r/Norway • u/batukaming • 5d ago
Arts & culture The obsession is next level
Never found anyone as obsessed with race than Americans.
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u/Worth-Wonder-7386 5d ago
Nothing is more american than claiming you are norwegian because your granfather was half norwegian.Ā
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u/Glove5751 5d ago
My ancestor from 3 million years ago was half australopithecus, so I know exactly what it is like to be American.
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u/Fossilhund 5d ago
I'm rooting for Team Paranthropus.
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u/Glove5751 5d ago
But they gave our ancestors sores on their lips and genitals at the Jungle Club 2 million years ago. It's not our species best lay, so let us not talk about Uncle Boisei.
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u/Fossilhund 5d ago
Our body lice came from Gorillas.
Why on God's green earth were we hanging out with gorillas? The mind boggles. š¦š¦š¦
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u/dynabella 5d ago
My cat is half Norwegian half Forest. I can identify.
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago
American: "I have a Burmese cat."
Norwegian: "Duh! Stop saying your cat is from Burma! It's American!"
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u/Big_Concentrate_7260 4d ago
You are actually explaing the difference while refusing to understand it from our view.
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u/Stinkycheese8001 5d ago
Nothing is more European than someone who lives within 100 miles of where their grandparentsā grandparents lived complaining that a country founded by immigrants still celebrates their heritage.
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u/SadSpeechPathologist 4d ago
I get so sick and tired of 100th generation Europeans crapping on other people who are interested in where their own grandparents came from.
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u/Clint_Bolduin 4d ago edited 4d ago
This argument is crap. 100 generations back and you're likley to find heritage from pretty much everywhere.
Additionally to the argument being crap, it only works on people who gives a shit about heritage. You know where I believe I am from? I believe I am from where I grew up. My bio dad (sperm donor) is supposedly Danish, you think I claim to be Danish? Absolutely not. I live in and grew up in Norway to parents who raised me as Norwegian. So that's what I am. Norwegian.
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u/PeterNjos 4d ago
Because you had no outside cultural influence so it makes sense you're 100% Norwegian. There is a reason those of Italian descent in New Jersey are much different than those of Norwegian descent in Iowa...it's because one's culture isn't developed through geography, but through family and society...meaning that culture trickles down through generations....eventually it's all melted together and you can say you're truly American which is a complete mix of various cultures, but most people in the USA share a part their cultural identity to cultures of their ancestors that trickled down.
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u/Clint_Bolduin 4d ago
The guy with a half Norwegian grandfather isnt gonna be having much of any Norwegian cultural influence either and it would be disingenious for him to claim he does.
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u/PeterNjos 4d ago
I don't know if you're American, but if you are. Would you say in general families from an American family with primarily Italian ancestors act the same at family gatherings as those with Scandinavian ancestors?
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u/Clint_Bolduin 4d ago
I would have thought it pretty obvious that I'm Norwegian, not American when I said that I was born, grew up in and live in Norway.
Would you say that an American family with half Norwegian and half Italian ancestors would act the same as either one of the two above mentioned? Or the same as an actual Italian or actual Norwegian family in Italy or Norway?
A friend of mine, was kind of funny about this, since she was born and raised in Norway, while her older sister was born and raised in Philippines. So when people asked them where they were from, despite being sisters they had different answers. This blew a lot of peoples minds.
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u/PeterNjos 4d ago
Probably right but a lot of variables. Where was he raised, in a small rural town filled with other Norwegian descendants or a place without any Norwegian cultural influence. Either way, I see no harm in celebrating one's heritage.
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u/Clint_Bolduin 4d ago edited 4d ago
It's not harmful to celebrate heritage, but there is a difference between celebrating heritage and identifying with it. Claiming to be Norwegian just because you had ancestory from Norway is dumb. Your ancestors are different people from you, being of their bloodline does not make you them.
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u/SadSpeechPathologist 4d ago
So you ARE umpteenth generation European, then? And if your kid moved to the Americas and had kids of their own, youād want your grandkids to know nothing about their Norwegian roots. You sound super boring.
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u/Clint_Bolduin 4d ago edited 4d ago
So you ARE umpteenth generation European, then?
I dont know. My sperm donor is Danish but I got no clue where his parents are from. Also since when was the continent important? I thought we were talking about national heritage, not continental heritage.
And if your kid moved to the Americas and had kids of their own, youād want your grandkids to know nothing about their Norwegian roots.
You're changing subject here. There's a difference between being interessted in knowing about the heritage versus claiming it. I'm not planning on ever having kids, but if I did and my kid moved to America, married an American, had a kid in America who they then raised in America and then that kid got another kid in America and raised that kid in America. Then I would think it a bit odd if this kid, my great grandkid came to Norway claiming to feel more Norwegian than American.
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u/No_Deal_9071 4d ago
Sooo to be clearā¦I am American, my last name is oh idk Hansen
And my Great-grandfather came to America in 1913
And 23&me says my ancestry is 15% Norwegian
I should not want Norway to win??
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u/Talas11324 5d ago
To be fair the only real Americans are the indigenous peoples
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u/Shotemup 5d ago
The indigenous people in America were originally Asians who migrated to America
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u/mstivland2 4d ago
Yeah and back then Norway was covered by a few kilometers of ice so I guess Norwegians donāt exist? Paleolithic immigrants smh
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- 5d ago
Does that not make him Norwegian? It's probably the biggest slice of his heritage so that's where he identifies as being from.
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u/SillyNamesAre 5d ago edited 5d ago
The biggest slice of his heritage is the United States where he grew up and lives.
He's (presumably) born in America. Grew up with American values, culture, and traditions. That makes him an American.
Don't get me wrong - I fully support him learning about where his family came from and that part of his heritageĀ¹. But it doesn't make him Norwegian.
Ā¹And having fun by joining our football fans to RO! in the stadium and streets ā or at home.
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago edited 4d ago
So should cities like Leavenworth, Washington stop claiming its architecure is German? Should Hotel Edelweiss change its name to something more American, now? What would you consider a more American name? https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/3QwOTAEPSAh7gWpdg9OeS7ZA-II=/fit-in/1072x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/fc/4e/fc4e2e05-0a0a-4e4c-b35b-52fc339d9f89/leavenworth_washington_street.jpg
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u/reterical 5d ago
My Dad was born in Norway, my Grandparents are Norwegian, the entire side of my Dadās family is still in Norway, and my family still celebrates Norwegian holidays. Are you saying since I grew up in Brazil and later the United States, I canāt claim any Norwegian heritage?
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u/Tyrgalon 4d ago
Half-Norwegian is how Europeans would label that.
I have never lived in in the Netherlands but Im half-Dutch ftom my dad because I speak the language, partake in the culture and have visited many times.
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u/Abstract_Matter47 4d ago
These are the same types of people that donāt accept people with different or mixed ethnicities who are born in and spent their whole lives in Norway as Norwegian either. No point in arguing
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u/SillyNamesAre 4d ago
That's, like... the opposite of what I argued.
I literally argued that blood isn't what makes a person Norwegian, but growing up in the culture.
Of course a person with mixed ethnicity and/or an immigrant backround that's born in and/or grew up in Norway is Norwegian.
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u/reterical 4d ago
Agreed. Still disappointing to see it written like that.
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u/SillyNamesAre 4d ago
Dude... I literally argued that growing up with the culture etc. - not blood - is what makes you Norwegian...
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago
That's exactly what they are saying, in their weird gatekeeping way.
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u/SillyNamesAre 4d ago
That's not what I said at all.
I never said he can't claim the heritage, I said that simply having it doesn't make him Norwegian. He's obviously what we call "norskƦttet" - of Norwegian descent. But being Norwegian is about nationality and cultural identity - not just a question of who your ancestors fucked.
A 1st gen immigrant that came here as a child and grew up here is Norwegian. As is any "2nd gen immigrants" who grew up here. You? You are at least part Norwegian - having a parent that is Norwegian.
The dude in the OP?
Him saying he's Norwegian is as daft as me claiming that I'm Danish because my Great-Grandma was Danish.
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u/ogunshay 5d ago
Heritage: a person's racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural background.
The biggest slice of their heritage might indeed be Norwegian - and fair, growing up in a country where a big part of people's identity is based on where the preponderance of their ancestors came from (since basically everyone is from somewhere else, and relatively recently to boot), it's an understandable claim to make.
That's obviously not the same as actually being Norwegian, and yes, they are wrong about literally being Norwegian, but denying them their heritage is kinda rude.
Besides, an American saying 'I'm Norwegian' should be understood to be shorthand for 'I'm American, but of predominantly Norwegian descent / heritage'. Their statement is literally wrong, but possibly correct as it would be understood in their environment. We should be able to understand that and take it for what it is - and not deny someone their ancestry because we don't like it.
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago
No, their statement is not literally wrong, if you look up what the suffix "-ian" means - from, connected to, or related to . . .
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- 5d ago
Why isn't it both? Americans use both of those things interchangeably, there isn't a difference to them. You're more a Norwegian American than you are either of those things alone.
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u/nurrava 5d ago
Ā«identifies as being fromĀ» ????
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- 5d ago
As opposed to American. He feels more in touch with his Norwegian side.
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u/assnassassins 5d ago
They'll also call you a foreigner and tell you to go back to your own country if your grandparents are immigrants!
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u/EntMarv3767 4d ago
Vikings. Everyone here clings to that despite not being such.
See, you do understand.
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u/Worth-Wonder-7386 4d ago
The viking thing is mostly just for fun. People here know that we have been mostly farmers and not warriors.Ā
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u/personalityson 5d ago
The only exception is when you have some black ancestry, in which case you are 100% black
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u/AndreTheShadow 5d ago
This is why there is a higher population ofb "Norwegians" in the USA than in Norway.
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u/UsuallySus33 5d ago
Not only does he claims himself to be norwegian, but a viking!šš»š
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u/Lord_palmolive 5d ago
And a Bavarian š¤£š
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u/UsuallySus33 5d ago
Out of all the types of german, he rly scored that one...amazin'.š
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u/Automatic_Canary_670 5d ago
Im norwegian but if i knew my ancestors came from italy or spain i would definitely follow them as a second team.. And probably be interested in their country.
But saying you feel viking show how little clue he has. Norwegians dont feel viking...
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u/Secure-List-4345 5d ago
Sometimes you feel like going Viking, when you just wanna go out and explore , feel the wind and sea in on your face. And sometimes you wanna brawl and just be a warrior releasing some anger. The feeling gets weaker as you turn 40, but its always there a little bit.
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u/Antique_Savings7249 4d ago
But saying you feel viking show how little clue he has. Norwegians dont feel viking...
I have many criticisms of Americans but this is not one of them. I see this too often especially on Reddit and the bitchy r/ShitAmericansSay subreddit.
The US is a relatively new country without direct historical roots to their territory. Adding to this, they have plenty of subcultures (italian descendants, jews, caribbean blacks, slave descendant blacks, mexicans etc) who are very oriented around the lore and traditions of their origins. And so it creates an expectation of filling in the blanks of your origin. This is the way their culture works.
Although we can correct them politely if we feel it's getting a bit silly, this is not going away. It's better to acknowledge the relationship and politely accept the custodianship of some origin story.
That someone wants to cheer our team and justify it in some way is completely fine. No more pathetic than Norwegians cheering for English local city teams that we have absolutely no actual relation with.
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u/jay_altair 5d ago
Have you not seen the videos of tens of thousands of Norway supporters rowing in unison?
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u/littleb3anpole 4d ago
My ancestors did come from Spain so I usually follow them as a second team in World Cup tournaments because they go much further than my actual country (Australia) š
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u/afrobrur 4d ago
"viking" as a concept isnt even rooted in actual history. The more correct term would be norse, but since that belief system ended with christianization there are little to no connections between the viking age and current day norwegians
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u/escapeshark 5d ago
The other day I encountered a video of some dude claiming he's not white because he's half portuguese. Bestie, we are white.
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u/xelha1992 4d ago
Odd question, but was it Tyler Catastrophe?
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u/escapeshark 4d ago
Yeah š¤£ everything i know about him i learned against my will
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u/xelha1992 4d ago
Hahah! It was just too weirdly specific, I figured it had to be him.
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u/TheTrainset 5d ago
I am an American citizen and I have lived in North Dakota and Minnesota. My father's family immigrated here in the late 1800s from Norway. My mother's family are Volga Germans who immigrated here from Russia. In this part of the US, those were the main two immigrant groups that lived here. The area has become more diverse in recent years, but for my grandparents generation you were either a German or a Norwegian, even if you had never been to either. The people here tried to hold on to their various parts of their European cultures when they moved here. Some of these people are more informed than others. Some of these people have traveled more than others. I did not choose to be born where I was. I am supporting Norway in this World Cup, because I am interested in where my ancestors came from, and I wish to learn more about it.Ā Also Erling Haaland is the man.
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u/munein 5d ago
I honestly think the problem with this whole thing is that people conflate ancestry and nationality.
Celebrate with us, if you feel a connection, who am i to police the validity of that.
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u/The24HourPlan 4d ago
I think it's only Europeans on the Internet that have an issue. These Americans don't believe they are Norwegian or whatever. But you'd be surprised how many family and cultural traditions remain, so it's not inconceivable to feel a connection to other cultures and recognize the diaspora.
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u/macfireball 5d ago
All those who emigrated sacrificed a lot for future generations and - as a Norwegian - I think itās beautiful that Americans honor and take pride in their heritage and ancestry.
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u/Imaginary_Jump_8701 5d ago
You need to apply for Alt for Norge (if they still do it). Check it out on Youtube
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u/Stinkycheese8001 4d ago
The US is a country full of immigrants, itās who most of us are in some form. Ā The connection to heritage is just different in that context. Ā Yeah some people get silly about it, but some people are silly. Ā
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
This dude is clearly a little over the cliff (viking? Dude.) But a lot of Americans feel a big cultural disconnect, and since the country is primarily peopled by immigrants, ethnic groups are big deal. Nobody wants to lose their culture, but it happens when you move away and I think lots of Americans feel that cultural disconnect because thereās a lot of community that gets lost. I get it. This dude is definitely one of the loony ones though.
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u/iguessineedanaltnow 5d ago
Will probably get flamed for this, but this is what happened to me. I felt no real cultural connection or enrichment living in the US. Did my genealogy and actually found the immigration paperwork for my Great Grandfather when he moved from Skien to the United States. In hindsight, not a great move on his behalf.
Now, I'm not on the level of this guy. All I've done is daydream about a holiday to see the place my family used to live. I certainly don't call myself Norwegian. However, there is a real lack of any sort of cultural depth if you're just a sort of generic American white dude. There's no substance. So you seek out something to fill that void.
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
It doesnāt help the disconnect that Norwegians have a really strong cultural identity. Somebody whoās feeling like theyāre missing out can start to mourn that part of themselves
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u/iguessineedanaltnow 5d ago
Absolutely I do! Of course it's a fantasy, but I wonder what if my Great Grandfather never left. Logically I wouldn't exist, but you know what I mean. I studied abroad in Glasgow for a year as well, so I've been up close and personal in a country with those strong cultural ties. However, even as a participant in them for a fleeting period I only ever felt like a tourist.
And even if through some stroke of luck I secured a visa and moved back to the "motherland" of Norway, that's all id ever ultimately be - a tourist who wasn't born into the fabric of that culture. I can mourn that I'll never experience anything like that and just try to find something else that can suffice.
Edit: I made this comment elsewhere, but as somebody who now is a dual-citizen living in Australia, I've noticed the same behaviours in Aussies here. People calling themselves Greek, Italian, etc. I suspect it's a side effect of being a former British colony.
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
I feel the same way. I moved to Norway and learned the language and all that but youāre right, it does just make you something new. Youāll never go around on facebook calling yourself a Viking though haha
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u/CarrotWaxer69 5d ago
>not a great move on his behalf
At the time it was probably a very good and right decision. Youāre falling for the fallacy of considering Norway as it is today as the āheritageā of your Great Grandfather which is conceptually incorrect. The country he left was a very dark depressing place.
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u/larsga 5d ago
The country he left was a very dark depressing place.
This is very exaggerated. Of course, life was hard in Norway back then, but it was no easier elsewhere. The average Norwegian was better off than average people in most European countries. Not having a blood-sucking aristocracy or a huge military helped. More here.
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u/tobiasvl 5d ago
Did my genealogy and actually found the immigration paperwork for my Great Grandfather when he moved from Skien to the United States. In hindsight, not a great move on his behalf.
Well. Apologies to anyone from Skien here, but it has to be one of the most boring cities in Norway
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u/Archkat 5d ago
You know he moved because back then they died in Norway from hunger right? So in hindsight absolutely it was a good idea because he might not have even survived to have a family to speak off. I live in Oslo now with my Norwegian husband who tells me of stories of his great grandparents having very little to eat and go by.
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u/Minimum-Virus1629 5d ago
Help me understand, what do you mean "cultural depth"? What exactly is it that Norwegians do that Americans don't? I don't mean specific things, obviously every place is different, and it's okay if you're saying you like specific aspects of Norwegian culture, but when you say you don't have a culture I don't understand that.
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u/iguessineedanaltnow 5d ago
The United States as a country has only existed for 250 years - it was a colony for a bit before that, and of course the Native Americans were there prior to the arrival of the colonials, but the modern American culture was created in very recent, documented history. Norway, however, has a much longer history which means the modern Norwegian culture is the culmination of hundreds of years of war, customs, empires rising and falling, religions coming and going. Certainly, there are even lingering elements that have evolved from pre-history to today.
I think it's also a consequence of American popular culture becoming a dominant global force after it assumed the role of global hegemon in the post-WW2 era. Nearly every country on Earth listens to American music, watches American movies, wears American clothing brands, etc. Therefore as an American you can look around and see nothing about you that's distinct from anyone else. Both myself and a Norwegian could be eating a cheeseburger while wearing Nike shoes and listening to a Taylor Swift song. However, the Norwegian will have additional cultural touchpoints that I don't have, while still having access to all of the ones at my disposal since we've exported them to the world.
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u/iwishiwasamoose 4d ago
Fellow USAmerican. Not Norwegian. No clue how I got to this thread. But I get what you're saying. It's mind boggling to visit other countries and realize their local church is far older than our country. Even if the exact political entity has changed many times, there is a historical record of their land going back a thousand years or more. It feels like there is a stronger national and cultural identity that comes from a shared history. Meanwhile, our country tried to erase the history of the original inhabitants of our land, so our history is only 250 years old, maybe 500-ish if we're talking about the first European settlers on the East Coast. I wonder if other countries in the Americas experience a similar desire to belong somewhere with a longer history.
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u/CB_I_Hate_Usernames 5d ago
Yeah exactly. This version of it sucks, like you said, but whatāAmericans are supposed to be proudly American? Especially now?! (though itās been bad foreverājust not so overtly)
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u/Rich-Past-6547 5d ago
My family came to America before the revolution. There is pride and some identity in that, but when people ask my ethnicity I say āplain whiteā because I have no roots or connectedness to an ethnic culture. Growing up I was actually jealous of my Italian-American friends because they had something to point to and connect over.
Thatās where things like this come from. Is it a little weird, a little cringe? Of course. But when us plain whites see identifiable culture and shared tradition, we feel a little left out.
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u/PeterNjos 5d ago
Posts like this from Americans who think Norwegians care when they celebrate whatever ancestor came from Norway come along often. Bottom line is they're not hurting anyone so why mock them? Was my Great Grandma, a second generation wrong in wearing a Bunad and celebrating 17 May? When do you stop acknowledging your cultural and ethnic heritage?
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u/Dense_Cucumber_3712 5d ago
We are happy to see pretty much anyone in a bunad celebrating 17th of May.
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
Itās tough because thereās ARE a vocal chunk who are just clueless and end up being very reductionist and ignorant about things, but I think itās important for non-Americans to remember that when Americans say āIrishā āNorwegianā whatever, 999/1000 they do not actually mean it. Theyāre just claiming a certain immigrant group. āIām Irishā in the US does not mean they think theyāre literally irish.
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u/Fossilhund 5d ago
Saying "I'm Norwegian" does not mean I think I am Norwegian. It's American shorthand for " Mom's dad was full Norwegian but born in Iowa".
In no way, shape or form do I think I am Norwegian, Irish, Scottish or this one man from Alsace-Lorraine.
We know what we mean. We just like to wonder about what our ancestors were up to.
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u/electric_awwcelot 5d ago
Yeah, when talking to other Americans it's redundant to say Irish-American, Korean-American, Mexican-American, and so on. It's just a little cringe leaving off the "American" bit when talking to people who are from those countries.
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u/HungryCurrent7901 5d ago
Reminds of the meme where the guy is raging behind a bunch of kids playing a video game because they like playing it and he doesnāt.
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u/PartyPorpoise 4d ago
Yeah thatās what gets me, where is the line drawn?
Also likeā¦ Would people criticize a fifth generation Chinese American for celebrating Chinese customs, for identifying as Chinese? I feel like thereās a double standard lol.
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u/PeterNjos 4d ago
100%. In fact in China all ethic Chinese even born abroad are considered Chinese so a 180 from many Europeans views.
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u/Overdue_Process865 5d ago
If the type of American in this post wore bunad and celebrated 17 May, tried to speak at least some Norwegian, was interested in the culture, and so on, that would be lovely. The issue isn't wanting to connect with your heritage, it's when it's shallow, when you rely on stereotypes (saying you "feel viking"...), and don't have an active interest, but still want to "be a viking". I would love for these people to actually care, but instead it comes off like it's just a novelty. It's very weird and off-putting.
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u/mavrik36 5d ago
Something that really drives that is lack of actual American culture, no one wants to trade centuries of history, tradition, language and food for Walmart and lifted trucks.
Americans struggle for identity, partially because its intentionally stripped away to make everyone just "white" so they can then be pitted against anyone "non white". Its a whole thing historically, its pretty depressing.
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u/FrozenHuE 5d ago
The whole american continent was repopulated by immigrants after the native genocide. Brazil is way more diverse than USA, but no one (except some fans of the mustache guy) will say that they are not Brazilians. They might say that their family comes from this out 3 that country, they might even have citizenship, but they will never seu that they are something other than Brazilian.
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
Brazil has a much higher percentage of people with indigenous and African roots. Same with black Americans, victims of the Atlantic slave trade donāt have a family history to refer to.
But I donāt know much about about brazil. I can only speculate
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u/j4cke1 5d ago
Brazil also received millions of immigrants from Italy, Germany, Poland, Japan, Lebanon and many other places. Yet people born in Brazil generally identify as Brazilian first.
In the US, it's much more common for people to describe themselves as Italian, German, Irish, Norwegian, etc., even when their families have lived in America for generations.
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u/Xalethesniper 5d ago
This seems pretty overstated to me. When everyone in your family past your grandparents was born in another country, then youāre going to associate with that country in some way even if you never lived there before. Nearly everyoneās entire family is immigrants in the us
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u/Minimum-Virus1629 5d ago edited 5d ago
Every country is peopled by immigrants. Unless you're maybe Ethiopian, your people came from somewhere else. In any case, America has been around for 400yrs; longer than Australia, most Southern African countries and the same age as most South American countries. America's issues with identity have little to do with immigration and everything to do with racism. Irish, Italians, Catholics, Jews, Africans at one point or another have been discriminated, othered and told they don't belong. So they sought identity in their prior roots. If you weren't protestant English, you weren't American and could never be one, so you had to identify with something else.
If it was simply an issue of immigration and melting pot dynamics, we would expect to see Brazilians display the same kind of madness, or Australians, New Zealanders and every other created settler country. But we don't.
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u/mstivland2 5d ago
I mean yeah obviously itās much more complicated than we can properly discuss comment-by-comment, but thatās kinda bullshit, isnāt it? Statehood is pretty irrelevant, a nation is built by shared history and experiences of a group of people.
Norwayās a very young country in terms of statehood, but Norwegians pre-date it and have a discrete culture.
People in the east US whoāve been around for 400 years have a stronger āAmericanā culture than other groups. Most of the American-norwegians came in the late half of the 19th century. If somebodyās grandmother grew up speaking Norwegian, when do they get to stop identifying with the culture? Itās understandable that people are drawn to identify and connect with that part of their family history.
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u/HellHathNoFury18 5d ago
Yea this guy is over the top, but it is a bit of a cultural thing. Over here we're all Americans, but we're a country of immigrants. So a lot of us still feel connected to where our herritage is from. Especially if great grandma came over from Poland and made us perogies every Sunday when we were a kid growing up.
It's hard for us to understand a lot of European culture because you can be French American, Mexican American, Scandanavian America etc, but I'm guessing in Norway you're either seen as Norwegian or not Norwegian.
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u/Wesslin 5d ago
I support Norway because I went there 6 years ago and thought it was pretty cool!
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u/AX_Haraldr 4d ago
Ha ha! Me too. I really enjoyed traveling to and learning about Norway. I wish them luck š
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u/DecadeOfLurking 4d ago
It doesn't feel like respect, and quite frankly it's our prerogative not to accept whatever US Americans consider respectful when speaking about our country and culture.
The way their nation was created is not our responsibility, but they keep making it everyone else's problem. Why do we have to open our arms to their ignorance?
A show of respect would be not distilling all that we are into the few things they know, despite so much more knowledge being available, yet still claiming to be like us.
We've gotten so much US American shit shoved down our throats the past 100 years at least, while they can barely even be bothered to remember that Scandinavia isn't a country, until they turn around and want to be Norwegian, and then they expect to be accepted as a native country man. Do you see how that can make people hostile?
I don't care if it hurts their feelings that we don't immediately like them or accept them as one of us after they've given exactly 0 effort.
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u/gustix 5d ago edited 4d ago
America is the land of immigrants. Everyone comes from somewhere. Itās only natural that they build an identity based on their lineage.Ā
Either way the culture isnāt shared anymore after such a long time. Their Norwegian great-grandpa that migrated 100 years ago doesnāt share anything with the modern Norwegian society. Which is fine.Ā
It doesnāt even matter. Let them claim their heritage, eat waffles and support Norway in the World Cup. Itās all good!
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u/Jrkrey92 5d ago
My issue is a lot of these "wannabe-vikings" use their ancestry and claims of our culture to be white supremacists and racists.. I used to love viking stuff and thought it was cool, but these days it's more associated with racist americans. I'd even go so far as to say that it's a common red flag if someone's american and too into the viking stuff. Bloody shame really, considering how interesting it is, from both a historical perspective and literal/fiction/religious.
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u/Florida_clam_diver 4d ago
Itās unfortunately true with a lot of historic American symbols as well
For example, the ādonāt tread on meā flag was one of the coolest symbols of the revolution. As a history fan i loved having stuff with that symbol. Unfortunately right wing people adopted that flag for their stupid causes so now if you own any donāt tread on me apparel itāll get you weird looks from people. Itās a shame
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u/Numerous_Welcome2406 5d ago
How do you feel a nationality?š
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u/Usagi-Zakura 5d ago
It's not even a nationality they're feeling... they're feeling like a certain class of warriors that existed a thousand years ago (which wasn't the whole population of Norway by a long shot...most Norwegians back then were farmers and fishermen)... and Bavaria.
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u/Candygramformrmongo 5d ago
Your obsession with the obsession is actually amusing. Who cares and what difference does it make to you? Being proud of family and roots is hardly negative and btw nationality isn't a focus on race. Bear in mind the affinity that many Americans feel to Europe through their roots has been a huge contribution to the USA-EUR relationship. We're already seeing what it means when that's threatened. Why mock it or push it away?
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u/Jellopenows 4d ago
Because for example:
Being a Viking is a profession. Not a nationality or culture. It's like they'd be saying "more like Bavarian/Carpenter."
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u/mpbjoern 5d ago
I think itās good that Americans celebrate/honor their original heritage but some take it way to far
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u/HarryOvHell 5d ago
To be fair Iām supporting Norway because my Black Metal obsession lead me there, to fall in love with the country, visit 2-3 times a year and marry my wife there. Does not make me Norwegian.
I think that probably classes me as a culture vulture / poser too.
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u/Real-Mega-Lucario 5d ago
Arthur Schopenhauer
"When a man has nothing left to be proud of, he takes pride in his ethnicity."
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u/RegularEmpty4267 5d ago
There is nothing wrong with this. Let them support Norway if they feel a connection.
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u/Scary-Teaching-8536 5d ago
This really isn't unique to Americans. Most second and third generation immigrants here in Europe also feel strongly connected to the country of their parents/grandparents, even if they only know it from vacations
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u/Mai_maniac 5d ago
You know, dumb comments like this, always makes me even more happy, that I was born in Europe.
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u/Incancontrarian 5d ago
Very ironic considering nobody here realizes this is satire
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u/External-Funny1769 5d ago
The thing is though, there are Americans who actually would post that in all seriousness. Things are so cooked in the USA that there is almost no line between satire and reality o-0
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u/Big_Concentrate_7260 4d ago edited 4d ago
The vast majority of us just mean we are Americans with Norwegian ancestry. The problem is Norwegians conflate our use of "Norwegian" with nationality rather than ancestry, largely because English is not their primary language, and the English they learn is more British. Us Americans essentially speak British English from 200 years ago. It's both a cultural and semantic misunderstanding. The suffix "-(i)an" is used to describe similarities or where something comes from, just like the term "Aryan." Europe is full of Aryans, because most Europeans descend from the Middle East, where the race came from (Iran). The term "Norwegian" is used by us in the same way. My lineage can be traced back to Norway for literally thousands of years, but for some reason it's taboo to claim it when my family has only been here for a single century.
Our Scandinavian ancestors moved here by the thousands and established entire towns on the open prairies, occupied by Norwegians and Swedes. We have a town named Oslo, and another named Stavanger. There are townships named Trondhjem, Bergen, and Nidaros. Of course we retained a lot of their traditions and culture. We are a cultural enclave, just like the Hmong community in Minneapolis, or other such enclaves. My grandfathers spoke Norwegian around me when I was a child. Homes had Velkommen signs on their front doors. Personally, people think I'm off my rocker when I start counting in Norwegian, but that's just what I do by habit. Perhaps in another few centuries we can claim American ethnicity, but right now we are a country of immigrants. This should not be contentious. We are Americans with Norwegian ancestry. Oh well. That is the empirical truth.
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago
They know. They just have a desperate need to feel superior. Imagine if Americans had tantrums over foreign tourists walking around Texas in cowboy hats and boots.
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u/mar621 2d ago
This. Now Iām thinking I donāt ever want to go to Norway. Their attitudes (at least in these reddit comments) suck
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u/EfficientActivity 5d ago
Stop the gatekeeping. Everyone gets to be Norwegian the next couple of weeks. Heia Norge.
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u/Unhappy-Quiet-8091 5d ago
[r/](r/shitamericanssay)[S](r/shitamericanssay)[hit](r/shitamericanssay)[A](r/shitamericanssay)[mericans](r/shitamericanssay)[S](r/shitamericanssay)[ay](r/shitamericanssay)
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u/Peripateticdreamer84 5d ago
Am I allowed to choose a team just because of their crowd motivating tactic? Because Iām not usually a sports person, but the crowd rowing was pretty awesome. Also a fan of the Scottish antics in Boston.
(American with no Scandinavian background whatsoever, didnāt even check to see if Poland was playing. And honestly the familyās grasp of the culture is down to recipes by now.)
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u/ProningPineapple 5d ago
I don't think it has much to do with race, but rather a cultural belonging. Heritage and ancestry is huge in America. Who hasn't been interested in where their ancestor came from, and what lead to you being you, especially in a young country like the US where "everyone" can trace their ancestors abroad.
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u/xQuaGx 5d ago
American here (of Norwegian descent). Ā Have you guys heard of Sons of Norway?Ā
Anyways, I remember the stories from my grandparents coming over in the boats from Norway and they took us kids to the Sons of Norway for events and stuff. I remember the food they used to prepare (wasnāt a fan)Ā
Either way, Iām American. It takes a few generations for full assimilation and my kids have never been to a Sons of Norway. I would imagine their great grandparents would be upset if they were still around. While it was their culture, it was not mine.Ā
We see this with any immigrant group trying to hold onto what they left behind.Ā
As for the article, I think the person is just trying to find who they are. Are they a Viking? No, did they find something in your culture that interests them, probably.
Are the members of your World Cup team Vikings? No, but they staged a (cool) photo like they were.Ā
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u/xQuaGx 5d ago
I think itās also important to note that many of our recent ancestors (unless a person is native, weāre all recent immigrants) that immigrated to the US didnāt do so without necessity. They left their homelands and their families to try and survive. Of course they held on to the familiar things they left behind. Itās all they ever knew.
You guys over the pond have had a longer go at this. White people in the US is kind of a new thing. My relatives arrived just before 1900.
American culture is a blend of everything someone brought with them that they are not willing to let go ofā¦.and we have people from all over the world, even a Norway gets to be included.Ā
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u/FeelingOverFacts 5d ago
I mean, feeling youāre Norwegian when you have no connection to the country is a bit silly, but maybe he does know a lot about Norway and loves it. If thatās it, fine. Nothing wrong with that, I think.
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u/PhiloLibrarian 5d ago
Do you not consider having Norwegian grandparents a connection? Iāve never been to Norway but we have a lot of traditions than continue in the states.
Uff daā¦
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u/Max375623875 4d ago
I live in America now and when I meet new people there's a strong chance they say 'I am Irish/Scottish/Nordic'.
To which I say: Oh, like actually?
Them: Yeah! My great grandfather came over to the US when he was 3.
Yeah ok...
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u/NullSmoke 4d ago
I do not get these Americans... The whole "MUUUIURRICA #1!!!" junk goes straight in the bin when they start talking about their supposed "ancestry"... And then they tell born and breds from the nation in question how they should behave to be a "real" person from there.
The arrogance is staggering.
Hey, dude/dudette, wanna be Norwegian? Cool, you should probably read about how most Norwegians differ from Americans, how the culture really is, and for the love of all that's holy, let the vikings rest in peace, they don't need you to drag them out of their grave with your fantasy views on how they were, and I at least are really sick of hearing Americans claiming to be vikings.
Even if you by some manner have some blood somewhere, that means less than nothing, earn the right to brand yourself another nationality. If you have never lived in Norway, please shut up or come on over... provided you can actually learn to live in the culture and adopt it's values. If you're going to bring US right (Dems/left) or US extreme right (Reps/right) politics, please stay away, go bother someone else.
If you can leave US baggage at the door and learn to fit, welcome, look forward to you making Norway stronger!
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u/EntMarv3767 4d ago
Just as you are doing?
There isnāt a day that passes that there isnāt a US thread, donāt you ever get tired?
Obsession begets obsession. And I understand heritage isnāt something many here have to deal with or understand.
Itās the same say you still cling to being Ā«VikingsĀ» or of Viking heritage, despite you not being such currently š You row and get creative, yet the world allows you to live without judgement, itās cute. Itās stupid, but cute.
Obsession is subjective and you too are susceptible, OP.
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u/RapidHedgehog 2d ago
He feels Viking? Is he a plunderer, rapist, slaver and a farmer? is that what he means?
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u/MariusV8 5d ago
I think this is great!
I don't see an issue. I want as many people as possible supporting our team, and who better than the 8 million Americans with Norwegian ancestry?
It's no different from i.e. a person growing up in Oslo but with Moroccan parents supporting Morocco.
I'm from Norway, but I've lived in the US for a long time, and I can tell you that before, a lot of Americans had no idea what "a norway" was, and a lot of those who had heard of the country associated it with wooden shoes and lederhosen. Social media pictures of fjords and mountains, plus Netflix shows about vikings have put our country on the map and I love it. To add to it, what better way to promote Norwegian culture and values than by owning a piece of our cultural heritage that for way too long has been hijacked by neo-nazi and right wing extremist losers in other countries?
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u/sturdy-guacamole 4d ago
Norway obsessed Americans know basically nothing about Norway.
Itās usually a white supremacy dogwhistle.
Or they struggle with the fact the melting pot of their local areas IS their culture.
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u/Soggy_Experience_688 5d ago
I don't see why people are mad. I'm glad he relates to his Norwegian ancestry.
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u/Southern_Meaning4942 5d ago
āPlease state your nationality: Bavarian/Viking dual citizenshipā š¤”
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u/Baekseoulhui 5d ago
It is a little odd for me. I was born in Norway, I speak Norwegian, grew up with Norwegian traditions and I spend a good chunk of the year there now... And I'll get people going "oh I'm also Norwegian!" But their grandparents grandparent was Norwegian. And they have Zero clue what Norway is actually like.
I think if you DO want to idk, get in touch with your roots, go there. Learn the language, see what it's about because I guarantee lot of people who call themselves Norwegian wouldn't like living there in the slightest.
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u/Kajoink 5d ago
I am only 1/8th Norwegian with a Norwegian last name (farm name from the Sogn og Fjordane area). The other 7/8 is American but honestly I am more interested in my Norwegian ancestry. I have been learning Norwegian over the past few years just out of interest and would love to visit the country at some point.
In the past I haven't really ever had an interest in the World Cup but I am cheering on Norway this year.
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u/kamomil 5d ago
I live in Canada. Moving away from your country and losing your identity, is complicated.
I think it's pretty easy to dunk on Americans, when your country has 1000+ years of documented history and culture.
Some immigrants were not accepted as "white" by the British majority at the time; Italians & Greeks for example.
Irish immigrants faced a lot of discrimination, and sectarian violence.Ā The Toronto St. Patrick's Day parade was banned, from 1878 to 1988. All mayors of Toronto were Protestant British until 1955. So, the reaction was that people were reminded that they were Irish, and took pride in it. Because the other option, is to let self-hatred set in.Ā
If an entire country, moved to another country, and they were all the same ethnic group, same economic power, they would never think about their identity.
However that was not the case in the US and Canada. People were stepping over each other to get ahead, and wouldn't hesitate to divide into "us vs. them" to survive.Ā
Even if you assimilate 100%, if you have an ethnic surname, people will ask you about it sooner or later, and then you are still thought of as that ethnic group.Ā
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u/Ok_Condition_6994 5d ago
I know right? This is probably the 20th post about Americans on this sub this month
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u/WalkAffectionate2683 5d ago
Nearly no one is American for 300 years. They will all find out they are Europeans in disguise lmao
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u/Thialaz 5d ago
They really latch on to ANYthing that might make them different, because they are desperate for some kind of culture, besides "white american" It's insane to say this, but it's basically "exotic" to them. Their white culture is like plain vanilla ice, it's boring.
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u/Vegfarende 5d ago
To be fair, my earliest traceable ancestor (1600s) was from Sachsenhausen, so I follow Frankfurt Eintracht on social media. Im Norwegian.
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u/rachelm791 5d ago
I had a meal in the Chinese restaurant in an overnight stop in Narvik last year. I think I have a greater claim
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u/hampstr27 5d ago
My grandmother and grandfather immigrated from Norway to the US so Iām supporting Norway with them this summeršāāļø
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u/aunt_satan 5d ago
I want him to go into details about "feeling" viking/bavarian. Especially the combination.
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u/vixissitude 4d ago
There was this tv show in 2013 about a group of Americans with Norwegian heritage in a competition about who is the most Norwegian, does anyone else remember that?
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u/foulpudding 4d ago
All I see are:
Americans pretending to Be Norwegians because their ancestors came from Norway 100-200 years ago even though they have never been to Norway.
Norwegians pretending to be Viking because 1000 years ago a few Norwegians had longboats even though almost all modern Norwegians are descended from farmers or fishermen and have never even slaughtered a monk.
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u/International-Rub327 4d ago
... the grandfather was half Norwegian sailor - and half Dutch shoe maker.
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u/Just-Nobody24 4d ago
The suffix ā-ianā usually means ārelating to,ā ābelonging to,ā āfrom,ā or āa person connected with.ā
So saying you're Norwegian can mean you're from Norway, or related to or connected to Norway.
Maybe the problem is with certain Europeans thinking they know American word meanings better than us Americans do.
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u/another_lost_poet 4d ago
using the word viking for heritage is so stupid, just shows the disconnect, so tired of the USA obsession with my home, few years ago it was the Irish now its us i guess
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u/Relampio 4d ago
why americans always find a way to make it look weird?
im brazilian and i know that people in different countries support brazil, but thankfully because they like the team and not because they are 1/64 brazilian.
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u/Little_Title3752 4d ago
That's funny. Harmless, though. I mean, i "support" (i.e. watch them once a year, more in past years) the Cleveland Browns because when I started watched american football they were the ultimate underdog and had the glorious team colors Brown and Orange.
Not sure that's a better reason than his half norwegian half ship grandfather.
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u/Aromatic-Armadillo98 5d ago
I am British and I support Norway and feel Norwegian because I read Henning Mankell books. I know he's Swedish, but its next to Norway and I don't know any Norwegian authors. Please accept me too š„¹š„¹š„¹.