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Shock In Oslo

There has never been an act like it.  Though the cruelly-executed mass-murder in Oslo is not numerically the worst terrorist outrage in human history, it is hard to think it is not the worst single-person act of murder, barring mad dictators.  The individual in question seems to have acted alone, stepping out of central casting as half Nazi-arch-villain, half Scandinavian lone wolf, a Kierkegaard with bullets.

Too often the phrase cinematic is used for these insane projects, but this one was timed with the grandiose perfection of a brilliant engineer, and has the hallmarks of a barely-plausible Stieg Larsson thriller.  It is unbelievable to think one man could set off destruction at the heart of a nation's political centre only to use that as a diversion to strike at the heart of its youth, miles away, on a pleasant summer island, dressed as an officer of the law.

It is ironic, and demonic.  It is made worse when one realises the killer surrendered calmly, in no sense compelled to do himself in.  This one wants attention for his manifesto.  Like all megalomaniacs, he is possessed of terrible purpose, and a mediocre mind.  Evil, sadly, has an excellence though - in that it excels at horrifying the human soul.  The Oslo carnage can still shock us, as we reflect on how some who walk among us are so insulated from compassion as to see fellow humans as less-than-nothings, moving targets that need to be eliminated, point blank.
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Comments

bright star said…
Good post. I was astounded by this ghastly crime.
Mon Jul 25, 12:34:00 am 2011
ottawa jack said…
Only evil mind can do that! I'm still shock today with the recent news in Norway.
Mon Jul 25, 03:46:00 am 2011
Anonymous said…
what did poor old Kierkegaard ever do to you? Bit lazy...
Mon Jul 25, 03:48:00 pm 2011
EYEWEAR said…
I said Kierkegaard with bullets... and as far as a short-hand goes (they are always lazy), the madman-killer appears to be an isolated, theology-obsessed writer, churning out copious manifestos using pseudonyms, living in a Scandinavian country, railing against his society - which does reflect what I meant. Forunately, the death toll is now down to 76 from the 90s.
Mon Jul 25, 05:14:00 pm 2011
Anonymous said…
That is one of the very worst pieces of writing I have ever read, seeemingly genereated by some kind of cliche machine, utterly shallow and pointless . . . It's wrong from the first sentence onwards and for some reason maligns Kergegaard. And why do you feel the need to comment on this anyway? Surely people go to blogs etc etc the escape from the cliche-ridden opinion pieces you find int the back of the broadsheets. Is this blog about ambition?
Tue Jul 26, 09:15:00 pm 2011
EYEWEAR said…
I am not sure what you mean about ambition. This blog is about a lot of things. It may not be "well written" - it was the reaction I had at the time. As for why people would want to comment on something so upsetting, well, obviously, partly out of a need to cope or understand.
Wed Jul 27, 09:11:00 am 2011
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