5 Things Denmark could learn from AMERICA

#denmark #danmark #dansk
In this video we take a look at things Denmark could learn from America. We decided to create this video based on the reactions to a vide owe made of the reverse topic - things America could learn from Denmark.

Since we grew up in the USA and moved to Denmark in 2017, we love both countries and try to focus on the best things about both. This means that there are many opportunities for both Denmark and the US to learn from one another and improve on their existing greatness.

Of course, no country is perfect, so we wanted to highlight things about America that Denmark could take and run with. Many already exist to some level and could be scaled.

Some of them are things about the American economy and make up of the US system that would work well in Denmark. Other elements are more cultural and things about American culture that work well in the US and could be helpful for Danes in daily life in Denmark.

Of course, we make both of these videos without tearing down either country, so while we want to hear your comments - please do the same. Nationalism is never something we want to see from people in either America or Denmark, but respectful observations and opinions are always welcomed 😊

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[papaquonis]

Denmark is often ranked as one of the top 5 easiest countries in the World to start and run your own business (depending on which report you look at). And we usually rank higher than USA. I get that entrepreneurial spirit has more to do with wanting to start your own thing, but if we're lacking some of that here, it's certainly not because rules and regulations have made it too difficult to do so.

[johannnyborg]

I think it is because you live in København that you have those wews. Have you ever been to AAlborg or Esbjerg?

[ebbhead]

Also Scandis love to meet other Scandinavian people around the world.. its like this common bond regardless of what Scandinavian country you come from. So if you dont go around thinking a lot about Norwegians, if you meet some Oslo guys in New York or London or China or whatever, you're gonna be like they're your best mates and we're all like that. 😅

[skinke]

Thanks for your insights! Just wanted to mention that lots of huge tech innovation comes from Denmark. Dynamics 365, c#, c++, Google Maps, php, Skype, etc etc are Danish inventions. I think Americans simply have more money to buy up the Innovation before it becomes the next Lego.

[pavelsmom]

Yes both Americans and Danes are amazing and they can learn from each other! I'm American and visited Denmark last year and LOVED it!! But, I was quite surprised (alarmed) how many Danes don't even give eye contact or simple greetings to each other or visitors. I wasn't looking for someone to have lunch with or searching for new friends (I have my good friends in Denmark already) but I'm used to simple, friendly courtesy. Dear Danes, eye contact or a slight smile will not kill anyone! ❤
Thank you guys! ❤

[jandideriksen]

We had an Elon Musk in Denmark, his name was Stein Bagger.

[MrBandholm]

Interesting points; I would however like to make a few counterpoints.

But first, the points I do agree on. I certainly agree on customer service; however, I would add that people in general also should be much more appreciative of the service worker. Too often someone rants on the worker even though that worker has no say in whatever the rant is about. We should do better there.

As for your other points, .

Regarding the socializing, that really mostly happens in "foreninger" (gaming/sport clubs, gyms, boy/girl scouts, ect.). This is a key aspect that we are really bad at pointing out to immigrants. In the Nordic countries (and nothern Germany), this is the place where you hang out, meet new people, and form loose connections. We are bad at talking about that, as it is so ingrained in our culture (one of the unspoken ones). It is, however, an almost foreign concept in most of the rest of the world (in the US, the closest example is the community built around the church). Could we do more small talk? I mean sure, but people have busy lives, things to do, etc.; to ask a stranger to take time out of their day for you is a lot to ask, particularly when you can do it when they have time (being in the "forening"). So we do that a lot... Just on during work or on the street (in general ofc).

Regarding entrepreneurship, I am not sure what it is you want to change. Denmark has some of the easiest/simplest laws to start a business; it takes less than 15 minutes to get the needed paperwork in order, and quit a lot of people make their own small business because of that. If you are thinking of guys spending 80+ hours a week on getting their business growing, some (a fair few actually) do that, but I suspect you are hitting a blindspot from your own background. You look at Denmark with 5.8 million people and compare it to the US with 365+ million people, and you compare the start-ups; however, you will also find that most of the successful US start-ups happen in the same areas, making it look like it is much more entrepreneurial in spirit. But looking at comparable numbers, the difference isn't that different. Where we see big differences are in start-ups in the US that become billion-dollar enterprise... However, the argument of size becomes a thing. Silicon Valley (but not just there) simply has the concentration of cash that allows for quick investments that allow small companies to make the investments in production and R&D, allowing start-ups to quickly realise their potential. But it also has to be said that a lot of fraud is happening in the US system (particular when a company is registered at the stock exchange).

Regarding celebrating different cultures and two-way integration, . I am honestly not sure that is "right". "When in Rome, do as the Romans" is a thing; culture is evolving, but frankly, a lot of Danish culture is on the way out (this makes me sound like a far right loon, I realise); Danish children have a less advanced language in Danish than in English. Media, education, work, and more have adopted more and more English (dare I say American, slurs, and idioms). I would suggest that what you are asking for is that Denmark should become more convenient to your taste and less like what Denmark is (a bit on the nose, I know), and what is risked is that this culture becomes less unik, less what you feel in love with in the first place. Even food and music.

How much in-season food do you eat? Likely very little! And how much French, German, Italian, or Polish music in their own language do you hear in general? Again, overall very little, I assume, simply because the american culture is so dominant. This is not, per se, negative, but it is much worse culturally than the idea suggests. Big cultures like the American and Spanish-American bully smaller cultures; they do not intergrate but push others aside. I am not against other cultures becoming part of the Danish culture, but I am not convinced that "integration is a two-way street.". Also, this is not really feeling "threatened" by other cultures, but a real-life observation that small unik/special cultures rarely flurish with other cultures being exported to the degree that the US exports its culture in the digital/information age. Had that been the case, the US citizen should be far better at French, Italian, and German than is the case.

Finally, regarding technology and innovation in business... My impression is that the major difference is in law. Denmark takes its foundation in Roman and continental (German and French) law, where regulation is the starting point, unlike Anglo-law, where freedom is allowed until something happens. In this way, I firmly believe Europe (and thus Denmark) are in the right order. The US, in particular with social media (that drives like 85% of all US-based innovation in tech at the moment), has had a headstart by default in this regard, and you can argue that this has helped make a lot of good (and you would be correct). However, if we look at social media, because there was no regulation in the first place, the US, the UK and many other nations are or have been on the brink of losing the battle to the most extremist political movements in 70+ years, and the US democracy is arguably on the brink because of that. Is that worth it? Is that worth a few billion dollars? Or would we have been better off had the regulatory systems been allowed to be part of the design-process to begin with, allowing for less hatred and stress, as we are looking into today? We know that conflict has been programmed into the algorithms at Facebook, at Twitter (x), and other places. The difference here, I think, argues for the continental way of thinking, but it is certainly less profitable in the short term.

Overall, it was really interesting to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I hope you enjoy my points of view, as they should be seen as appreciations for your views. And have a nice day!

[dudewhatthewhat]

Very much agree that Danes could learn to appreciate small talk, and small unimportant relationships. It does happen here, especially with people age 55 and above. So many of them are more than happy to talk to people and feel connected, and you can get some really fun conversations out of it. Wish it happened more often, but I think those who try, are so used to getting the cold shoulder that they eventually just stop. Or at least, that’s why I stopped trying to initiate

[Gert-DK]

I really do think your topics were chosen with a bit of ignorance. I am not trying to be rude, this is just the Danish directness. As long as a Dane don't hit you, he is polite. 😉
One thing we definitely could learn from the US, is how to get the tobacco smoking down. Look at the US in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Lots of smoking. Now very little, I wish we could learn that from the US.

[dudewhatthewhat]

5:51 as a Danish high schooler, you can learn coding in Danish high school, and I think they’re also trying to integrate it in lower levels of education. It’s just that, since we have many different types of high schools, I can’t guarantee everyone is learning how to code nowadays.

[mkhjyt]

1) I normally think you're quite spot-on with your observations of Danish culture and spirit, but the first point isn't correct. There's a huge entrepreneurial spirit in Denmark, and it's extremely easy to start and run a business. Probably one of the easiest places in the world, and definitely easier than in the US. You can literally go online right now, spend 10 minutes filling out a form, and get your VAT number within 24 hours - and you're ready to go with your business. There will be virtually no administrative requirements, for instance you can avoid submitting annual reports as long as you earn below a set amount. And setting up a limited liability (ApS = LLC) is almost as easy, and the required capital investment is one of the lowest in the world.

2) Absolutely correct. Customer service in Denmark is shite compared to US.

3) Your point stands, but not under the label "diversity and inclusion", as that's generally indicative of a progressive attitude towards people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, etc. where Denmark is far ahead of the USA. However, under the term "cultural diversity" your point absolutely stands. And I absolutely agree that integration is a two-way street.

4) Agree on this one. I think the point you tried to make in (1) came across much better here.

5) Haha, yes, this one is true. But we do like it this way ;)

[BenjaminVestergaard]

Hmm... my guess is that you live in is very mono-coloured neighbourhood.

The suburb to Copenhagen I currently live in is quite colourful, the full scale from potato to red beet to chocolate. We see each others colours, but we stick together.

Kids, even in kindergarten, are taught that we don't all look the same, and sometimes don't even want to eat the same.

The kindergarten that my son attends always offer an alternative to the meal of the day... it's vegetarian to be honest.

That means that if you're brought up to avoid pork or beef... you can still have food when chicken isn't on the menu.

And by my experience with the US each culture/colour/race tend to gather around each their table.

I was once asked by a polite African American man if we were french, simply because my Chinese ex and I was eating by the same table... guess where... in the heart of NYC.. McD at times square.

Tell me again who's more "racist" in general... here it's not odd for kids of different cultures to eat next to each other.

In other words, I strongly but respectfully disagree with you on that point.

[MrFtoudalk]

Well, about not being ignorant, I don't know man.
The number of times I have been asked by Americans what language Danes speak ("Dutch?"), and if it's close to Amsterdam, I think the Geography classes here could use a little emphasis.
Oh, and now we have politicians in the Congress claiming that government can control the weather!! So clearly the battle against ignorance has been lost for a couple of generations... ( I blame homeschooling..)

[Gert-DK]

I think you are a little off regaarding busyness friendly. Here top 5 list from USNEWS :

Luxembourg: Known for its favorable tax environment and transparent government practices.
Switzerland: Offers a stable economy, low corruption, and efficient bureaucracy.
Sweden: Praised for its transparent government and supportive business policies.
Singapore: Renowned for its ease of doing business, low taxes, and strategic location.
Denmark: Offers a supportive business environment with low corruption and high transparency.

These countries are often highlighted for their conducive environments for businesses to thrive.

[tobiastrier]

To be honest most customer service in the Copenhagen area is not performed by Danes.

[freja]

it was danes that invented some of the leading coding languages...

[uteberg]

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💖 Diversity, multiculturalism and integration!!! Absolutely necessary!!! Socializing!!! Living in South Jutland I would like to add: healthcare!!! You definitely don't want to end up in the hospital of Aabenraa!!! ;)

[Daniela-lm]

Great video guys and very courageous of you to point out "the areas of improvement" for Denmark knowing that Danes don't take criticism easily... I totally agree with the things you point out!

[havvaviuf]

100% agree that integration is a 2 way street👍🏻

[Christian_Bagger]

I’ve lived in the States for 4 years, and this is my experience as well.
We’re a very homogeneous culture, and that has it’s perks, but on the flip side of that is we’re not as good embracing other cultures.

Something I’ve learned in US is to engage in conversations with random people, and I’ve been able to adapt it to Danes.. and I’ve actually met multiple people saying, they wish us Danes would just engage in each other a bit more than what we currently do.
I will also say, there’s a difference between countryside vs city.

Overall, the topics you guys are saying are my experiences as well, and the same things I’ve pondered over.