Open, Easy-Going, Almost Blissfully Innocent

Wednesday, June 29th, 2016

Iceland is open, easy-going, almost blissfully innocent:

There is very little violent crime and none of the visible bulwarks of authority that we quickly become accustomed to in bigger countries: police, soldiers, traffic wardens, security guards.

Instead, authority is more collective and understated. With no real class system, Icelanders more or less look after themselves. Multitasking is something of a national tradition. Goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson is a filmmaker who directed the video for the country’s 2012 Eurovision Song Contest entry. The current mayor of Reykjavik is a doctor and the guy before him was a stand-up comedian. And unlike Roy Hodgson or Antonio Conte or Joachim Löw, [national team coach] Hallgrimsson holds down a part-time job as one of Heimaey’s two dentists.

Comments

  1. John Dougan says:

    And then there is Eve Online…

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