The Queen of Denmark

The Queen and the royal family were present at Christiansborg for a speech on Constitution Day. Denmark was celebrating 100 years of voting for women and other minorities. The Queen and Prime Minister both touched on this anniversary as well as where the country and women's rights are going. The atmosphere in the courtyard was much different than that of a speech by such prominent people would be in the U.S. While there was security, it was very minimal. The police and other protective people for the family were present but in a smaller number than I expected. The country of Denmark displays a lot of affection for their queen and there is less worry about something happening at this type of event. The fact that the people could be so close to the queen and not have to go through extensive measures to do so shows that in Denmark there is a smaller gap between those in power and those that aren't. This smaller power gap aids in the well-being of the Danes. With a smaller power gap, the people can feel more power over their lives and like they aren't ruled unfairly or made to be told what to do by some ruler with to much power. This leads to more happiness and contentment with the power the Danish citizens have, raising their well-being. The low power gap explains happiness according to Hofstede, but Geertz would want a deeper look at how the lower power gap would explain happiness. Using Geertz and his observations of tradition, it can be seen that though the Danes appreciate the lower power gap, it wasn't always like that. After the monarchy became less involved in the politics (they no longer vote in elections) the royalty shows that they do not want to control the Danes. This tradition of keeping less of a stronghold on the people after one incident in which the King tried to assert his power gives the Danes happiness that they have a say in what happens.