Sunday 24 February 2008

Pic of the day: It is fair to say, indeed, that the primary reason for the complexity of international society is the past. Let me add, it is fair to say that people forget the past when they find it convenient, to the point where they may eventually repeat it.

NGO hypocrisy

This week I passed a poster on my way to work. It was by some international aid organization. It showed a picture of a cute girl, the city name Baghdad, and a short text about how the girl hoped she could play in the street again. (When the summer comes, children play in the streets of Baghdad yet again, but we don't know this yet. If we did, they would definitely have chosen another angle.)

Because, you know, everything was just peachy under president Hussein. Oh, I am sure it was, as long as your father was never the first to stop applauding for the Great Leader, and frequently and loudly declared his support for the local arm of the Baaaaht party (OK, I spelled that wrong, but not by much). If, however, your dad was not cozy with the party, he might suddenly disappear one night and nobody would ask where he had gone. Because if you ask dumb question, you disappear next. But as long as you ran with the right crowd, your kids could play just fine. And then came the eeevil Americans and destroyed it all. Sob, sob.

I would not have said anything if this poster was seen in America. (Remember, I warned against this war before it even began.) But it was in Norway.

***

Back in 1940 – April 9, more exactly – Norway was invaded by Nazi Germany. We (or rather our parents and grandparents) were taken by surprise. Norway had next to no army and not much of a navy either. Our country had always been neutral ever since its independence in 1905, and we had no quarrel with Germany. The fight was over before all the troops were even mobilized, what little there was. We were "protected" by Germany for the next five years.

The German soldiers were actually amazingly civilized by any historical standard. Nazi ideology considered the Nordic race superior in every way, and the soldiers were impressed and fascinated by the tall, blond people they were sent to protect. The local Nazis were really more vicious than their imported allies. Still, it wasn't a good time by any means – except nutritionally, as the chronic lack of fat delayed heart attacks in the Norwegian populace by five years. But hardly worth an enslavement.

The USA did not join World War 2 on the allied side until Japan forced their hand by attacking the fleet in Pearl Harbor. But when they did join, they made a big difference. While American soldiers did not actually liberate Norway from the Nazis by fighting on Norwegian soil (except a couple allied raids), they were still instrumental in overthrowing Hitler and giving our country our independence back. Until recently at least we have been grateful for this.

During the racist dictatorship, there were surely many Norwegian girls who played happily under the watchful eye of the ever helpful Hitlerjugend (or at least their Norwegian equivalent, Ungdomshirden.) I have not heard of any Norwegian who thought we should have continued that way though.

I do not think this organization would have the courage to draw that conclusion, that Europe should have been left in the shadow of the swastika as long as there were some children who could play in the streets – even if other children were orphaned and worse. But it is all OK as long as you can blame the Americans. Or the Jews.