Social problems and inequality in Iceland

Iceland is a society like everywhere else, and like everywhere else, of course there are problems!

alcohol abuse: definitely a large problem, and by making alcohol very expensive and tightly controlled, I think it kind of makes the problem worse. In many of the lonely villages in the country, there's not much to do (aside from drink and make babies), and if you go downtown in Reykjavík on a weekend night, you'll see some rather awful examples of horrible drunk behaviour. Some of the most appalling abuse of alcohol I've ever seen in my life has been here in Iceland.

drugs: I don't know anyone mixed up in this but it definitely happens because there are reports of drug busts regularly in the paper, as well as people with their own home-grown pot greenhouses every now and then. It's probably harder to smuggle the stuff in since it's a remote island but there are definitely drugs here.

smoking: probably less than the UK since people can't smoke inside for the most part, and the Icelandic weather makes smoking outdoors rather unpleasant.

obesity: I'd say on the average day I don't see many obese people but it's definitely on the rise here. The stark Icelandic diet (root vegetables and boiled fish) that was responsible for the longevity of people here is no longer the way of life. American junk food is quite popular.

wealth disparity: probably less than the UK since we're living in the scandinavian model, but let's not forget those responsible for the huge crash. Many of them are still living large.

absent fathers: ohhyeah. Several friends of mine are single mothers of kids whose fathers have very little interest in participating. There's even a term for the weekend father who only sees his kids occasionally. IT's harder here to be totally absent since it's such a small and close-knit society though. Furthermore, single mothers aren't looked down upon as some kind of lesser person for raising kids on their own. I'm from the US and the perception there is quite different.

abuse of elderly: I can't say I've spent much time focusing on this issue so I can't comment on it. It does seem that as long as one is not living in one of the lonely villages dotting the remote countryside here, it's probably better to be elderly here than in the UK. Family is generally not far, and the swimming pools seem to be an important place for social interaction that keeps people active and prevents total loneliness and isolation.

policing: I wouldn't say heavy-handed policing is a hallmark of Iceland. Police are very present but not heavily armed and scary looking.

as for feeling like I'm in a democratic country, I still can't vote (soon, I hope!). Anecdotally I did like that when the Icesave issue came up to the vote, a brochure was sent to all houses that explained both sides of the debate with info on where to read more if needed. Voter turnout is generally high and compared to my home country they definitely make it much easier to vote. Furthermore, despite what one might think about the current city council, I think it's pretty cool that a guy who decided he had a worthwhile idea was able to establish a new political party and actually get voted into office.

Finally, I'd just like to say that no place in the world is going to be perfect. If you assemble people together in a society there will always be problems, and living in Iceland brings a set of other issues. Unless you marry an Icelander, you'll always be a bit on the outside of this close-knit society. You're living on an island with all the problems that come from that (really expensive if you want to buy things that aren't made here, really expensive if you want to visit family elsewhere), you're living nearly on the Arctic circle surrounded by ocean (very dark winters, very changeable windy weather). And of course, the debate over Icesave and the EU rages on.

OMGooosh! Such a breathtaking post, ECS!!! And the last the paragraph is a headshot lol I'd vote for you if you run into politics )) And you definately have to

Thank you for your forum!
that's a great place! I've been reading it for 2 days straight!

Thank you very much!
P.S. Look forward to post my questions!
P.S.S. Thank you again!

Hey! Your reply was great, lots of information about the outsider thing though: how bad is that? I would love to live in Iceland someday, but I'm am American (like you, apparently,haha) . So how bad was the discrimination? Were you lonely or excluded? Any information would be great, thanks!