Difficult times have fostered a new type of mentality in Sweden and I am not referring to the crises of today. Kids, youths, that was borne in the 90-ties have always been raised in a state of crises, stress and insecurity. The rest of us, borne in the 40ties, 50ties, 60ties, 70ties and 80ties, we learned that the world is ours, the welfare will protect us and that you work to live – not the other way around. When doing fieldwork among the younger once, it’s obvious that their attitude concerning the crises of today differs from the other generations. And it’s not because they are younger, it’s because they have prepared their whole life for the fact that the future is a personal project. While this is normal for liberal countries, it’s new for an old socialist country. This “fresh” attitude while change the foundation of whatever it means to be a Swede.

Basically,
 qualitative
 methods 
are
 used 
to
 discover
 things
 and
 quantitative
 methods 
are
 used
 to 
measure 
that
 which
 is 
already
 known.


Quantitative
 data
 refers 
to
 variable 
data, 
i.e.
 data
 which 
should 
conclude 
with
 quantities 
of
 some
 kind.
 Investigations 
of 
the
 quantitative
 kind
 aim
 at
 producing
 empirical 
proof 
to
 be 
able
 to 
explain
 the 
studied 
phenomenon 
in 
an
 objective
 way.
 This 
is 
an 
outsider 
or
 observer
 perspective.

Qualitative 
data, 
on 
the 
other
 hand,
 

try
 to 
understand 
a
 reality 
and
 mirror
 it
 as
 precisely
 as
 possible.
 This 
is
 an 
insider
 or
 participant 
perspective.

Echology and cows. A tricky combination that is not going that well together.

Since I came back to Sweden from spending almost five years in the US, I quickly realized that I had to make a significant change in my life. It concerned a major alteration of my core habits and values. I had to put my identity to test. You see, I was a Mac-user – but in Sweden PC was the standard. Every time I sent a document to anyone I was confronted with the fact that I had a Mac. So I switched and joined the society of PC users stating that Mac users obviously are way too attached to that brand/product. Talk about lack of flexibility. They are almost ultra conservative. Now I was allowed to question everybody with a Mac.

Lately though, the up north people are switching to a Mac. First my boss – then Carl Bildt (our Minister for Foreign Affairs). Bildts defend to this huge step goes: “Den nya världen är alldeles definitivt bättre än den gamla.”, and translates ”The new world is definitely better than the old one.” I have a comment to him and all of you other novel Mac-users. In the new world the Mac and the PC actually understand each other, so please let’s have some respect for all societies and the choices that are made within them. The old world is still up to date and might even have one or two things to offer so let’s just stop ranking groups material habits in to “old and new”, “first, second, third”, “ better, worse”, and so on. But – enjoy your new Mac, I used to love them in the old days.

Secondly the information and knowledge is not easily accessible, or even available at all. One doesn’t have the time to get all the information necessary and it takes a great deal of engagement to penetrate the official versions. Or we just don’t want to know too much, it complicates habitual patterns.

One doesn’t want to know too much about the company. Because it makes you sad. (…) everything about child labour and such (…) and then there are no other alternatives, so it becomes really difficult not to buy the thing that you liked and that’s why I don’t want to know. (Emma 17)

Thirdly there is a common idea that others should take responsibility and act so that “I as a consumer don’t have to”; it’s the responsibility of the producing companies to act upon new demands made from an ethical standpoint. All attempts from authorities and companies to put responsibility in the individual are greeted as negative, compelling messages. It is therefore more effective, and natural, if big companies take this responsibility, thus I don’t have to care since it doesn’t matter anyway what I as a single individual do.

When our electricity company announced their “tips to save energy for environmental benefit” I was actually really annoyed. They make loads of money and then they tell me how to live more consciously. If they at least would have a made a point out of saving money instead of the world. (Nils 48)

Whenever I ask women of the same age as me how they met their new boyfriend they say: “On the internet of course. That is the only way to meet someone these days.” Matchmaking through internet is not an alternative any more, it’s the standard.

Modern man is an aware being, this largely due to the information that is available everywhere. When awareness grows the demands for products and services also grows. The conscious human knows she cannot change the world by herself, but she wants to do something for a better world, these actions make her feel good. But only a few act upon this awareness, at least to the extent they themselves deem ethically correct. To say that one is aware and to actually act upon this awareness are not the same. This has many different reasons.

Firstly there is a common resignation among people today. Those who carry this resignation claim that one doesn’t have any choice to act ethically anyway, the alternatives are too few. If the alternatives in everyday life are too few the ethical becomes more complicated, and the complicated does not facilitate behavioural changes. The resignation may also stem from the feeling that “it doesn’t matter what I do if no one else cares”.

I have actually quit separating paper from other trash. In the beginning I was so careful, and was upset when my friends threw paper in the regular bins. But now…I don’t know, it sort of passed. I felt that it took so much extra time and really, what difference does it make? You see the pictures of dumps in the third world and you think “ah, screw it”. (Jakob, 24)

It is time to take your money out of the bank. The financial crisis will get you, or at least affect you, one way or the other. And we´re all going down.

The other day I was at the library sharing a small study room with two strangers, an elderly lady and a middle-aged man. Suddenly the man gasped out loud and exclaimed: “I can’t believe this!”. He called on us, pointed at his computer and said: “Look here guys. (Very unusual behavior in Sweden where you are considered crazy if you talk to strangers.) I have been studying the Swedish krona for the past few days. Compared to the euro the value is going down drastically. This is a disaster. LOOK!”

The old lady nodded and said: “I know. Everything is going downhill. It is just like it was before WW2.” Then they looked at me, which was unfortunate because I was smiling, enjoying a critical discourse analysis of their conversation in relation to the financial crises. For a second I was contemplating if I should explain the theory to them, but they seemed upset (holding their breath waiting for me to say something) so I didn´t want to disappoint them. Instead I nodded and said: “Yes, it is all going down.” They sighed, relieved and satisfied.

Normative behavior is still a social force to be counted on. But is it genuine?