Is Denmark Socialist? | 5 Minute Video
Socialism has failed across the world – from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to China, Vietnam, North Korea and, most recently, Venezuela. So now the left references countries like Denmark as “proof” that socialism works. Otto Brons-Petersen explains why they’re wrong: Denmark is just as capitalist as the United States.
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Script:
I am a citizen of Denmark, the Disneyland of socialism, where everybody is happy and healthy.
Forget the Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela and all those power-mad Marxists who got it wrong. Denmark is the model to follow.
There’s just one problem. It’s a fantasy.
For it to be true, Denmark would have to be a socialist country. But it’s not. If it were, it would have gone “Venezuela” a long time ago. Sorry to bring all the new fans of socialism the bad news. But that’s the reality.
Yes, it’s true that Denmark has high taxes and a high level of government spending—key features of a socialist mentality. But in almost every other respect, Denmark is a full-on free market capitalist country.
And it has some of the strongest protections of individual property rights in the world.
And it’s a particularly easy place to open a business. According to the World Bank, there is less bureaucratic red tape in Denmark than in any other country, except for New Zealand and Singapore.
And the labor market is less regulated than in most countries. Here’s something you probably didn’t know: there are no minimum wage laws in Denmark.
It’s not surprising then—or maybe it is surprising, given all the misinformation out there—that Denmark ranks consistently as one of the top-ranked free market economies in the world by The Fraser Institute in Canada and The Heritage Foundation.
So, if Denmark is not a socialist country, what is it?
The answer is pretty straightforward: it’s a small capitalist country (about the size and population of Maryland) whose citizens pay oodles in taxes in exchange for oodles in benefits.
Well, what’s wrong with that? you might ask.
Only this: for the government to pay out such benefits, you need citizens to make enough money to pay the necessary taxes.
And that’s only possible through a free market economy.
Let me explain—with some Danish history.
Denmark, like its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden and Norway, made a remarkable economic recovery after the Second World War. The combination of a highly productive work force and—get this—low taxes created a lot of wealth.
So like every other wealthy welfare state, Denmark became wealthy before it created the welfare state.
Relative to Europe, Denmark’s economic high-water mark was in the 1950s; relative to the US, it was the early ‘70s. It was then, in the late ’60s and early ’70s, that the country’s ruling elite became preoccupied with wealth redistribution. But the price paid for this social experiment was steep and swift.
The expansion of public spending led to a severe economic crisis. The national debt skyrocketed. It took decades of consolidation, structural reforms and curtailing of welfare schemes to straighten out this mess.
This is the stuff you never hear about from the “Danish model” crowd.
The sharp tax hikes and spending also sparked a widespread popular revolt and led to the emergence of the “tax protestors” party, Fremskridtspartiet. Even though the party no longer exists, the widespread desire to cut taxes remains.
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/is-denmark-socialist
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Socialism… isn't communism 😀
so, are at least some of the welfare programs working well, or is this guy advocating abolishing all of them?
and the question still remains: hwo is the average citizen so wealthy and has so much free time with such an insane tax rate?
maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that this "high taxes for high benefits" scheme does seem to wrok very well for the most part
2.17-2.24 what doea this bit mean? what does he mean by "high-water-mark relative to X"?
But if this got implemented in the US republicans would call it communism.
lol I'm from Denmark, this video is complete trash for morons.
Yes, Denmark is Socialist country, and so are US, Finland, and South Korea. All taxation is violation of property right.
Yep, i is definitely a liberal economy (free market) and I leave it to you whether to use the term capitalist or not since it is all the same to me. But, it is no way a socialist country, Some socialist have diverged socialism quite much from orthodox socialism and start to call these countries as "liberal socialism" or "democratic socialism" whatever, it is just like non-binary case, where every one can derive any kind of socialism by giving quite different definitions from the original one. Any way, those countries introduce a healthy amount o socialist concepts to the liberal economic model and this seems to work. But, existence of government presence and its institutions is a constant in every country. Even in U.S., for instance military, public security or law system is basically run by government and a judge, police officer, a military personal is a government personel or at least directly paid by the relevant institution. OK, so does that make U.S. a socialist country? Ok, I leave it to you, then.
There’s a lot of genuine misinformation in this video
For example, while there are no “laws” enforcing a minimum wage, there are very complex agreements made across unions, businesses owners and the government that creates what’s essentially a dynamic minimum wage. In fact looking at the effects of this system, Denmark has a higher minimum wage than the US.
This is just one example of how this guy omits details of the whole truth to obfuscate and misinform.
The truth is that Denmark wouldn’t be as comfortable a place to live as it is today, without its socialist core ideals. Our second largest party used to be the social democrats, and now it’s the Socialists People’s party, Denmark is not a country of 100% socialism, but it is a socialist country, as it is built with socialist ideals to its core.
Ask a given Danish person and I’m sure some people would agree with this guy, but not most
This guy became the laughing stock in the entire r/Denmark subreddit for a while. He is a member of “Klimarealisterne” or in English: “The climate realists” which is quite big in the climate denial business.
Denmark became wealthy before it created the Welfare State?
Tell that to Thorvald Stauning, the 24th prime minister of Denmark, and first Social Democrat of Denmark, elected 1924, and again in 1929, acting as the de-facto prime minister of Denmark until his death in 1942, during German occupation.
Stauning was followed by Social Democrat Vilhelm Buhl, then Social Liberal Erik Scavenius, and again by Social Democrat Vilhelm Buhl.
Since the occupation of Denmark by Germany, until 1982, Denmark has had:
21 terms with the Social Democrats in power.
3 Terms of Market Liberals
1 Term Social Liberal
1 Term independent (Social Liberal)
Where are the conservatives? Nowhere in sight. They were in power in te early 20th century, back when Denmark was poor.
But why cant americans adopt these policies from Denmark ?
NO THAT SOCIALISM!
Saying Denmark a Socialist is like saying ISIS a humanitarian organization
Such a dishonest video. How about this—forget the word socialism. Whatever denmarks system is (which is actually a good mix of capitalism and socialism) THAT IS THETYPE OF SYSTEM ALL THESE PPL U WANT TO DISMISS AS SOCIALIST LOVERS WANT! no one cares what u call it. People just want a system where capitalism continues on except not for healthcare or prisons where there should be no profit incentive otherwise it becomes a breeding ground for corruption ( kinda like ours here in america). We want capitalism to continue in all the places it makes sense. We simply want to get something back for all the money we keep paying into taxes our whole lives. Seems reasonable to me. And if ur an American who thinks what I’m saying is outrageous then please do tell me what is it that you are getting in return for your tax money? And let me just point out the government collects an obscene amount of money from all of us every time we get our paychecks. They could be using that money to fund so many things but that’s not gonna help them in anyway so instead they are taking what is essentially YOUR money and using it to pay out all sorts of different legalized corruption ways like no big contracts and huge subsidies for already unbelievably wealthy companies like Amazon and chevron etc . They use ur money to make their buddies in high places even richer so that their buddies turn around and give them back a bunch of donations and funds for campaigns and stuff. Don’t let prayer u pull the wool over ur eyes any longer. Prager u serves as a mouth piece to advocate on behalf of all these stupid ideas and to convince as many people as possible to not realize they are getting totally screwed over. It has nothing to do with Venezuela. It really has nothing to do with actually socialism either. I just want people to wake up and to demand something in return for their own money and demand that the legalized corruption be stopped. That’s all.
He's sounds like Lars Ulrich talking – it's interesting to hear the features of Danish/Dansk talking even in the English language.
how did a nation of valhalla screaming lunatics become this 😂
Denmark is capitalism done right
there isn't much a of a problem with students remaining student's in denmark. but mostly this video is correct.
We are not a socialist country, many of the other things he says, is how ever not true.
First of only the rich people in denmark pay 50 percent. Most people pay between 38-45 percent, depending on your income. I have never in my life heard thay most danes wanted to cut tax, i simply dont belive that. Students dont stay in school, but we do have higher requirements for our schools, so some of our educations are longer. But its nor like we are payed a living wage going to school, we get payed enough to eat and sleep in a dorm thats it, its not something anyonr wants tp do forever. The rest of the stuff he talks about is really colored by what ever party he represents in the us and he sort of turn the truth a lot. But yes are not socialist, I wouldnt recommend anyone being that and We did get rich before benefits, but our economy is really strong even through covid and what ever kaos is now. We are doing good, compared to the world. Should you be like us, no… you guys should gind your own way, but can you learn from our mistakes and success, yes.
What a load of crap.
Danish health care is about half the economic burden on the average dane that health care is on the average american.
Subtract the various expenses an american pretty much has to pay – insurance, pension savings, etc. that danes have built into their taxes and we have pretty much the same amount of money left for ourselves. Americans just have less security, a good chance that the pension company will steal or "lose" the money on high risk stocks and no way in hell to pay for injuries when the health provider worms their way out of covering injuries on some technicality.
stay away from this guy and PragerU, they are trying to replace governments with theocracy
*Critique and Counter-Argument: "Is Denmark Socialist?" After Watching the Video*
*Critique:*
1. *Misunderstanding of Socialism:* The video starts by setting up a straw man argument, implying that Denmark's success or failure is a litmus test for socialism's viability. This oversimplifies the complexities of both Denmark's economy and socialism as an ideology.
2. *Selective Use of Data:* The video uses selective data points to make its case, such as emphasizing the high tax rate without adequately addressing the benefits that come from those taxes.
3. *Comparisons with Venezuela:* The comparison between Denmark and Venezuela is misleading. The two countries have vastly different histories, economies, and geopolitical situations.
4. *Overemphasis on Free Market:* The video implies that Denmark's success is solely due to its free-market policies, ignoring the role of social welfare programs in creating a stable, educated, and healthy workforce.
5. *Misrepresentation of Education and Healthcare:* The video suggests that because some Danes opt for private education and healthcare, the public systems are inadequate. This is a false dichotomy.
*Counter-Argument:*
1. *Understanding Social Democracy:* Denmark is often described as a social democracy, which combines free-market capitalism with a strong welfare state. This model acknowledges the strengths of the market while ensuring that benefits are broadly shared and that economic downturns don't lead to humanitarian crises.
2. *The Value of High Taxes:* While Danes do pay high taxes, they receive a wide range of public services in return, from education to healthcare. These services contribute to a high quality of life, low levels of poverty, and economic stability.
3. *Economic Stability and Equality:* Denmark consistently ranks high in global measures of happiness, equality, and economic competitiveness. This balance is achieved through a combination of market mechanisms and robust social safety nets.
4. *Choice Doesn't Imply Inadequacy:* Just because some Danes choose private options doesn't mean public services are subpar. In many countries, including the U.S., people with means often opt for private services even when public options are of high quality.
5. *The Broader Benefits of Welfare Programs:* Programs like free college might lead to longer graduation times, but they also result in a highly educated population. This educated workforce can drive innovation and economic growth. Moreover, the lack of student debt can lead to increased consumer spending and economic dynamism.
In conclusion, Denmark's blend of capitalism and strong social welfare policies offers valuable lessons. It's essential to look beyond simplistic labels and understand the nuances of how different economic and social policies interact. As for the video's perspective, I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
nice propaganda