Sunday, February 7, 2010

Some further comments and reflections on "Storsamfunnet"

(This is a comment to my last post, "Storsamfunnet")

It's funny sometimes when you've been thinking about something, and you found yourself constantly stumbling over things that are connected to this particular subject. This happens all the time to me.

I just read a book called Å gjøre en forskjell (To make a difference) by the Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In his book, Støre is referring to the American sociologist Robert Putnam and his thoughts about what he calls "Social Capital". Social Capital is in a sense the glue that binds us together as a society. It is the feeling that we are a society, a feeling of mutuality in the society, of trust, and a feeling that each of is is part of the society.

In Bowling Alone Putnam shows how the American society is disintegrating in the sense that social and civic bonds are being weakened and are withering away. Partaking in NGOs, community service of any kind, etc. is on the wane. People are more focused on individual rights than in taking part in activities that improves the social capital of the country.

I see this as being directly relevant to the attitudes and mentality I described in my previous post. When your view of society is that there is a big bad monster - the big society or "storsamfunnet" - that you are not a part of and that is fundamentally opposed to your own interests, then there is definitely a case of a lack trust between yourself and society. If a lot of people feel there is a big divide between themselves and the society at large (which is really just everyone else, isn't it?), that cannot be good for society as such. Norway tends to take pride in being very egalitarian in many ways. But the idea that there is a "big society" dominating the "little people" is contrary to this.

2 comments:

RennyBA's Terella said...

Interesting, readable and an observant thoughts and I do agree with you're reflections.

I have a mixed feeling though: Sometimes I feel big (and at the top of the world - or country then) and sometimes I feel Norway too big - depends of my perspectives I guess :-)

Btw: Any chance to see you at the Oslo Blog Gathering in August?

Quenut said...

It's great that you're arranging the Oslo Blog Gathering! I greatly admire your passion for what you are doing and your great and genuine interest in meeting other bloggers.

It would be great to attend the gathering. I don't know if I will be able to, but I will surely think about it!