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	<title>Comments on: Socialism&#8217;s Cult of Mediocrity in Action</title>
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		<title>By: Tord Joensen</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-5521374</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tord Joensen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2014 03:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-5521374</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This article is wholly built on a faulty assumption: the assumption that the &quot;law of Jante&quot; is promoted in the educational system and in the children&#039;s upbringing.

In fact, the reality is quite the opposite.

In almost every public children&#039;s school in Norway, you will see variations on the following words, on posters the school has the children make:

The Anti-Jante law:
1: You are unique.
2: You are worth more than anyone can measure or rate.
3: You have talents that are special to you.
4: You have something to contribute with to others.
5: You have done things you can be proud of.
6: You are a carrier of great resources yet to be put into action.
7: You are good at something.
8: You are able to accept others.
9: You have the ability to understand and learn from others.
10: Someone loves and cares about you.

THIS is the foundation of values towards oneanother we are raised with. I remember this list from my classrooms as a child. 

That, and that in the hallways of my high school, the entire human rights declaration was on display on decorative plaques up the hallway stairs.

Oh, and the article you were linking to about Katarina Lindberg... 
I found out what the outcome of that case was: http://www.dt.se/dalarna/falun/annica-far-baka-brod-i-skolan-igen

Translation:

&quot;Certainly the citchen personel at Vika are allowed to bake bread and make a variety of salads. So says the head of school dietary programs, Katarina Lindberg.
- They say it was a misunderstanding. I don&#039;t think so, says Annica Eriksson, although she is happy that she can continue to work in the same way as before.

        In Saturday&#039;s publication we told the story of how homebaked bread and 15 sorts of vegetables was coming to an end for the Vika students. School lunch responsible Annica Eriksson had recieved a note that the selection of food was to be the same at all schools in Falun, and that the newbaked bread was to be replaced with store-bought bread and that the vegetable selection was to be halfed.

- I was told I was supposed to do like everyone else, in my world that meant I have to fit into the ranks, I couldn&#039;t interpret it any other way, says Annica Eriksson, who monday afternoon had a meeting with the head of school dietary programs Katarina Lindberg and Carina Landstedt who is project leader for the nutrition project in Falun.

After the meeting, they all agreed that Annica Eriksson can continue to bake breads and make many different salads for her vegetable buffet, as long as the vegetables are all seasonal.

- That is just like it has always been, so there was nothing changed. Now it feels very positive to go to work and do a good job, says Annica Eriksson who is very happy for all the support she has recieved.

Head of school dietary programs, Katarina Lindbergs, speaks of a communication failure.

- Most certainly Annica should continue to bake bread. Some schools have functioning kitchens like this, other do not have that, so naturally there must still be differences even if we try to get food of equal quality in the whole municipality, says Katarina Lindberg.

She says the current nutritional project is extensive, and that they try out different approaches. At times, mistakes happen, but it matters to be flexible.

Falu municipality&#039;s nutritional project continues until 2013 and involves nine different parts, among others it is about having more food be made from scratch.

- We have had and will have workshops in so called method cooking, which also involves bread baking. In two weeks Martin Karlsson, one of Sweden&#039;s foremost school cooks, comes to hold a training class for our coworkers, Katarina Lindberg tells.

As a whole, 40-50 coworkers from kitchens in different work environments are part of the municipality&#039;s big nutritional project.&quot;

So, obviously the disagreement and the miscommunication of the municipality&#039;s intentions was resolved, and the issue has been approached in a better manner after public debate.

Scandinavian countries rate pretty highly on press freedom, so it&#039;s not difficult for a case like this to get einough press attention to push officials to be flexible on such matters. Mostly, issues like this are easily resolved with a bit of discussion to clearly understand oneanothers intentions.]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This article is wholly built on a faulty assumption: the assumption that the &#8220;law of Jante&#8221; is promoted in the educational system and in the children&#8217;s upbringing.</p>
<p>In fact, the reality is quite the opposite.</p>
<p>In almost every public children&#8217;s school in Norway, you will see variations on the following words, on posters the school has the children make:</p>
<p>The Anti-Jante law:<br />
1: You are unique.<br />
2: You are worth more than anyone can measure or rate.<br />
3: You have talents that are special to you.<br />
4: You have something to contribute with to others.<br />
5: You have done things you can be proud of.<br />
6: You are a carrier of great resources yet to be put into action.<br />
7: You are good at something.<br />
8: You are able to accept others.<br />
9: You have the ability to understand and learn from others.<br />
10: Someone loves and cares about you.</p>
<p>THIS is the foundation of values towards oneanother we are raised with. I remember this list from my classrooms as a child. </p>
<p>That, and that in the hallways of my high school, the entire human rights declaration was on display on decorative plaques up the hallway stairs.</p>
<p>Oh, and the article you were linking to about Katarina Lindberg&#8230;<br />
I found out what the outcome of that case was: <a href="http://www.dt.se/dalarna/falun/annica-far-baka-brod-i-skolan-igen" rel="nofollow">http://www.dt.se/dalarna/falun/annica-far-baka-brod-i-skolan-igen</a></p>
<p>Translation:</p>
<p>&#8220;Certainly the citchen personel at Vika are allowed to bake bread and make a variety of salads. So says the head of school dietary programs, Katarina Lindberg.<br />
- They say it was a misunderstanding. I don&#8217;t think so, says Annica Eriksson, although she is happy that she can continue to work in the same way as before.</p>
<p>        In Saturday&#8217;s publication we told the story of how homebaked bread and 15 sorts of vegetables was coming to an end for the Vika students. School lunch responsible Annica Eriksson had recieved a note that the selection of food was to be the same at all schools in Falun, and that the newbaked bread was to be replaced with store-bought bread and that the vegetable selection was to be halfed.</p>
<p>- I was told I was supposed to do like everyone else, in my world that meant I have to fit into the ranks, I couldn&#8217;t interpret it any other way, says Annica Eriksson, who monday afternoon had a meeting with the head of school dietary programs Katarina Lindberg and Carina Landstedt who is project leader for the nutrition project in Falun.</p>
<p>After the meeting, they all agreed that Annica Eriksson can continue to bake breads and make many different salads for her vegetable buffet, as long as the vegetables are all seasonal.</p>
<p>- That is just like it has always been, so there was nothing changed. Now it feels very positive to go to work and do a good job, says Annica Eriksson who is very happy for all the support she has recieved.</p>
<p>Head of school dietary programs, Katarina Lindbergs, speaks of a communication failure.</p>
<p>- Most certainly Annica should continue to bake bread. Some schools have functioning kitchens like this, other do not have that, so naturally there must still be differences even if we try to get food of equal quality in the whole municipality, says Katarina Lindberg.</p>
<p>She says the current nutritional project is extensive, and that they try out different approaches. At times, mistakes happen, but it matters to be flexible.</p>
<p>Falu municipality&#8217;s nutritional project continues until 2013 and involves nine different parts, among others it is about having more food be made from scratch.</p>
<p>- We have had and will have workshops in so called method cooking, which also involves bread baking. In two weeks Martin Karlsson, one of Sweden&#8217;s foremost school cooks, comes to hold a training class for our coworkers, Katarina Lindberg tells.</p>
<p>As a whole, 40-50 coworkers from kitchens in different work environments are part of the municipality&#8217;s big nutritional project.&#8221;</p>
<p>So, obviously the disagreement and the miscommunication of the municipality&#8217;s intentions was resolved, and the issue has been approached in a better manner after public debate.</p>
<p>Scandinavian countries rate pretty highly on press freedom, so it&#8217;s not difficult for a case like this to get einough press attention to push officials to be flexible on such matters. Mostly, issues like this are easily resolved with a bit of discussion to clearly understand oneanothers intentions.</p>
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		<title>By: Sol Landet</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3773673</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sol Landet]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:32:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3773673</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Altough i am Italian and currently living in Italy, I am a former follower of the Jante law (funnily I was always oppose to socialism). Is when I discovered the existence of the Jante Law that I started to not fear my real essence. In Italy a writer say: &#039;School should encourage talents not punish them! Mediocre people aren&#039;t useless, they still can have success in their life, in base to their abilities!&#039;  
Since I am not scandinavian but an &#039;uncivilized&#039; italian, that thing was rather diluited in me. Also schools where i went were rather conservative and israel supporter, teaching was good and they praised talents. 
So is not my impression that scandinavians seems to think all in the same way. It&#039;s creepy. Not even us italian (most italian say we are unable to think for ourselves) think all the same. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Altough i am Italian and currently living in Italy, I am a former follower of the Jante law (funnily I was always oppose to socialism). Is when I discovered the existence of the Jante Law that I started to not fear my real essence. In Italy a writer say: &#039;School should encourage talents not punish them! Mediocre people aren&#039;t useless, they still can have success in their life, in base to their abilities!&#039;<br />
Since I am not scandinavian but an &#039;uncivilized&#039; italian, that thing was rather diluited in me. Also schools where i went were rather conservative and israel supporter, teaching was good and they praised talents.<br />
So is not my impression that scandinavians seems to think all in the same way. It&#039;s creepy. Not even us italian (most italian say we are unable to think for ourselves) think all the same. </p>
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		<title>By: Concerned Norwegian</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3666190</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Concerned Norwegian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:07:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3666190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hmmm, I replied to you some hours ago. Wonder what happened to my comment.  ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hmmm, I replied to you some hours ago. Wonder what happened to my comment.  </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Concerned Norwegian</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3666185</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Concerned Norwegian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:05:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3666185</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[test ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>test </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Concerned Norwegian</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3665952</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Concerned Norwegian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3665952</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Nice propaganda effort there, G&#246;ring.  
 
Norway is a well functioning society due to our protestant work ethic and aversion against corruption. It is engraved in our culture. Norway is still a good country DESPITE dysfunctional and moronic socialism and not because of it. With MORE hard left atheism, we got MORE murder, rape, divorce, crime, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental problems etc, NOT less.  
 
Norway is ruled by socialist nepotism, and based on your mouth-foaming defense of our failing multicultural/socialist society; you belong to the ruling class, right? Despite you lack of intelligence and work ethic, but with the right connections and PC opinions. Prove me wrong. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nice propaganda effort there, G&ouml;ring.  </p>
<p>Norway is a well functioning society due to our protestant work ethic and aversion against corruption. It is engraved in our culture. Norway is still a good country DESPITE dysfunctional and moronic socialism and not because of it. With MORE hard left atheism, we got MORE murder, rape, divorce, crime, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental problems etc, NOT less.  </p>
<p>Norway is ruled by socialist nepotism, and based on your mouth-foaming defense of our failing multicultural/socialist society; you belong to the ruling class, right? Despite you lack of intelligence and work ethic, but with the right connections and PC opinions. Prove me wrong. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: JoJoJams</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3662361</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[JoJoJams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:32:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3662361</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Schlomo, is that really you??  lol ~ you sure you don&#039;t want to have a nice rant about how wrong the writer of this article is, and how it&#039;s all the JOOOOOSS!!!  fault?? 
Ok, enough poking you.  I just am shocked you actually posted something agreeing with the writer, and nothing about those &quot;evil&quot; jews.  I&#039;m shocked!  Shocked, I tell you!  (but pleasantly so - as this shows you have a chance at being a decent human being.) ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Schlomo, is that really you??  lol ~ you sure you don&#039;t want to have a nice rant about how wrong the writer of this article is, and how it&#039;s all the JOOOOOSS!!!  fault??<br />
Ok, enough poking you.  I just am shocked you actually posted something agreeing with the writer, and nothing about those &quot;evil&quot; jews.  I&#039;m shocked!  Shocked, I tell you!  (but pleasantly so &#8211; as this shows you have a chance at being a decent human being.) </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Thomas Wells</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3661659</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Wells]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3661659</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&quot;I&#039;m awfully glad I&#039;m a Delta. Deltas don&#039;t have to think. There are more Deltas than anybody else. We don need no stinkin&#039;  Alphas.  ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&quot;I&#039;m awfully glad I&#039;m a Delta. Deltas don&#039;t have to think. There are more Deltas than anybody else. We don need no stinkin&#039;  Alphas.  </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Manvendra Kachole</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3660654</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Manvendra Kachole]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:38:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3660654</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[IThis site needs to be made available in regional languages in all Asian and African countries where socialists and communists and Marxists and leftists still dominate the media, public perception and political economy.  ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>IThis site needs to be made available in regional languages in all Asian and African countries where socialists and communists and Marxists and leftists still dominate the media, public perception and political economy.  </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Ozzy</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3658973</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ozzy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:14:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3658973</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Good point! Defeat Socialism bring back Piracy!   ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good point! Defeat Socialism bring back Piracy!   </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Omar</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3658108</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Omar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3658108</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[First of all, the French Revolution led to the rise of Napoleon. That rise happened after the Reign of Terror, which inspired Communists and other far-left radicals. It is a well-known fact that the Jacobins committed the Reign of Terror, see link here about the origins of left-wing politics: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catid=144&amp;type=issue&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?...&lt;/a&gt; .  In fact, the French Revolution itself and the Reign of Terror inspired Marx to write the &quot;Communist Manifesto&quot; in 1848.  Second, the United States and Britain already had legislatures by the late 18th century. Parliamentarianism already existed in America and Britain before the French Revolution. The Revolutions in 1848 were based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and democracy, much like America&#039;s democracy. The Jacobins (led by Maxwell Robespierre), on the other hand, wanted to replace everything with their &quot;world view&quot;. Unfortunately, many countries followed the Robespierre example of a radical dictatorship, rather than George Washington&#039;s example of a classical liberal democracy, and end up oppressing their fellow countrymen. The largest difference between Washington and Robespierre was that Washington wanted liberal democracy, which America accomplished, while Robespierre wanted a totalitarian dictatorship, which France had accomplished after deposing the monarchy. That&#039;s one of the main differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Today, the free world embraces American-style democracy. Even France embraces American-style democracy. However, all of the leftist/Islamist despotic regimes embrace Robespierre&#039;s vision of totalitarianism. That&#039;s the reality. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>First of all, the French Revolution led to the rise of Napoleon. That rise happened after the Reign of Terror, which inspired Communists and other far-left radicals. It is a well-known fact that the Jacobins committed the Reign of Terror, see link here about the origins of left-wing politics: <a href="http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catid=144&amp;type=issue" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp</a>?&#8230; .  In fact, the French Revolution itself and the Reign of Terror inspired Marx to write the &quot;Communist Manifesto&quot; in 1848.  Second, the United States and Britain already had legislatures by the late 18th century. Parliamentarianism already existed in America and Britain before the French Revolution. The Revolutions in 1848 were based on the ideas of the Enlightenment and democracy, much like America&#039;s democracy. The Jacobins (led by Maxwell Robespierre), on the other hand, wanted to replace everything with their &quot;world view&quot;. Unfortunately, many countries followed the Robespierre example of a radical dictatorship, rather than George Washington&#039;s example of a classical liberal democracy, and end up oppressing their fellow countrymen. The largest difference between Washington and Robespierre was that Washington wanted liberal democracy, which America accomplished, while Robespierre wanted a totalitarian dictatorship, which France had accomplished after deposing the monarchy. That&#039;s one of the main differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Today, the free world embraces American-style democracy. Even France embraces American-style democracy. However, all of the leftist/Islamist despotic regimes embrace Robespierre&#039;s vision of totalitarianism. That&#039;s the reality. </p>
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		<title>By: Goering</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657909</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Goering]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:48:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657909</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Likely because Scandinavian countries regularly outperform the US scholastically in standardized test scores.  While scores may be imperfect they are likely more representative of a countries performance then the articles &quot;facts&quot;: 1 local story and 2 examples from fiction (one being by an American).   Here is a link for the test scores &lt;a href=&quot;http://:http://www.geographic.org/country_rank/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;:http://www.geographic.org/country_rank/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html&lt;/a&gt;.   
If some one thinks this culture produces no excellence then they need to explain the tests scores and the fact that Scandanavian countries consistently outperform the U.S. on most measures: Freedom  &lt;a href=&quot;http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_index)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_index)&lt;/a&gt;. Satisfaction with Life  &lt;a href=&quot;http://(http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uol-uol072706.php)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uol-uol072706.php)&lt;/a&gt; Life Expectancy  &lt;a href=&quot;http://(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html)&lt;/a&gt; and Incarceration rates  &lt;a href=&quot;http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate)&lt;/a&gt; , and even in GDP per capita Norway comes out ahead of the US in 3 different estimates  &lt;a href=&quot;http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita)&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita)&lt;/a&gt;. Perhaps Mr. Bawer should move if he does not like where he lives.  After all its a free country. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Likely because Scandinavian countries regularly outperform the US scholastically in standardized test scores.  While scores may be imperfect they are likely more representative of a countries performance then the articles &quot;facts&quot;: 1 local story and 2 examples from fiction (one being by an American).   Here is a link for the test scores <a href="http://:http://www.geographic.org/country_rank/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html" rel="nofollow">:</a><a href="http://www.geographic.org/country_rank/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.geographic.org/country_rank/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html</a>.<br />
If some one thinks this culture produces no excellence then they need to explain the tests scores and the fact that Scandanavian countries consistently outperform the U.S. on most measures: Freedom  <a href="http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_index)" rel="nofollow">(</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_index" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_index</a>). Satisfaction with Life  <a href="http://(http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uol-uol072706.php)" rel="nofollow">(</a><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uol-uol072706.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uol-uol072706.php</a>) Life Expectancy  <a href="http://(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html)" rel="nofollow">(</a><a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html</a>) and Incarceration rates  <a href="http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate)" rel="nofollow">(</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate</a>) , and even in GDP per capita Norway comes out ahead of the US in 3 different estimates  <a href="http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita)" rel="nofollow">(</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita</a>). Perhaps Mr. Bawer should move if he does not like where he lives.  After all its a free country. </p>
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		<title>By: Guest</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657787</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:59:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657787</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When was called to the medical faculty, Univ. of Lund, Sweden from a good position at the Univ. of California in 1978, I was given a paper with the 10 Jante Laws on it and was told these were the rules. I could not believe my eyes and saw it as a bad joke. They totally smashed my career and made it impossible for me to return home to the USA. I&#039;m still stuck in Sweden, living off and anon on unemployment compensation between working at the few teaching jobs I can get. I am not alone - there are quite a few foreign nationals here who have had the same experiences as I have. 
 
 Interestingly, it&#039;s far between any Swedish Nobel Prize winners! Contrast this with the Univ. of California, where there is freedom to develop, do research, to think and to be excellent in their careers. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When was called to the medical faculty, Univ. of Lund, Sweden from a good position at the Univ. of California in 1978, I was given a paper with the 10 Jante Laws on it and was told these were the rules. I could not believe my eyes and saw it as a bad joke. They totally smashed my career and made it impossible for me to return home to the USA. I&#039;m still stuck in Sweden, living off and anon on unemployment compensation between working at the few teaching jobs I can get. I am not alone &#8211; there are quite a few foreign nationals here who have had the same experiences as I have. </p>
<p> Interestingly, it&#039;s far between any Swedish Nobel Prize winners! Contrast this with the Univ. of California, where there is freedom to develop, do research, to think and to be excellent in their careers. </p>
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		<title>By: Edohiguma</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657728</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edohiguma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:37:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657728</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This goes farther than that. Just recently Japan had some executions of really brutal killers. Some Norwegian woman politician came out screaming about how Japan dared to do this. She then proceeded to claim moral superiority by saying that, despite that the insane lunatic Breivik killed some of her friends (her friends being the anti-semitic stormtroopers who initially believed that Breivik&#039;s insane shooting spree was a &quot;simulation of Israeli crimes&quot;), he didn&#039;t get the death penalty. 
 
No, Breivik will be free again in 21 years. They can&#039;t even lock him up after that because, according to a verdict by the EU human rights court, such indefinite high security lockup violates the human rights of criminals (aka really brutal murderers), which was set in a trial over such inmates in Germany. 
 
That&#039;s the Scandinavians for you. Cater to criminals. Shaft the victims. Ban justice because some politicians have delusions of grandeur and moral superiority. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This goes farther than that. Just recently Japan had some executions of really brutal killers. Some Norwegian woman politician came out screaming about how Japan dared to do this. She then proceeded to claim moral superiority by saying that, despite that the insane lunatic Breivik killed some of her friends (her friends being the anti-semitic stormtroopers who initially believed that Breivik&#039;s insane shooting spree was a &quot;simulation of Israeli crimes&quot;), he didn&#039;t get the death penalty. </p>
<p>No, Breivik will be free again in 21 years. They can&#039;t even lock him up after that because, according to a verdict by the EU human rights court, such indefinite high security lockup violates the human rights of criminals (aka really brutal murderers), which was set in a trial over such inmates in Germany. </p>
<p>That&#039;s the Scandinavians for you. Cater to criminals. Shaft the victims. Ban justice because some politicians have delusions of grandeur and moral superiority. </p>
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		<title>By: dmw</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657725</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[dmw]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:35:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657725</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a teenager, I heard my dad remark several times: &quot;If we all played the piano, it&#039;d be an awfully dull world.&quot;  
 
I think he may have been quoting someone else, but it nevertheless stuck. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a teenager, I heard my dad remark several times: &quot;If we all played the piano, it&#039;d be an awfully dull world.&quot;  </p>
<p>I think he may have been quoting someone else, but it nevertheless stuck. </p>
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		<title>By: Edohiguma</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657707</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edohiguma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:30:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657707</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It wasn&#039;t Jacobin led. The Jacobins were one of the groups in the beginning, nothing more. They simply hijacked a basically good idea because they wanted power.  
 
The French Revolution was essential for parliamentarianism to appear in Europe. Without the ideas of the French Revolution being spread across continental Europe by Napoleon&#039;s wars the revolutions of 1848 would have been impossible. In the wake of these revolutions absolutist countries like Austria-Hungary slowly introduced parliaments. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It wasn&#039;t Jacobin led. The Jacobins were one of the groups in the beginning, nothing more. They simply hijacked a basically good idea because they wanted power.  </p>
<p>The French Revolution was essential for parliamentarianism to appear in Europe. Without the ideas of the French Revolution being spread across continental Europe by Napoleon&#039;s wars the revolutions of 1848 would have been impossible. In the wake of these revolutions absolutist countries like Austria-Hungary slowly introduced parliaments. </p>
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		<title>By: Ray Olson</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657485</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ray Olson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:14:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657485</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, I&#039;ve heard of Falun.  It&#039;s the capital of Dalarna, which is the province in which three pairs of my great-grandparents were born and from which, with their eldest children (my grandparents, their youngest, were born in Minnesota), they emigrated.  And I can attest that the Jante Law obtained as a set of folk mores among successive generations in those immigrants&#039; descent.  The JL diminished in force, however, among those successors, until now it is enshrined as comedic schtick in the monologues of Garrison Keillor, though it has long been a staple of intragroup Scandinavian humor in America.   
 
I don&#039;t think the 10 rules of the JL furnish bad guidance for everyday social intercourse, for which hauteur and conceit are poor tactics and commonality and humility good.  When they are made into real law, however, they do, indeed, demand and enforce injustice.  The irony in the case of Sweden (and Norway, at least, too) is that as law they forbid progress within progressivism.     ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well, I&#039;ve heard of Falun.  It&#039;s the capital of Dalarna, which is the province in which three pairs of my great-grandparents were born and from which, with their eldest children (my grandparents, their youngest, were born in Minnesota), they emigrated.  And I can attest that the Jante Law obtained as a set of folk mores among successive generations in those immigrants&#039; descent.  The JL diminished in force, however, among those successors, until now it is enshrined as comedic schtick in the monologues of Garrison Keillor, though it has long been a staple of intragroup Scandinavian humor in America.   </p>
<p>I don&#039;t think the 10 rules of the JL furnish bad guidance for everyday social intercourse, for which hauteur and conceit are poor tactics and commonality and humility good.  When they are made into real law, however, they do, indeed, demand and enforce injustice.  The irony in the case of Sweden (and Norway, at least, too) is that as law they forbid progress within progressivism.     </p>
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		<title>By: flyingtiget</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657426</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[flyingtiget]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:53:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[are you sure that you can blame this on socialism/ I was told that Scandanavians see their country as one big Viking ship and the government&#039;s job is to make sure that the loot is spead out evenly. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>are you sure that you can blame this on socialism/ I was told that Scandanavians see their country as one big Viking ship and the government&#039;s job is to make sure that the loot is spead out evenly. </p>
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		<title>By: Schlomotion</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3657086</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Schlomotion]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:59:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3657086</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I agree with the substance of this article and am interested in what might be Mr. Bawer&#039;s specific and widespread examples in America of this phenomenon. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I agree with the substance of this article and am interested in what might be Mr. Bawer&#039;s specific and widespread examples in America of this phenomenon. </p>
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		<title>By: JakeTobias</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3656996</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[JakeTobias]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:27:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3656996</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Another irony: Kurt Vonnegut was a socialist.  
 
And talk about a telling little detail, from his personal life; Kurt once boasted in an interview, how not one of his children were the slightest bit interested in the Apollo moon landing. Not one of them. They could plainly see, he said, there wasn&#039;t anything there. So why go, right? 
 
Even as a child, I could see that there &quot;wasn&#039;t anything there&quot;, but was still as excited as everyone else. You either get it, or you don&#039;t. And what Kurt did to his own children so uniformly, I don&#039;t like to think about.        ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Another irony: Kurt Vonnegut was a socialist.  </p>
<p>And talk about a telling little detail, from his personal life; Kurt once boasted in an interview, how not one of his children were the slightest bit interested in the Apollo moon landing. Not one of them. They could plainly see, he said, there wasn&#039;t anything there. So why go, right? </p>
<p>Even as a child, I could see that there &quot;wasn&#039;t anything there&quot;, but was still as excited as everyone else. You either get it, or you don&#039;t. And what Kurt did to his own children so uniformly, I don&#039;t like to think about.        </p>
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		<title>By: Omar</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/socialisms-cult-of-mediocrity-in-action/comment-page-1/#comment-3656806</link>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Omar]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:16:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=147251#comment-3656806</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember that radical left-wing politics started with the Jacobins and the French Revolution. Indeed, the Jacobin-led unrest was aimed at King Louis XVI, who was an American ally in the American Revolution against the British. The Jacobins were often called the first Communists (since they came before Marx).  Then, after the French Revolution, the Jacobins committed the &quot;Reign of Terror&quot; against their opponents, falsely branding them as &quot;royalists&quot; and &quot;reactionaries&quot;. That just showed how the left opposed America&#039;s ideals even back then. People should have just rejected the left&#039;s politics after what happened with the Reign of Terror. ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Remember that radical left-wing politics started with the Jacobins and the French Revolution. Indeed, the Jacobin-led unrest was aimed at King Louis XVI, who was an American ally in the American Revolution against the British. The Jacobins were often called the first Communists (since they came before Marx).  Then, after the French Revolution, the Jacobins committed the &quot;Reign of Terror&quot; against their opponents, falsely branding them as &quot;royalists&quot; and &quot;reactionaries&quot;. That just showed how the left opposed America&#039;s ideals even back then. People should have just rejected the left&#039;s politics after what happened with the Reign of Terror. </p>
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