let that one pass 😁
@@patriciamillin-j3s Only a few words of Dutch. 😂
@@travelandwatches8 😂😂😂
That is such a weird misconception lol. Always wondered where the Dutch thing came into it 🤣
Good job guys - you hit some important American misconceptions that infuriates us Danes when we hear them! lol
Haha glad you agree that we hit the annoying ones for Danes!
@@RobeTrotting lmao 🤣
Like your videos
A lot of US lefties, politicians included, claim to be fond of "democratic socialism" lately, but few know or can explain the difference between socialism, democratic socialism, and social democracy. I also get very annoyed when I say something about Denmark and (even presumably very educated) people will say, "Oh, I've been to Amsterdam." The "homogeneous" excuse Americans use is basically saying we can't have nice things, because racism.
It's just an excuse politicians use to avoid giving people what is rightfully theirs. "If it weren't for those foreigners, we'd give you all free healthcare". It's a lie designed to segregate Americans into camps and force them to argue with each other, instead of the corrupt politicians who should be taken to task.
Quite impressed by your detailed and accurate knowledge on a broad variety of issues!
As always a great video, guys. However, there is one thing that I would like to challenge. You say that Denmark is not as homogeneous as Americans believe and therefore can not explain why a welfare state works in Denmark but would not work in the United States. But the Danish welfare state was primarily built up in the 1960s, where immigration from other cultures had not yet taken place. When the values underlying the welfare state were created in the 60s, Denmark was still a very homogeneous society. Immigration from the Middle East and Asia did not occur until the 1970s. The United States has always been culturally diversified, while Denmark only began to become so from the 1970s onwards. So right here, your countrymen may have a point. But the rest was spot on 👍
Hey Kim, that’s a great point, we didn’t follow the thought all the way through. Hmm… I wonder if that means it would be more difficult to establish a welfare state with today’s demographics.
I think you have a very good point Kim. I’m not sure it would be an easy thing to build up the Welfare State today because of our more inhomogenious society compared to the 60ies.
@@RobeTrotting That's partially true. Yes, immigration from culturally more distant places is more common today than before the 60's. However, Denmark has for centuries had a fairly high percentage of immigrants, mainly in Copenhagen.
In the 18th century, the city was the center of a multicultural empire that included Norway, Iceland and northern Germany and bridgeheads in Guinea, the Caribbean and Trankebar. At the same time, like most European states, they pursued an active policy of attracting enterprising foreigners who could both counteract the city's chronic demographic deficit and increase the prosperity and wealth of ideas in the capital. Up to 20 percent of the population had German as their first language.
Judging by the citizenship protocols of the period, the proportion of immigrants was comparable to today's. Throughout the 18th century, only approx. 22 percent of those who took citizenship, were born in Copenhagen, over 20 percent in Jutland, 5 percent in Norway and over 17 percent outside the kingdom's borders. Among the city's 9,000 poor in the early 1800s, 16.5 percent were born outside the kingdom. These proportions of immigrants are almost identical to the proportions of immigrants in present day Copenhagen, whose numerical population is, however, considerably larger.
It is an expression of historical ignorance or possibly national chauvinism, when it is argued that todays number of immigrants would be an obstacle to the formation of a welfare state.
Btw thank you for a great vlog.
@@TheJerida You are absolutely right that there has always been immigration. I think it was Holdberg who said that he spoke French (the civilized language) to the ladies, German to his dogs and Danish to servants. German was used in the Danish army well into the 1700s. So yes, there have always been foreigners in Denmark to enrich our culture. My point was about the emergence of the welfare state and the values that were at play when it was created. And in the period up to the emergence of the welfare state, there had been no major waves of immigration to Denmark, primarily due to the two world wars. Denmark was predominantly a homogeneous society in which agriculture still played a major role and industrialization, the basis for the creation of the welfare state, had only just begun again after the war.
I think the important point is, that welfare has nothing to do with homogeny; it's just an excuse so you don't have to try. Building a welfare state might not be easy; getting people to agree on every finer point of how public funds should be distributed among the population is difficult under any circumstances. But saying you can't have a welfare state because your country isn't "homogeneous" is basically code for "I don't want x ethnic group to receive welfare."
Any excuse for using Schmeichel 🤣 Another great video 👏
Hahaha we have to keep finding new and creative ways to invite Kasper to the party 😆
Very nice video. Appreciate the concise delivery. You guys are awesome.
One thing to note though, is that while you are absolutely spot on regarding many public endeavors being outsourced to private companies, we still have roughly ~30% of our entire workforce hired by the state. That's a huge chunk and I believe one of the biggest public sectors in the whole world (if you compare by ratio, which is of course the best method of comparison between datasets of different magnitudes). That's just a minor note I'd like to share.
Again, very nice video. I did enjoy it!
On the nose, guys!!
Now, send it out to everyone! 🤣
The intro was perfect too:
Denmark? so you're learning to speak Dutch?
or...
Denmark? is that the capital of Sweden?? 😖
Made me smile, thanks 😊
hello from Hundested 🌸 🌱
Haha glad you liked it! We get the Dutch comment SOOOO much (and from really smart people!)
@@RobeTrotting You could tease them to tell them this "....and I thought you were smart".... It would be a very danish way of banter.
Oh Man 😂
I’m impressed. You guys did good. Very accurate and concisely explained. Keep up the good videos/vibes 🎄❤️Thi’s the season….
I applaud your attempt to replace myths and misperceptions with facts...as a dane i would like to add that our taxes in many areas are spent to redistribute wealth and opportinities, in order to provide reasonably good and standardized healthcare, daycare, retirement and education to everybody...so our economic system is capitalism and socialism at the same time...or as danes are familiar with it.. a socialdemocratic welfare-system
You rly helped my family with making decigion ''where to run from Ukraine'. After a 5 month we know that Denmark was a good chooce. Thanks for that:)
As a dane, I am very happy to hear that. I hope you and your family will feel safe and happy here. It is so tragic what is happening to your wonderful country
Wauw...what a fantastic video. Talking and keeping focus on facts. This should be broadcasted in prime time in the US. Keep up the gooood work.
I wish every American could see this video :)) Great work, guys!
I really like how yous guys brake down some of the myth about our lovely little Denmark, i can tell you its hair-raising to hear how people gets it awefully wrong sometimes.. Stay jolly.. ;)
as a Dane, this is so relatable. Especially about Denmark being a socialist country and the one about everything being free. You can't even imagine how many non-danish people i talk to, that think that and not just americans, but people of all different nationalities. lol. You hit the nail right on the head with this one.
We’re so glad you can relate Joshua. It’s frustrating having people make assumptions without truly understanding the way things work here - it must be even more for you and other Danes 🇩🇰😊
Hey guys! Thanks for a great clip! IMHO you have a great understanding of us as a people, and our society as a whole. In your defence (as Americans), there are also other English speaking nations that have some....shall we say "interesting" misunderstandings of Denmark 🤭 This one in particular comes to mind, "Isn't Denmark the capital of Stockholm?" Seriously! These people _were not kidding_ ! 😳🙄
Anywho, keep up the GREAT posts and stay safe! Have a good'n! 👋👋
My funniest personal American misunderstanding:
"So, do you have polar bears walking around in the streets?"
"Uh...Sure. We learn to wrestle them when we are kids"
lol, now that's very funny :)
Sure, the polar bears in Denmark are annoying, but at least all the penquins are fun to look at.
😂😂😂 I would love to see their faces when you tell them that!
that is why we are so small a nation, the armys allways busy fighting polar bears :P :P :P okay maybe not entirely.
1. You could say that Denmark built the foundation using socialism, but then built the rest of the house using capitalism. A safety net in case capitalism fails for whatever reason, and then the safety net helps you get back on your feet and rejoin the workforce.
4. Here on the Jutland west coast we actually are very homogeneous, but go to any bigger city and that stops being the case almost immediately.
5. In Denmark we have Fleksjob, a type of employment for people with disabilities. I have autism, I can't handle a full 37 hour work week. so instead of getting early retirement and just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs, I work 22 hours. the company pays for those 22 hours, and the government pays for the rest. that's handy in increasing the work participation rate.
You two are THE BEST!, I love your Videos , always good info!
I really love your videos guys throwing all this light and information on Denmark.. I'm born in Rudkøbing, Langeland (long island) lol.. My mom is from St. Louis, US and may dad is from NørreBronx, Copenhagen.. Btw go visit Langeland the most beautiful place with a lot of Viking history... 1luv guys ❤️
Thank you for correcting the information.
Glad to explain some of these things. Thanks for watching Julia :)
I have really enjoyed all your program, and I love your humor very very much.
thank you guys for this. As a Dane these presumptions always annoy me! thank you for putting into words what I am incapable of. Greetings From Randers.
Nice and informative :-)
Glad you liked it!
I fell, literally, in love with this country in June 1968 ! It’s nice you guys confirm how lucky I was.
Great informative video. As a Dane I learned something about the US here 🙂.
DSB is not private, in 2019 there were 832.000 people working in the public sector. Cheers for video.
Very informative, and in all honesty, I think most countries citenzen have some misconception, of other countries, simply because they don't live there for a longer period of time, so dont really get how the inner workings of a country really is. ... but great video hope you guys keep it up :)
Great vid, learned quite a bit. Two comments: 1) Actually, Denmark was much more homogenous when the welfare state was established, and over the time the immigrant population has been growing, there have been cutbacks. I don't think those have to be linked, but sometimes they are in voters' minds, including in DK. 2) One of the best things about things like the daycare system is that there is much less class division in DK, because wealthy, middle-class and poor kids meet each other in day care, school, etc. Of course, neighbourhoods mean there's separation, but not as much as in the US or UK.
Haha i was a danish foreign exchange student in Minnesota and this is so accurate. “Oh Denmark! That’s super socialist huh”
“Oh Denmark, that must be in Amsterdam right” 🤣
Ugh, it’s so annoying but I’m sure you had some other really nice moments during your exchange experience 😊🇩🇰
@@RobeTrotting i definitely had. It wasn’t an insult or anythin. Just thought it’d be fun to share. I love some of the friends I made in mound, Minneapolis even though most of them are trump supporters haha. Also thank you for these videos I think they are super entertaining for someone who has lived both places too! 😄
I'm kinda questioning whether or not I understand what socialism means, but I swear Denmark is way more socialist than USA.
In the US, you are basically on your own in a world with no real safety for you as a person. Very capitalistic country due to very loose laws on work ethics.
And on the other hand all of those things I pointed out, Denmark has, so I personally don't understand anyone's side here..
I couldn’t agree with you more! I spent 30 years in Asia and am currently living in Italy. I only go back to the States for funerals. I plan to return to Thailand, where I lived for 15 years, at the end of 2024. Denmark has never been on my radar, but I love hearing about your life in Denmark. Was only there as a tourist long before you guys were born! 😂 Oh, BTW, I’m a retired woman, so cost of living matters. ❤❤❤
You nailed it, absolutely. Got all the details right!
Love this video! Spot on.
Very good and quite entertaining video. As a dane I hope a lot of Americans get to watch it 😀.
Dispelling myths is a good thing 💖 Hugs from a Dane
Excellent video. Thanks, guys.
Great channel guys
Good video as always 👍👏
If you ever win in lotto or gambling you don't have to pay any tax of that winnings, unlike in the US where you have to pay 24% of any winnings
Wow, we did NOT know that or expect it!
One of our friends is a tourist guide here and has shown a lot of Americans around. They frequently ask how we deal with the Viking problem, or if they can go to a reservation and see some Vikings. Faced with that question he just points at him self and moves on...
Lies
Great video! Up next: "things Danish people get wrong about people from the US"? ;-)
Always sobering to hear foreigners (You are still beloved friends of us all), but a peer review is very healthy for us! Very interesting and fair comments. I always get sad, hearing the wrong facts about my country.
You guys are great, I am new to your channel and this was the 3rd video I have watched. Totally love the facts you guys bring to the table in a fun way. ❤️
Welcome aboard and thanks for watching, really glad to hear you’re enjoying our content :)
1:25 Depends, typically in the outskirts. But a lot is. Our ambulance and firefight services are also partially outsourced to private firms, specifically Falck.
Yes about minimum wage, my mom who is a nurse, she gets around 2500-3000 dollars a month here in Denmark
and to be fair 2500 dollars is nothing compared to all the hard work they do.
That’s true, especially after the last two years.
Great video as always
Yea muths can grow BIG :-)
Glad you liked! And haha yes!
As a Dane. I wish there were mountains so I could go skiing!
Oh yeah! Us too 🏔🤩🇩🇰
Woow you guys are good at explaining this… Said the same 👍
Thank you Michael, and thank you for watching 😊🇩🇰
respect! 🙏🏽
Hey really loving your guys content. As a Dane living in Canada. You guys make me miss home.
I even learned something, i did not realize that the minimum wage was union based.. here i was saying that it was government aswell.
Anyways i wanted to address the homogenous society idea, yes its true Denmark has a 12.5% immigration population but of the 88% a very big chunk of that is ethnic Danes who subscribe to Danish culture.
So the sense of pride for helping the system, and being Danish is very broad.
Anyways really happy i found your channel.
Also just wanted to say.. Watched alot of your videos.. Never seen anyone represent the culture so well. Really cool!
It's so funny having to explain on the internet that Denmark in many ways is a more capitalistic country than the US and is better suited for starting a business. One of the key reasons why Denmark has one of the highest rates of startup companies in the world, and has more Linkedin users per capita than any other country in the world, and Linkedin are actively looking at Denmark to see how to be more effective in other countries such as the US.
Of course people rarely believe it because "US is no1 and Denmark is socialist" Often linked with a high consumption of Fox news.. Always makes me laugh, if only people know what they were missing out on :D
Thank you for the video❤️ I just wanted to mention, that if you don’t have a lot of money, your child the childcare is free❤️
You can get citizenship when you turn 18 if you have lived in Denmark for the last 8 years, according to Travelling Young.
Yup the pathway is a bit easier for children if they have lived in Denmark for extended periods of time.
You can apply for it, but it is not automaticaly granted.
There's another way. If one of the parents applies for citizenship before the child turns 18, he/she can be pulled into the application (as "biperson") and get the citizenship together with the parent.
@@gandalf1124 If you havnt done illigal things its mostly just papers that need to be signed. But as in every country, that can take some time, so better do it before last minute.
Have you ever heard the name støjberg because then you know you dont
I just subscribed to your channel after watching your video!👍 Good non partisan information.
Thank you William, happy to have you as part of our community. We try to present the facts and insert as little as possible 😊
Great job explaining the taxation. One thing left out is the double taxation. As Americans living abroad and tax law change of 2010, generally what is that rate?
As a Dane I just love to watch your videos, 👍🏼😊
Yay! Thank you Jannie 🇩🇰😃
On minimum wage and unions. As a dane.. i was baffled that people hate unions so much in the state.. that its looked down upon and people almost feel patriotic about not being in a union.. because as you mention, unions negotiating terms with employers is a very big thing in Denmark
It's really interesting to look at the role of organized labor unions in both countries. In America they've slowly been dismantled by the political right since Reagan. Part of the reason is because unions in America are negotiating major aspects of life that are already settled by the state in Denmark (and most other industrial democracies) - healthcare, sick leave, family leave, pension, holiday time, etc.
@@RobeTrotting it is interesting yeah.
...socialism is when you get something i do not.... great explanation of the typical american mindset. 🤑
Ugh I know!
Well sadly a lot of the west dont really know what socialism is
Socialism: For when you don't know what your opponents' political views are, but know you don't like them.
@@Glaaki13 No I think USA has a unique attitude to socialism, possibly generated in the McCarthy era. Calling someone a socialist is regarded as an insult whereas in most countries people are proud to call themselves socialist.
@@Phiyedough well that is also true... yet I know that socialist in the US still have a US problem
On the citizenship: Denmark can be VERY strict about that. You can actually LOSE the citizenship, if you spend enough time outside Denmark. And you can be in the strange limbo that you were born in Denmark, speak Danish, went to school etc etc, but because you unknowingly missed applying citizenship between 20 and 21 (believe you have a window of 1 year) you actually have to apply along with somalis, afghans etc etc. You HAVE to test a Danish language test, and you must provide papers of parent's marriage, school etc that may be loong gone. Super super strict and unfair.
Great video as always😊 have you seen the video that fox made about Denmark?
impressive summery...well done guys
I’m dual, 🇺🇸🇩🇰. Shame you didn’t cover the weather ! 😆 Great Video ! 👍
Thank you for your videos. They are always so insightful. It puzzles me how bad the narrative in the US is about us and our tax system meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor poorer in the US. How can that be so difficult to explain?
Thank you for watching! 😀 We really agree with you too, every year it's like the rich pay less in America and we have crumbling roads and massive inequality to show for it but they misinform people about Danish tax policy to defend the system in the states.
@@elrichico1133 Proof? Links? Anything?
The first thing that came to mind was "Isn't Denmark the capital of Sweden?" 🙄🙄
i head one time "oh Denmark, isn't that an island in Sweden? The one with the capital Ikea right!?"
Ha ha, really?! 😂😂😂
It’s like they think all Germans wear Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses.
Haha, what a skilled way of annoying all the Scandinavians at once! (I imagine a Norwegian hearing that would think 'great, if you can't tell those two appart I suppose you haven't even heard of us'.) 😂
grrrrr
My cousin and her family lived and worked in Texas for a few years and one of their daughters were born there. Now they are back in Dragør and have an American living with them.
Hey there. Thanks for an enlightening video.
One question about tax - Could it be people think of the effective tax rate of the tax of your wage + MOMS which is a tax you pay on *every* penny spent, whether it's the mechanic, the bakery, medicine or getting work done on your house?
I pay effectively 32% tax on my wage, but also 20% MOMS which would amount to 52% tax
There are generally two concepts that allow a person to receive citizenship at birth. Jus Sanguinis - law of the blood, means a person receives the nationality of the parent(s). Denmark is a Jus Sanguinis country. A person receives Danish citizenship at birth by having a Danish parent. The other citizenship concept is Jus Soli - law of the soil, which means a person receives citizenship of a country where he or she is born. Jus Soli is most common in the Western Hemisphere countries.
Most Jus Soli countries do have Jus Sanguinis provisions in their nationality laws to allow their citizens to pass their citizenship to a child born abroad.
Additionally a number of countries also have a modified type of Jus Soli where they will give citizenship to a child born in the country but only when at least one parent is either a citizen or legal full time resident of the country. This is done to prevent people purposely coming to the country to give birth solely for the purpose of gaining citizenship for the child.
Problems can occur when a child is born in a Jus Sanguinis country to Jus Soli parents. There are cases where the parents’ country does not grant citizenship to the child in which case such a child may end up stateless - having no citizenship.
Good breakdown. And it makes sense - in the "new world" there was no real connection to the land by blood, so they had to make people citizens for being there. The US is an example of both - children of American citizens can be American citizens no matter where they are born.
@@RobeTrotting Oddly enough a child can be born with 4 citizenships, if for instance a child is born to a Danish mother, and Iranian father in a US plane that is on the ground in Spain, they're Danish, Iranian, American and Spanish.
@@vrenak Is that an American thing or does it apply to all airlines? The best thing about being born on a passenger aircraft is that airlines have been known to give the child free travel on that airline for life.
Stephen Gallagher, I think the UK now has what you describe as a modified type of Jus Soli.
@@peterc.1618 Correct. Up to 1983, the UK nationality laws were based on Jus Soli. If you were born in the UK you were British.
However, persons born in the UK in 1983 or later are not British unless at least one parent was either British or was a non-British citizen who was “settled” in the UK. To be “settled” in UK meant being ordinarily resident with no time limit on their stay. There were also some other restrictions such as if the parents weren’t married then it had to be the mother who met the requirement of being either British or settled. This was changed in 2006. Additionally there were changes as to when EU citizens in the UK were considered to be settled.
Regarding daycare, actually, if you make less than a certain amount of money you can apply for "friplads" then it's completely free of charge.
My father was born in Denmark and came to the US when he was 25 in 1929. He was planning to work a few years and go back - well that didn’t happen. He was very impressed with birthright citizenship. His parents owned farms or what he called plantations and used immigrant workers for the field work - mostly Poles in the sugar beet fields, I think. He was always even as a little boy, upset that his born of Polish parents little friend’s were not Danish. They were born in the same town as he was but they would always be Polish even if they had not even been to Poland.
Therefore, I have always been aware that the birthright citizenship we have in the US is very unusual in most of the world. It was planned originally by the Founding Fathers,
I dont know if you did it...but pls consider making a video about the JANTE law...it is very very interesting...it would require some research...as a Dane I know its implications..and it would be imensly interesting to hear your take on this very important issue...thanks for great videos...I was american married lived in your country for 14 years...kudos
I don't know how easy it is to fire people in Denmark, but it's super easy in the US. Look up "employment at will."
Great vid guys!
It sometimes feel likes Americans think socialism = communisn = Russia .... so they see it as inherently evil in some way.
Pure socialisme is evil it is the path to communisme
@@Flamechr People often fail to recognize the difference between an "evil" system and evil people. Communism isn't evil, but there have definitely been evil *communists* - by contrast, lots of *capitalists* are not evil, but the Capitalist system is entirely based on people being selfish and greedy to succeed (which I would argue *is* evil).
@@LadyDoomsinger.. Agree.
I'm totally opposite capitalist thinking.
You may just have surpassed yourself. I've tried to tell US friends and others, exactly what you managed doing tonight (for YEARS). Thank you for that !! You know I'm sharing you on my FB !!
Yeah! You hit it right on the nose. !! Most of us totally HATE being called "Socialist" 😒! It's a good way to piss off most Danes (and other Europeans). Europe is - as you indicated - based on a free market economy! We're Capitalists, with a Human soul, as most of us see it 😊.
(Side note! And I think this is funny! The color for “Socialism/Communism/liberal style parties” in the rest of the World is “RED”. Right winged parties usually are “Blue” 🤣 ) !! You get it 😁!
Where the US has 10+ choices of Cornflakes, but only two parties to choose from, DK (and others) may only have three choices of Cornflakes, but 10+ parties to choose from, to run a country. As you guys know, we usually end up with a coalition government. They have to work together, if they each want some of there stuff done. We mostly compromise and get shit done 😊 !
We're not perfect by any means, but we also don't claim to be. And most of us don't believe in a concept of ”The Best country in the World” type thing!! That view is based on ones personal perspective ! But until you've traveled and been to other places (like you guys), how can you possibly know? Good show guys 👍😀👍
As “Monty Python” used to say. “And now.., on to something completely different” !
Taxes: Your are right that our income tax (for most of us) is no where near 50%. After my monthly deduction, of about $1200 is given to me tax free, before they pull taxes, I'm down to paying about 30% . I get about 2/3 of my pay in my pocket. And I still get Healthcare and all the other good stuff. I sleep well a night, knowing that I don't have to worry about my Healthcare or if my Niece and Nephew can have the education and dream, they want 😊!
But when you include the fact that every item (or service) you buy, has an individual tax + the 25% sales tax (VAT - Valued added Tax), you've probably payed a minimum of 50% taxes every month. So it's not only your income tax, it's also the day to day taxes in the shops. in the Restaurants and so forth.
But the above said and done! I don't mind, since I feel that I get so much back ! I don't have Kids, but I don't mind paying taxes, so my neighbors kids can go to College and get a well paid job, and maybe have to pay (with there taxes) for some operation I may need in the future. Hell! I may not even like my neighbors (or there kids), but who gives a "flying Eff"!
As we say in DK. “One Hand washes the other” ! I believe you 🇺🇸"Colonists"🇺🇸 🤣🤣🤣 say! "You scratch my back..., I'll scratch yours" 😊 ! That's basically Denmark for you, right there 😀 ! And that we trust you, until you give us a reason - not to 😉 ! You "Robe's" are some of the good guys..., so your safe 👍😉👍 ! Y'all better have a good weekend 😊 !
Can you talk about how retirement works in Denmark? Also, when I visit, what are the chances I could meet with you two? I am looking to move in about 18 months.
At the world badminton championships in Copenhagen in May 1999, one of the Mexican players had brought skis, so he could go skiing, when he had been knocked out of the tournament.
😂 that’s pretty funny. I guess he was close enough to Norway
@@RobeTrotting Well, skiing in Norway in May could also be a challenge. :-)
Great video :D
Tusind tak!
Also, just the entire thing about "paying" taxes isn't technically something we do here... Everything that needs to be paid in taxes and other fees are already deducted from your salary before you even see the money.
What you need to do when your pay changes, or just your circumstances changes, that would change certain deductions or increases in things you have to pay, you just go into your "tax card" online, change what you earn, how far you travel to work, and what you expect to earn in an entire year (most people set it a tiny bit higher than they expect). Then, when you get your yearly tax overview, telling you if you set your amounts too high or too, low, you will be told if you get a return, or need to pay extra from setting your numbers too low...
So for us, unless something changes, most people won't even have to look at their tax papers unless they notice a mistake, and you barely have to do anything tax related after you get your first pay from a new job...
when I first arrives in Australia as an 19 years old, (1970) all Australians knew about Denmark was Hans Christian Andersen and free love. Not much into H.C. Andersen.
along with danish citizenship, if you have a danish parent but you weren’t born there or have lived there, you have to spend i think 3 months in the country before you turn 25 otherwise you could lose your danish citizenship (i might have the numbers slightly off, but thats what my little sister is going through right now)