Knocking my head against the wall - The unrest on Sweden

For the past few days there have been serious riots in Sweden's capital Stockholm in neighborhoods where much of the inhabitants are immigrants. The riots have been bad and there has been much unrest. People are very uneasy over this and it is a cause of concern. The riots are believed to be partly a rise against and objecting the increasing gap between the rich and the poor and lack of proper education and vocational possibilities for Swedish immigrants, particularly those of Middle-Eastern and African origin. These events have led to a serious discussion in Sweden about immigration, the changing Swedish identity, how immigrants have assimilated into society and what must change in order for events like this not to occur again.

That is what is going on here. 

The reason I am hitting my head against the wall is because of how the media handles things. 

-US and UK have issued travel warnings. Can I ask why? It is not like the whole of Sweden is in a state of turmoil and the country is still very much a safe place to visit. It is much bigger than its capital Stockholm and it is a safe and beautiful country that offers much to travelers.. 

-NBC news reported that the riots in Sweden very challenging its happy image. Did I miss something? The last time I checked, Sweden was not especially marketed as the happy place. And it is not. Sweden is in many ways a wonderful country but it is not perfect. It has problems just like any other country.

NBC-News 

-And again rises the constant, ever troubling conversation about socialism. Because obviously the roots of the problem lie in the fact that Sweden is a welfare state like all other Nordic countries. Because, taking care of people apparently causes riots. I have been raised in a welfare country my entire life and it is something I firmly believe in. People here are safe and well taken care of if something happens. Living in a welfare country does not mean that people do not work hard or expect everything to be handed to them. It means that the state provides them with necessary services they might need that are paid for both with tax money and by the state. It means a better health system, good public schools, safe environment, people can get all sorts of live-saving benefit payments and they can rest assured in the fact that if something happens they will not be on their own. It means that people take care of each other! I am proud to belong to a part of the world that offers this and pay my taxes gladly because I know it benefits me and those around me. It is a strong part of the culture of every Scandinavian country to work hard and do your job and help others. Scandinavia has some of the highest standards of living in the world and its welfare society is amazing.  It is one the best places to live.
-And of course the conversation about Muslim immigration always rears its ugly head at times like this. People actually blame the riots on Muslims and I read countless comments stating that if only the Muslims hadn't been allowed to emigrate then we wouldn't be facing this problem. The last time I checked, white and Christian Scandinavian had no trouble attacking each other and causing ruckus. Breivik is a clear example of that. Muslim immigration has to the largest extent been peaceful and most people have integrated successfully. The presence of Muslims here has added much to the culture and its depth and made society more colorful. It has been pretty much nothing but a good thing. There are many Muslims living where I live and I can safely say that not once has their presence affected my life negatively in any way or been a threat to me. And I know that most other people would say the same. I enjoy the fact that the Scandinavian identity is changing so much, our society and culture are becoming more colorful and that we are able to have successful immigration.

I love Scandinavia. I truly do. But the way we behave sometimes and how we react to events can make me want to scream. There are definite problems we are facing and need to address but it is still a good place, a wonderful place. We will get through it. So I'd appreciate it if the media could calm down and if USA and UK could stop trying to create hysteria. Because it does not help anyone.