Denmark is a small, relatively unknown country while America is the most powerful nation on the planet. While they both are thought of as "Western" countries, in reality, they have little in common. In fact, when we examine them in greater depth, they are almost opposites. While America may be the symbol of wealth, power and military might in the world, Denmark might well be considered the model for how a rational nation and a society should function.
Recent published studies, as this article by Matt Mabe brings out, indicate that the people of Denmark are the "Worlds happiest people." What? How can that possibly be? Shouldn't we challenge those findings and question their validity? How can it be that those people in that small, inconsequential nation are said to be so happy when here in America the people seem to be so frustrated and angry? Do these people in Denmark know something about living their lives that we Americans don't? What exactly is going on here?
Let's discuss this situation, analyze the known facts, and then try to draw some concrete conclusions:
Perhaps Danes are so very happy because every person in Denmark is fully covered under a universal health care system; income and status doesn't matter. Their happiness may also be because they have an education system where every person has the opportunity to attend high school and then go on to college, all funded by Danish taxpayers. And the result is that Denmark is at the very top of world academic rankings. How can a country possibly do such things?
But hold on; now I'm starting to get it; the people of Denmark are living under that dangerous economic/political system called "socialism." And we Americans know all about the evils of socialism, the next thing to communism. I knew there was something I didn't like about "those kind of people." There is something wrong with a nation and people who have embraced this form of economic and political system that's known as social democracy; it's hard to understand how their society can even function.
Long ago America gave them a model for how to create a free, democratic, capitalistic system that is the envy of the world but they chose to go in another direction. They seem to be following some warped ideology that makes them like that. Well, that's their problem and I sure hope they're happy with it; oops, I forgot - they are.
Well, if they are spending such large amount of their taxpayer dollars on free education and universal health care then the safety and security of the people of Denmark must be a major problem; if they are not spending billions on weaponry and they are not conducting their own War on Terror, then the people must be very insecure and most probably very paranoid, fearful of being attacked at any time by those who hate them for what they are and what they stand for. So if their priorities are upside down and misdirected then they have only themselves to blame.
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