My Opinion: Jón Gnarr - Icelandic Meat Soup Jon Gnarr skrifar 30. maí 2015 09:00 Nationalism seems to be on the rise in Iceland today. People talk much about the so-called national culture, and cite history. This is especially prominent in political debate. Strangely, the debate is rarely about what I find the most Icelandic of all: the gift of poetry itself and artistic expression. It is not tangible enough. The Icelandic national culture seems, for the most part, to evolve around corpulent men who once said something, about processed meat, and some peculiar type of arrogance. Everything natural is turned upside down, and it isn’t the water that hollows the stone, it is the stone that hollows the water with a loud splash. Tenderness is gutlessness and poets are slouches who should stop writing their worthless nonsense and get a job, preferably in meat processing. Importunity and aggression are considered a virtue. Gentleness and politeness are not necessary. Why stand and wait in a line like a moron when you can so easily jump the queue?Vikings It is often maintained that our ancestors were all great Vikings. That’s not quite true. A few Vikings came here, but it was young farmers, slaves and losers who formed the bulk of the settlers of Iceland. It was not considered prestigious to live in or come from Iceland. The Icelandic sagas, especially the Book of Settlements, are our main source of information about the settlement. The Icelandic sagas, however, are not quite trustworthy records. The scribes wrote them down after older oral sources. The sagas are marked by poetic inspiration and exaggerations. Even though they pretend to relate true events, there seems to be a lot there for other reasons than to reflect the truth. No-one really knows why these stories were written. To some extent it was done for political reasons. The first Icelanders were accused of being the descendants of slaves and villains. That’s what they were called in ancient times, but today they would probably be called quitters and losers. People wanted to refute this by writing long genealogies that made them the descendants of Norwegian chieftains. It was also important to secure legal ownership of land. There are few records about peasants and slaves. The sagas are written about a small upper class, and with their needs in mind. Much of it is even a complete lie. For example, I seriously doubt that Ingólfur Arnarson ever existed. I think he was made up, like many others, for the purpose of propaganda.No dogs no Irish! In the Icelandic sagas it is usually maintained that we are all descended from Norway. Examinations of our genome, however, show more Irish blood than was previously presumed. Research indicates that almost a third of the settlers came from the British Isles. And most of them seem to have been women. It could be argued that a majority of our foremothers were British. But our Gaelic heritage has died for the most part and succumbed to our ardor to make us Norwegian. That was considered respectable while everything Irish was shameful. The Irish influence has been disregarded, even obliterated. I think the prejudice against red haired people has been, and even still is, part of this. We redheads are living proof of our ancestry. Perhaps the Gaelic heritage lost because it was so connected to women. The soft and artistic, feminine nerve could not compete with the Norwegian artless and practical importunity. It is also the habit of barbarians to treat artist like losers. I am inclined to think that our ancestors were, for the most part, peaceful and thoughtful people who were running away from the macho madness and bullying of the Vikings. People came here looking for peace and security. I think many of these people were poets. Creative people are rarely brawlers. Therefore, Iceland was an ideal place for all kinds of dreamers. Our nation has one of the highest percentages of ADHD. We are an artistic people. Not everyone succeeds. Creative people often lean towards insobriety. Most criminals suffer from attention-deficiency and a large majority of prisoners committed their crime under the influence. Many criminals are misunderstood artists. And now, when Icelandic politicians are yet again rewriting the history of Iceland for their own advantage, I want to say that I am proud of being an Icelander and the descendant of Irish slaves and losers. I think it is about time that this neglected part of our history gets more attention. It deserves it, and I think it would be very good for us as a nation. In fact, nothing is all-Icelandic, except the language. This is the Icelandic national culture. And it is the Icelandic wretches and losers who have preserved it because they are so often the kind of people who like to prattle and tell stories until someone yells: “Shut up, you loser, and go to work!” Wishing you a good weekend and all kinds of everything for losers! Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein News in English Mest lesið Gerir háskólanám þig að grunnskólakennara? Davíð Már Sigurðsson Skoðun Kirkjuklukkur hringja Bjarni Karlsson Skoðun „Er allt í lagi?“ Olga Björt Þórðardóttir Skoðun Fordómar gagnvart hinsegin fólki – Reynslusaga Geir Gunnar Markússon Skoðun Göngum í Haag hópinn Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir Skoðun Sumarfríinu aflýst Sigurður Helgi Pálmason Skoðun Stríð skapar ekki frið Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir Skoðun Svargrein: Ísland á víst að íhuga aðild að ESB Ágúst Ólafur Ágústsson Skoðun Úr skotgröfum í netkerfin: Netárásir á innviði Vesturlanda Ýmir Vigfússon Skoðun Norska leiðin er fasismi Jón Frímann Jónsson Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Svargrein: Ísland á víst að íhuga aðild að ESB Ágúst Ólafur Ágústsson skrifar Skoðun Fjölbreytni í endurhæfingu skiptir máli Hólmfríður Einarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Sumarfríinu aflýst Sigurður Helgi Pálmason skrifar Skoðun Úr skotgröfum í netkerfin: Netárásir á innviði Vesturlanda Ýmir Vigfússon skrifar Skoðun Fordómar gagnvart hinsegin fólki – Reynslusaga Geir Gunnar Markússon skrifar Skoðun „Er allt í lagi?“ Olga Björt Þórðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Göngum í Haag hópinn Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Kirkjuklukkur hringja Bjarni Karlsson skrifar Skoðun Gerir háskólanám þig að grunnskólakennara? Davíð Már Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun Stríð skapar ekki frið Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir skrifar Skoðun Íslenska stóðhryssan og Evrópa Hallgerður Ljósynja Hauksdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hvammsvirkjun – Skyldur ráðherra og réttur samfélagsins Eggert Valur Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Norska leiðin er fasismi Jón Frímann Jónsson skrifar Skoðun Um mýkt, menntun og von Sigurður Árni Reynisson skrifar Skoðun Höfum alla burði til þess Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Tímabær rannsókn dómsmálaráðuneytisins Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson skrifar Skoðun Umsókn krefst ákvörðunar – ekki ákalls Erna Bjarnadóttir skrifar Skoðun Hjálp, barnið mitt spilar Roblox! Kristín Magnúsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Líkindi með guðstrú og djöflatrú Gunnar Björgvinsson skrifar Skoðun Ævinlega þakkláti flóttamaðurinn Zeljka Kristín Klobucar skrifar Skoðun Vér vesalingar Ingólfur Sverrisson skrifar Skoðun Leikrit Landsvirkjunar Snæbjörn Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Við þurfum ekki að loka landinu – við þurfum að opna augun Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Svona eða hinsegin, hvert okkar verður næst? Unnar Geir Unnarsson skrifar Skoðun Reynisfjara og mannréttindasáttmáli Evrópu Róbert R. Spanó skrifar Skoðun Að hlúa að foreldrum: Forvörn sem skiptir máli Áróra Huld Bjarnadóttir skrifar Skoðun Ákall til íslenskra stjórnmálamanna Magnús Árni Skjöld Magnússon skrifar Skoðun Þurfum við virkilega „leyniþjónustu”? Helen Ólafsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Byrjað á öfugum enda! Hjálmtýr Heiðdal skrifar Skoðun Væri ekki hlaupið út aftur Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Sjá meira
Nationalism seems to be on the rise in Iceland today. People talk much about the so-called national culture, and cite history. This is especially prominent in political debate. Strangely, the debate is rarely about what I find the most Icelandic of all: the gift of poetry itself and artistic expression. It is not tangible enough. The Icelandic national culture seems, for the most part, to evolve around corpulent men who once said something, about processed meat, and some peculiar type of arrogance. Everything natural is turned upside down, and it isn’t the water that hollows the stone, it is the stone that hollows the water with a loud splash. Tenderness is gutlessness and poets are slouches who should stop writing their worthless nonsense and get a job, preferably in meat processing. Importunity and aggression are considered a virtue. Gentleness and politeness are not necessary. Why stand and wait in a line like a moron when you can so easily jump the queue?Vikings It is often maintained that our ancestors were all great Vikings. That’s not quite true. A few Vikings came here, but it was young farmers, slaves and losers who formed the bulk of the settlers of Iceland. It was not considered prestigious to live in or come from Iceland. The Icelandic sagas, especially the Book of Settlements, are our main source of information about the settlement. The Icelandic sagas, however, are not quite trustworthy records. The scribes wrote them down after older oral sources. The sagas are marked by poetic inspiration and exaggerations. Even though they pretend to relate true events, there seems to be a lot there for other reasons than to reflect the truth. No-one really knows why these stories were written. To some extent it was done for political reasons. The first Icelanders were accused of being the descendants of slaves and villains. That’s what they were called in ancient times, but today they would probably be called quitters and losers. People wanted to refute this by writing long genealogies that made them the descendants of Norwegian chieftains. It was also important to secure legal ownership of land. There are few records about peasants and slaves. The sagas are written about a small upper class, and with their needs in mind. Much of it is even a complete lie. For example, I seriously doubt that Ingólfur Arnarson ever existed. I think he was made up, like many others, for the purpose of propaganda.No dogs no Irish! In the Icelandic sagas it is usually maintained that we are all descended from Norway. Examinations of our genome, however, show more Irish blood than was previously presumed. Research indicates that almost a third of the settlers came from the British Isles. And most of them seem to have been women. It could be argued that a majority of our foremothers were British. But our Gaelic heritage has died for the most part and succumbed to our ardor to make us Norwegian. That was considered respectable while everything Irish was shameful. The Irish influence has been disregarded, even obliterated. I think the prejudice against red haired people has been, and even still is, part of this. We redheads are living proof of our ancestry. Perhaps the Gaelic heritage lost because it was so connected to women. The soft and artistic, feminine nerve could not compete with the Norwegian artless and practical importunity. It is also the habit of barbarians to treat artist like losers. I am inclined to think that our ancestors were, for the most part, peaceful and thoughtful people who were running away from the macho madness and bullying of the Vikings. People came here looking for peace and security. I think many of these people were poets. Creative people are rarely brawlers. Therefore, Iceland was an ideal place for all kinds of dreamers. Our nation has one of the highest percentages of ADHD. We are an artistic people. Not everyone succeeds. Creative people often lean towards insobriety. Most criminals suffer from attention-deficiency and a large majority of prisoners committed their crime under the influence. Many criminals are misunderstood artists. And now, when Icelandic politicians are yet again rewriting the history of Iceland for their own advantage, I want to say that I am proud of being an Icelander and the descendant of Irish slaves and losers. I think it is about time that this neglected part of our history gets more attention. It deserves it, and I think it would be very good for us as a nation. In fact, nothing is all-Icelandic, except the language. This is the Icelandic national culture. And it is the Icelandic wretches and losers who have preserved it because they are so often the kind of people who like to prattle and tell stories until someone yells: “Shut up, you loser, and go to work!” Wishing you a good weekend and all kinds of everything for losers!
Skoðun Við þurfum ekki að loka landinu – við þurfum að opna augun Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir skrifar