Estonian Identity

**AinoMaria** · 06-17-2012, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by Wyn

All your countries' names end in -ia in the English language.

Let's be honest...do you think many Western Europeans consider Estonians to be Western Europeans with them? And what cultural ties would Estonians share with the Scandinavians and Irish?

"scandinavia" ends with "-ia" too :3 :>

**AinoMaria** · 06-17-2012, 03:42 PM

But

"Finland, like Sweden and Norway, is a relatively interventionist welfare 'nanny' state. This means that we have virtually no poverty, but we pay very high taxes and have to put up with many petty restrictions which are 'good' for us but can be a pain in the neck, there are strict laws governing business hours, and cigarettes and automobiles have almost confiscatory taxes on them.

Estonia has constructed a 'leaner, meaner' state : a flat tax rate, more individual freedom to decide how to be successful (or fail), fewer petty restrictions - all alcoholic beverages can be sold around the clock any day of the week - and there is no special tax on cars. The good side is that ambitious people in Estonia have prospered markedly during the past nine years, the down side is that the weak, the less ambitious, those that plan their lives stupidly or impractically (from the standpoint of making money) have fallen by the wayside.

Many Finns expected Estonia to build a Social-Democratic style welfare state, and were surprised and to some degree miffed that Estonia, chose to model itself after America rather than after Finland. The good side of this is that Helsinki and Tallinn, close as they are, have very different atmospheres and are thus quite fascinating for people who know one but not the other, or who are familiar with both.

system is different than one of scandinavians, but im not sure if its different from balts too.