On hatred and love and Norway
Mar. 21st, 2003 08:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misscamI got a review recently - about OFUM of course - remarking how I hated George Bush with a pure, burning passion. It's not like it's very hard to pick up on my dislike for the Git. Spend five minutes in conversation with me and you're bound to pick it up. But do I hate him?
It's quite easy to delcare hatred, isn't it? In most cases it doesn't run nearly deep enough. It does take a lot of passion to hate someone rather than just disliking them. And somewhere between those two is loathing. Until quite recently I think the Shrub was merely loathed by me. It's not just that he stands for everything I don't in so many ways - I have a great deal of respect for many people I utterly disagree with. Bush, however, *embodies* much of what I will passionatly fight against. For one, he is a Republican. I am on the other side of the spectrum by far, growing up in the social democracy of Norway. We're already off to a clash of opinions here. He is also a Christian fundamentalist, and like many fundamentalists he scares me. (I mean no offence to those of faith - I know many gracious, giving people of faith. But fundamentalism scares the bejeesus out of me). His idea of Good and Evil, Black and White, Against or With us, seems to be so dangerous applied to the world. There is but shades of grey. In many cases, we see only black and white beacause we wish to. It's so simple, isn't it?
And yet so terribly dangerous. The US is not good. France is not good. I am not good. Most of us are just doing the best we can, living our lives not wholly of good, not wholly of evil. (Note the most. I do believe there are exceptions) Then there's the death penalty. Bush as Texas governor allowed more executions than any other governor. I oppose the death penalty under all cirumstances (matter of principle. If I say it's all right under some cirumstances, I am being rather hypocritical). There are many reasons for it, I won't go into them all.
He has shown little knowledge for the world outside the US. And really, without knowledge of it, can you love it? How I am to believe you care for the people of Iraq when you seem to care little for the people of Sudan, engaged in a bloody civil war as we speak? What of the people of Burma? Afghanistan? Chetchenia? The US seem to set itself up as some benign world policeman, and I just can't believe it.
There are many, any reasons why I would loathe George W. Bush then (I have more than the ones listed, they are merely examples). But do I hate him?
I came to the rather startling discovery that I do indeed the other day. He was adressing the American people, just having launched the war on Iraq, and I had to turn the telly off. I stomped out of the house and stood in the bright sunlight of Brisbane and realised I hated him. Not just dislike or loathing - hatred. I felt rather ugly about it. It's not a very nice thing, after all, but then, humans are not very nice creatures.
All I can say for myself is that I do not hate him lightly. I have no wish to hate him. I don't hate Howard, for instance, who has been the target of my ire as well quite frequently and a much more personal level than Bush (Tampa incident, for instance). Only once before have I felt this - personal, I guess - hatred. When 15 year old Benjamin was stabbed to death in Norway on a cold January night, his crime being of African decent. His killer was a neo Nazi. I felt that day such unimaginable hatred and anger, twisting my very heart. But when they finally sentenced the killers, I just felt sad. For them, for us, for Benjamin's mother and Benjamin, dying alone in the darkness. Even hatred dies. Seems hard to believe at times, with Israel and Palestine and endless bloodshed, but it does.
Perhaps one day I won't hate Bush. Much depends what he does with Iraq. I haven't much hope, and plenty of fear. Not a good place to be. I would like to trust Bush, as he is undoubtedly the most powerful person in the world. I can't. I'd like to not hate him. I'd like to be a better person. I'd like for war to end. I'd like for a lot of things, really, but it's not likely I will get them.
My history lecturer and I had a bit of discussion on Tuesday, as I remarked I would be able to accept an UN-led war on Iraq (I wouldn't be comfortable with it, but I would accept it). He remarked that most nations act in their own interest, although some small nations and inviduals may genuinly believe in having the UN for the better of the world - such as Norway. I do wonder. My country is shielded in so many ways, so eager to be Helpful and Important. Bit annoying at times, I reckon. But still... I miss Norway on days like this (not that I don't like Australia. I really do in many ways). Or maybe it's my childhood I miss.
No, I do miss Norway. Okay, we're self-centered and like to believe we're important. Okay, we're annoying and a wee bit... full of ourselves, really . But we're small, shielded and not very malicious. We're generally quite liberal and forward-thinking. We care for the world. We do have a jellyfish spined PM, but at least he ain't a Shrub. I miss Home. Norway used to annoy me. But like all things, you see it so much clearer from a distance (like from, say, the other side of the world). I'm of course being terribly patriotic and annoying. But unlike Bush, I have no illusions my country is the best country in the world. It's just the best country for me. And I love it; its fjords and mountains and cold, windy autumn mornings and silly little people and quiet Sundays and desire for peace.
I can't wait to go home and pretend the world is better than it is.
(I do realise that perhaps Bush loves the US as I love Norway. Perhaps - perhaps one day we humans will love and care for all of the world as much as the little corner we live in. Could we then truly wage war upon one another? I wonder.)
It's quite easy to delcare hatred, isn't it? In most cases it doesn't run nearly deep enough. It does take a lot of passion to hate someone rather than just disliking them. And somewhere between those two is loathing. Until quite recently I think the Shrub was merely loathed by me. It's not just that he stands for everything I don't in so many ways - I have a great deal of respect for many people I utterly disagree with. Bush, however, *embodies* much of what I will passionatly fight against. For one, he is a Republican. I am on the other side of the spectrum by far, growing up in the social democracy of Norway. We're already off to a clash of opinions here. He is also a Christian fundamentalist, and like many fundamentalists he scares me. (I mean no offence to those of faith - I know many gracious, giving people of faith. But fundamentalism scares the bejeesus out of me). His idea of Good and Evil, Black and White, Against or With us, seems to be so dangerous applied to the world. There is but shades of grey. In many cases, we see only black and white beacause we wish to. It's so simple, isn't it?
And yet so terribly dangerous. The US is not good. France is not good. I am not good. Most of us are just doing the best we can, living our lives not wholly of good, not wholly of evil. (Note the most. I do believe there are exceptions) Then there's the death penalty. Bush as Texas governor allowed more executions than any other governor. I oppose the death penalty under all cirumstances (matter of principle. If I say it's all right under some cirumstances, I am being rather hypocritical). There are many reasons for it, I won't go into them all.
He has shown little knowledge for the world outside the US. And really, without knowledge of it, can you love it? How I am to believe you care for the people of Iraq when you seem to care little for the people of Sudan, engaged in a bloody civil war as we speak? What of the people of Burma? Afghanistan? Chetchenia? The US seem to set itself up as some benign world policeman, and I just can't believe it.
There are many, any reasons why I would loathe George W. Bush then (I have more than the ones listed, they are merely examples). But do I hate him?
I came to the rather startling discovery that I do indeed the other day. He was adressing the American people, just having launched the war on Iraq, and I had to turn the telly off. I stomped out of the house and stood in the bright sunlight of Brisbane and realised I hated him. Not just dislike or loathing - hatred. I felt rather ugly about it. It's not a very nice thing, after all, but then, humans are not very nice creatures.
All I can say for myself is that I do not hate him lightly. I have no wish to hate him. I don't hate Howard, for instance, who has been the target of my ire as well quite frequently and a much more personal level than Bush (Tampa incident, for instance). Only once before have I felt this - personal, I guess - hatred. When 15 year old Benjamin was stabbed to death in Norway on a cold January night, his crime being of African decent. His killer was a neo Nazi. I felt that day such unimaginable hatred and anger, twisting my very heart. But when they finally sentenced the killers, I just felt sad. For them, for us, for Benjamin's mother and Benjamin, dying alone in the darkness. Even hatred dies. Seems hard to believe at times, with Israel and Palestine and endless bloodshed, but it does.
Perhaps one day I won't hate Bush. Much depends what he does with Iraq. I haven't much hope, and plenty of fear. Not a good place to be. I would like to trust Bush, as he is undoubtedly the most powerful person in the world. I can't. I'd like to not hate him. I'd like to be a better person. I'd like for war to end. I'd like for a lot of things, really, but it's not likely I will get them.
My history lecturer and I had a bit of discussion on Tuesday, as I remarked I would be able to accept an UN-led war on Iraq (I wouldn't be comfortable with it, but I would accept it). He remarked that most nations act in their own interest, although some small nations and inviduals may genuinly believe in having the UN for the better of the world - such as Norway. I do wonder. My country is shielded in so many ways, so eager to be Helpful and Important. Bit annoying at times, I reckon. But still... I miss Norway on days like this (not that I don't like Australia. I really do in many ways). Or maybe it's my childhood I miss.
No, I do miss Norway. Okay, we're self-centered and like to believe we're important. Okay, we're annoying and a wee bit... full of ourselves, really . But we're small, shielded and not very malicious. We're generally quite liberal and forward-thinking. We care for the world. We do have a jellyfish spined PM, but at least he ain't a Shrub. I miss Home. Norway used to annoy me. But like all things, you see it so much clearer from a distance (like from, say, the other side of the world). I'm of course being terribly patriotic and annoying. But unlike Bush, I have no illusions my country is the best country in the world. It's just the best country for me. And I love it; its fjords and mountains and cold, windy autumn mornings and silly little people and quiet Sundays and desire for peace.
I can't wait to go home and pretend the world is better than it is.
(I do realise that perhaps Bush loves the US as I love Norway. Perhaps - perhaps one day we humans will love and care for all of the world as much as the little corner we live in. Could we then truly wage war upon one another? I wonder.)
