Norsknett

Seierstalen til Obama i Grant Park (4. november 2008)

I Aftenposten kan man lese seierstalen til Barack Obama, som han holdt i Grant Park 4. november.  Den begynner slik:

Hallo Chicago!

Om det er noen der ute som fremdeles tviler på at Amerika er et land hvor alt er mulig, som fremdeles lurer på om drømmen til våre grunnlovsfedre fortsatt lever, som fremdeles tviler på vårt demokratis makt: Denne kvelden får du svar.

Svaret kommer fra de lange køene utenfor skoler og kirker i et omfang som dette landet aldri før har sett, fra mennesker som ventet tre timer og fire timer, mange for første gang i sitt liv, fordi de trodde at deres stemme kunne utgjøre en forskjell.

Svaret kommer fra unge og gamle, rike og fattige, demokrater og republikanere, svarte, hvite, spansktalende, asiater, indianere, homofile, heterofile, uføre og ikke-uføre. Amerikanere som sender et budskap til hele verden om at vi aldri har vært bare en samling av individer eller en samling av røde og blå delstater.

Vi er, og skal alltid være, Amerikas forente stater.

Les mer i Aftenposten.

Equality for women

On May 23, the Women's Media Center and Media Matters launched the above video "Sexism Sells, But We're Not Buying it."  The video and its accompanying online petition campaign illustrate the pervasive nature of sexism in the media's coverage.  There were many examples of such coverage during Hillary Clinton's campaign, and as you will see in the video, women from all areas of society experience demeaning and condescending interactions with the media on a regular basis.

While Norway cannot claim a perfect record on these issues, it has achieved much more success than the United States in creating equality between the genders in society.  Gro Harlem Brundtland, prime minister of Norway in 1981, 1986-89, and 1990-96, once said " Women will not become more empowered merely because we want them to be, but through legislative changes, increased information, and redirection of resources."

For more information about Gro Harlem Brundtland, see the following links:

• Norwegian political humor (Norsknett post)
• Honorary Doctorate, University of Oslo, Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norwegian / English)
• 20 Years Later, Again Assigned to Fight Climate Change (nytimes.com)
• Interview with UN Climate Change Envoy Gro Harlem Brundtland

The differences between Norway and the United States are especially striking when examining politics.  Norway had its first female prime minister almost 30 years ago, and today women and men are represented equally in the parliament and in the cabinet.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's government consists of the ministers of 18 departments (Petroleum and Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Research and Higher Education, Local Government and Regional Development, Defense, Environment and International Development, Trade and Industry, Labour and Social Inclusion, Justice and Police, Culture and Church Affairs, Health and Care Services, Government Administration and Reform, Agriculture and Food, Children and Equality, Education, Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, and Transport and Communications). In these 18 positions, there are 9 women and 9 men (see photos here – English / Norwegian).

President Bush's Cabinet consists of the Vice-President, the heads of 15 executive departments (Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans' Affairs) and 4 other agency directors (Office of Management and Budget, Environmental Protection Agency, Trade Representative, and National Drug Control Policy). In these 20 positions, there are 15 men and 5 women (see photos here).

Political humor

Today I found a wonderful parody on YouTube of two of Norway's most prominent politicians, former prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and the current prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. It reminded me of the political humor in the skits presented on Saturday Night Live when comedians imitate American politicians. Below is some background information on Harlem Brundtland and Stoltenberg as well as a video of each giving a speech.

Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland was educated and worked as a physician early in her career before moving on to become one of the most well-respected and prominent politicians in Norwegian history. She was the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party for many years, and she was Norway's first and only female prime minister, serving three different periods: 1981, 1986 to 1989, and 1990 to 1996. In 1998, she became the Director General of the World Health Organization, and she is currently serving as a Special Envoy on Climate Change for the United Nations. Harlem Brundtland was born in 1939.

Gro Harlem Brundtland giving a speech
at the annual meeting for the Labour Party

Jens Stoltenberg
Educated as an economist and born in 1959, Jens Stoltenberg served as the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Finance before becoming the prime minister for the first time in 2000-2001. He has been the leader of the Labour party since 2002 and is currently serving his second stint as prime minister as part of a coalition government comprised of the Labour Party, the Center Party, and the Socialist Left Party.

Jens Stoltenberg giving a speech on March 8, International Women's Day. In his speech, he gives credit to Gro Harlem Brundtland, who was a role model for many Norwegian women as well as men.

Parody of Gro and Jens

At the Gullfisken awards ceremony in 2007, Morten Grøtnes and Rigmor Galtung did a parody of the current prime minister Jens Stoltenberg and former prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The man who played Jens was good, but the woman who imitated Gro was hilarious. My favorite line was "Det er typisk Gro å være norsk," a play on the the statement she made many years ago, "Det er typisk norsk å være god."