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~kib~
Moderator
USA
8744 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 24 2009 : 10:32:18 AM
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Well, that's definitely not typical for my Coopenhagen-based Danish family. Plenty of tchotchkes and color in all my relatives' houses. Nowhere near an average American household, but nowhere near as austere as this, either. But I do see the underlying difference in cultural meme here - as was discussed in another thread, the "default setting" people start from.
At this particular moment in my life I could imagine myself living (alone) in a space very much like this one. Oh, the ease of keeping track of your life! The ease of cleaning! The ability to focus outward on the world instead of inward into the four cluttered walls. The only thing I would definitely do is exchange that bathroom door for a frosted one on a track.
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Eventually, Ecology trumps Economy. |
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Chessica
Member
USA
382 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 02:03:01 AM
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No TV here but did see the online link of the Danish family - I felt right at home!  I loved the upbeat warmth and friendliness of the Danish woman.
Chessica |
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple - that's creativity.
- Charles Mingus |
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Freein05
Advanced Member
USA
4631 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 07:54:44 AM
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Remember this is TV. Oprah and crew wanted to shock US viewers and improve her ratings and ad revenue. So this is probably not the typical Danish home.
Also who gives Oprah the right to make fun of how other people live. Most Europeans live in small apartments or homes. Oprah's house is probably as big as she used to be. |
Free at Last
Website: www.lakealpine.com |
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mm1970
Advanced Member
3675 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 10:25:41 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Freein05
Remember this is TV. Oprah and crew wanted to shock US viewers and improve her ratings and ad revenue. So this is probably not the typical Danish home.
Also who gives Oprah the right to make fun of how other people live. Most Europeans live in small apartments or homes. Oprah's house is probably as big as she used to be.
Did you see the episode? She wasn't making fun of anyone. She was, in fact, applauding their happiness, simplicity, lesser amount of consumerism, emphasis on family.
She did ask how they felt about being "Socialist" and the women answered "we prefer to think of it as 'Civilized'". |
http://frugalhealthysimple.blogspot.com/ |
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Freein05
Advanced Member
USA
4631 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 10:28:50 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by mm1970
quote:
Originally posted by Freein05
Remember this is TV. Oprah and crew wanted to shock US viewers and improve her ratings and ad revenue. So this is probably not the typical Danish home.
Also who gives Oprah the right to make fun of how other people live. Most Europeans live in small apartments or homes. Oprah's house is probably as big as she used to be.
Did you see the episode? She wasn't making fun of anyone. She was, in fact, applauding their happiness, simplicity, lesser amount of consumerism, emphasis on family.
She did ask how they felt about being "Socialist" and the women answered "we prefer to think of it as 'Civilized'".
I watched the clip where she was laughing at the small bedrooms the kids had and how small the apartment was. |
Free at Last
Website: www.lakealpine.com |
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~kib~
Moderator
USA
8744 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 12:09:10 PM
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That was my one uncomfortable moment. The vibe I got was, "oh isn't this CUTE (and aren't you embarrassed?)" Seemed like she was trying to have fun, rolling around in the little space and being spontaneous, but at the same time there was an underlying message that this really wasn't an acceptable space for a child. "This is IT? SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLLLEEEEE? Huh."
Funny thing, though. I would have LOVED a space like that as a kid. Kid sized and designed for a small limber little person. To me that part of the clip really underscored how much of what we create for our kids is really about our own comfort level as adults. |
Eventually, Ecology trumps Economy. |
Edited by - ~kib~ on Oct 25 2009 12:11:07 PM |
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~kib~
Moderator
USA
8744 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 12:13:44 PM
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| While I'm rambling on, another thing I found interesting about the clip was the way most of the Family possessions were stored in shared spaces. In our homes, we tend to isolate what is Ours - this is my closet, this is my dresser, my kid's clothes go in his closet, my cat's toys go in this drawer. Do you think the shared storage represents an internal sense of shared space and stuff - a more, well, socialist closet? |
Eventually, Ecology trumps Economy. |
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Freein05
Advanced Member
USA
4631 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 12:35:56 PM
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| A Socialist Closet! I can see it now on talk radio Obama is now promoting Socialist Closets. |
Free at Last
Website: www.lakealpine.com |
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happygirl
Member
Canada
421 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2009 : 2:55:51 PM
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| The one thing that struck me was the contrast in the danish home between the public space and private space (closets). Certainly a lot of stuff in there! No judgement, it just seemed like it was a bit of an insincere facade. |
Be impeccable with your word. Don't take things personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. |
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matty471
Member
USA
458 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2009 : 09:52:33 AM
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What did you all think of the other segments of the show?
She featured a woman from Dubai who said that they do not pay taxes and have all of their utilities paid by the government. |
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Greenwitch
Associate Member
182 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2009 : 1:11:27 PM
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| The reason no one pays for anything in Dubai is because the United States is addicted to their oil. We pay for their healthcare, education, utilities, infrastructure etc. every time we gas up our cars, trucks lawn mowers, RVs, ATVs... Our gluttony is their abundance. |
Edited by - Greenwitch on Oct 26 2009 1:12:51 PM |
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sneedle
Member
USA
266 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 03:48:23 AM
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| Greenwitch, Dubai actually doesn't have much oil. It has natural gas, which isn't shipped to the United States. It's Abu Dhabi that has the oil. I know because I lived and worked there for 6 years. |
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sewmaven
Advanced Member
USA
1183 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 05:02:21 AM
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| It's hard for many of us to think about 40 - 60% taxes perhaps because the way the money is spent or not spent. One thing one of the Danish women said when asked about the high tax rate is that they like what they get for their money - health care, college, year-off maternity leave, taking care of their elderly, etc. She couldn't understand why the U.S. didn't want a healthy, educated populace. I thought it was a good point, but not so simple here in the U.S. I don't know enough about Danish culture, politics, history to understand how it all works so well, but seems pretty nice to me. |
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Granola.girl
Advanced Member
3050 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 05:05:27 AM
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The Danish apartment appeared to be a high-end, architect-designed space. While most apartments in Denmark are perhaps not that posh, it probably has typical elements in terms of square footage, number of bathrooms, kitchen appliances, and so on. There was another Danish apartment featured on the show, and it seemed more representative of what is truly typical.
I agree with Karen in Bisbee...the kids' cave looked fun. Do very young kids really need a lot of personal space? The apartment seemed to have ample floor space, and I imagine the kids are free to bring their toys out into the main areas.
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Freein05
Advanced Member
USA
4631 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2009 : 08:04:44 AM
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| A small kids bedroom means no room for a TV. That is a very good thing. An article on the news today stated that US kids from the age of 2-5 watch something like 35 hours of TV a week. Most of the kids in this age group have the TV in their room. |
Free at Last
Website: www.lakealpine.com |
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Oprah on Location: The Happiest People on Earth
