Equality vs. Competition

In Danish class not only do we learn, obviously, Danish, but we also take time to learn about the Danish culture. So far we’ve talked a lot about the differences in Danish habits and manners, but recently, we’ve talked about the Danish mentality of equality versus American competition. I think this is a very debatable and interesting topic, and I can really see both pros and cons of each side. On one side I see that the Danes strive for an environment of equal access to all citizens whether it’s health care or education or whatever. As a result, idealistically, most have access to the same equal opportunities as everyone else. Again idealistically, this leads to low crime rates and a “happy," fair society. On the other hand, in a classroom, this means that no one emphasizes special treatment for gifted or slower students. There’s no praise for being the best or shame at being the worst. The class is only as good as its worst student. In America, from as early as when a kid goes to school, they can be placed in an accelerated class and the gap between students begins. As the kids grow up, this gap just increases until there is a large disparity between those less advantaged and the privileged. However, this competition to be the best pushes kids to strive to be better, to try harder, and as a result, these accelerated groups allow the kids to reach their full potential and push past unfathomable limits, idealistically. So very broadly speaking, there is this choice between a solid medium group or a wide spectrum of different people from disadvantaged to very priviliged. Of course, these are very, very large generalizations, but, these concepts were just interesting to talk about.