The term seems to be mostly used when there is somebody (a person or a group, most a minority one) that has been treated at variance with their rights, or in some way been treated unfairly or oppressed. A lot of times, the perpetrator of these sins is "storsamfunnet". It seems to me that the term is all but exclusively used by the political left.Like many terms, this is one that only helps to muddle any nuanced and precise debate. It is devoid of any real meaning but conjures up a whole host of connotations. What comes up in my imagination when I hear talk of "storsamfunnet" is an army of faceless and heartless bureaucrats hellbent on making the lives of the "little people" (whoever they are) as miserable as they possibly can. From their shady offices they plot on ceaselessly to oppress any independent thinking there might be in the nation. Of course, you couldn't name any of these boogiemen, it's as if they're not really there as individuals, only as a group. But they are there - make no mistake about it - lurking in the shadows and under beds. And they are up to no good. Needless to say, "big society" is capitalistic to the teeth and fiercely loyal to USA.
In my opinion, the usage of such a term betrays a fundamentally pessimistic, negative and slightly paranoid world view. The state is not there to make our lives and coexistence better, more organised and safer. No, it's there to oppress us, to put us all under surveillance, to take away our liberties, to control us.
Well, to sum up all these chaotic ramblings in a way; I never really understood this term, and I can't really see what this "big society" is as opposed to normal society. And I think I am too optimistic and positive about the role of the state in the modern world to buy into any conspiracy that "big society" is there mainly to oppress us..
3 comments:
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I guess since you ask that, it may either be based on some of my blog-posts being very positive with regards to Norway or many (including myself, I guess) Norwegians' habit of being prone to brag about our country :)
But to answer your question; make no mistake, there is a long list of things that are not good about Norway, and if you take a look at the lion's share of my posts, you will see some of those things.
But even though, I sincerely do think that Norway is a great place to live. We have a very high living standard (although that does not necessarily imply happiness), a good and functioning welfare state, and politically it is very stable. Norway has topped the UN ranking of countries with the best living conditions, most recently last year.
But of course even the prettiest rose has got it's thorns, and that certainly is true for Norway...
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