6 Things Americans ALWAYS Get Wrong about Denmark: American Myths About Danish Life 

It’s nice having Americans living here in Denmark, debunking some of the things other Americans are so miss informed about. Love your channel guys, stay positive ❤️

This was your BEST video ever! As a Canadian, I get SO tired of hearing Americans' misinformed criticisms of societies who prioritize taking care of their people. And who usually perform better economically at the same time!

The minimum wage always gets to me. I find it so hilarious that no1 - even McDonalds - dares wrestle with scandinavian unions.

I love how here in Denmark our taxes actually get used to keep everyone safe, healthy and educated. (at least most of the time) It just makes sense to do it this way.

Claiming that Denmark is a socialist country insults both socialists and capitalists and everybody in between in Denmark.

What I like most about living in the Kingdom of Denmark (I'm from the Faroe Islands) is that healthcare is mostly paid for by everyone. I say mostly, but what you pay for directly is reduced, like dentist or drugs from the pharmacy. the rest is paid by everyone through tax. so if you go to the hospital or something like that, it doesn't cost you anything. That is what I like most about my country.

The best one I've heard was "So... how do you deal with the polar bears?". I tried really hard not to laugh. And failed miserably....

That "Google it" face is perfect meme material. 😄

You rly helped my family with making decigion ''where to run from Ukraine'. After a 5 month we know that Denmark was a good chooce. Thanks for that:)

Guys! Really enjoy your videos. My husband and I have visited friends in Copenhagen twice over the years, and we are planning to visit again next year. Your thoughtful vids have been both informative and fun. Can’t wait to be back on a bicycle checking out the city again very soon!

this was very accurate... and funny to hear what Americans say/think about Denmark :D

I’m impressed. You guys did good. Very accurate and concisely explained. Keep up the good videos/vibes 🎄❤️Thi’s the season….

Quite impressed by your detailed and accurate knowledge on a broad variety of issues!

Excellent video. Thanks, guys.

Love this video! Spot on.

Great channel guys

You two are THE BEST!, I love your Videos , always good info!

I just stumbled on to your channel. I posted on one of your other videos just before coming to this one, but I am a fellow American who has been living in Denmark for ten years now. You are so spot on with everything I have seen so far. Completely agree with all of your impressions and opinions. Thank you for sharing, and I have definitely hit the subscribe button.

Good video as always 👍👏

Wauw...what a fantastic video. Talking and keeping focus on facts. This should be broadcasted in prime time in the US. Keep up the gooood work.

I'm Danish. Thanks for understanding my country better than me, now I'll be better able to explain my country to Americans or just have them watch your video, because I'm not known for great patience! I've lived in the U.S. because my paternal family is American and I lived there on-off during my toddler years and again for 6 years in the 1990s. A high school teacher *very knowing tone*: "Oh Denmark, that's on the[U.S.] East Coast!". "But you're not white...". Even other Danes think to ask if I'm from Greenland or adopted from Asia? Right, we don't have a minimum wage. That honestly shocked me when I realized that, but my union explained that, that's in part because of the reason you gave and because we otherwise risk that the minimum wage could be whatever it is in some other EU country, where wages are much lower than here, so that wouldn't serve us well. Before dad retired, he was a city employee. Then the city went bankrupt. You can imagine what that did to the "Cadillac" healthcare insurance he thought he could rely on for life. He nearly lost his life in 2017 and he can't afford new or recurring serious ailments. Americans like to ask me if I regret leaving their country? If I'd like my sons to move to the U.S. and study there? We can't afford that! They're getting free education here. I'm finally able to get a free education here with a student income (I'm not confusing that with SU = stipend), two of my sons have asthma. My husband has hypertension and asthma and they've been in hospital for various reasons and boys do things that sometimes land them in ER, oh and I gave birth 3 times. I don't know how we would've afforded all of this in the U.S. For over 20 years when I took care of our sons (1 autism, 1 ADHD), we only had my husband's mid-range income. There's no way we could've been able to live near my family in CA and had the same living standard as we have now. It's also less likely that I would eventually get an education.

Very nice video. Appreciate the concise delivery. You guys are awesome. One thing to note though, is that while you are absolutely spot on regarding many public endeavors being outsourced to private companies, we still have roughly ~30% of our entire workforce hired by the state. That's a huge chunk and I believe one of the biggest public sectors in the whole world (if you compare by ratio, which is of course the best method of comparison between datasets of different magnitudes). That's just a minor note I'd like to share. Again, very nice video. I did enjoy it!

Thank you for correcting the information.

I liked your comment about marginal tax rates. American politicians love to quote the highest tax rates from other countries and make it sound like people abroad pay that rate on all their income, and as you stated that’s not the way it works.

On the point about Denmark being homogeneous, I think it's due to a lot of things in the USA being turned into a question of race/skin color. USA has more non-whites than Denmark, especially since USA classifies Hispanic/Latino as a race on its own which is sort of weird considering they may have absolutely nothing in common besides having their country invaded by Spain hundreds of years ago. To most Americans it seems like diversity, multiculturalism etc. are only about skin color, where as it tends to refer more to culture in Europe. If you took an Irish guy, a Finnish guy, a Portuguese guy and a Bulgarian guy, that would be a very diverse and multicultural group, even though it'd be four white guys, they basically have nothing in common besides their skin color and sex after all. Different ethnic groups, different languages, different histories, different cultures, different foods, different mentalities etc. And yet a lot of Americans would likely label them "white guys" and leave it at that which is weird to most Europeans. The important thing when it comes to getting the benefits of being homogeneous (ie. social cohesion, high trust etc) it's much more about culture and mentality then it is about skin color. Clearly a middle class black guy from the USA has far more in common with a middle class white guy from the USA than he has with some black guy from Kenya or whatever, or than the white American has in common with a random Romanian or whatever.

I have really enjoyed all your program, and I love your humor very very much.

Nice and informative :-)

Any excuse for using Schmeichel 🤣 Another great video 👏

Good job guys - you hit some important American misconceptions that infuriates us Danes when we hear them! lol

Very nice video. Have had so many discussions with Americans on many of these topics, and usually it is impossible to get through to them because they heard that that's how it is from some "news" outlet or politician. But i guess that might be the after effects of yelling we're number 1 for years.

Great video, thank you. I am glad having you living in here, and it is relieving to see Americans dismiss these myths about my country. You guys brought some much needed enlightenment here. Thumbsup! Addition, number 7 - Denmark is not extremely cold and we don't have icebears roaming the streets (they live in the arctic, not here).

You nailed it, absolutely. Got all the details right!

Another great video! This was informative- a.) I didn’t realize that the tax rate was a marginal tax rate (but since we have that in the US that makes sense to me) and I also didn’t realize that the hourly wage was union negotiated. My only (small) quibble here is that you said in the US it’s hard to fire people. I think that may be said for jobs with unions (teachers, police officers, etc) but for many jobs without unions (aka “at-will” employment) you can be fired for any reason that’s not prohibited by state or federal law-and that’s usually narrowly tailored to specific groups or “protected classes” such as sex, race, marital status, and sexual orientation and (sometimes) gender identity. Otherwise many places in the United States can fire you without notice and for generally any reason except the reasons listed above. I wish we had more security in that regard.

You guys are great, I am new to your channel and this was the 3rd video I have watched. Totally love the facts you guys bring to the table in a fun way. ❤️

respect! 🙏🏽

Hey guys! Thanks for a great clip! IMHO you have a great understanding of us as a people, and our society as a whole. In your defence (as Americans), there are also other English speaking nations that have some....shall we say "interesting" misunderstandings of Denmark 🤭 This one in particular comes to mind, "Isn't Denmark the capital of Stockholm?" Seriously! These people _were not kidding_ ! 😳🙄 Anywho, keep up the GREAT posts and stay safe! Have a good'n! 👋👋

impressive summery...well done guys

thank you guys for this. As a Dane these presumptions always annoy me! thank you for putting into words what I am incapable of. Greetings From Randers.

Great video :D

I wish every American could see this video :)) Great work, guys!

Great video as always Yea muths can grow BIG :-)

Great informative video. As a Dane I learned something about the US here 🙂.

Great job guys - I remember being in the US for a sport event held in Blue Bell, PA and the speaker announced they had a participant from Copenhagen, Netherlands not Denmark :D

I really love your videos guys throwing all this light and information on Denmark.. I'm born in Rudkøbing, Langeland (long island) lol.. My mom is from St. Louis, US and may dad is from NørreBronx, Copenhagen.. Btw go visit Langeland the most beautiful place with a lot of Viking history... 1luv guys ❤️

I really like how yous guys brake down some of the myth about our lovely little Denmark, i can tell you its hair-raising to hear how people gets it awefully wrong sometimes.. Stay jolly.. ;)

1:25 Depends, typically in the outskirts. But a lot is. Our ambulance and firefight services are also partially outsourced to private firms, specifically Falck.

Woow you guys are good at explaining this… Said the same 👍

Dispelling myths is a good thing 💖 Hugs from a Dane

Great job explaining the taxation. One thing left out is the double taxation. As Americans living abroad and tax law change of 2010, generally what is that rate?

Yeah the tax thing is pretty much always getting confused, even when you explain exactly how much you pay in taxes. I expect to make just under 600000 DKK this year(plus 10% in pension, but that isn't taxed till I retire and start getting a payout), and expect to pay about 200000 DKK in actual taxes, including "AM-bidrag", so roughly one third of my income. But then there is always a but, because you have sales taxes, extra taxes on everything from gas, electricity to alcohol and cigarettes, etc., should you include those as well? Sure other countries have those as well, but they vary, but it just makes it extremely hard to calculate a precise tax rate, and then if you are a member of the church, that is part of the taxes as well in Denmark, I have opted out, but people who haven't pay slightly more in taxes. So if you want to compare countries, I think you should pretty much forget about taxes, and just look at what do you actually take home at the end of the month versus costs of living, that is what matters in the end.

Very informative, and in all honesty, I think most countries citenzen have some misconception, of other countries, simply because they don't live there for a longer period of time, so dont really get how the inner workings of a country really is. ... but great video hope you guys keep it up :)

8.07 was that schmeichel junior!

Very good and quite entertaining video. As a dane I hope a lot of Americans get to watch it 😀.

Great video as always😊 have you seen the video that fox made about Denmark?

You guys are so right

I’m dual, 🇺🇸🇩🇰. Shame you didn’t cover the weather ! 😆 Great Video ! 👍

Always sobering to hear foreigners (You are still beloved friends of us all), but a peer review is very healthy for us! Very interesting and fair comments. I always get sad, hearing the wrong facts about my country.

I fell, literally, in love with this country in June 1968 ! It’s nice you guys confirm how lucky I was.

My funniest personal American misunderstanding: "So, do you have polar bears walking around in the streets?" "Uh...Sure. We learn to wrestle them when we are kids"

I just subscribed to your channel after watching your video!👍 Good non partisan information.

As always a great video, guys. However, there is one thing that I would like to challenge. You say that Denmark is not as homogeneous as Americans believe and therefore can not explain why a welfare state works in Denmark but would not work in the United States. But the Danish welfare state was primarily built up in the 1960s, where immigration from other cultures had not yet taken place. When the values ​​underlying the welfare state were created in the 60s, Denmark was still a very homogeneous society. Immigration from the Middle East and Asia did not occur until the 1970s. The United States has always been culturally diversified, while Denmark only began to become so from the 1970s onwards. So right here, your countrymen may have a point. But the rest was spot on 👍

On the nose, guys!! Now, send it out to everyone! 🤣 The intro was perfect too: Denmark? so you're learning to speak Dutch? or... Denmark? is that the capital of Sweden?? 😖 Made me smile, thanks 😊 hello from Hundested 🌸 🌱

DSB is not private, in 2019 there were 832.000 people working in the public sector. Cheers for video.

Hey really loving your guys content. As a Dane living in Canada. You guys make me miss home. I even learned something, i did not realize that the minimum wage was union based.. here i was saying that it was government aswell. Anyways i wanted to address the homogenous society idea, yes its true Denmark has a 12.5% immigration population but of the 88% a very big chunk of that is ethnic Danes who subscribe to Danish culture. So the sense of pride for helping the system, and being Danish is very broad. Anyways really happy i found your channel.

A long time ago my mom told me I should have my future kid in Denmark since I love it so much (I'm not sure if she was being rude or not), so glad I know birth tourism doesn't work there

Hey there. Thanks for an enlightening video. One question about tax - Could it be people think of the effective tax rate of the tax of your wage + MOMS which is a tax you pay on *every* penny spent, whether it's the mechanic, the bakery, medicine or getting work done on your house? I pay effectively 32% tax on my wage, but also 20% MOMS which would amount to 52% tax

Great video! Up next: "things Danish people get wrong about people from the US"? ;-)

Can you talk about how retirement works in Denmark? Also, when I visit, what are the chances I could meet with you two? I am looking to move in about 18 months.

I couldn’t agree with you more! I spent 30 years in Asia and am currently living in Italy. I only go back to the States for funerals. I plan to return to Thailand, where I lived for 15 years, at the end of 2024. Denmark has never been on my radar, but I love hearing about your life in Denmark. Was only there as a tourist long before you guys were born! 😂 Oh, BTW, I’m a retired woman, so cost of living matters. ❤❤❤

I dont know if you did it...but pls consider making a video about the JANTE law...it is very very interesting...it would require some research...as a Dane I know its implications..and it would be imensly interesting to hear your take on this very important issue...thanks for great videos...I was american married lived in your country for 14 years...kudos

A lot of US lefties, politicians included, claim to be fond of "democratic socialism" lately, but few know or can explain the difference between socialism, democratic socialism, and social democracy. I also get very annoyed when I say something about Denmark and (even presumably very educated) people will say, "Oh, I've been to Amsterdam." The "homogeneous" excuse Americans use is basically saying we can't have nice things, because racism.

THANK YOU !!! I Really Like your Channel MORE AND MORE !!! - It's SOOO difficult as a Dane to convince Americans that those wrong ideas they have about how things works in Denmark ARE ACTUALLY WRONG !!! Some times it seams like Americans have been Brainwashed with those ideas. And when you try to tell them how things actually work - they refuse to believe you. Very irritating !!! I lived in North America for 7 years. And when ever the conversation was about Denmark - apparently those Americans knew much better than I - A DANE how Denmark works ! So I'm finding myself feeling a tremendous relief and also a satisfaction to hear two Americans actually explaining those exact things that I've tried to explain over and over !!! A Question for you Mike & Derik; I do not understand why all those people, in all of those conversations did not believe me when I explained how things actually works here ??? I actually used Google to show a lot of people about our political system and actually everything else to. I obviously needed to prove my words. And even so - most Americans remained suspicious about what I told them. So once again; THANK YOU !!! I think that Americans are more likely to believe other Americans that's actually living in Denmark !!! Also - I Love that you are actually doing a lot of research along the way too !!! Warmly & Kindly Anja - a Danish Lady

4:52 i hope they will get that passport, there are some really unlucky cases where people get send ''home'' to their country even tho they have never been outside Denmark

Great vid, learned quite a bit. Two comments: 1) Actually, Denmark was much more homogenous when the welfare state was established, and over the time the immigrant population has been growing, there have been cutbacks. I don't think those have to be linked, but sometimes they are in voters' minds, including in DK. 2) One of the best things about things like the daycare system is that there is much less class division in DK, because wealthy, middle-class and poor kids meet each other in day care, school, etc. Of course, neighbourhoods mean there's separation, but not as much as in the US or UK.

i love you vidos :)

I applaud your attempt to replace myths and misperceptions with facts...as a dane i would like to add that our taxes in many areas are spent to redistribute wealth and opportinities, in order to provide reasonably good and standardized healthcare, daycare, retirement and education to everybody...so our economic system is capitalism and socialism at the same time...or as danes are familiar with it.. a socialdemocratic welfare-system

As a Dane I just love to watch your videos, 👍🏼😊

Omg thet is a Good video I love it

Haha i was a danish foreign exchange student in Minnesota and this is so accurate. “Oh Denmark! That’s super socialist huh” “Oh Denmark, that must be in Amsterdam right” 🤣

Thank you for the video❤️ I just wanted to mention, that if you don’t have a lot of money, your child the childcare is free❤️

I am 100% Danish! A Copenhagener! I just LOVE you guys and your deep and qualified insight!!🙂🙂. You're right on all points! And one thing: if we should ever meet please do NOT great me by asking "How are you"!!🤣🤣. That way of greeting is just ridiculous!🥰🥰

thx for cool video boys you ar great at it love watshing you and i like to having you living in denemark

Thank you for your videos. They are always so insightful. It puzzles me how bad the narrative in the US is about us and our tax system meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor poorer in the US. How can that be so difficult to explain?

@Robe trotting. Very interesting. So how does american companies _actually_ fire an employee?

Love the københavn t-shirt

My cousin and her family lived and worked in Texas for a few years and one of their daughters were born there. Now they are back in Dragør and have an American living with them.

We do that stuff with "dreamers" here in the US. Strikingly similar.

You guys are great nice to hear some nice non rah rah Americans for a change !

What we also hate to hear as a rumor, we are not Swedish 😠😠. Great information guys 😋😋

We have what is sometimes referred to as hidden taxes. When looking at what we pay in total, you also have to factor olin our extremely high VAT, as well as taxes paid on water and power. Then there's the taxes associated with our privately owned homes and our cars. It all adds up.

At the world badminton championships in Copenhagen in May 1999, one of the Mexican players had brought skis, so he could go skiing, when he had been knocked out of the tournament.

One of our friends is a tourist guide here and has shown a lot of Americans around. They frequently ask how we deal with the Viking problem, or if they can go to a reservation and see some Vikings. Faced with that question he just points at him self and moves on...

U R Awesome.

as a Dane, this is so relatable. Especially about Denmark being a socialist country and the one about everything being free. You can't even imagine how many non-danish people i talk to, that think that and not just americans, but people of all different nationalities. lol. You hit the nail right on the head with this one.

Regarding daycare, actually, if you make less than a certain amount of money you can apply for "friplads" then it's completely free of charge.

I love your videos! I dont get how someone that wasnt born in Denmark knows more about it than a dane😁

You may just have surpassed yourself. I've tried to tell US friends and others, exactly what you managed doing tonight (for YEARS). Thank you for that !! You know I'm sharing you on my FB !! Yeah! You hit it right on the nose. !! Most of us totally HATE being called "Socialist" 😒! It's a good way to piss off most Danes (and other Europeans). Europe is - as you indicated - based on a free market economy! We're Capitalists, with a Human soul, as most of us see it 😊. (Side note! And I think this is funny! The color for “Socialism/Communism/liberal style parties” in the rest of the World is “RED”. Right winged parties usually are “Blue” 🤣 ) !! You get it 😁! Where the US has 10+ choices of Cornflakes, but only two parties to choose from, DK (and others) may only have three choices of Cornflakes, but 10+ parties to choose from, to run a country. As you guys know, we usually end up with a coalition government. They have to work together, if they each want some of there stuff done. We mostly compromise and get shit done 😊 ! We're not perfect by any means, but we also don't claim to be. And most of us don't believe in a concept of ”The Best country in the World” type thing!! That view is based on ones personal perspective ! But until you've traveled and been to other places (like you guys), how can you possibly know? Good show guys 👍😀👍

I dont know if it is still true but when i lived and worked in Denmark back in 1981 my home that i owned in the US was taxed. It was more of a wealth tax.

Great vid guys! It sometimes feel likes Americans think socialism = communisn = Russia .... so they see it as inherently evil in some way.

If you ever win in lotto or gambling you don't have to pay any tax of that winnings, unlike in the US where you have to pay 24% of any winnings