Though Norway achieved independence from Sweden in 1905, the two nations continue to be clumped together (along with Denmark, Finland, and Iceland) under the undifferentiated term “Scandinavian.” Both cultures share a high degree of similarity in terms of language and tradition, and most Norwegians can claim some genetic relationship with the Swedish people. The jokes discussed below counter the cultural-political ambiguity of this close relationship by delegating Swedes to a subordinate role in these relations.
An appropriate entry point into this discussion is the following joke about jokes:
Vet du hvordan du skal få en svenske til å le på nyttårsaften?
Svar: Fortelle en vits på julaften!
How do you get a Swede to laugh on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: Tell a joke on Christmas Eve!
The implication here, of course, is that Swedes are slower to process at the higher level of humor. While the joke itself is not unique to Norwegian humorists, its message of cognitive superiority is clear.
According to the next joke, which plays off of language differences, Swedes sometimes explicitly demonstrate their inferiority:
To svensker snakket sammen.
Den ene sa til den andre: "Jag är inteligent."
"Inte jag heller", svarte den andre.
Two Swedes were talking to one another.
The one said to the other: “I am inte[not]lligent.”
“Not me either,” answered the other.
The humor here comes in breaking the word “intelligent” down into component meanings. In Swedish, “inte” means “not” (in Norwegian, this is “ikke”). In misunderstanding the language use of the first Swede, the second confirms the original statement, that “I am not intelligent.”
In fact, as Norwegian humor would have it, some Swedes try to compensate for their intellectual shortcomings by devising practical strategies for everyday life:
Vet du hvorfor svenskene plystrer når de er på do?
Svar: Fordi de skal huske hvilken ende de skal tørke seg i!!!
Do you know why Swedes whistle when they’re going to the bathroom?
Answer: So that they’ll remember which end to wipe!!!
In this case, Swedes again confirm their own inferiority by requiring prosthetic behavior to help them overcome not knowing the difference between their heads and rear ends.
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