If you're reading about Iceland, and it isn't in Icelandic, it's probably marketing
Here’s how misleading English-language coverage of Iceland tends to be:
A blog publishes a post ostensibly about Christmas traditions but is actually a list of tourist attractions. Not one mention of an actual traditional Icelandic Christmas activity.
This is normal.
Over the past 15 years one consistent fact about English-language writing about Iceland, esp. the ones by Icelanders, is that you literally cannot trust anything they say. It’s all marketing for the bubble du jour.
15 years ago it was bullshit about Iceland as an economic miracle. 10 years ago it was bullshit about Iceland as a political miracle that ‘saved’ us from the crash. (It didn’t.)
Like a codependent relative of a narcissistic abuser, Icelanders always present a facade of Iceland as perfect outwards. This gets especially bad when we profit from the illusion. In the bubble, it was money from suckers. Then it was about re-building its undeserved public image.
Now it’s bullshit about Iceland as this magical fucking wonderland that tourists can ‘ooh’ , ‘aah’, and throw money at at like it’s fucking Disneyworld.
It’s annoying.
What’s more annoying is watching people who should know better, who should have the media literacy to spot advertising and propaganda, buy into the spiel hook, line, and sinker.
Be a little bit more sceptical. Please.
