A warning to the world

A view of the center of Oslo immediately

after the attacks (source: Wikipedia)

After 9/11, we got accustomed to associate terrorism with Islam. The magnitude of Al-Qaeda’s attack on the Twin Towers, associated with the demise of other famous organizations, like ETA or IRA, made us forget about other origins for terrorist attacks. Whenever we hear of such acts, our first thoughts go to the Muslim extremists who have made of suicide bombers their prime method of attack. Last friday’s events in Oslo came to remind those most oblivious that the true danger is not in Islam but in extremism, whatever its source.

In fact, in the past decade or so, we have seen the rise in Europe of a new wave of extreme right wing parties, that have grown stronger and managed to elect representatives to several European parliaments. This is only the tip of the iceberg, since there are fascist organizations growing all over the continent, profiting from the dissatisfaction with the current economic situation. The similarities with the socio-economic conditions of the pre-WW II Europe (a financial crisis caused by a Wall Street meltdown, that lead to worldwide impoverishment of the middle class) are striking and cannot be ignored.

I don’t think we will see the rise of new dictatorships and I don’t believe in new Hitlers and Mussolinis leading their countries into war against their neighbours. However, the possibility of a wave of well-organized militant groups, capable of spreading chaos and attacking specific groups of people that they identify as enemies, is very much likely. Anders Breivik, the confessed perpetrator of the Oslo attacks, is a cult and educated man, very well informed about both the History of Europe and its current political, social and economic situation. And this what we should fear the most.

In his manifest, Breivik mentions precise details about what a movement of his peers must do to re-claim Europe. He identifies the most important European parties by name, with correct translations, presents data about the Muslim populations of each country, determines which are more prone to receive immigrants, even identifies strategic locations, such as oil refineries or nuclear power plants. His manifest is a detailed report on how to conduct a civil war to clean Europe.

His words are troubling not so much for its content (his rhetoric is old and akin to many other who preceded him) but rather by his knowledge and his determination. I am sure he is not alone in this. And the growing economic inequalities will only give more supporters to the cause of an immigrant-free, Christian and predominantly white Europe. These attacks were a warning to the world, one that we would be fools not to take heed.

The death of a diva [Amy Winehouse: 1983-2011]

No one can say that Amy Winehouse's death was a surprise. Her lifestyle, filled with drugs and alcohol, was bound to lead her to a sudden death, caused by some exaggeration of a lonelier night. And the fact that we cannot face her death was unexpected is, to me, the saddest part of her story. It's the reflection of a world in which we entertain ourselves watching the stars we once loved in free falls, in which we witness their downward spirals towards the bottom of a pit with the same satisfaction we watch a catastrophe movie. While these stars fall, we eagerly anticipate by the gory details the media will serve us about the dark side of their lives.

In this freak show, few remember that it's of human beings we talk about. I don't know what reasons lead Amy into her chaotic lifestyle, but I do know that when she needed support the most she did not have it (safe for family, to be sure). There were many who profited from her problems, from record labels to journalists, but few (much fewer) were those who actually held their hands and tried to help her. Her fall was more profitable.

Sadly, this show will not end with her death. Soon we will have the detailed shocking description of her end, then we will have the books that depict her path of self-destruction, later the live records, the best ofs, the rarities, the DVDs. In the next decades there will be no shortage of new records, all in the name of the profit of those who took (and will continue to take) advantage of her and her talent.

For the real music lovers, however, what will truly remain is her voice. Bitter and anguished, carrying the whole weight of the world in itself. The two albums she left us should be the only memory that we should keep of her. Taking into account the beauty of her art, I find it hard to believe that what most people will remember is the fealty of her personal life. I, for one, prefer to toast to her music and her voice.