What began as a joke on social media has snowballed into one of the most talked-about political satire campaigns in Europe this year. More than 200,000 Danish citizens have now signed a viral petition proposing that Denmark buy the U.S. state of California, a tongue-in-cheek response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s past interest in acquiring Greenland.

Under the fictional proposal, Californians would be welcomed into the Kingdom of Denmark with a package of benefits that reads like a parody of Nordic governance. The petition promises “rule of law, universal health care, and fact-based politics” as immediate perks of Danish administration.

To underscore the absurdity, the organizers also pledge a lifetime supply of Danish pastries for all 39 million residents of the state. The petition’s website jokingly notes that while Denmark cannot solve every problem, “we are very confident about pastries.”

The satirical plan goes further, outlining a full cultural “Denmarkification” of the West Coast. Los Angeles would be rechristened “Løs Ångeles,” while Danish-style cycling infrastructure would spread across cities more famous for traffic jams than bicycles.

Even California’s most iconic institutions are not spared. Disneyland would be rebranded as “Hans Christian Andersenland,” a nod to Denmark’s most famous storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen. The petition cheerfully asks readers to imagine fairy tales replacing cartoon mascots, and even suggests that Viking helmets might become standard park attire.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    California is one of the few states (most) Americans would not want to give up.

    How about some of the Deep South?

      • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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        2 days ago

        I guess Alabama would be really expensive for us to pay you to take. Maybe Florida?

        Alabama residents receive over $60 billion from the federal government—23% of all personal income.

        These payments, known as transfer payments, include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veteran’s benefits, unemployment, Pell Grants, and others.* The report explains how an aging population and shrinking economic opportunities have shifted many communities into reliance on these transfer payments.

        To put the $60 billion in perspective, Alabama’s four automakers generate $6.4 billion in total compensation, according to a report from Autos Drive America and the American International Automobile Dealers Association, as reported by al.com. That’s about one-tenth of the amount received from federal transfer payments.

        In other words, a 10% reduction in these payments would have a similar economic effect on personal income as shuttering Alabama’s entire auto industry.

        https://parcalabama.org/alabamas-60-billion-question/

      • rumba@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        hmm, Give me a bit to open up a crowdsource campaign. We could stand to lose some red in the map :)

    • Jesus_666@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      How about a trade? I mean, Trump really wants Greenland. That’s about 2.2 million square kilometers.

      Texas is about 0.7 million square kilometers. California is 0.4. New Mexico 0.3. Arizona is 0.3. That makes 1.7 million square kilometers.

      So how about they swap? The USA get Greenland, Denmark gets all of the states adjoining Mexico. That swap is super favorable to the Americans (2.2 > 1.7, after all) and the USA even get a nice buffer state between themselves and those Mexican drug cartels they’re so afraid of. There’s literally no downside. Trump would be the greatest landswapper in all of history, if not more. I’m sure Denmark would even give him a Nobel Prize in Economy or two.