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A Love Letter from a Swedish Conservative
This is not a political piece. Not really. It’s more like a whole bunch of memories, strung together, and a plea for change from the change I see sweeping the nation I love.
I am a Swedish neocon, and a Jew, so I guess I am basically a unicorn. I was born and raised in a sleepy west coast town in the early 1980s, in a country an inch from being a full-blown DDR-state. I should be a socialist feminist performance artist, or a hipster filmmaker, passionate about gender-neutral daycare and sourdough bread. But I got lucky, and I broke away from the herd.
I first stepped on U.S. soil in the spring of 1990. My father had spent his high school years in Texas in the early ’60s, and now he wanted his daughter to see what he had seen and love what he loved. And boy, did I ever. I was 9.
I’m not sure if I can fully convey the cultural shock of going from 1990s Sweden to Dallas, Texas, or if it is even wise to try. Because how can I describe what it is to taste your very first doughnut or go to Toys R Us and see row after row of wonderfully girly Barbie-dolls? I came from the country of meh to the nation of yeah. And it was nothing short of magnificent.
I was lucky enough to spend my summers there, in the heart of Texas, and with every visit I gained a growing awareness of the differences between your country and mine. America was loud. It was uncomfortable and alive. People were different, not only from Swedes, but from each other.
It was the small stuff. There were flags flown publicly, showing national pride while maintaining a strong sense of individuality. People prayed at the dinner table, and even in schools! Women were allowed to choose to be home with their kids without guilt or government penalty, and people still got married and protected the institution of the traditional family.
In America I saw all these astounding, giant, little things; and an amazing mix of rallying behind your country, while at the same time demanding its leaders to be accountable, for your rights to be respected and your voices to be heard.
I lived with my dad’s childhood friend, Jay, an old-school republican with a passion for history and politics. On my first visit he gave me a copy of the declaration of independence, patiently explaining it, word for word. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; those words jumped out at me. Not only did this document say that I should be free to chart my own course, but that happiness was a right, and a goal? That changed everything. That changed me.
Jay and I talked politics all the time, and every visit was a living lesson. He took me to the Alamo, we followed the Clinton impeachment, debated the Gulf War and stood side by side on Dealey Plaza. And I fell in love, slowly but surely. I got to know and fall in love with a nation based on certain intrinsic values, carrying a responsibility for the world, seeing freedom as a right worth living and dying for.
I went back and forth between Sweden and the U.S., between socialism and freedom, and it was like growing up not only on two sides of the world, but on two sides of history. I saw America helping change the world and saving lives while Europe engaged in knee-jerk liberal analysis and Monday-morning quarterbacking, And every time the U.S. unapologetically went its own way I smiled with pride, sleeping soundly at night knowing that just like in my bedtime stories, there was a hero out there who would always show up just in time to save the day.
But things have changed, haven’t they? In the past years I have seen the country I love so much change, moving toward the country I grew up in. I saw a President get elected on change, and apparently things had changed enough by 2012 to hand him a re-election. Well, guess what? I know the change that your president speaks of. I have lived it, and I live it still.
I know what happens when government trumps the individual, I know what it is when you apologize for the values that built your land and I have seen the horrific results of a nation equating exceptionalism with brutality and deeming values moronic and obsolete. I know one thing for sure: If you grow up in a country that doesn’t ask anything of you, you end up living an entire life without asking anything of yourself. Expecting nothing, excelling at nothing, with no repercussions for failure and no incentive for growth. And it kills your very soul.
I know, however, that there is a way back and a road forward, partially thanks to Ricochet, actually. I joined this community just a few weeks ago, after listening to the podcasts and following the posts for quite some time. Here, I see the America I fell in love with. As I sit in my kitchen here in Stockholm I giggle with delight at the living, breathing conservatism and riveting debate you all let me take part of from afar (also, I do so enjoy the occasional joke about Swedish socialists and depressing Bergman-movies).
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; I hope every single one of you get how amazing that is, in word and in meaning. To me, it captures what it is to be human, by highlighting not only our need for freedom and our right to life, but the massive capability every single person is born with. This is something no government entity can ever replace, and no well-spoken leader should ever be given the power or pulpit to question.
You are exceptional, and coming to America taught me that I could be exceptional, too. Thank you for that. Thank you.
Published in General
We are, after all a nation of immigrants, even the Native Americans were immigrants. However, the vast majority of them came here to find a better life, and worked hard for their improvement. Most of the recent flood of immigrants both legal and illegal are here for the freebees. Or to cause mischief. Americans do not have a problem with immigration or immigration reforms. What we have a problems with is the current administration allowing tens of thousands of illegals or so called Muslim refugees who will not benefit the USA or themselves, for political purposes. Who will also be a drain on our economy as it is in the EU.
The Dutch founded New Amsterdam and allowed the Jews to settle as well. My Hardy or Harje descendants married into my Menasco descendants who were Jewish refugees from the Cossacks uprising of 1648.
How is it possible Johnny to resist anyone who writes you a love letter?
Indeed, I am a sucker for any foreigner who expresses fondness for my country. The French gentleman I met at Lafayette’s grave last summer nearly brought me to tears when he approached me to express appreciation for the U.S.’s help and friendship over the centuries. Annika’s letter had the same effect on me.
I know nothing about baseball, except my cousin was married to Gordon Jones and I still have his baseball card. He died in 1993.
Thank you so much, I am overwhelmed by the warm welcome I’ve received here. Ricochet must be the warmest , most welcoming place on the internet!
I’m happy to have reached so many with this piece,because what I wanted to convey was that the values your country stands on means hope and light for many, beyond your borders. I am forever grateful for what the US has done for me, and for the world through the strength, courage and goodness that is America.
Uhhh…. you might want to stay out of certain threads here. Some have gotten a wee bit acrimonious.
That being said, come to the PIT 4.0 thread – we’re deliberately acrimonious and snarky there. It’s one of the few places on Ricochet where ad hominem attacks are not only permitted but encouraged. I’ve linked you to the most recent page of comments, there’s honestly no point (save amusement) at going back through the 160 ish prior pages, save maybe the first couple of pages. Just come out swinging and you’ll be fine.
Welcome, dear Annika – welcome, welcome!
What type of work are you looking for? You never know, someone in this community just might be able to help.
Thank you so much!
That was like seeing The Matrix.
I tweeted to Dennis Prager and R.J. Moeller the link to this post, saying, “You really should have this young woman on your show.” They both retweeted the link. (Unfortunately, as I am an incompetent user of Twitter, I initially forgot to include @Ricochet or @truthandfiction [Annika’s Twitter handle] in the tweet.)
I saw, thank you so much for that! Really, really sweet of you!
In a good way, or in a “Matrix Reloaded” kind of way?
No, it was like actually seeing the Matrix.
I think you would be an interesting guest for Dennis Prager to interview, to hear your perspective on anti-Semitism in modern-day Europe. On this topic, I see that you have been published in Commentary by Ricochet’s own John Podhoretz.
I have yes, my piece was featured in the May issue of Commentary. Good research :)
Excellent article. We need more of Annika.
I think we’ve just been called a bunch of background hacks.
Noooo. Never.
I am currently working as a political advisor to the conservative coalition, as well as being a political writer. I have 2 degrees, in PR & Communication and Middle East studies, so any- and everything within the field of politics, journalism and PR.
If I were you (assuming NYC would be your home base), I would pursue something in those fields and at the same time look at the possibility of being a regular guest on a TV show such as Fox News’s Red Eye. If you are funny (“the country of meh to a nation of yeah” is pretty good stuff) and an engaging extemporaneous speaker, you would be a candidate for a gig like that.
To take one example, Jedediah Bila has carved out a career for herself on Fox and as an author, and her CV was comprised basically of degrees in Spanish, and high school and college teaching. On paper, you have better qualifications than that (though the real “qualification” is intangible–the ability to be comfortable in front of the camera).
Your act of filing for asylum in your own country shows a certain Breitbartian flair, so that’s a good sign!
I believe the Obama Administration is seeking someone to teach candidates for Scandinavian ambassadorships where to find their future posts on a map.
There is not much job security in that, seeing as our maps have a certain fluidity to them. We deconstructed our army when the wall came down and it now pretty much consists of a white flag and an answering machine. So when that guy is finally appointed we’re all probably Russian.
This is excellent advice, thank you! And I must say, I am more than thrilled about the descriptive “Breitbartian flair”…