The Icelandic travel agency and tourist information company Guide to Iceland has come under fire for a Facebook post which takes aim at Republican frontrunner for the Presidential nomination, Donald Trump.
Making America look stupid
On Monday the company posted a photograph of Mr. Trump along with a message which ripped off Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”. The caption read as a message from the Icelandic nation to Americans: “Dear Americans, Trump #MakesAmericaLookStupid”, signed “Your friends, Icelanders.” The post added that “Fortunately, we know better…”
Fortunately, we know better…
Posted by Guide to Iceland on Monday, February 29, 2016
The Facebook post has received more than 2,000 likes and 1,400 shares, and a long string of positive comments. However, not all commenters are as pleased with the post, claiming it is inappropriate or disrespectful.
Who is stupid?
One American commenter who stresses she is not a Trump supporter blasts the post as hypocritical:
“Some fun facts about Iceland:
The banking collapse in Iceland is the largest suffered by any country in economic history as compared to the country’s size of economy. As a result of two referendums held in 2010 and 2011 Icelanders rejected a proposal to pay 4 billion Euros to the UK and the Netherlands after the collapse of the Icesave bank.
Iceland has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world.
The vast majority of Icelanders believe in elves.
I could go on.
Who is stupid?”
We at Iceland Insider would like to point out that while the 2008 banking crash in Iceland was indeed one of the largest financial crashes in history, and most likely the largest, when compared to the economy, and as such does not reflect positively on Icelanders, the claims that the vast majority of Icelanders believe in elves and that Iceland has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world are basically urban myths.
According to data from the World Health Organization Iceland is not even on the top ten list of countries with the highest prevalence of alcohol use disorders, neither among men nor women.
The issue of elves is somewhat more complex. While numerous surveys have shown that a majority of Icelanders (as many as 62%) claim to either believe in elves or hidden people, or at least refuse to reject the possibility of their existence, for many this belief is more tongue in cheek than literal. Experts who have studied the issue believe the actual percentage of Icelanders who believe in the actual existance of real mythical beings who live in rocks or lava fields is significantly smaller.
Read more: An American in Reykjavík: Do Icelander's actually believe in Elves or is the joke on us?
Furthermore, it also goes without saying that it is unfair to generalize about a whole nation based on the beliefs or political leanings of some of its members.
The Icelandic travel agency and tourist information company Guide to Iceland has come under fire for a Facebook post which takes aim at Republican frontrunner for the Presidential nomination, Donald Trump.
Making America look stupid
On Monday the company posted a photograph of Mr. Trump along with a message which ripped off Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”. The caption read as a message from the Icelandic nation to Americans: “Dear Americans, Trump #MakesAmericaLookStupid”, signed “Your friends, Icelanders.” The post added that “Fortunately, we know better…”
Fortunately, we know better…
Posted by Guide to Iceland on Monday, February 29, 2016
The Facebook post has received more than 2,000 likes and 1,400 shares, and a long string of positive comments. However, not all commenters are as pleased with the post, claiming it is inappropriate or disrespectful.
Who is stupid?
One American commenter who stresses she is not a Trump supporter blasts the post as hypocritical:
“Some fun facts about Iceland:
The banking collapse in Iceland is the largest suffered by any country in economic history as compared to the country’s size of economy. As a result of two referendums held in 2010 and 2011 Icelanders rejected a proposal to pay 4 billion Euros to the UK and the Netherlands after the collapse of the Icesave bank.
Iceland has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world.
The vast majority of Icelanders believe in elves.
I could go on.
Who is stupid?”
We at Iceland Insider would like to point out that while the 2008 banking crash in Iceland was indeed one of the largest financial crashes in history, and most likely the largest, when compared to the economy, and as such does not reflect positively on Icelanders, the claims that the vast majority of Icelanders believe in elves and that Iceland has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world are basically urban myths.
According to data from the World Health Organization Iceland is not even on the top ten list of countries with the highest prevalence of alcohol use disorders, neither among men nor women.
The issue of elves is somewhat more complex. While numerous surveys have shown that a majority of Icelanders (as many as 62%) claim to either believe in elves or hidden people, or at least refuse to reject the possibility of their existence, for many this belief is more tongue in cheek than literal. Experts who have studied the issue believe the actual percentage of Icelanders who believe in the actual existance of real mythical beings who live in rocks or lava fields is significantly smaller.
Read more: An American in Reykjavík: Do Icelander's actually believe in Elves or is the joke on us?
Furthermore, it also goes without saying that it is unfair to generalize about a whole nation based on the beliefs or political leanings of some of its members.
