SCANDINAVIAMANIA: An anonymous Norwegian reader of Andrew Sullivan's weblog

Let me just say that some of Kurtz' assertions, i.e. "Nord-Troendelag is like Massachusetts--a socially liberal state influenced by left-leaning institutions of higher learning," are simply not true.

Nord-Troendelag does not distinguish itself as more "socially liberal" than any other part of Norway, and if the NTNU is having any influence at all, it's in the conservative/realist direction -- after all, it's a school primarily of Science and Technology, not Sociology and Film Theory, or what have you.

Also, the differences between the geographical entities within Norway aren't anywhere near big enough to warrant comparisons with states in the US. Nord-Troendelag and neighbouring Soer-Troendelag are absolutely indistinguishable, and most people just lump them together as "Troendelag" (calling their inhabitants "Troenders") for simplicity.

On another note, I'd say that yes, more than half of my friends were probably born "out of wedlock," and more than half of my friends' parents are certainly divorced or separated at this point. The question is: who cares? As you say, there aren't really any significant practical benefits (i.e. from the government) of getting married in the first place, and couples are very serious on raising their children in a decent manner no matter what their civil status. It's not like we're a country of "crack babies" and abandoned orphans, we probably have some of the best statistics in the entire world despite low marriage rates!

I myself was born by unmarried parents. They married a year or two after I was born (civil marriage, not in a church), and divorced when I was 16. Now (six years later), they're back living together, but still haven't gotten "re-married" officially -- and why should they, as long as they're happy living together? Also, I'm happy to say I turned out okay despite all this which for Americans probably seems a bit stormy.

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posted by Eve at 4:45 PM | link

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