This project seeks to critically analyse the film ‘The Swedish Theory of Love’, which examines the true nature of Swedish lifestyle, beyond the appearances of Sweden as being the ideal, perfect state where ‘everyone is taken care of’. It focuses on the implications of the foundational autonomy of the Swedish lifestyle.
A quote from the play Inherit The Wind by Lawrence and Lee captures the essence of this film.
“Whenever you see something bright, shining, perfect-seeming- all gold, with purple spots – look behind the paint! And if it’s a lie- show it up for what it really is!”
This analysis has the purpose of uncovering the shortcomings of the welfare state, which is widely accepted as humane and ‘good’. Welfarism is an ideology, in which the state protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for citizens unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good. The themes of independence, encumbrance, and freedom will be addressed in detail.
While this film is extremely insightful in revealing the truth about the ‘ideal’ state and looking under the surface, it must be viewed discretionarily as the motive of the producer is obvious, in exposing the fundamental flaws of Swedish lifestyle and the solitude it entails, which in some cases may be exaggerated or overly critical.
Authenticity of Human Relationships – A Nozickian View
The Swedish theory of love says that all authentic human relationships have to be based on the fundamental independence between people. If a woman is dependent on her man, how do we know that either one of them is voluntarily in that relationship, rather than because of dependency relations on human needs? We don’t. The Swedish manifesto went on to completely reconstruct familial systems on the core value of freedom from need. This resonates with Nozick’s views on justice, with the only just transactions being defined as voluntary ones. Only in this case, it is adapted to hold that the only authentic, perhaps ‘just’ familial and human relations are those which are not based on the fulfilment of human needs such as food and security, but on some other, non-specific grounds.
While this notion may sound logical and appeal to the educated thinker, it is the basis on which man began to isolate himself or herself, when taken care of by the all-providing welfare state. It is on this core value of the fundamental independence between people, that people began to be bereft of the need for human contact and to maintain relations with other individuals. They began to live in a solitary manner. To believe that human beings will still engage in voluntary social contact despite there being no impending need for it is rather utopian and counterproductive to individual well-being and happiness due to the isolation it creates. Loneliness is a globally increasing problem, with Britain hiring the world’s first loneliness minister – Tracey Crouch, in 2018.
Lack of Motives : Doing Nothing, Alone
It is commonly believed that there exists no such thing as a selfless act : basic human psychology validates the omnipresence of a motive, direct or ulterior. When the welfare state creates an environment in which this motive is weak and often absent, people do not feel the need, the urge to connect with each other. This is reflected in the film by the revelation that elder Swedes do not make efforts to even leave their houses unless it is necessary. “It seems life is about being at home. You don’t go out unless it is necessary to buy food for the day”. It is also described that people while away a lot of their time watching television, as there is no need to ‘do’ anything. Interestingly, statistically speaking, the top 5 countries to boast the highest media viewership per capita, is dominated by Scandinavian welfare states, occupying 4 out 5 of the spots. It is commonly believed that time is money. This is especially true for Swedish media companies, as the more free time people have, the more time they spend consuming media, especially since social interactions are limited.
Life and Death
40 years after the manifesto which reconstructed Swedish society to be based on the fundamental independence between people, 50% of Swedes live alone, the highest rate in the world. 25% even die alone. Economically, the implications of this have been an increasing number of single woman using in vitro fertilisation. It is said that they feel a desire to have children, but not for a partner, constituting 50% of the company’s customers. This impacts the socialisation of children. They are socialised in an environment of fierce, voluntary independence and solitude, which is likely to cause them to develop such a core value in greater strength than it is already imbibed in individuals living in Swedish society with its overemphasis on independence.
As for dying alone, there exist agencies for those who have passed away unnoticed, “missed by no one”. Finding a next of kin often requires intensive investigation, due to negligible familial contact for extended periods not being unusual. As an Indian, this is a lot to process, as we live in a society where we check on our neighbours, we visit them in times of grief, and we have the fundamental attraction to taking care of each other, especially our families. Severing familial ties after a certain age is common in Sweden, which results in people dying alone 25% of the time, sometimes due to committing suicide. The film cites cases wherein people have committed suicide and been discovered only due to foul smell, weeks to years later, and states that these cases are increasing in number over the last decade.
When no next of kin can be found to claim the property of the deceased, all the valuables are returned to the state, and the remaining items collected and driven away to a garbage dump. In my opinion, inheritance tax and this idea of ‘returning to the state’ after death diminishes the ability of an individual to truly leave behind a legacy, a mark on the world perhaps. It creates a sense of temporariness and impermanence. A human being becomes a temporary fragment in an everlasting, all-encompassing state. This makes one question the existential purpose of life in such a system. In the film, it is said “we become blinded by independence”, which encapsulates the effects of this excess.
Swedish Values
The World Values Survey plotted countries based on their values on two axes, Traditional vs. Secular Rational and Survival vs. Self-Expression.
Interestingly, Sweden is an extreme of secular-rational and self-expression values. This implies that traditional values of family relationships, religion, and authority have been discarded, with divorce, euthanasia, and even suicide being seen as acceptable. It also implies that people are extremely concerned with self-expression and serving self-interests, as survival is not a concern. This may be seen as progressive. However, it is common knowledge that too much of anything is not necessarily a good thing. Citing my experience of Swedish culture on an exchange programme, I noticed that Swedes are not nearly as able to cope with what we Indians consider day-to-day inconveniences. There is almost an expectation of perfection at all times, whether it comes to public transport or the general Swedish value of ‘komma itid’, which translates to ‘to come on time’. Another reflection of the self-interest of individuals is that Swedes do not like to talk a lot, and prefer short answers.
In a comparative study of Sweden and the opposite extreme on the chart – Africa, by a doctor in the film; it is understood that people in Africa are able to adapt and innovate in more creative ways, due to scarcity being the norm. The example of the medical industry is adopted. The Swedish doctor comments that in Africa, people use household objects such as drills, hair clips, etc for surgical purposes, as they do not have the privilege of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, while back in Sweden, medical professionals including his colleagues disdain the smallest inconveniences and are bitter in their presence. While the film somewhat romanticises scarcity which is indeed inhumane in conditions such as those in Africa, it makes an interesting argument about entitlement. In Sweden, where comparatively, everything in the world is either provided or within an arm’s reach, it causes people to be discontent by the smallest inconveniences, such as public transport being delayed by maybe 10 minutes, as previously mentioned. People are taken care of by the state so much, that they begin to believe that the state works for them. My personal belief is that this is a false pretence of independence, as there is extreme dependence on the state. One may believe that they are self-sufficient, but really, they are self-sufficient only in the presence of the state, without which they have essentially nothing.
It was also said that “the spiritual need in Sweden is even bigger than the material need in Africa”. While this is subjective, it is the perspective of a Swede who recognises the existential black hole which independence has corroded.
Security vs. Happiness in an Individualistic Society
As a liberal, welfare state, the individual is at the centre. Individual flourishing is of utmost importance in society. The individual is the authority, which results in a selfish want for oneself to live their lives and thrive. In an instance, it said that “everyone pulls in their own direction, there is no cement between us”. This is again reflective of the extreme self-expression values held.
Swedish society has undoubtedly created a secure, safe social environment in the literal sense. Another aspect of the film explores the perspectives of several Swedes who believe that security has created a safety net that takes care of them, and that Swedes do not take care of each other. Security is a way of life, in which one chooses to be unhappy.
If the welfare state is based on promoting the health, happiness and fortune of individuals (which is the literal definition of welfare), people feeling unhappy is the marker of a failed state. With everything being provided, there is still discontent due to the isolation that comes from autonomy. The Swedish state is described as being an “overly organised, efficient, work-based system of welfare and personal autonomy”. This gives a gist of the extreme Sweden has achieved, which is ineffective in truly promoting the welfare of individuals. I believe that the very provision of security in this form makes people too comfortable. A large number of successful people live by the motto ‘seek discomfort’, as discomfort and challenge are what one must endure to reach a state of self-actualisation.
Social Needs : Man As A Social Animal
Endorsing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, each level of needs marks a level of happiness. While it is no doubt that physiological and safety needs are satisfied, social needs are undoubtedly not. Aspects of esteem and self-actualisation may be fulfilled, but according to Maslow’s theories; if a lower level of the hierarchy remains unmet, motivating an individual on a higher level will never be completely effective. Another quote from the film, “what’s the point of having a million in the bank if I am not happy?” reflects the intrinsic discontentment which arises from social needs being unfulfilled despite other ones being met.
Aristotle wrote “the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole. But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god: he is no part of a state. A social instinct is implanted in all men by nature”
2019-10-15-1571121072