“A Statue Of A Woman Who Used Her Handbag As A Weapon Would Glorify Violence”
[guest post by Dana]
Thirty years ago, Danuta Danielsson, whose mother survived Auschwitz, stepped out from a crowd in Sweden and clobbered a parading neo-Nazi with her handbag. The moment was captured in an iconic photo:
The incident is still a topic of conversation in Sweden. As such, an artist recently submitted plans for the creation of a statue honoring Danielsson to be erected in the town of Växjö. Last week, a local committee denied her request:
According to the committee, a statue of a woman who used her handbag as a weapon would glorify violence. “We in Växjö work for democracy and free speech. Of course, we don’t like Nazis,” city councillor Eva Johansson told The Washington Post on Friday.
“But we can’t accept that one can hit a person because one does not like him or her.
Further:
Opponents argue that such a statue would send the wrong signals at a sensitive time. The shock of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen earlier this year has not faded, and the horrific violence of the terrorists has left many Swedish wondering whether violence could ever be a mean of political expression.
“Violent” act of an elderly woman equals the violent acts of terrorists. Got it.
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (86e864) — 3/1/2015 @ 7:56 amSome violence should be glorified.
JD (86a5eb) — 3/1/2015 @ 7:58 amit was silly scandis what gave food stamp his peace prize (not these ones but same general neighborhood)
this was before he created ISIS and handed half the middle east to them
personally i think we should put a statue of food stamp humbly accepting his peace prize in Mosul, then do the handbag one
happyfeet (831175) — 3/1/2015 @ 8:06 amThe pussification of the Nordic regions continues. Its hard to think that this region once was the world’s source of Vikings.
Gramps, the original (9e1415) — 3/1/2015 @ 8:29 amThose little ol’ ladies carry everything in those bags. Must weigh a ton.
Should be registered as a deadly weapon. Made to license them. of course it’s
open carry but still . . .
jakee308 (49ccc6) — 3/1/2015 @ 8:31 amGreetings:
I heard that in a gesture of Swedish solidarity with their current oppressors, they were going to rename Malmø Mosul.
11B40 (844d04) — 3/1/2015 @ 8:31 amPatterico wrote the other day, “the fact that someone sees a political issue, or a work of art, in a different manner than you happen to see it, does not make that person inferior, or dishonest, or wrong. They are simply different.”
I’m not sure, therefore, whether a sculpture that honors a woman with a handbag hitting a Nazi is good or not. Presumably not? Presumably yes?
Mark (c160ec) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:00 amThis story is hilarious.
In a sad way.
Dejectedhead (75dfa4) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:00 amWas that an assault handbag? A standard semi-auto handbag? Or just a one-whacker?
navyvet (63280e) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:42 amGreetings, navyvet: ( @ navyvet (63280e) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:42 am )
I don’t know about you, but my mom never needed anything more than a “one-whacker”.
11B40 (844d04) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:55 am“But we can’t accept that one can hit a person because one does not like him or her.”
If they left it at that, I’d be in complete agreement. Yes, the Klan can march through Skokie, and get a permit to do so. I cannot use violence to stop them. But that does not mean I have to be civil to them. Free speech works both ways. The citizens of Skokie, or this town in Sweden, would be within their rights to all take megaphones, line the roads and yell “F U” throughout the march. However, they cannot hit them.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 3/1/2015 @ 9:59 amThe Blues Brothers knew how to handle Nazis
steveg (794291) — 3/1/2015 @ 10:44 amhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktmNEWwH69s
Why not just do the statue of the woman hitting a swaztika with her purse?
You could have the swaztika mounted like a head on a nebulous shape that may or may not represent a human.
In Mosul you could have her swatting away with a shoe at Obama. No one would care about the PC nature of it. You could even have a statue there of a Mount Rushmore of idiots: Obama, Kerry, Clinton
steveg (794291) — 3/1/2015 @ 10:50 amQuestion: How does one say “Moral Equivalence Epic Fail” in Swedish?
Answer: This is a trick question as Swedish is no longer spoken in Sweden as it has been replaced by Arabic according to Sharia.
WarEagle82 (b18ccf) — 3/1/2015 @ 11:38 amIt’s puzzling how a country like Sweden (and others) naively believe that if they present a company line of accepting all and judging none, that it will keep them from harm.
It’s as if the blunt reality of the evil that is radical Islamist terrorism cannot be mentally processed by individuals, let alone nations at large. They don’t understand that it doesn’t matter one whit how understanding or accepting they try to be, or that they walk a tightrope in efforts to appear non-judgmental – or, in Hillary’s words, be empathetic. At the end of the day, if they are the target, they will be met with death.
Dana (86e864) — 3/1/2015 @ 2:14 pmA ludicrous proposition provoked ludicrous objections. The Swedes are a polite and kind people. Nobody wanted to say what should be said: “Are you out of your herringbone picking minds? A statute to a woman for hitting a skinhead with her purse? If you want one, pay for it with your money and put it in your backyard.”
nk (dbc370) — 3/1/2015 @ 2:20 pmSkinhead (Nazi)….Muslim immigrant (IslamoFascist)
askeptic (efcf22) — 3/1/2015 @ 2:23 pmMethinks Sweden does not wish to open that snake’s nest.
Nk, of course i am referring to the bigger picture. The statue, whether one sports it or not, is simply something that reflects the convoluted and cowering stance of the citizenry.
Dana (86e864) — 3/1/2015 @ 2:56 pmaskeptic, I agree, however, it appears that the West is – by default – the enemy due to our embrace of all the freedom(s) we treasure (in whatever form throughout Europe) and rejection of the Caliphate, hence the can of worms is already open, whether we like it or not.
Dana (86e864) — 3/1/2015 @ 3:05 pmmy thinking is we’ll just have to put all the worms back in the can and seal it up tight
and do it on a reasonable budget
nobody gets any overtime
happyfeet (831175) — 3/1/2015 @ 3:22 pmA statute to a woman for hitting a skinhead with her purse? If you want one, pay for it with your money and put it in your backyard.
I agree with nk. Hitting a Nazi on the head is laudable, but it doesn’t rise to the level of statuary unless your society is so ridiculously feeble that this represents your only known moment of moral courage. Certainly there is some policeman or fireman or soldier from that town that deserves to be memorialized more than Mrs. Danielsson does.
JVW (854318) — 3/1/2015 @ 4:44 pmclearly a kickstarter campaign is what’s gonna have to happen with all these naysayers aboot
do you people have any idea what sort of neo-fascist obama-lovin statuary these scandi hippies are gonna commission in lieu of the nazi-poppin super-hero handbag chick?
trust me you don’t wanna find out
happyfeet (831175) — 3/1/2015 @ 4:48 pmThe original photographer did not care for the reinterpretation of his work; if there was to be a statue, he did not want the old lady with a handbag to be taken out of context, he wanted to include what she was striking at, He wanted the nazi Idded back to the bad end of the bag, as he had captured on film. He was against the taking of his work….especially the lady in isolation.
And he’s not half wrong, is he. What you hit with a handbag counts. http://www.svt.se/kultur/konst/fotografen-bakom-bilden-den-slaktas
SarahW (267b14) — 3/1/2015 @ 5:35 pmIn the little video clip on the same page he says, with emphasis, there is a big feeling in the WHOLE picture.
SarahW (267b14) — 3/1/2015 @ 5:40 pmAlso don’t watch the swedish Grammys unless you are ready for an urge to plug “bless their hearts” into Google Translate.
Do watch Nordiska Hus (it’s half in English)
SarahW (267b14) — 3/1/2015 @ 5:48 pmThanks for the link and interpreting it, Sarah W. He certainly makes a good point about capturing the whole story, instead of just depicting an old lady and swinging a purse.
Dana (86e864) — 3/1/2015 @ 5:50 pmI’d like to think that I can see that picture with a smile on my face, wish her the best, and still not want a statue put up glorifying assault and battery as a response to obnoxious free speech.
matt d (7b78f2) — 3/2/2015 @ 3:11 pmexcerpt:
whole article: http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/5981/full
seeRpea (c1462d) — 3/26/2015 @ 5:33 pm