Norweigan Dukes of Hazard

American TV, Internet making white trash culture popular in Nordic countries

            By John LeForest, THG News

In one of popular culture’s stranger phenomena, America’s white trash, redneck customs popular in Indiana and the South are making serious inroads into mainstream society in Europe’s Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. 

These countries, once known primarily for their cradle-to-grave welfare systems, clean air, fishing, and prowess in Winter Olympic sports are quickly becoming NASCAR crazy nations where it is not uncommon to see citizens spitting tobacco juice on the sidewalk or sporting Confederate flags on their cars or T-shirts. 

Access to American television and the Internet are being blamed for the changes to Nordic culture.  Says Kristján Steinarsson, Webmaster for http://www.drasl.is/, an Icelandic website that acts as a clearinghouse to all things funny and Icelandic, “We get all the American television shows and movies—Icelanders think that it is very funny to watch the ‘Dukes of Hazard’ or ‘Rosanne’.  I get several hundred links sent to me each week from American websites like HoosierGazette.com, WhiteTrashWorld.com, and IndianaRedneck.com.”  In fact, 54% of all page views for HoosierGazette.com come not from Indiana but from Nordic nations, particularly Iceland.

Why does life in the Midwestern and Southern U.S. appeal to Nordic peoples?  Sociology professor Lena Kull of Sweden’s Karlstad University says it is a question of demographics.  “Like many U.S. states, the Nordic nations have a single large city with the rest of country being rural.  This along with having small populations compared to many European nations but similar to white trash states in the U.S. creates a similar environment where hard-rocking music, the drinking of cheap beer, and auto racing can flourish.”

"Vi elsker tung metall og NASCAR!"

http://www.heavymetal.no

The Viking heritage of Nordic countries could also explain this phenomenon.  “Vikings and Rednecks are similar in that they like to raise hell and kick ass.  Many people want to return to the old ways, when our people ruled and scared the crap out of everyone,” added Kull.

American businesses are taking in huge profits from the popularity of their products in Nordic lands.  Anheuser-Busch has begun an extensive marketing campaign for Busch Beer, while KFC has opened dozens of stores in Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm.  “The Nordic market has great potential,” said Yum! Brands, Inc. vice president Rod Peters.  “Look for more and more American businesses to look to these emerging markets for selling their goods in the future.”

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