These are the World's Happiest Countries

[clb09]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/world-happiest-places-lifestyle-travel-world-happiest.html


Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list, ranking first, second and third, respectively. Outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. The U.S. did not crack the top 10. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth.

What do they all have in common?

SOCIALISM!! (except Ireland)

We need a list of free countries where the government fears the people and the people don't look to the government for happiness.

[Objectivist]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/world-happiest-places-lifestyle-travel-world-happiest.html



What do they all have in common?

SOCIALISM!! (except Ireland)

We need a list of free countries where the government fears the people and the people don't look to the government for happiness.

They have something else in common, something much more important that you may have missed.

[Roxi]

um define happiest?

[AutoDas]

This is probably my biggest problem with socialism, it makes the people complacent and have no desire in life. Capitalism values your private property above all else hence we will never be content, capitalist greed agitates for a better tomorrow.

[clb09]

They have something else in common, something much more important that you may have missed.

What else?

:confused:

[Objectivist]

What else?

:confused:

Demographics.

[Kludge]

YouTube - Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTO_dZUvbJA)

Conclusion: Freedom does not necessarily equate to happiness.

[clb09]

Demographics.

No, demographics have nothing to do with it.

What is important is that people are free to pursue their lives where the government stays out of the way.

If people can trade with each other freely and if they know they can defend their families and contracts are enforced and property rights are defended then they will be happy.

No matter the "demographics".

[LibForestPaul]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/world-happiest-places-lifestyle-travel-world-happiest.html



What do they all have in common?

SOCIALISM!! (except Ireland)

We need a list of free countries where the government fears the people and the people don't look to the government for happiness.

Why is the majorities happiness relevant? Why should this be measured? Why should a moral value be put upon the happiness of a group of people? Necessity is the mother of all inventions?

Would they able to be "happy" without the US/The Banking Cartel/ The EU and imperialism?

[Working Poor]

I enjoyed the video Kludge

[literatim]

These are flawed statistics because it is a testament of mostly the previous generation's government and culture as the consequences for today's generation haven't been fully felt. They are also lucky that they haven't had a dramatic change in demographics as someone else stated, so change is much slower. A rapid influx of 3rd world immigrants would bring their socialist policies down faster and increase crime at a faster rate. Right now they are living off the wealth their ancestor's built and thus living in a bubble.


No, demographics have nothing to do with it.

Actually, demographics do.


What is important is that people are free to pursue their lives where the government stays out of the way.

So Somalia should be much happier than most other countries?


If people can trade with each other freely and if they know they can defend their families and contracts are enforced and property rights are defended then they will be happy.

No matter the "demographics".

I think you are too simplistic in your views. Demographics can change many aspects of a country, from how safe they are in their homes to how much control they themselves have over the government. A large force of foreign people can tilt the democracy away from the original inhabitants.

I will also point out that culture also effects happiness. If a people simply don't care about anything, they will be much happier than people that do care and worry.

[specsaregood]

Actually, demographics do.


So, do you have an opinion on which demographics tend to make the inhabitants of these countries "the happiest"?

[TonySutton]

Cattle are very happy. They get all the grass, hay and silage they can eat. They are given a large field to wander freely about. There is a nice pond of cool water when they are thirsty. If they get sick the farmer has the vet come take a look at them. They have a nice barn to protect them from bad weather.

It is all wonderful, well until the day the cattle car comes to take them away :(

[ChooseLiberty]

Ha. The sheep are very happy until the shepard wants lamb chops.





Cattle are very happy. They get all the grass, hay and silage they can eat. They are given a large field to wander freely about. There is a nice pond of cool water when they are thirsty. If they get sick the farmer has the vet come take a look at them. They have a nice barn to protect them from bad weather.

It is all wonderful, well until the day the cattle car comes to take them away :(

[Agent CSL]

Before I begin, perhaps I should tell you something about myself. I am a 49 year old British man, married to a Danish lady and living in Denmark. Prior to moving here back in 1996, I had spent 15 years as Police Officer in London and before that 6 years in the military.

I was raised in the industrial area of South Wales and come from `blue collar` stock. Up until quite recently, I had been a believer in the `democratic` process and a staunch conservative.

My awakening began upon my relocation to this small, cold northern country. Up until then, I had `bought` into the consensus viewpoint, and although as a serving officer in London, I had been aware of all the rapid changes taking place in society, I had not realised that these changes were orchestrated and designed, as opposed to `evolutionary`.

I had imagined that Denmark would be little more than a smaller version of my homeland. My wife was/is not much different in views and culture from myself, and our countries shared a joint history. For the first half year or so, I didn't take too much notice of my surroundings, as we were occupied with the day to day business of setting up our home and all those other mundane necessities.

It was when I was able to sit back and take note of my new environment that I was struck immediately at how different Danes were from British people. My wife had lived in the UK for some years and I soon learned that she was not typical of her country folk. The most immediate, and annoying character trait I noticed was the habitual need Danes have to tell other people how wonderful Denmark is, and how much better everything is compared to other places. To even the casual onlooker, it was clear that they were deeply delusional.

Denmark is an okay place, but no better and a degree worse than some places. It is small, with a population of around 5,000,000. Until very recently, it has been very homogenous, (and to a great extent still is) and somewhat isolated, tucked away as it is up on the top edge of Europe. In fact, if one wished to conduct a `social experiment`, few places would be better suited, or located. Add to this the truth that Danish people are by nature in awe of authority, compliant and passive. Forget the `Vikings` of yore. Most of them settled in Britain, Northern France and down the Volga.

I began to question this pride in all things Danish. The food variety and quality was nothing like as good as in the UK. The public infrastructure was inadequate, and oh so slow. Monopoly was the name of the game in business. No competition whatsoever. Danish produce and Danish produce only was the rule of things. The sheer cost of living in the place was/is at least 2-3 times that of the UK, and yet everyone was asking me so proudly if I felt lucky to be living in Denmark. Then there is the much vaunted Danish Medical System. Again according to Danes `the best in the world`. But that's just the thing, it wasn't/isn't and the standards are dropping continually, whilst the costs of prescription medicine and Dental care, even on the back of this `public health service` are out of control.

As a former London Police Officer, I was often asked to give lectures at Odense University, on matters relating to crime etc. Over the next few years, I gave dozens of these presentations, and was shocked at how unquestioning and compliant young Danish people were. They were immune even to provocation, which I used on several occasions in order to get a response, but usually to no avail. I was able to attend several classes over this period, and was appalled and shocked at the levels of Marxist/Feminist views being foisted on the young people. The history of their country prior to the end of WWII is just not taught at all, and very few Danes have any grasp of their country's past. Almost all the teachers were female (of a sort), and the classes themselves were overwhelmingly populated by girls. Almost every lecture I attended was weighted heavily towards a `European` future, and very few were not heavily biased in that direction. And yet, pardoxically, the `Denmark is the best country in the world, with the best education system, best medical system, best social system, best economy, ad nauseum was also a constant theme. This is the same message transmitted through every media outlet, and Danes take love of flag to a new height, even decorating Xmas trees and birthday cakes with that national banner. This apparent contradiction, caused me great confusion at the time, but no longer. Today, I understand.

This acceptance/compliance extended into society in general, where complaints against the system of any kind were in very short supply, or non existent to be truthful. With every new law, or government inspired price increase or tax hike, would come the standard response "there's nothing you can do about" or in Danish, "Saadan er Danmark", which literally means, "that's how it is in Denmark".



Denmark is the country of rules. There are rules for everything here. Even the rules seem to have rules, and the people have an annoying way of interfering in each others lives to the point of self regulation. One of the world's smallest countries has one of the `biggest` governments, and `The State` is by far the biggest employer here, so people depend upon it for their livelihood.

The ID Card was introduced to Denmark back in the 1970's. Every Dane, or foreign resident here has a `personal number` and unlike the `National Insurance` number in the US or UK, it must be quoted in order to do almost everything. One cannot get a bank account, travel, do business of any kind, learn to drive, drive, be educated etc etc. without it. It masquerades as a health insurance card, but has a far more all encompassing purpose. It is also backed up by a national register data base. The coming Biometric model will simply be accepted as an `improvement` and or progress.

Conformity in all things is the way of life here. People dress the same, cut their hair the same, eat the same, do the same, like the same, say exactly the same phrases, in fact, modern Danish is more a language of phraseology than anything else (Newspeak ?). They like the same food (and will serve the same `fayre` to guests every time, no matter which Danish home one visits). An evening out at a Danish household, could/can be scripted beforehand, from start to end.

Danish women and girls have with a few exceptions, become almost androgynous in appearance, and most are fiercely feminist in their views, actions and manners. Danish men are for the most part emasculated. Danes love their country, but will not fight for it. Danes loathe all things foreign, and resist all such influences, to the point where their shops have very little on the shelves, and what there is is rediculously expensive, and yet, they absolutely fail to recognise or resist the looming shadow of the European Superstate, still believing it to be something they can just walk away from when they have had enough.

Danes rarely smile, are very reserved to the point of being rude, and yet, a recent (ish) opinion poll carried out throughout the EU showed them to be the most content of Europe's people. It was this that really got my juices flowing. Danes had been telling me for nearly eight years that `they had it so good`. But they didn't. Not at all. They had it good like a bird in a cage has it good.

I had the feeling even back then that if one made too many comments of an unfavourable `Anti Denmark`nature, then just maybe my residiency might be revoked, or I might come into contact with the `State Authorities`, (Danes are encouraged to `Spy` on each other and do so with gusto). Of course no such thing occured, but the feeling was there. Such is the insideous nature of Danish society, which heralds `Free speech` as an inalienable right (As in the Mohammad Drawings) and yet damns that same `free Speech` to foreigners or dissenters

By the end of the 1990's, I had begun to understand the extent to which the Danish population had been completely indoctrinated. Any form of criticism was fiercly resented. Nobody ever complained about anything of an official nature. Nearly everybody I knew, or those I saw speaking on TV seemed to believe that the Danish Government wished only good things for them. That the ever burgeoning tax burden was necessary, even a good thing. We are speaking of an income tax of on average 50% plus a sales tax of 25%. This level of taxation is across the board, and includes tax on cars, houses, food, and well, everything you can imagine could be taxed is taxed and then some. And all prices on all things rise on 31st January every year, without fail. This is just understood and accepted without comment by the majority of the people. "Saadan er Danmark".

When my wife and I tried to explain to people that in the UK, we paid a fraction of the Danish tax burden, and still managed at least a parity in social welfare, and medical care, they wouldn't believe it. When we told them that the food in DK was of an inferior quality, with no variety and rediculously priced. They again wouldn't hear of it. I just could not be.

We travelled to the US three times between 1996 and 2001 spending a total of fourteen weeks there and travelling some six thousand miles. Those three `trips` were milestones in my life, and I was bursting with tales of our adventures, but upon returning to DK, not one Danish friend or family member showed any interest whatsoever in our stories. It was as if we had never been away. The only people who were at all interested were our `international` contacts.

Now, I might be rambling at this point, but what I am trying to depict here is a society quite unlike anywhere else, even by European standards, Denmark is different. If it isn't Danish or Denmark, then they cannot contemplate it at all.

I felt totally disaffected with the country, and at that time, even with no knowledge whatsoever of any `Global Conspiracy`, would say things to friends such as; " These are not people, they're like `Body Snatchers`", or "There must be something in the water here", and even "It's in the food they eat". Little did I understand how close to the truth I was.

Then I started to put the pieces together; the inertia of the youth, the conformity of it's citizens. The `blind` obedience of the populace. The apparent contentment being voiced, which was in obvious conflict with the miserable demeanour of Danish people. The narrow, insulated `bubble` view of the world around them. The conditioned state of national denial, refusing to admit even the possibility that some place else might be in some way better. And the absolute kicker; the Danish obsession with work. It is the only thing they talk about. To work is everything, and if one is not in work, then one is a member of a trade union, which will find some way of ensuring that one has little or no spare time to think and consider life, and what is happening all around.

In 2003, I read Sen. Pat Buchannan's book, `The Death Of The West`. This work set me on the path to discovery, and although I have moved a little beyond it, the facts and ideas expressed by the author were in many cases highly relevant to my experiences in Denmark. But the point is this; on page 77, Sen. Buchanan at the top of the page makes this quote, "The perfect totalitarian state, is one where the all powerful political bosses, and their army of managers, control a population of slaves, who do not have to be coerced because they love their servitude". This is from Aldous Huxleys nightmare novel `Brave New World`, and it describes Danes and Denmark almost to a tee.

To read the whole thing, it's quite long: http://www.rense.com/general79/brave.htm

[123tim]

I enjoyed the video Kludge

As did I. Thank you.

[clb09]

So Somalia should be much happier than most other countries?

Somalia doesn't have a constitution with an American-style second amendment or one guaranteeing personal freedom and property rights.

Also the government doesn't have an effective court system and local governments do not have official policing authorities to enforce laws that protect against assault and property crimes.

Remember there is a place for SOME government. We all can agree that anarchy doesn't work.

[Golding]

Americans aren't considered happy because there are at least some of us that are aware of what's going on around us.

[heavenlyboy34]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/world-happiest-places-lifestyle-travel-world-happiest.html (http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/world-happiest-places-lifestyle-travel-world-happiest.html)



What do they all have in common?

SOCIALISM!! (except Ireland)

We need a list of free countries where the government fears the people and the people don't look to the government for happiness.

They also have beautiful women, lower obesity rates, and better-educated populations. ;):cool:

[yoshimaroka]

Remember there is a place for SOME government. We all can agree that anarchy doesn't work.

Hey now…

[Dreamofunity]

Interesting video Kludge, good find.

[eOs]

http://vis.berkeley.edu/courses/cs294-10-fa08/wiki/images/0/04/FSM_Pirates.png

[Brassmouth]

Remember there is a place for SOME government. We all can agree that anarchy doesn't work.

There most certainly isn't and we most certainly will not.

Don't get in over your head, kid. Anyone absentminded enough to make that statement isn't ready to debate libertarian anarchists.

[FindLiberty]

http://vis.berkeley.edu/courses/cs294-10-fa08/wiki/images/0/04/FSM_Pirates.png

NEEDS UPDATE: Recent lower sunspot activity and resulting cooler weather correlates with an increase in "pirate" activity off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden
(fishermen defending their coastal waters?).

[FindLiberty]

China must be a mighty "happy place" 'cause their government must limit family size to ONE CHILD.

On the other hand, it must be quite a depressing, unhappy place where people freely choose to not have as many (or any) kids, e.g., the USA. We maintain our population via imigration that makes up for what would be a net negative population gain (native deaths exceed native live births).

go figure...

[andrewh817]

Check out the Sweden pirate party from what I've read they sound pretty libertarian and they're the 3rd biggest party in that country.

[clb09]

There most certainly isn't and we most certainly will not.

Don't get in over your head, kid. Anyone absentminded enough to make that statement isn't ready to debate libertarian anarchists.

Maybe we can debate in downtown Mogadishu. That should help your argument!

lol. :p

[BuddyRey]

Maybe we can debate in downtown Mogadishu. That should help your argument!

lol. :p

Forgive me for jumping in on a conversation I didn't start, but I would contend that Somalia is an unsatisfactory comparison to a hypothetical Anarchist society in the U.S.A. for many reasons, primarily because the former is an example of a badly underdeveloped economy in the middle of the Third World.

YouTube - True News 18: Somalia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtGkTRnocZI)

[Objectivist]

No, demographics have nothing to do with it.

What is important is that people are free to pursue their lives where the government stays out of the way.

If people can trade with each other freely and if they know they can defend their families and contracts are enforced and property rights are defended then they will be happy.

No matter the "demographics".

Tell that to the Israelis and ask if they would be better off without a bunch of idiot Arabs running around their country.

[clb09]

Tell that to the Israelis and ask if they would be better off without a bunch of idiot Arabs running around their country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel


Arab citizens of Israel

Arab citizens of Israel (also Arab Israelis, Israeli Arabs or Palestinian Israelis) refers to the non-Jewish population of Arab or Arabic-speaking citizens of Israel. Arab citizens comprise almost 20% of the population of Israel. The majority identify themselves as Palestinian by nationality and Israeli by citizenship. Survey data shows that a majority (62%) of Arab citizens of Israel would prefer to remain Israeli citizens rather than become citizens of a future Palestinian state. Many Arab citizens have family ties to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

The Bedouin tend to identify more as Israelis than other Arab citizens of Israel. The Druze are drafted into the Israel Defense Forces.

Arabs living in East Jerusalem, occupied and administered by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, are a special case. They became permanent residents of Israel shortly after the war. Although they hold Israeli ID cards, few have applied for Israeli citizenship, to which they are entitled, and most maintain close ties with the West Bank. As permanent residents, they are eligible to vote in Jerusalem's municipal elections, although only a small percentage takes advantage of this right.

The remaining Druze population of the Golan Heights, occupied and administered by Israel in 1967, are considered permanent residents under the Golan Heights Law of 1981. Few have accepted full Israeli citizenship and the vast majority consider themselves citizens of Syria.

If Israel did not want "idiot Arabs running around their country" I'm sure they would rescind their citizenship immediately.

[Objectivist]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel



If Israel did not want "idiot Arabs running around their country" I'm sure they would rescind their citizenship immediately.

Well that's not the point.