Norwegian Jokes about Swedes (Part II of II)
Swedes lack common sense
In addition showing that Swedes do not quite measure up in matters of intellect and character, Norwegian jokes are also preoccupied with demonstrating shortcomings in Swedish common-sense reasoning. The following jokes suggest that Swedes are technologically inadept:
Vet du hvordan du kan se om en svenske har brukt PCen din?
Svar: Det er korrekturlakk på skjermen din...
Do you know how you can tell if a Swede has used your PC?
Answer: There’s white-out on your screen.
Here there is an assumption that not only will Swedes make writing errors when working on a task, but they will also use inappropriate or outdated measures to correct their mistakes. Their behavior is maladaptive and slow to change with the times.
Vet du hvorfor svenskene ikke spiser kaviar?
Svar: Fordi de ikke får hodet inn i tuben...
Do you know why Swedes don’t eat caviar?
Answer: Because they can’t get their heads in the tube.
In this joke, Swedes are prevented by their own lack of common sense from enjoying the finer things in life. Though they might resemble human beings with an opposable thumb, in essence they are again no more than dumb animals.
Other jokes are more interested in demonstrating the non-reflective, inflexible reasoning of Swedes in everyday life. Though Swedes, these jokes suggest, can perform the steps, they just don’t get the big picture. Their behavior is guided by convention rather than thought, by habit rather than reason.
Vet du hvorfor svenskene alltid har en tom brusflaske i kjøleskapet?
Svar: I tilfelle det kommer noen på besøk som ikke er tørste...
Do you know why Swedes always have an empty pop-can in the refrigerator?
Answer: In case someone who isn’t thirsty comes to visit…
Here Swedes are shown as unable to make the conceptual substitution from “something” to “nothing” – even if guests desire nothing, it shall be literally served to them in a pop-can. The next joke shows a similar inability to make this conceptual leap:
Så var det svensken som samlet på utgåtte lyspærer fordi han skulle innrede et mørkerom.
Then there was the Swede who collected burnt-out light bulbs to put in the his dark-room.
Rather than leave his dark-room un-lit, the Swede here is so guided by convention that he feels intuitively that a light-socket requires the presence of a light bulb, a special burnt-out light bulb at that. So influenced by convention is the Swede, that he is unable to interpret an event that exists outside of his own experiential framework:
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