matt_mcl, in a thread on Canadian patriotism over at the Pit, mentioned a rather tasteless ad touting green cards for American residency “because there’s no such thing as The Canadian Dream”. This got me to wondering if there IS one, and if other countries have them too–sort of national visions of the best kind of life to lead. I’d be interested in hearing about them, especially from smaller and non-European countries.
I’m deliberately not defining the American Dream here because first of all, there’s about 280 million definitions of it, and also because I don’t want to ‘contaminate’ the sample here. I’d rather not have you contrast your nation’s ideal to the (perceived) American ones, just explain what you think your country looks for as the pinnacle of a happy or successful life/society. Thanks!
The Norwegian Dream is that someday, Norway will beat Sweden in every single discipline in the Winter Olympics
We’re, uh, having a little trouble with the ice hockey part.
Oh, you were looking for a serious answer? I don’t know. Norwegians tend to like single-family homes with a station wagon in the driveway, but I don’t know that I’d call that “the Norwegian dream”. I think for most people their dream is much like the life they’re living now, only with more free time and a bit more money in the bank.
The New Zealand Dream used to be just as BigNik said it was for the Aussie one: only we called it the Half Gallon, Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise (in a book written by a Brit. Ooh! Cultural cringe!)
Now – I’d say the Dream for Godzoners is “Make It Big In Sydney Before The Dentures Come!”
Or, insert name of any other big city overseas in place of Sydney.
Aussie dream…
-4 bed, 2 bath house or a couple of them
-boat
-sweet car
-wife that makes my mates envious because she can drink as much as the blokes, likes fishing and camping, her dad owns a pub and her mum is a millionaire. Before she met me she had a brief but extremely successful modelling career as a curvy bikini model.
-two kids…one that wins the PGA tour and the other that wins wimbledon or the brownlow.
-nice job that pays truckloads and allows you to watch the cricket, or whatever you want, at work…if you feel like turning up.
-never ending supply of beer or scotch
The Brownlow medal is an national Australian rules footy award that goes to the player that doesn’t smack the ref in the head to often…nah, unfortunately not.
It’s the ‘fairest and best’ voted by the refs at the end of the season, big thing to some people over here, most probably to the person that wins it to (and their bank manager)
The Australian dream (Sydney variation) is to be captain of the Australian cricket team, be mentioned in the social pages as a “colourful racing identity” and own a house with uninterrupted harbour views.
Have 25 children to man your boat and take care of your igloo.
Seriously, though, the Icelandic dream used to be just to be happy. Never mind fame or fortune, happiness over all. However, the dream is becoming more and more “americanized” and now people seem to be more cash-oriented (oriented? sounds …oriental?) and generally capitalistic. I blame Hollywood, but then again I blame Hollywood for everything…
What, no Canadians yet? Okay, I’ll attempt to define the National Dream for a bunch of independent, polite people - oh, wait, we already realized our National Dream at the last Olympics - double gold in Men’s AND Women’s Hockey.
(hold on a second, I’m getting a little choked up here…)
Other than that, I guess it’s a bunch of “buy a house, work at a job you don’t hate with a burning passion, have kids, don’t kill anyone, blah blah blah” kind of stuff.
Well only been here three months so may be supreme arrogance to assume I know, but I think I have a fair guess…
Continued Peace.
The treaty which finally ended the Civil War which has raged for at least 28 years is now over 19 months old, since the death in battle of the UNITA leader Joshua Savbimbi (not sure if spelled correct). The ruling MPLA five-yearly Congress has just ended here and everyone is talking politics in the bars and resturants.
Reconstruction to Progress
The whole place has gone to hell in a handcart. In Luanda we have the best of everything and it is terrible, a city built for 1.5 million with a population of over 5 million. No reliable water, power, fuel shortage (with 10 billion bbls of oil being developed!), sewerage problems, roads in a mess etc. No housing, no jobs etc.
Mine Clearance Help
Come to Angola. A country with more than one landmine per head of population. :eeik:
The number of amputees in the city to beg is the one thing that I cannot get used to.
Repair rural transport and distribution systems
The country could be the bread basket of Southern Africa, it has arable land greater than the area of France, no water shortage and balanced population versus resource ratio. They can grow the stuff but cannot get it to market before it rots. Hence everything eaten in Luanda is imported. Crazy.
If this is solved then food prices will drop so that even the following point will not be so much of an issue:
Jobs
The cost of living here is one of the highest in the world. How people make it I really do not know. Many don’t it is clear. Jobs are needed but until the cost of living falls the sort of jobs that wil be available will not pay enough to put even food on the table.
A cure for SIDS (AIDS)
Infection rate - unknown but estimated as high as 33%. Implications for the future of what should be one of the richest countries in Africa - devastating obviously.
