From Walt's "You couldn't make this stuff up" file.... Gender ideology has brought Stockholm traffic to a standstill following a serious "snow event" -- we used to call it a "snowstorm" or a "blizzard" -- a few days ago.
The Swedes, as we all know, are a bunch of snowflakes -- very progressive, very feminist, very politically correct. Gender equality is a big deal in Sweden. So, according to Green Party politicians, it was unfair on women that the "old way" of clearing snow from major roads in central areas favoured men, who are more likely to work in the city and get there by car. Instead, they said, plows should give priority to clearing sidewalks and cycle paths, because women walk and bike more than men. The focus, they said, should be on areas like kindergartens, which children and parents visit early in the morning. Even if you can't understand Swedish, this video gives you the gist of the liberal ideology.
A “feminist” strategy for clearing the roads of snow in Stockholm ended in failure as the city ground to a halt in recent days.
The new system, devised by the progressive politicians of the Swedish city, tore up tried and tested snowplow routes and diverted the equipment to areas thought to be used more by women. As any conservative could have predicted, other spaces -- like main roads -- were clogged up for longer, and it became impossible to get around. A major snowstorm at the end of last week brought Stockholm to a standstill. Public transport failed, traffic piled up and injuries requiring a hospital visit spiked.
Almost a week later, buses are still struggling to run, and some 1700 public transport passengers are planning to sue. Progressive politicians have gone on the defensive, with the MP who suggested it claiming that the snowplows hadn't executed the "gender-equal" plan properly. As we all know, Swedes don't have a great sense of humour, but despite efforts to defend it, this failure of gender ideology has caused much laughter, albeit through clenched teeth.
No comments:
Post a Comment