🧵 11/21
Most of my time in Stockholm was spent in the centre of the city, parts of which seemed very affluent.
Nevertheless, I thought it important to get off the tourist trail and pay a visit to less well off Stockholm; after talking to some Swedes, I decided to go to Rinkeby.
I was only there for a few hours during the day, so my judgements are based on superficial impressions.
As I walked around, it was evident that Rinkeby is a different Sweden from that of the gated waterfront villas at the east of Djurgården. Yet I did not see the signs of urban blight that one might see in a depressed area of the USA : abandoned cars, potholes, endless graffiti, empty buildings, and so on . Lots of seventies low to medium rise apartment blocks, but nothing that appeared horribly substandard . Pretty? No. Prison like?No too!
It's obvious that most of the inhabitants are of African or Middle Eastern heritage, but I did see some European Swedes there too. Oddly enough, Rinkeby was one of the very few places in Stockholm where I caught sight of an election poster for the far right Sweden Democrats.
The budget friendly supermarket Lidl in its underground setting was depressing in the way that Walmart can be in the USA. I did buy a nice bar of hazelnut chocolate there though!
I never felt in the least bit threatened or menaced in Rinkeby. I am a man though, and I was not there at night. Those two factors could well explain how safe I felt in this supposedly crime ridden district.
I need to update my reading on inequalities of wealth and income in Sweden.
#Stockholm #Rinkeby #Sweden #Inequality
