Society tends to function in harmonious fashion when its members
abide by written and unwritten rules be it laws of the land, cultural
code or social behavior. Continuing in the theme of differences in
living and traveling abroad I present observations and experiences
with regards to law, politics and cultural laws. I generally have
more to say about Norway since we lived there longer than we have
lived in France and therefore I have more experiences and greater
familiarity with the Scandinavian nation.
The Big Question
Yes, European countries are more socialized than Canada and the
United States. The degree of socialism varies among countries.
In order of increasing socialism the countries are the United States,
Canada, France and Norway. Most Europeans like this system. From my
observations Norwegians feel that the government makes its decisions
for the benefit of the people, so they complain very little about the
government. This attitude transfers over to the work environment
where it is felt that the employer has the employees’ best interest
at heart when it comes to decision making. In France the central
government is all powerful with municipal, city, etc. governments
having little authority. The French love a good political dialogue.
Education
In Norway education is free. University education is paid
for and students leaving the country receive some benefits as well.
Private schools are scarce (although gaining popularity) and
homeschooling is even more rare. I am not familiar with the
extent of the funding of post secondary education in France. Private schools
receive government funds and are more common than in Norway.
Health Care
When you move to Norway you receive a list in the mail of several
physicians in your area from which you must select one as your
doctor. You may change doctors up to three
times a year after completing the required paperwork. Private medical clinics are available and tend to
be more efficient in providing services. A friend injured
himself skiing. From the time of the initial doctor visit until
receiving the MRI results was a period of two months using the public
system. I had a sore back, saw the doctor Monday and had my MRI
results Wednesday using a private clinic. Norwegian doctors
give prescriptions only if absolutely necessary.
The French have more freedom, as long as you have your social
security card go to any doctor or pharmacy and everything is taken
care of. I am not aware of private clinics, but we live in a
small town. We have been to the emergency room several times
for our son; our waits weren't much different than in a North
American emergency room. Prescriptions are more freely dispersed in
France than in Norway.
Medical costs in Europe are low compared to the US. A doctor visit
in France is $30. The MRI I had in Norway cost under $200, less than
the insurance deductible in the US. French prescriptions are one
third to one quarter the price in the US.
Green
Europeans care about the environment. Recycling is
important. Norway has adopted a zero reduction policy of its
forests. Any activity that may impact the environment is deeply
scrutinized. The town in which we live is in a forest with the
only expansion being vertical. The popularity of electric cars is
growing exponentially. Electric car companies have difficulty
meeting the demand of the Norwegian market. The French and
Norwegian governments offer significant incentives for purchasing
hybrid and electric cars. Both Paris and Oslo are looking at
zero petroleum powered vehicle options. Public transportation
helps reduce pollution by reducing vehicle exhaust, is reliable,
and time and cost efficient. Purchase price, insurance, fuel
and maintenance costs and limited parking make owning and operating a
car a costly endeavor. The majority (80%+) of cars are diesel with a
standard transmissions.
Taxes
Tax rates vary among countries but a top tax bracket of 40% is
common. Norwegian taxes are among the highest in Europe with an
average of 45% and an upper limit of 55% and a VAT (similar to sales
tax) of 25%. Television is taxed in Europe. In Norway we were charged
$250 per year per television while France charges us around $150 per
year per household. On several blogs I read that some Scandinavians
may end up keeping only 10% to 20% of their salary after all taxes,
tolls and “fees” (i.e. money that ends up in the government’s
pocket) are paid. Even though taxes are high Europeans do not mind
paying them because they feel they get their money’s worth in
services. My wife asked a Norwegian taxi driver about fishing
licenses (not sure how that came up in conversation); the driver
responded that he didn’t think the area required a license but he
paid it anyway because the fishing department did so many good
things.
Elections
I was able to observe federal elections in Norway and France. The
Norwegian election seemed to be run similar to North America. There
were next to no billboards, posters, etc. visible in the community. I
did not pay attention to the radio or television but was told the
election did dominate the air waves. As residents of Norway (but not
citizens) we were allowed to vote in local elections but not the
federal election.
The French have a very interesting election process. As in the US
each party (up to 10) has their primaries and convention where they
select their leader. During the first round of the elections the
population votes on the full list of presidential candidates with the
top two moving on. Two weeks later the public votes again with the
winner claiming the position of president. A month thereafter the
people vote for their representatives (similar to a congressman or
Member of Parliament). The difference in time is to allow the people
to vote in response to the presidential election.
Equality
With social governments the population tends to be socially and
economically equal compared to non social countries. All Norwegians
are considered equal. You will seldom see university diplomas and
other accomplishments on display in homes. People will not boast
about their education/degrees/etc. Once a year the government makes
publicly available the salaries of all employees in the country. The
royal family takes a low profile being as “common” as possible.
Until 2014/2015 the royal grandchildren attended public school. Since
2014 they started to attend the International school for the sake of
English instruction and exposure to international cultures. My wife
sat beside the Crown Prince at a school parent information evening
with no security in sight. Our friends were telling us about their
landlord and the close relation they had with him. After several
years they found out that he was the CEO of the third largest company
in Norway. As a teacher I would never compliment an individual in
front of the class. Complimenting the class as a whole is acceptable.
The French believe in hierarchy. Rank and position are important.
During medieval times when the people were suffering they were not
upset at the royalty living in luxury because they were royal and as
such deserved the accompanying lifestyle. After almost two years my
wife’s “subordinates” address her using formal language rather
than the casual vernacular North Americans would associate between
colleagues.
Citizenship
As part of the process of becoming an American citizen I had to go
to an interview where I had a casual conversation and answered a few
simple question about US government and history. The interview may be
completed in Spanish if you do not speak English. Any child born in
the US is an American citizen. Both Norway and France take a stricter
approach to becoming a naturalized citizen. Applicants must complete
a thorough language exam (equivalent to first year university). In
Norway if a child is born it is a Norwegian citizen only if at least
one parent is Norwegian.
The Elephant in the Room
At some point in time I get the question about guns. On multiple
occasions I have asked my Norwegian and French friends what they
thought would happen if Europe adopted American gun laws. The
response is always the same, at least initially US gun laws would
have no effect on life in Europe. Europeans do not sense the need or
have the desire to possess firearms for self protection. Even if the
laws changed the values/attitudes would not. Guns are available as
hunting is popular in France and Norway with both countries having
the same number of firearms per capita as Canada.
Rabbit Trail
There are several duplicate house numbers on our street. The
street in front of our house is broken up by a short pedestrian-only
portion of the street. We are house number 2 but there is another
number 2 on the short extension of our street on the other side of
the pedestrian section. To differentiate between the duplicate
addresses some of the houses on our portion of the street have
titles, our home is “Villa Ste. Odile.” Mail and taxis often end
up at the wrong address.
In Norway your photo on the back of your bank debit card is
considered valid identification. The photo on the government issued
residence card is not considered valid ID.
Conclusion
As with other differences in a different country you must be
flexible when it comes to written and unwritten rules. The
consequence of not coloring within the lines may mean legal trouble.
The best approach is to watch, learn, go with the flow and have a
little fun doing it.
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