The King and the lovechild

[Guest guest]

Today is the National Day of Sweden (our 4th of July, sort of, it's celebrated in honour of the election of Gustav Vasa as king of Sweden in 1523, he was not the first Swedish king, but the election of him signifies an important shift in the Swedish history, long story). This is also the weekend when the anniversary of our city is celebrated (also long story).As part of the celebration of these both events, the King and Queen of Sweden visited our city. and I went to see both the celebration where the King adressed the people etc., and the preceding procession of Classic American cars (as in Chevrolets, Lincolns, Pontiacs, etc, from the 1950's and 1960's, not sure of the term in English) that transported the Royal couple through the city (that was such an original idea that we just had to see it with our own eyes, because cool as those cars are, they are associated more with working class people, the rockabilly crowd especially, and wouldn't normally be the first anyone would think of as transportation to pick up the King and Queen in...).The procession was where we actually got anywehere close to the Royal family. Very close, actually. Right when we got to the street where the procession was to start from, I almost walked right into a really cool, golden, convertible. But I was so focused on the car that had to politely suggest that I lift my eyes just a little bit, before I noticed that seated inside the door I was standing just outside was the King and Queen. Then I was so acutely confused over the correct way of greeting the King when you have just stared at, and almost stroked, the car he's in that I just kind of froze. I think I may have nodded. Barely. Or almost. ;-) I also almost, barely, got a photo of the car, later. Perhaps I'll post that later.Anyway. I did write a piece about the day, that I named "The lovechild" (for reasons you'll notice), hence the choice of subject line. And it hit me that I could translate it for you. Won't be perfect English. But at least a bit of Swedish culture and history. Perhaps. I'll leave out the intro that says pretty much what I've already said above. And I'll add some explanations below the text, too.Anyway, it follows here:"The Love childWe didn't get too close to the stage in the crowded park, that's why we heard more than saw what was happening there. And that was why we couldn't easily identify the speaker who was speaking when we got there, we had missed the introduction of him, and didn't see him very well. And he confused us quite a bit by on the one hand speak in a very definite Stockholm accent, but on the other hand express himself as if he represented this city in some way. Of course you could speak in a Stockholm accent, and still be very much a part of this city, quite a few of our neighbors do, for instance. But, still, to speak in a that very marked Stockholmian is a bit unusual in these southern parts. I jokingly suggested to that the speaker had taken a crash course in Stockholmian, to be able to speak in an accent the King would understand. said: "But wait... Perhaps it IS the king... He does talk like him, doesn't he?" But after a minute or so of straining to hear, she changed that too: 'No, no, he does not talk like the King at all. But if the King and Mr Olof Palme had had a love child, and raised it together, then that love child would talk just like he does. Exactly.'And, yes, I think that's the most accurate description anyone could give of that man's accent, intonation and general manner of speech. He speaks like the love child of the King and Mr Palme.But then it hit me. The love child of the King and Olof Palme, isn't that what the Swedish society was? Not what it is, but what it used to be. This light-and-moderate [lagom]-kind of Royalist society ("Monarchy - but with sense"), but yet a democratic, socialist, Folkhem. I wonder what ever happened to that child. Did it just grow up and move out? Sure, it may not have been a straight A's kind of kid in all respects, there were room for improvements. But wasn't it still a quite promising child in many ways? Before it moved away and stopped returning our calls, I mean."Explanations:Olof Palme: Swedish Prime Minister (Social Democratic), 1969-1976 and 1982-1986. Assassinated in 1986 Folkhem: The word used for the society the Social Democratic Party built in Sweden during the 1900's. Means "A home for the people"Lagom: A very Swedish concept, hard to translate, but means something like just the right amount, not too much, not too little"Monarchy – but with sense": It's a line from a popular Swedish comedy from the 1980's. The line is referring to the Swedish referendum on nuclear power, where, people could not vote only either for continuation of nuclear powerplants in Sweden, or against it, but had a third choice, known as the third line, which was explained as "Nuclear power - but with sense". A sort of both-and, or in-between, alternative. And the third line won. It'e been joked about ever since, that that's what you need to do if you are to win support from the Swedish voters, present them with an in-between, "lagom", alternative. And in this movie, it is applied to the kind of Monarchy Sweden has, where we still have a Royal family, but the political power is in the Parliament. It's that third line we are so fond of here...Love/Reb