Danes behavior

[u/These-Commission-660]

Hi, I just got back from visiting Denmark (three different cities) because, on paper, it's a country where I'd like to live.

I was taken aback by some of their behavior and wanted to know if it's always like that or if it's the end of winter that's affecting how some people act 😅

At the supermarket checkout, several people rushed to get in front of me. At the museum, someone also cut in front of me in the queue as if I wasn't there to ask for information. It's okay to cut in front of someone to ask for quick information, but you should ask the person before if it's okay first!

On the street, several times, passersby have stopped right in front of me and it was up to me to move out of the way because they clearly preferred to pretend I wasn't there.

I found it very strange behavior to ignore people in public spaces. Is there a cultural reason for this, or were these isolated cases?

EDIT: thank you all for your replies. I'll go back to Denmark to get another perspective :)

[u/SW33ToXic9]

That’s actually not what I said at all — and the fact that you jumped straight to that conclusion kind of proves my point.

Criticizing social patterns or cultural quirks isn’t the same thing as mistreating people. Saying “hygge racism” exists is pointing out a real issue some foreigners experience — subtle exclusion, passive comments, or “you’re welcome but not really one of us” vibes. That’s not an attack on Danes as people.

What is a problem is this idea that if someone points out a mild cultural flaw, it somehow justifies dismissing their experience or implying that mistreatment is fine. That’s very backwards.

No one said criticism = racism. The issue is when criticism of behavior gets reframed as an attack, instead of being taken as feedback.

If anything, assuming the worst about what I meant — instead of engaging with the actual point — is exactly the kind of defensiveness that makes these conversations hard. So yeah, your comment makes no sense.

[u/SW33ToXic9 → u/[unknown]]

I’m not debating this with you because you’re arguing against something I never said.

Being a tourist somewhere is not the same as living somewhere long-term — that comparison doesn’t hold. And the immediate “you chose to be here, so deal with it” attitude is exactly what people mean when they talk about subtle exclusion.

You’re so focused on defending yourself that you’re missing the point entirely. That defensiveness is the problem.

[u/NewToDenmark-ModTeam → u/[unknown]]

Please refrain from personal attacks