The Schweppes launched a campaign for the V-Energy drink with the slogan “Treballa com un suec encara que siguis de l’Hospitalet” (Work like a Swede, even though you are from L’Hospitalet). Apparently this was offensive to people from L’Hospitalet, although I couldn’t find the exact reason. I do have a couple questions:
- Are Swedes considered hardworking? Is this a Spanish idiom that I missed somewhere? (There is an expression “do the Swede”, which means to act dumb… that doesn’t seem to fit.)
- Are people from L’Hospitalet lazy?
- Supposedly this is an ethnic stereotype. If so, what ethnicity?
- Does this have anything to do with Ikea?
Any answers would be appreciated.
3 comments:
I saw that and wondered the same thing. My wife will ask her very Catalan coworker tomorrow. Maybe she'll be able to shed some light on the matter.
I'd put my money on something to do with the large number of immigrants from Andalusia in the 70s.
Yes, Swedes are considered being very hard-working organized and ambitious, I assume this would mean that they insuinate people from L'hospitalet are lazy in comparison.....?
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