Lack of time and national stereotypes
Posted by Patrik Edvardsson | Posted in Czech Republic , dutch , football , Friday , hockey haircut , Italy , Marijuana , Netherlands , NRC International , Spain , sterotypes , Swedish , The EU , Time , weed | Posted on 5:32 PM
Its Friday and the week that just started ended, or will end, at some point, in time. Time moves at the same speed as it always does. I move with it, or past it. I have no concept of time, this is something I've returned to often during the past couple of years. The fact that I have lost the feel for time, a concert a week ago can feel like it was a year ago and the smell from someone in my bed can feel like yesterday. But the clock on the wall (If I would have one) just keeps onticking , relentless in it's chronic movements into the unknown. Or the time is known, but what we fill it with is not.
As chronic as the time, so is the Swedish mentality towards Marijuana. When deciding to move to Amsterdam I was confronted with more Marijuana jokes per capita than anyone should encounter during a life time. Many Swedish people believe that the only thing the Dutch do is play beautiful football without winning any tournaments, and getting stoned. Thus, I was very pleased to see this article in the NRC International. There it was conclused that the Dutch does not smoke as much weed as my Nordic country men assume. They even smoke less than the EU average. Turns out that pizza baking Italy leads the chart before day sleeping Spain and hockey hair cut Czech Republic. Ah, how we in the editorial board of Airportline loves when national stereotypes crumble. With that said I will go and buy one kilo of hair gel, cause that is what we do here in the Netherlands.
Just how many *good* Marijuana jokes per capita can be conceived? Care to share?
Hairgel is a critera for proper integration.
Teo: Not many, actually non of them were good and they mostly involved me doing things... while stoned. And some references to bad American stoner movies.
Kath: that is what the stereotype would say. I guess my irony missed the goal a bit...
It was interesting how the cannabis-use in Italy really have skyrocketed in a few years. I wonder what can be accounted for it? Have the Italians really grown that weary of their society and the demise (?) of it? Or does it have to do with the exact opposite?