I’m guessing you were born white and wealthy in the USA?
I enjoyed his take but I got the sense he is upper-middle class if he can afford to travel and have kids too. Plus he's an Xer and was in a job that beat the economic slumps of 2000 and beyond...
You guys are spot on with Gen-X reference but only half right. I grew up broke all the time (1970-80s) but it was that era where if you went to college (and graduated) and got a good job, you were good to go. Even with college loans, you just paid them off. Buying a house was hard for most Gen-Xers but not impossible (like it is now).
Today it is a lot harder. Even with a college degree it is a huge challenge to "start" your life like a real grown up. Your temp gig is tenuous, you can't get the $100,000 needed for a down payment on a house, and your relationships are more ambiguous.
One thing I would say is that it isn't "your fault" for wasting money on hipster tattoos, avocado toasts, and Post Malone concert tickets. The reason young people live such (to us) pointless lives is because the meaningful things are too damn expensive.
If a 23 year old could trust that their job was stable and if the housing market was normal (a house used to cost 3x the average annual salary, not 10x), then more of your generation would be able to get married, have a family, and live in your own home.
But you were correct that Gen-X was sort of a sweet spot in human history
It was after the Cold War ended, during the first tech-boom (we got the internet!), and a bachelors degree was all you needed to get a good job!
But it was before 9/11, the rise of Russia & China, out-of-control capital/housing markets, and smart phone insanity.
But to get back to the show... the second episode was better and much more about running. It also mentioned Gjert and his indictment by the Norwegian police. But that issue is still be avoided.
If you didn't already know the family, you would not know what is going on. That is why this show is in Norwegian (with subtitles) and not dubbed for a wider audience. There is no such thing as an American audience for this. It is for Norwegians (who know the family) and track nerds like myself who know all the details.
We should probably keep that in mind when we start posting to Rotten Tomatoes. :)
I enjoyed his take but I got the sense he is upper-middle class if he can afford to travel and have kids too. Plus he's an Xer and was in a job that beat the economic slumps of 2000 and beyond...
You guys are spot on with Gen-X reference but only half right. I grew up broke all the time (1970-80s) but it was that era where if you went to college (and graduated) and got a good job, you were good to go. Even with college loans, you just paid them off. Buying a house was hard for most Gen-Xers but not impossible (like it is now).
Today it is a lot harder. Even with a college degree it is a huge challenge to "start" your life like a real grown up. Your temp gig is tenuous, you can't get the $100,000 needed for a down payment on a house, and your relationships are more ambiguous.
One thing I would say is that it isn't "your fault" for wasting money on hipster tattoos, avocado toasts, and Post Malone concert tickets. The reason young people live such (to us) pointless lives is because the meaningful things are too damn expensive.
If a 23 year old could trust that their job was stable and if the housing market was normal (a house used to cost 3x the average annual salary, not 10x), then more of your generation would be able to get married, have a family, and live in your own home.
But you were correct that Gen-X was sort of a sweet spot in human history
It was after the Cold War ended, during the first tech-boom (we got the internet!), and a bachelors degree was all you needed to get a good job!
But it was before 9/11, the rise of Russia & China, out-of-control capital/housing markets, and smart phone insanity.
Also, seeing boomers brag on FB (even unintentionally) about being retirement and posting vaca pics all the time makes it worse. I'm a Millennial and this is very true. Graduated college in 2006 and then the economy fell apart. My industry was dying and I timed it wrong.
Many are on social trying to get famous because it's the fastest path to security/connections/retirement other than a 9 to 5. Nailing the ability to go viral (like Hawk Tuah girl) sets you up for life. This is obvious, of course, but many are just praying for time to go fast and get to retirement.
Xers have their own challenges BUT most of them have kids already in college and/or are in leadership positions in big companies. Millennials are middle managers at this point.
What could go wrong with getting married at 22/23?
I don't know, you could end up spending the next 77 years together, with four of them in the White House.
And then spend the rest of your life "lusting for other women" And "committing adultery in [one's] heart/ mind".
HIS words.
Look, of course there can be pros and cons to getting married at any age. But let's not pretend there are not some potential risks when getting married quite young.
He's a athlete. What do you expect? For him, it's absolutely critical to be able to train then.
I expect him to be a supportive husband and involved father. He appears to be neither.
Why do you expect him to be anything? Is he married to you, or to your close family member (sister)? He is what he is, and if you dislike the role he is presenting, well, don´t watch the next episode. It´s a show for F sake!
The show must present some controversy, otherwise it would be a total snooze fest. He can be a caring father, or not at all. It´s between Jakob and his wife. Just like she stated post factum.
I will jump in on this one. Though to be fair, I have only watched the first episode...
2) Jakob really does whine about helping to unload the IKEA wardrobe and goes on and on about it. It seems like he is really unsupportive and disinterested. But here's the key, he knows he is on camera and it is sort of the role of "exhausted pro-athlete" and "man" as he says "do we really need this many outfits for a baby?" That is kind of what they would tell him to say if they were writing a script for a "dad" character.
Sounds like one of those HGTV real estate shows where couples decide which option to choose, and there's a faux hammed up argument going on.
Yeah, so far after the 1st episode I would say the show is a snoozefest. Does anyone really care about the revival of Filip and Henrik's career at this point? I feel like for anyone who has watched Team Ingebrigtsen, we've already been there done that.
And yes, the whole Ikea furniture scene, I think it was scripted and very loosely based on reality. Elisabeth knows what she got herself into with Jakob, they've been together a long time and if setting up furniture becomes an issue, they have the resources to pay someone to take care of it.
I agree with your first paragraph. Since the scripted/acting hypothesis with the furniture scene keeps coming up, let me ask this. Aren’t people usually on their best behaviour when the cameras are rolling? One of the criticisms with the first family show was people thought it made Gjert look better than he really is because he was trying to make himself look good.
If Jakob behaves that badly ON camera, imagine how awful he is OFF camera.
Big apartment building on 72nd Street in NYC - right off of Central Park. Only a block or two from the finish of the NYC marathon. Ive run or biked past it hundreds of times and never noticed the name until now.
I ran my first marathon at age 21. I graduated from college and got married at age 22. Started graduate school at 23 and was hired into my current job at 25. That was all in the mid-90s.
Still love to run, still love the wife, still love the job. It hasn't been 30 years yet, but so far, so good!
Are you well adjusted? I ask you, are you well adjusted? If so, I knew people like you. I never understood people like you. I never even believed it. But if so, you didn’t have the ability to do what some of us could do, because we weren’t well adjusted. Tell me you were not well adjusted.
Doesn’t matter that you never understood people like him. Because no one gives a rats asss about your opinion. You are a nobody.
Yeah, so far after the 1st episode I would say the show is a snoozefest. Does anyone really care about the revival of Filip and Henrik's career at this point? I feel like for anyone who has watched Team Ingebrigtsen, we've already been there done that.
And yes, the whole Ikea furniture scene, I think it was scripted and very loosely based on reality. Elisabeth knows what she got herself into with Jakob, they've been together a long time and if setting up furniture becomes an issue, they have the resources to pay someone to take care of it.
I agree with your first paragraph. Since the scripted/acting hypothesis with the furniture scene keeps coming up, let me ask this. Aren’t people usually on their best behaviour when the cameras are rolling? One of the criticisms with the first family show was people thought it made Gjert look better than he really is because he was trying to make himself look good.
If Jakob behaves that badly ON camera, imagine how awful he is OFF camera.
Sure, I think Jakob is most likely lazy when it comes to household chores like that and I think they both wanted to show this in the first episode. Jakob is singularly focused on one thing, being the best runner he can possibly be. They both knew this way before they got married and I don't think this is necessarily an indictment on their marriage.
But he ends up building the Ikea thing anyways. He's willing to compromise, he's just a childish b!tch about it. The attitude is totally unncecessary and inflicts needless less stress on himself, his wife and his marriage.
It's not the biggest deal in the world, Elisabeth knew what she was getting into, Jakob ended up helping out, etc. But he comes across in the show the same way he comes across in every public appearance: whiny, self-centered, and entitled.
The baby will probably be fine because they have money and a close-knit extended family, but it's really hard to imagine Jakob being a supportive or present father. I wish Elisabeth the best.
But he ends up building the Ikea thing anyways. He's willing to compromise, he's just a childish b!tch about it. The attitude is totally unncecessary and inflicts needless less stress on himself, his wife and his marriage.
Yes! Which is like par for the course of a lot of us husbands out there (until we learn better). :)
It is the classic debate about buying stuff:
Jakob (most dads): Why did you buy a green jacket for the baby? We have an identical blue one.
Elisabeth (most moms): Because we didn't have a green one. It is so cute!
Question: Do you let it go or do you try to explain why your kid doesn't need two identical jackets? Does your wife try to explain why blue and green aren't "identical."
I’m kinda amazed there is much controversy over this. Jakob ended up helping her with the wardrobe and he complains about all the clothes etc. but ultimately obviously is fine with it. It feels like a more unfiltered and real relationship. People realize what is on TV or social media is almost always fake as hell?
As she says she stands up for himself and is unafraid to call him out and to tell him to stop being a clown. In this instance, she tells him he won’t pay for someone to set up the IKEA and then he realizes he’s in the wrong. It comes through pretty clearly on the show, he says/does things and then will make amends if his big mouth/selfishness gets him in trouble. He is a somewhat self-centered guy as a driven pro athlete, but she knew this and values his loyalty and other aspects of him.
In the video, you can see that Jakob doesn't want to help pregnant Elisabeth pick up the wardrobe and is annoyed that they "don't have people to do it for them".... "I can stand up for myself just fine. To those who say they had never accepted it; I don't either. He gets a nice message when he doesn't behave."
If he doesn’t BEHAVE?????
Talk about double standard. Imagine if Jakob said that about his wife…
In the video, you can see that Jakob doesn't want to help pregnant Elisabeth pick up the wardrobe and is annoyed that they "don't have people to do it for them".... "I can stand up for myself just fine. To those who say they had never accepted it; I don't either. He gets a nice message when he doesn't behave."
If he doesn’t BEHAVE?????
Talk about double standard. Imagine if Jakob said that about his wife…
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