Sweden just gave out its phone number to the entire planet

Sweden just gave out its phone number to the entire planet

Where are the Jerky Boys when you need them? According to Engadget, the country of Sweden—yep, the entire country—now has its own direct phone line, which anyone can call any time. Callers will then be connected to a random Swede with whom you can chat about pretty much anything at all, like whether living in a country with free college and one of the lowest homicide rates in the world is even worth it if random assholes are prank calling you all the time.

Although the scrawling of an entire country’s contact information on the global bathroom wall might sound like a revenge scheme cooked up by a bitter Denmark, it’s actually the work of the Swedish Tourist Association. Apparently, the national party line was set up to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Sweden’s abolishment of censorship, the logic there being that the ability to express oneself freely without government intervention is the same as being able to harass private citizens when you’re high and/or bored.

All that being said, Sweden’s phone number is +46 771 793 336, and The A.V. Club will be calling Swedish citizens live on Periscope and asking them their favorite ABBA song starting at 1:30 PM CT, if you’d like to join us.

 
Join the discussion...