'We simply did not believe such things could happen in Norway'
At the time of the bombing I was in the suburb of Baerum, about 10 kilometers away from Oslo. Even that far away, we heard a sound we first thought to be thunder. Now it seems that it was in fact the bombing.
It is surreal that this is happening in Norway, a country where the government buildings have little to no security measures similar to those you see in the United States. We simply did not believe such things could happen in Norway.
The shootings at Utoya, where the Labor Party's youth group was having its summer camp, were devastating. This is a group of kids, most aged 14-18. Some sources reported that the boat they use to get to and from the island was missing, forcing kids to try to swim to the mainland in order to get away from the shooter.
Norway has long prided itself on its role as a world leader of peace. It t may be that this sense of being an objective and fair player in the world of foreign policy left us with the belief that we would not be a target for terror, despite our involvement in Afghanistan and Libya. We are a country that dedicates a substantial amount to foreign aid, believe we aid in building democratic societies, and we tend to think we are just a little too far out of the way for anyone to take notice of us.
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After this, more security measures are likely to be put into place, and this will probably change the way the city looks and feels.
Minnesota has a strong connection to Norway, but unfortunately many of the Norwegian-Americans in Minnesota are unaware of how the Norway of today has changed from that of their ancestors. Like much of Western Europe we are experiencing a demographic shift, and in Oslo we are approaching a population that is likely to have a higher percentage of non-ethnic Norwegians than ethnic Norwegians for the first time ever. The fear is of course that the combination of change in demographics and the events of today can lead to a more divided society and increased racism.
I hope we take a cue from New York after 9/11, and make the deliberate choice to push through and move forward, and not let whoever is responsible for this succeed in changing who we are. Taking away our freedoms and becoming a police state would be a harsh change for a country that celebrates its independence day with a children's parade rather than a military parade.
It is a terribly sad day in Norway, but I hope the trials of the day will bring us closer together and make us a stronger country.
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Nina Slupphaug, Oslo, received her bachelor's degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls and her masters of public policy from the University of Minnesota. After graduate school she worked with MN2020 as a health care policy associate. She is a source in MPR's Public Insight Network.
