The Netherlands are not part of Scandinavia.

Right you are. There is so much cultural cross-over that I forget that sometimes.

You know what happened to most of the people throughout the history of Northern Europe who weren't good at planning ahead by building great shelters and collecting food for long, cold winters?

They didn't contribute very much to the genetic and cultural pool that exists in those areas today.

It is a European thing actually. Sometimes it seems labor rights are perceived as socialism by Americans.