I’m sorry I haven’t blogged before today. I feel like I had a duty to post something very soon after the terrible events of Friday in Oslo, because, well, this is my blog about my life in Norway, and what happened on Friday was massive for me and for everyone living in this country. But, honestly, I didn’t have the words. I was at a complete loss to come up with anything that could articulately convey my shock and my sadness that such a horrible thing could happen in this beautiful, peaceful country I now call home. I’m still at a loss, actually, but I wanted to reassure everyone who looks in on me here that Husband and I are fine, and to say that I think I need a little more time to digest all of this.
A few quick points:
Husband and I watched a program on TV2 tonight in which a survivor of the massacre on Utøya, a young woman from southern Norway, was interviewed about her experience. She talked and talked and talked. It was like she couldn’t stop talking. And when she did, her face sort of slid into a blank expression that absolutely broke my heart. It’s so obvious that she is totally traumatized, and I imagine most of the children and young people who lived through that brutal evening are feeling much the same way. It’s really inconceivable to me how they will heal, even though I believe they will.
The same program featured an interview with a man whose son was murdered on the island. Again, devastatingly heartbreaking.
Before I saw that program tonight, I halfway thought my extreme sadness was turning into anger, which is the usual way I deal with this kind of overwhelming emotion. But, no, not yet. I must be getting soft in my middle age, but all I can think about are the people who lost the most precious people in their world. I wake up at night thinking of them.
I do get angry when I read accounts in the foreign press, including The New York Times and FOX “News,” that are already assigning blame---to the Norwegian police, to the Norwegian security services, to the Muslims who (apparently dare to) live in Norway. The NYT keeps calling those who attended the youth camp on Utøya “the liberal elite” of Norway. What does that mean? The children and young people on Utøya were there because they’re passionate about their communities, their society, and their country, and they show their passion by involving themselves in the democratic process of political organizing. They came from all over Norway, not only Oslo, and many of them were otherwise ordinary kids. Referring to them as “liberal elites” proves to me that NYT is quite ignorant of Norwegian society and makes me suspicious of their coverage of any international news.
And did the American commentator, Glenn Beck, really compare the shooting victims to “Hitler youth?” Why is he popular? Who listens to him? Please stop listening to him and maybe he will go away.
Thank goodness we have our Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, as a tonic to the madness surrounding us. His presence has been like a rock to which every Norwegian can anchor his/herself in this incredible turmoil. Since Friday evening, he has been there, on our screens and on our radios, relaying information and reassuring us that all has not, indeed, descended into chaos. His dignity, his humanity, his compassion, and, most of all, his insistence that Norway will remain an open and democratic society actually helped me get through the first few days of this crisis. I cannot begin to express my admiration and my respect for this man. This man who has been attending the Labor Party-affiliated youth camp on Utøya for over 30 years, since he was a leader of the youth organization himself. He knew so many of the people who were killed. His suffering was palpable in his speeches, but he never allowed it to spill over into anything but a consistent call for Norway to remain the country we all love, with its values and laws intact. He is a true leader.
Husband and I attended a memorial march through Sandefjord Monday evening, along with several thousand other people. It was a way for our community to join together and show how sad we are but also determined to show that our beliefs will never be changed by a monster with a gun.
It will be interesting to see how Norway moves forward in the months and years ahead. Yes, probably the police will make some changes in how they do their job---maybe arming themselves, I don’t know---and there might be more security around government officials and their offices, but I have faith that its core values, as outlined by the Prime Minister the day after the attacks---an open, free, and democratic society---will remain intact. This is a bright spot in a very dark moment in time.
13 comments:
Hi Michele, first, thank you so much for showing Andrea such a lovely time in your beautiful chosen country. Please let me say that the American nor any other oress or citizens should be critisizing Norway for this horrible horrible incident. Madness exists everywhere (need I remind everyone about the Oklahoma bombing - also domestic madness or the massacre of women at the engineering school in Montreal). The people who do these things are not in their right mind. It has nothing to do with immigration or anything else except the sad state of societies ability to deal with mental illness. Our hearts are with you. Phyllis Mueller
Michele,
Thanks for posting as I know it can't have been easy. You've made some great points about the NYT coverage of the events on Utoya - they really don't know Norway if they use phrases like liberal elite in this context. Totally agree too about yummy Jens - not just a handsome face but a true leader, earnest and full of integrity. Loved the out-take of him on the BBC where he was expressing concerns over his English before the interview - so humble, and polite as well. The rest of the world (in particular the UK and Ireland) must have watched him with envy as their own politicians pale in comparison. Norway is very much on my mind - and will continue to be, even after the headlines fade. Keep posting :)
A truly horrific act of terrorism. Incredible to think that one man could be capable of such a massacre and responsible for such catastrophic damage.
I agree Michele, the police, government, health authorities and courts are doing a remarkably good job so far. I so agree about Stoltenberg.
I hope Norwegians completely reject what ever twisted impressions the terrorist has of Norwegian society and embrace a much more welcoming, accepting and tolerant society. I hope many young people step up to fill the shoes of the brave AUF kids who have been murdered. Maybe more young people take an interest in politics?
It will be interesting to see how the upcoming elections are affected...will the Arbeider Party receive more support and the FRP less?
I really hope the entire extreme right wing movement in Europe and N America is significantly weakened as previously more neutral observers and casual supporters reject that hatred. And I hope Brievik's identity as a Christian makes Christians think of the shame inflicted on many Muslims who have been identified with terrorists. I am sure the vast majority of Muslims and Christians want nothing to do with these lunatics.
The way the American press has been handling this is just terrible. But then, I have to remind myself they know nearly nothing about Norway except it's a) Scandinavian, b) in Europe and c) Oslo is where they award the Nobel Peace Prize. I think they would be better off using articles written by Norwegians, who can better explain organizations like the political youth organizations, WHERE on the map Utoeya is so they understand the distance it takes to get a tactical team from an urban area to the island, and now how court proceedings work.
Lovely post, Michele!
Takk for et fint innlegg. Apropos amerikansk media:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/393042/july-25-2011/norwegian-muslish-gunman-s-islam-esque-atrocity?redirect=true
On the spot!
I haven't had the words to post yet, either. Nothing can express or explain or elaborate on what's been said already. But you did a nice job. Jens has been a rock, so steady and solid. I've been very impressed.
I echo so many of your thoughts, word for word. What a devastating thing for this country, but I'm continually impressed with how Norwegians have dealt with the situation. I attended the memorial here in Bergen, a truly moving site. I hope that nothing will change - Norwegians are just remarkable people.
Hi Phyllis. Thank you for your thoughts, your support, and your very sensible comment. I do remember that shooting of the female students in Montreal---that was horrible. I guess atrocities like these are a fact of human existence now. Sigh. On a lighter note, I was thrilled, absolutely thrilled to spend those five wonderful days with Andrea! We really hit it off, and now I know I have a good new friend in the world. She invited me over to meet you ASAP, by the way, so it's only a matter of time. :-) Take care!
Hi Irish, and thank you so much. The tragedy must be very much on your mind, as it all happened so close to where you used to live. I hope no one you know was involved? Norway is so small, it seems like everyone knows someone who knows someone who was there. I haven't seen the out-take of his BBC interview but really want to! Any idea where I can find it?
Hi Trigve. Interesting comments, totally agree. I also hope this affects the right-wing extremist movement in a very negative way. At the least, we're all on alert for them now; no more under-the-radar for them.
Hi Corinne. I've been so surprised by the ill-informed news coverage I've read in the American press! The British media has done a better job, I think, with the exception of the Murdoch rags. I'm so happy I understand enough Norwegian now that I can just follow the news here. And listen to the PM, of course.
Hi Bente. Too funny! Thank you so much for that link. Stephen Colbert is an American treasure, for sure.
Hi Emily. Thank you for your comment. I know Hamar lost one or two (or more?) of its children; was Lillehammer also affected that way? So terribly sad.
Hi Canadian i Norge and welcome! Thank you for your comment. I, too, am very, very impressed with the way Norwegians have responded to this shocking tragedy. I am awed by their strength and quiet dignity. I wish I was more like that, so this is just one more thing I can learn from this remarkable country.
Bergen is soooo beautiful! When Andrea and I were there, I kept thinking, ooh, maybe we should move here. I really enjoyed it, and I didn't have as much trouble understanding people as I thought I would (and my Norwegian is still pretty bad!).
Thanks:)
A lot of Norwegians I talk to don't like the Bergensk dialect, but I find it quite charming, and as you say, rather easy to understand:)
I didn't read this before I wrote my own blog post on 22 July, so it was interesting to see now that we have a lot of the same sentiments (loss for words, anger at U.S. news and support for Norway). Thankfully I didn't catch the Glenn Beck piece -- I would have been irate. I just don't get that at all. Unless socialism = communism = NAZISM??? But I know I don't need to debate that here with you!
What I found through this tragedy, and what I think you express as well, is a sort of undying support, love and admiration for a country in which I have never (until now?) felt was my own
Thank you for your post.
I'm not surprised that foreign media jumped to the (wrong) conclusion that the terrorist act was made by muslim extremists or people with jihad motives. I was more surprised and frustrated when the norwegian media did the same, though they were slightly more cautious to put their fingers on exact groups. All the speculation during the hours after the bomb went off, just made me turn off the tv and do something else to distract my mind. It served no purpose to hear all the theories by "experts" about who could be responsible for such an attack.
Indeed, we also heard reports about muslims being attacked on the streets in Oslo. Although the attacks weren't many, one time is too many in my opinion. I want to say that there's no excuse for lashing out on other people who aren't even remotely responsible, but I can't help but think that the media's overspeculations and theories are partly to blame for that as well.
All in all, I think the terrorist failed miserably in what he seeked to achieve. Not so strange considering his goals. I personally were really impressed over Jens Stoltenberg, the Royal Family and so many others and how they dealt with this situation. I am, however far more impressed, glad and proud over how all the people living in Norway dealt with this in the aftermath of the bomb and the killings. How we rallied together, how we showed our spirit and determination about proving him wrong and how we answered these hateful actions with love and sorrow. Regardless of faith, regardless of color, regardless of nationality or even national boarders.
It's a bit odd. I was flying over to the US about half a week after it happened. The family I was staying with asked me what I thought about what had happened and I honestly could not answer them. A terrorist killing over 70 people in Norway, most of them youths? No. The words failed me to explain to them exactly how I felt about what occured. I just told them that it was unthinkable. That even days afterwards, I had to pinch my arm to ensure that I wasn't stuck in some nightmare still. One american told me a joke and said, "It was only a joke, I know how you norwegians react". Clearly it was a reference to the terrorist act, but I just looked at him and the first thought that came into my head was, "But the terrorist wasn't norwegian. No way could a real norwegian do that. He denounced his nationality when he even planned this. I won't be associated with him". I only smiled politely, but didn't respond to him.
Change. Alot of people seem to be stuck on this. What will change? To quote John Milton: "Innocence, once lost, can never be regained".
Something will surely change.. how could it not with so many lives lost? I belive it'll be more on a personal level than national changes. It might change the way we think about some things. Maybe we'll be less naïve, or maybe the changes will lead to something good. More political involvement and voting for example. I already saw that the Tea Time organisation, which are trying to eliminate misconceptions that norwegians may have about muslims and build a bridge between muslims and christians in Norway, have recieved increased fundings.
I don't think the airport security is going to be stricter. I don't think you'll see signs showing terrorist threat levels near ferries or tourist attractions. I don't think that police will be armed all the time from now on either. This was the work of a madman and we should keep that in mind. I think that most will remain the same. Maybe they'll make it harder to park cars near the gouvernment buildings in Oslo, maybe the police and army will try and become more efficient at responding to threat scenarious like this. I don't think and I hope that it won't result in increased surveillance of citizens, more distrust or a more closed society. Then the terrorists have already won.
Hi Vidarp. Thank you very much for your excellent comments. I agree wholeheartedly with your admiration of the Norwegian people in how they are handling the July 22 attacks. For me, it's been an amazing window into your culture, and I feel quite privileged to be able to experience it. Sadly, though, I don't agree with your assertion that the terrorist is not Norwegian. As horrible as it is to acknowledge, he is part of the national community, and we all must accept that. I've seen it too often in America, how parts of our culture seem to breed this kind of monster. We've got to deal with the reality of it, however distasteful that may be.
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