...it feels as if the world has gone insane. What is happening? What is this supposed to achieve? At the same time, why should I be surprised? These things always seem to happen at places where "We never expected anything like this." " This is the most peaceful place on earth." The man behind the attack? "He was a shy and polite kid." "He always said hello when we met." "I never would have guessed." They never have horns. In this case it's a pathetic, delusional man, no monster, whose hate manifesto is ripped off from other sources. His evil isn't even original.
I've been thinking the last couple of days if I should write something on this blog, but what words should I use? Horrible? Catastrophic? The words almost seem to cheapen what happened. I was thinking of simply writing "My thoughts are with the victims and their families." Well, Norway is such a small country, it turns out that one of the kids missing at Utoya, presumably drowned, is a relative of mine. It's someone I've never met, but it brings the event even closer to home. And the photos showing the result from the bomb, those are streets I've walked hundreds of times when I lived in Oslo. How will I feel the next time I'm there? There's a before and after. Nothing will be the same.
Is there anything I can do, as a cartoonist? I wish there was a drawing that made people think "Hatred doesn't work?! Shit, what do I do now? Ten years down the toilet..." It would turn terrorists into meek accountants. There is no such drawing. The crying superheros, the Statue of Liberty with a tear in her eye, drawn after 9/11, I don't think they achieved that much. So these are just words. They're nothing, they're not even on paper. But I felt the need to write something down - it doesn't make me feel any better, but there it is.
Sakset fra VG ... Snodig:
ReplyDeleteEn «kategori A-forræder» er ifølge 32-åringen politiske ledere, sjefredaktører, kulturelle ledere og industrielle ledere.
«Kategori B-forrædere» er kulturelle marxistiske og multikulturelle politikere, men kan ifølge Breivik selv være for eksempel journalister, redaktører, lærere radiokommentatorer og tegneserietegnere. Breivik mener begge gruppene fortjener dødsstraff og hevder ifølge sin advokat Geir Lippestad at alle AP-ere er marxister.
...you are of course right that words can often make little difference, but your eloquent and heartfelt piece comes as close as I've read.
ReplyDeleteIt may seem trite as again, there are no words, but the UK feels for all of Norway and sends nothing but love.
x.
Haavard, jeg er stolt over aa bli sett paa som en eventuell kategori B-forraeder i Breivik's öyne. Og en nöye gjennomlesning av mine serier viser jo helt klart at det kun er snakk om marxistisk propaganda.
ReplyDeleteWonderlandboutique, thanks, it's appreciated.
Ja, dette har jeg jo bitt meg merke i. Selv er min egen bok en nøye oppdatert tolkning av "Kapitalen", uten noe forsøk på å skjule det.
ReplyDeleteVolle har laget en t-skjorte:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/volle/5975201628/in/contacts/
Men uansett, dette er jo digresjoner. Du skriver det veldig bra, og det er forøvrig lett å henge seg opp i det han sier. I bunn og grunn er det ingenting som rettferdiggjør en slik handling, og handlingen i seg selv undergraver all form for retorikk. Det er bare en tragedie.
Vel, ha en fin sommer fortsatt. Var akkurat i Paris, og så akkurat "Midnight in Paris" av Woody Allen. Fikk meg til å tenke på "Hemingway"-albumet ditt. Nuvel.
Har egentlig gitt opp Woody Allen for lenge siden, men har hört bra ting om den siste filmen, saa jeg kommer sikkert til aa se den naar den kommer ut paa dvd.
ReplyDelete