Pluralism or Non-conformity?

A remark in a letter to the editor in a Danish newspaper caught my attention. The letter itself was fairly irrelevant in the global scheme of things, and it could easily be dismissed as yet another rant against change, playing on not-so-subtle xenophobic trends. But just shrugging off people’s ignorance makes little difference. Instead, I savour one remark as central for a greater struggle between ideologies.

The debater is arguing against building a mosque, and arguing that Islam is a threat to the Danish way of life. Consider this quote:

“I don’t believe in a multicultural society, I believe in a cultural society where the end result is that way in which we live here in Denmark.” (in JP-Århus, my translation)

Behind this statement lies a belief that there is one way of life in Denmark; that there is a single culture supposedly encompassing all people and streams of thought in this country.

It may have been like this earlier. At least until religious freedom was guaranteed in 1849, but also far into the 20^th century. Traditionally, Denmark has been influenced by a culture of fellowship and public service. Tellingly, the state church is actually the People’s Church, public school is the People’s School, and so on. This is not exactly socialism, although it may sound like it. But it is an idea that everyone, no matter their ideas and beliefs, can fit into one single, common system. This may work well, but for the obvious flaw: what if your belief is that you want to be a part of something else?

Postmodern people choose their own allegiances and connections. We don’t want to be forced into a certain way of doing things, and we don’t someone telling us what is normal, or what is Danish. Anyone holding a Danish passport and abiding by the law is leading a Danish way of life. There are some 5 million of us – that’s a lot of different people, and a lot of different opinions. I don’t mind letting people have other opinions, but they shouldn’t tell me what is Danish and what is not; what is true and what is false.

The larger issue here is (yet again) the clash between postmodernity and modernity. The quoted debater might as well have said, “I don’t believe in postmodernity, I believe in a society where one thing is true, and the rest is false.” Tough luck – the world’s not like that anymore, and it’s not for you to decide. Open your eyes to the 21^st century, and try embracing it instead. It’s not as bad as it looks.

Politics is not Easy

It should be clear by now that the current financial and economic crisis is no mere ripple, but a full-scale storm. Comparisons to the 1920’s are no longer muted, and a sense of morbid sensationalism enshrines the news cycle of worsening conditions.

It is not without some fascination that I have witnessed the Australian dollar lose almost 20% of its value against the Euro in a matter of weeks. I try to use my Danish credit card instead of Australian cash to make the most of it. This I can understand. But the intricate dealings of what shaped the current crisis, and even more so what do about it, are still somewhat out of my league. I’m not completely ignorant, of course, and I do my best to stay up-to-date and read views and opinions of the state of the world (a good Danish-language primer is this one, by economy professor Torben M. Andersen).

But apart from making a good conversation topic, the crisis has severely damaged any political ambitions I may still have harboured myself. Once I dreamed of being a minister, perhaps even the prime one. And I may have thought to myself: why are so many politicians economists? Well, to quote the Bill Clinton 1992 campaign, “it’s the economy, stupid”. In situations like these, politicians are those that must act and do what they can to contain the crisis and stave off total meltdown. And I would have no idea how to fix this. Yes, I could probably learn. But I am convinced of the importance of economic wisdom within any government.

No matter your political conviction, it seems clear that any politician in a high office should have a thorough understanding of how the world works; including, but not limited to, the economy.

Which is exactly why Sarah Palin is not ready to go to Washington.