Erstellt am: 24. 7. 2011 - 13:50 Uhr
We Are Norway
I haven't been able to think about much else these past two days. Of course the deadly explosions in the center of Oslo have had an international impact and that impact has made its way to my angry and frustrated sensibility of how I think a society should conduct itself. However, the fear of terrorism has (and I still say this with disbelief because after all these years of tragedy all across the world) managed to reach new heights for me.
I can not stop thinking about the teenagers on the holiday island of Utoya, suddenly put into a situation where they are pleading for their lives, watching as their friends are systematically executed, using their friends dead bodies to hide while playing dead to avoid the same tragic and unbelievably cruel destiny.
The reason these kids were gathered is because they shared a peaceful ideology, or at least, they were exploring that ideology.
One madman didn't agree with that ideology. It has emerged that this madman has calmly reasoned that his ideology was superior and therefor righteous.
EPA
The FM4 community has a shared ideology--it is not exclusively political or cultural, but it is communal and we meet from time to time. In large numbers. What happens if some madman or madwoman perceives this communal ideology as destructive to their own ideology? What if this person has a gun and a pass to a festival or a concert?
I've observed how social media unites and promotes peaceful progressive communal thinking. I've also observed that the crazies amongst us take part in that online communication but in a way that serves no other purpose than to ensure the destruction of society. And because of the avalanche of all this communication, a certain desensitization has developed. People proudly posing in military gear, holding guns and bombs as a representation of their online profile, these forms of expression are not taken seriously. Right-wing, fundamentally inclined websites (of all religious persuasions) are at best, monitored, and at worst, ignored.
I don't know how to fix the self-destructive elements of our Brave New World but I can not help but think vigilance is important. I am committed to exposing and fighting fundamentalism, as a journalist and as a part of a community that has respect for life.
It has been a dreadful weekend for Norway, for Europe, and for the world. What lessons will we learn from this weekend and how will we work to ensure that ideology doesn't cause anymore situations where children are systematically murdered? I truly believe it is up to all of us individually and I suppose time will tell.
We are all Norway.