Nearly every citizen in this strange little country at the top of Europe has plenty of bread. So, we all know what's the second thing needed to keep them happily calm and inactive - circus!
The Roman emperors knew that. In the days of The Roman Empire it meant gladiators fighting till the end. In Norway today it means arranging the Nordic skiing WC, with athletes fighting till the finishing line (and then a bit in the media later on).
Seen from abroad, the most interesting thing about this event is probably that the world hardly cares. They couldn't care less, actually. There are a few historical events going on in the Middle East at the moment, and, as if that shouldn't be enough, they're probably busy with the cricket WC anyway.
However, seen from here, this event for the local few, let's count Austria, Sweden and Finland among the countries that are even aware of it, is regarded as the main thing in the world during the days it's happening. The fact that a local kid is probably the world's fastest cross country skier totally dominates the news scene, and it would probably take the killing of a Libyan head of state to even compete for news value these days.
And what's even more impressive in these days of watching TV and surfing the internet: in our capital, Oslo, a city of less than 600,000 people, more than 150,000 actually attended the most popular prize ceremony. That's more than 25 percent of the population actually standing out there in the freezing wet snow, watching this guy receiving his umpteenth little gold medal that the rest of the world doesn't even know about.
What was valid for the passive and over-fed citizens of Rome of days long gone, is apparently still valid for the otherwise passive and over-fed citizens of Oslo, or Norway if you will, today. Why am I not surprized?
Hi Frode, good blog, though i don't think it applies to Norway. It definitely applies to anyplace where futbol and cricket are played, and that covers billions of folks. Simply put, these are distractions so that the citizenry will not ask themselves the two most fundamental questions: Is my government fulfilling its obligations? Is my government abusing its power?. The sad fact is that: a) most people don't even know that they have a duty to be asking themselves those questions; b) they know, but they let themselves be distracted anyway - it is much easier (and more pleasant when your team wins). In this respect, the citizens of the North African countries currently in revolt are giving us all a lesson in good citizenship. We would all do well to take another look at the U.S. Declaration of Independence, where it states "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Amen to that. In the case of Norway and the skiing event, I think it is just a desperate attempt by the government and the citizenry (which is why you get 25% turnout in Oslo) to draw attention to this beautiful, but very small country, which is in reality just a quaint afterthought on the world stage, if that: a beautiful place of fjords and Norwegian woods. The place of the Nobel Peace Prize with the Prize committee that apparently has forgotten their mandate. A ridiculously expensive place of 12 dollar Danish beers, pretty uniformly bland or bad cuisine (except for salmon and cod, which are exceptional), and more of a nanny and welfare state than is probably prudent, given the size of the oil and gas reserves. OK. I'd better get back to work, but I like your blog entry. It is the single most important topic that all of us should be thinking about, and you deserve at least one comment.
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