In the last ten years I have found myself becoming much more cynical. It might be a part of growing up from being a blue eyed college student to becoming a supposed grown up.
It is easy to long for the days when the biggest worry was “will she pick up the phone”, when pondering the dimensions of economic security in a world which has reneged on the promises made to us who grew up in the eighties and nineties. When Reagan and Thatcher seemed to have it all going on and everyone listened.
According to Chris Martenson who gave an excellent lecture at the University of Iceland last week, the suburban home and SUV might soon become heavy burdens on today’s families. And judging by the latest discussion in the UK, families themselves might become a burden to modern man…and woman.
If you haven’t seen Martenson’s Chrash Course then you should:
Martenson is one of the growing band of thinkers who are criticizing the economic mantra that growth is the most vital thing in any society. Just like Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi in their report to French president Sarkozy, he challenges the wisdom behind anticipating growth on top of growth. It requires ever more creation of wealth, at a compound rate in a world where resources are heading the other way.
Andri Snaer Magnason, who wrote the book Dreamland while everyone was enjoying the spoils from the Karahnjukar dam bubble and then turned into a documentary wrote a hair raising article in Frettabladid a week ago, In the land of the insane males. He continues with his Dreamland theme of exposing the political interests behind turning Iceland into the largest aluminium manufacturer in the world.
“It is insane to increase your banking sector at a tenfold rate in seven years. We know that now.”
“Iceland’s energy output was doubled from 2002-2007. To double energy production in a developed country in only five years is not only unheard of but it would also be considered outrageously crazy in all our neighbouring countries.”
“We did not have linear growth but exponential growth. The insane period was supposed to be followed with utter and complete madness. The madness was supposed to be financed with the public utilities companies taking on 400-500 billion 100% loans. Almost two million per every man, woman and child in Iceland – all tied to the price of aluminium and secret energy prices which is utter delusion. This was portrayed in the media as just another job creation”.
“The insanity is now obvious in the geothermal energy sector. The developments there had been even and steady since the introduction of geothermal heating during the earlier recession years. Now it appears as if people have drilled down on a cocaine source and filled up their noses.”
“In the county of Thingeyjarsysla they are aiming for tenfold energy production to serve a new Alcoa smelter in the next five years. Is that not a 1.000% increase?”
“In our country, madness is portrayed as the norm, even as vital and insanity is the highest virtue – everything is considered normal if a “local” wants it. There is nothing as insane in Iceland as the holy “local”. If a local wants unknown people to build oil refineries in his land – then it is considered his holy right, not least if he uses the word “job creation” to justify his actions. The magical word which empties the minds of the insane males and cripple critical thought. Amounts which would be deemed considerable in the economic numbers of neighbouring countries, energy resources and pillars which larger nations think of as important parts of their “defence strategies” are under the heel of “locals”. The nation’s energy resources and nature is in the hands of few small local governments which lack the staff and expert knowledge while the largest part of Icelanders living in the nation’s capital area is nowhere considered as “locals. An aluminium company run by the mafia? Suspect mercenaries? World famous polluters? Utilization rights for 120 years? Icelanders are prepared to go as far as possible to please their prince charming that they become like the ugly sister in the adventure, and cut of their toes to pull on the glass slipper”.
“All obstacles were cleared to save Alcoa 200 million dollars in energy costs per year. It is the amount you would pay 10.000 teachers. It is insane to hurt the employment of so many to create 400 jobs”.
“At an aluminium conference such a man would invoke more lust than an exotic dancer. A western nation with the legal and moral approach of a third world country. Yum!”
“The workers unions do not want rules, professionalism or forward planning in the energy sector. It only wants “all obstacles removed”.” (ed: an actual quote from the unions)
“We are in the midst of a revolution but they don’t call themselves aluminium revolutionaries. The define themselves as normal even if the scale is insane. They even consider themselves persecuted. That is how warlords are always persecuted peace loving men who just want to invade the neighbouring country in the name of peace. Those who do not participate with the mob are considered insane or traitors.”
“Polls through the years have shown that a large portion of males of the age of 40-70 have been in favour of the insanity – to double and then double again. The largest problem is amongst the voters of the Independence Party where a large majority of males have even considered the insanity vital to life in Iceland. In addition, many of them want to relax environmental regulation. There is the most serious political virus in Iceland. If everything were normal, our males should be conservative, frugal, risk averse, religious, thrifty, to have regular habits and even be a bit boring. This is an important group to each society. There are many typical fathers in their group, the pillars of our communities, of our sports clubs, executives of companies, influential figures, members of Althingi and even journalists and editors in chief. These are men with the power to define what normal is and what is over the top. It is very serious when this group goes insane. It is unique in the world that a nation drowns its companies in debt in order to double energy outputs and then double it again and disturb many areas in the environment in such a short time. It is unique that a western nation assumes such risks and sacrifice as much for unclear and secret profits from doing business with American corporations. What Western nation would indebt itself to the amount of two million per person for such louts as Century or Alcoa?”
“The mob seems to detest nothing more than young, educated women who use words such as “professional” or “process”.”
“The decay of the Independence Party is best portrayed in the fact that Katrin Fjeldsted is moved aside. She is a well educated, logical, smart doctor and their only member of Althingi who questioned the insanity. Instead they bring out mad men like Jon Gunnarsson and Tryggvi Thor (Herbertsson) who are already punking Thjorsarver. All obstacles shall be removed”.
Icelandic households and consumer understand Martenson’s point on their own skin. They are the most indebted in the world. We have already withdrawn from our future bank accounts and are now finding them running increasingly low. And more people are realizing the insanity which Andri Snaer is describing. I heard of an Independence Party voter who almost started crying when he finally watched the Dreamland documentary this week and realized how he had been oblivious to what was really going on.
Unfortunately Icelanders find it hard to concentrate on the big issues in any debate. Icelandic females are hardly better than their insane males after all. They managed to take offence on the part of the mentally ill to Andri’s use of the words insane and madness. Icelanders are a nation of storytellers, but not philosophers. Many tend to go out of their way to miss a point.
But the insane males do not give up. Today Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson’s reply arrived with Frettabladid. (Remember Tryggvi and his report with Frederic Mishkin which contributed more than almost anything else to delaying action being taken on the impending economic disaster.)
Aptly named the Alchemist, his article’s main point is;
“If production is not increased and there is no growth, then we can not improve the life of the disabled unless we take from something else. That is why we need to produce more today than yesterday”.
Chris Martenson would disagree with this thinking. But then again, he has not held the role of economic advisor to a government which lead its nation towards financial ruin.
Hopefully some will listen to Martenson, even if he is not local. Unfortunately there were no Icelandic politicians at his lecture.
That is insane.
PS: The picture on top accompanied a famous fable published in Morgunbladid years ago and named “Icelandic Mountainsales inc.” The legend goes that David Oddson used his influence to affect the employment prospects of the minister who wrote it, Orn Bardur Jonsson.
Related posts:
Civil protection authorities in Vík, south Iceland, have decided to launch a cleaning initiative in the village this weekend. The municipality has been subject to heavy ash fall lately and the goal is to clean every home within its borders.
Two Icelandic women around 20-years-old were released from prison in London this week after a judge ruled that they had, in their innocence, been tricked while living in a foreign country and fallen into bad company.
There was significant force in the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier yesterday and the volcanic cloud reached a height of nine kilometers, which is considerably higher than on Wednesday. Meanwhile, sheep in south Iceland must be kept inside due to ash fall. Living in tight quarters for a long time compromises the animals’ health.
Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption is now falling on Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city – including on the Icelandic Met Office. City life is unaffected and people are checking their computer screens and televisions more than the sky.