Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is facing a new wave of criticism following the recent circulation of a five-year-old advertisement that many are condemning as a blatant attempt to erase the cultural and ethnic identity of the Scandinavian people.
The nearly three-minute video opens with the question: “What is Scandinavia?” Their answer? “Absolutely nothing. There’s no such thing.”
Following a barrage of criticism, the airline, the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, withdrew the commercial less than 24 hours after its release in 2020 and re-released a shorter version, stating that it was proud of the ad’s message and Scandinavia’s heritage.
The ad, which has been blasted as globalist propaganda, effectively claims that everything that is considered traditionally Scandinavian is actually taken from other cultures.
In an apparent effort to promote immigration and multiculturalism while downplaying Scandinavia’s cultural and ethnic heritage, the airline lists items such as democracy (credited to Greece), windmills (Persia), rye bread (Turkey), smørrebrød (the Netherlands), licorice (China), Midsummer traditions (Germany), Swedish meatballs (Turkey), Danish pastries (Austria), and even the paper clip—commonly associated with Norway—as originally American, portraying them all as foreign imports.
Throughout the video, the narration downplays the uniqueness of Scandinavian culture, suggesting that it is entirely the result of foreign influences, as there is “no such thing” as Scandinavia. A Black man with an African accent later declares, “We are no better than our Viking ancestors.”
The ad continues: “We take everything we like on our trips abroad, adjust it a little bit, and voila. It’s a unique Scandinavian thing.”
The video frames Scandinavia’s cultural melting pot as a strength, stating: “Going out into the world inspires us to think big… Because every time we go beyond our borders, we add colours in our nation.” The message concludes by encouraging viewers to embrace what it calls the “best of everywhere.”
“Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk weighed in on the recently resurfaced video, commenting on the video posted on X: ‘The test is whether you can reject this deadly mind virus before it kills you.'”
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