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Scandinavian Heavy Metal Sumo Knitting and the Death of Non-Comformity
In the late ’80s I was living with a Swedish girl who lived in Hedenaset – just across the border from Finland, way up north above the Baltic Sea. Yes, winters were cold. And dark. But summers were nice. And she was gorgeous. So there you go.
We would go to discos over in Finland and it was quite the scene. This was in the era of the ’80s outrageous androgynous colorful metallic fashion, and Euro-synth-punk music. In northern, rural Finland. It was, well, it was quite the scene. I’d be sitting in a corner booth, watching colorful flashing lights over the dance floor filled with some of the strangest looking people you’ve ever seen.
I grew up on a hog farm in an Amish community in southeastern Ohio. I was wearing jeans, boots, and a denim jacket. These people looked like David Bowie on a bad acid trip. I, of course, sat there calmly and tried to appear bored, like nothing unusual was happening. Even as an 18-year-old farm boy, I somehow intuitively understood that the more absurd one’s behavior, the more seriously one tends to take oneself, and the more violent one’s likely reaction to ridicule. So I played it cool.
I was reminded of my time in ’80s Finnish discos when Finland recently made the news by hosting the heavy metal knitting world championships. Scandinavian heavy metal is even worse than other heavy metal, although for some reason it’s not quite as bad when accompanied by sumo wrestlers and intense knitters wearing odd costumes. Although I shouldn’t make fun, because come to think of it, I’m not sure what one is supposed to wear when knitting on stage between a heavy metal band and sumo wrestlers.
The YouTube video below is well worth 90 seconds of your time. You’ll want the sound on. You never know – you may learn something! Well, you probably won’t. But it’s still worth 90 seconds of your time:
This video may seem a bit odd, to you. You may be thinking, “Those Finns must drink even more vodka than I thought they did. Before breakfast.” But I was unimpressed. After my experience in the discos of northern Finland in the era of ’80s androgynous metallic fashion, I found this video to be a bit, well, a bit boring, frankly. These people are obviously trying to be crazy and bizarre. Because apparently, none of them were at the same discos I was. If they had been, they would stop trying to appear strange. Strange is a moving target, and it only moves in one direction. And it has already moved way past these people, way back in the ’80s.
This increasing difficulty experienced by those who endeavor to appear strange paradoxically makes increasingly strange behavior appear increasingly boring. We become jaded, and those who seek our attention tend to get ignored.
And people willing to do ridiculous things to attract attention to themselves really can’t stand being ignored. The woman at left demanding congressional respect while wearing a vagina costume must wonder why nobody is paying attention to her.
I feel bad for them, really. This has always worked before. A man wearing mascara in 1986 attracted attention. Now, he has to surgically mutilate his genitals to attract attention. And even that is becoming blasé. Again, strange is a moving target. And it only moves in one direction.
Which presents a problem for the left, who present themselves as champions of the outsiders of society. Even those who go to great lengths to make themselves outsiders. Would the heavy metal knitter from the video who dressed up as a Viking bride (I think) have a chance at being nominated to President Biden’s cabinet? Probably not – she is still white, after all. On the other hand, she’s obviously putting a great deal of effort into conforming with the non-conformity which is so trendy now, so maybe Assistant Secretary of Education or something?
I don’t know. It’s complicated. President Biden is doing his best. Under difficult and ever-changing circumstances.
Joe Biden recently nominated Dr. Rachel Levine to become the first transsexual something-or-other to serve as federal something-or-other in the Department of Health and Human Services. GLAAD praised this courageous choice by President Biden, pointing out that 19% of trans-sexuals have no health insurance. Which obviously explains Mr. Biden’s selection of Dr. Levine. I mean, there you go.
On the other hand, it’s also possible that he’s less interested in transsexual health insurance than he is in the perception of diversity in his administration, which these days, has become much more complex than having a certain percentage of blacks in every photo-op.
Is Dr. Levine sufficiently diverse? I don’t know – he or possibly she is still white, after all. On the other hand, she or possibly he is obviously putting a great deal of effort into conforming with the non-conformity which is so trendy now, so maybe Assistant Something-or-Other in the Department of Health and Human Services is reasonable.
I don’t know. It’s complicated.
I’m not sure anybody on the left plans past next week. But if they do, I wonder where they see this going? What will a diverse presidential cabinet look like in 10 years? 20 years? Once David Bowie is president, who the heck do you nominate as Assistant Something-or-Other in the Department of Health and Human Services?
And at what point do people just lose interest in all this, jaded from decades of increasingly earnest efforts at ridiculous insincerity? Will we return to the ’80s, when such people would earn a roll of the eyes rather than a presidential cabinet appointment?
I don’t know. It’s complicated.
Strange is a moving target. And it only moves in one direction.
I can’t help but wonder where all this is going. I wonder if Democrat leaders wonder, too?
Published in General
I’m pretty confident that placing non-conformists, from a traditional sense, into positions of authority within the gov’t is purely vote-getting, and since lots of higher level placements are political, not based on ability, I’m assuming HHS will still careen forward like the train wreck it is. Like all the massive federal agencies are, since there’s virtually zero accountability for outcomes within the federal gov’t (with some specific exceptions).
All of this seems of a piece with the general confusion. We have a country now, where people proudly slap #Resistance stickers on their (virtual) foreheads, and walk them around to be nodded at and approved by other self-slapping people. But these resisters are simply conforming to what roughly 70-80 million other people think, who bothered to vote.
That’s about as resisty as France in WW2. Meaning not very. That a few fringe elements (the harmless and fun version, from the post) exist is normal in any exercise involving large numbers.
Which is what really bothers me, now, in that the fringe on the right (Jewish Lasers From Space) are now suddenly a justification for a cleansing of the party, so we can nobly hold our heads high, being simultaneously intellectually clean (meaning approved by the other side) and also the automatic loser of every foreseeable election.
All of this has a “Yeah, but I’m not one of those people” vibe. Not meaning the trans example, literally, but members of a party who hold people who happen to check the same box with extreme levels of disdain, but certainly want to be accepted by the other party, for some reason, as not being one of those people.
Insert your own disdained demographic at your leisure.
Whether these people are sincere or merely narcissists is beside the point (though the categories are hardly mutually exclusive). What’s important is that their perceptions of reality don’t align with reality. And it isn’t my job to construct a protective cocoon of lies around them. (Unlike the Finnish club scene, which is nothing more than a subculture and can be enjoyed privately by its adherents without much harm to the broader society, transgenderism makes existential claims, and therefore makes demands on all of us — which is why it’s such a scourge.)
Ten or fifteen years ago — back before Obergefell, and before the cultural left needed a new cause to champion — the number of people who sought sex-change surgeries and hormone “therapy” was tiny. We called them “transsexuals,” and they were a mostly irrelevant group, regarded by the rest of us (insofar as we regarded them at all) as a product of Hollywood decadence. Since then, the left has succeeded in creating a social contagion, and every angsty teenager seems to believe that she’s actually a man or some kind of nonbinary, pansexual, ambi-non-cis-gendered something-or-other.
Thought provoking post, Dr. Bastiat.
I’m going to risk making a prediction: The effect of the transgender thing will be biological women looking more feminine—I mean: deliberately looking more feminine—- and behaving in a more traditionally feminine way.
The Fin’s attempt at showing they’re of the world, too – and more so. Sad lives. Turns out to be nothing more than the bar scene in Starwars.
It’s hard to imagine a society more accepting of gays, and everyone else, than ours.
The point I was trying to make indirectly was that when Dr. Levine announced that he / she was trans-sexual, then he / she became qualified for jobs he couldn’t have even applied for as a white male. There is just no way that such an average person rises this high in any organization without an advantage. In this case, his / her advantage is presenting him / herself as trans-sexual.
What I find so interesting is that affirmative action has made membership in traditionally disadvantaged groups to be such an enormous advantage that people are competing to get into these groups. The Elizabeth Warrens & Ward Churchills of the world know they can’t get the job they want as a standard white person, so they lie, to join groups that are ostensibly disadvantaged, but now are advantaged.
Feminists and gay rights activists aren’t sure what to make of trans-sexuals, because they’re competing for preferences, despite not necessarily being a member of a disadvantaged group to begin with. So why should they get the advantages of a disadvantaged group?
I mean, Dr. Levine is, when you get right down to it, a white male. How does he rise this fast in any organization? Is that fair?
It’s complicated. To me, at least.
And the point of my post was that as we become more jaded to odd sexual practices etc (like wearing a vagina costume in a public park), the competition for these positions is going to escalate. Ten or twenty years ago, Dr. Levine might have gotten this job with some mascara and a purse. Now, he needs surgery and hormone therapy. Where does this lead? I’m not sure.
It will be interesting to watch.
Touch on She’s hobby horse and she’s off to the races. (Oh, referencing a previous comment: It’s true, Mrs. @She, that I’m somewhat full of myself, but methinks you’ll use the “awesome” Marie to get at me.)
Actually, the border of Finland and Sweden where you were was established in 1809 as a result of the Treaty of Frederikshamn. At that time, Finland became a part of the Russian Empire. It had been part of Sweden. But Sweden lost a war to Russia (Sweden was anti-Napoleon and Russia was pro-Napoleon at that point). The Torne River was established as the border and Hedenäset is just west of the Torne River and has been part of Sweden ever since. Finland gained its independence as a result of World War I.
The border that was established between Finland and the Soviet Union changed repeatedly in the 1939-1945 time period. Finland and the USSR fought two wars in that period. Stalin demanded territory to protect Leningrad. Finland would not yield, so the Soviet Union invaded. The war went badly for the USSR initially, but Finland was eventually crushed and lost more territory than what Stalin initially demanded. When the Germans invaded in 1941, the Finns also invaded, but they would only go as far as regaining the territory they lost. They would not participate directly in the choking of Leningrad though the Germans would operate with their help.
After losing both wars, Finland was able to keep its independence because of US and British pressure and also because there were those in Soviet diplomatic corps who wanted a buffer.
Ah. So all Swedes are Intel analysts. Got it.
A person who goes to those lengths to project an image different from the one he or she was born with is doing exactly that–changing others’ perceptions of him or her. There’s no other reason to do it.
So, yes, it is about attention.
A hundred years ago, when men and women’s roles were rigid and preordained for them, transgenderism made some sense.
Today, it does not except in how people relate to others. It is only about outward appearances.
Well necro-Americans have always been a solidly Democratic voting plot. It just makes electoral sense to motivate that community to write in the D box on their write-in ballots.
Ewwww… Just, Ewwww. Please keep that thing in DC, preferably away from the TV cameras.
I’m sure our resident Finn @exjon will have some deep insights to share on this topic.
I had forgotten that I’d came to a similar conclusion in the 1990’s. The kids the late boomers raised were coming into early adulthood, and that’s when you started seeing nose and nipple piercings and not so trivial tatoos. I’d concluded that those kids were trying to shock parents who had already had practice at shocking their own parents who had grown up during World War II, and had been adults running the country in an era of confident conformity.
It was harder to shock those boomer parents, and so the mutilation had begun. And as you say, it only goes in one direction.
Perhaps our silent generation parents were right about long hair on boys and young men after all. It seemed harmless at the time.
The song “Alice’s Restaurant” makes the Silent Generation sound pretty stupid. I found it funny. Not so much anymore.
You make it sound simple. It seems so to me.
@drbastiat: Hey, Doc, FYSA this post was cited over at Instapundit; 12:14 timestamp. Congrats.
You know, it’s weird.
I write an article I think is pretty good, and nobody likes it. Then I publish something just because I get frustrated trying to get something coherent out of a mess of an outline, and that mess goes big. I give up.
But thank you! Pretty cool!
I was referring to when John Walker Lindh’s parents were married–it doesn’t say on Wikipedia, but considering he was born 1981 and was a middle child, it’s safe to say sometime in the 70s. They also raised John as Catholic. I stand by my statement.
It is interesting. Will point out claiming to have Native American heritage takes little effort and no change to day-to-day life, and any negative effects are relegated to after being outed if that even happens.
Some feminists and GRAs, not a majority as far as I can see. This subject is too complicated to get sidetracked with at the moment.
Honestly flummoxed by this claim. I don’t remember any open crossdressers in the Bush admin and can’t imagine any if Gore had won. Same for Obama. You talk as if Biden’s appointees are a chain gang of loons wearing vulva suits. It’d be like fretting that the GOP is on its way to dressing like vikings and painting their faces.
Was Rachel Levine picked so they could claim to have trans representation? Almost certainly, though I have no reason to suspect she’s trans for the purpose of rising in the government. Looking at Biden’s appointments, you’ll also see lots of women, racial minorities, and at least one gay (Buttigeig). Do I think checking off these boxes is being prioritized at the expense of hiring the right people for the job? Yes. The Democrats have done that forever. That’s par for the course in progressive politics, not a sign of incoming freakery in our government (unless you consider women, racial minorities, and gays freaks, in which case…)
You’re forgetting about their own perception of themselves.
What? This doesn’t follow from your previous statement. Unless stranded alone on an island or holed up in a bunker somewhere, people interact with other people. Changing how those other people perceive you is not the same as seeking additional attention beyond what you’d normally receive. That’s like saying dressing well and grooming properly so you leave a good impression on the people who inevitably notice you is no different than running through the streets in a speedo waving a confederate flag.
The fact men and women’s roles are no longer so strict means it’s easier to make accommodations to those who want to switch from one to the other (excepting edge cases where biology causes issues like transwomen competing in women’s sports).
Thank you for refraining from suggesting that I believe any such thing. That’s absurd, and I never mentioned anything like that in this or any other post.
I know you’re kidding, there, but not everyone would be. It’s amazing how often leftists use similar straw man attacks rather than reasoned debate when discussing ideas with conservatives. Then they complain that “we can’t have an honest discussion about race” or whatever. After they just shut down any possible debate with a nasty straw man attack.
Sounds juvenile, but it works.
Again, let me clarify that I’m not suggesting you would do such a thing. You’ve addressed my points as you understand them, and I appreciate that.
But many on the left would make no effort to do so, and would just accuse me of homophobia or something.
Yeah. It was a bit of a play on words. My friend, Plumb Bob? I can’t quite find a way to make that work with “level.” (I have levels as well as plumb bobs, and I do know how to use them both.)
I resemble that remark. And anyway, I do not acknowledge that what they’re doing in the video is actual knitting. This is actual knitting. (It’s a swatch for a baby blanket, done to check stitch and row gauge and to make sure the needle size is right before embarking on the actual thing):
Saw it too. Congrats Drbastiat!
There’s only vagina envy now.
Am I missing that everyone commenting here is only pretending not to see that the people in the video are making fun of heavy metal music, transgenderism, and how unhip the things they enjoy (knitting) really are.
The people in the video also seem to be really happy and grateful to be getting together to clown around. It’s a costume party.
“A hundred years ago, when men and women’s roles were rigid and preordained for them, transgenderism made some sense.”
Is it possible that the transgender craze now is partly an expression of our desire to have back more male/female sex differentiation and partly men retaliating against a situation in which women can both insist they’re no different from men and, when it serves their purposes, insist on gender hiring quotas for women and even deference still shown to women by men ?
I sometimes have to fight the impulse to assume the worst of others. Accusations of isms and phobias may be useful in silencing people, but I know full well that if I voiced my opinions on Twitter I’d be labeled a TERF/Nazi/etc just as fast as any of you. Sometimes these descriptors are accurate, and I reserve the right to employ them when they are, but they’re just as often mere insults and hence empty and unlikely to further the debate in a meaningful way.
You’re right – I started the article with that, but it’s a poor illustration of the point I tried to make at the end.
I saw the video online, and it reminded me of Finnish discos back in the 80’s. Then my brain somehow ended up at how competitive self-disenfranchisement might screw up affirmative action. It’s kinda weird in this brain – be glad you only visit briefly. I have to live in here.
Anyway, when I was done, my article was a jumbled mess, and I started trying to build something coherent. I got frustrated and just posted it.
I kept the video, mainly for comic relief, even though it doesn’t really fit with the point I was trying to make.
But I agree – I’m not sure what exactly what those people are doing, but I really don’t think there’s any significance to their behavior. They seem to be just goofing off. If I had been there, I probably would have had a great time. Especially if I had vodka.
Doc, I really like your honest reply. That’s the way to go. That way you don’t have to worry about what you said yesterday or a year ago.
@she
If we ever meet up, we can arrange a better sequel. I’ll bring my stereo and a selection of Sabaton, Iron Maiden, and other metal bands. Maybe some Skillet and Red, for our shared faith. You break out the knitting needles and yarn.
I’m not sure I can quite live up to authentic Finnish crazy (use subtitles!)
@omegapaladin in my part of Ohio, this is a dangerous video. The boys here will respond, “I can do better than that!”
So who or what, if anything, is Dr. Levine mocking with the costume of his public persona ? Is it the old feminists and feminism, checkmated and soon to be disempowered by these males,—-I mean, by these “transgender women”—-that he’s mocking ? (There’s a way in which the males we call “transgender women” really are to feminists like the kilted Scottish fighters the world war 1 German soldiers called the “ladies from Hell”.) Is it our consternation over the consequences of the new elite-enforced acceptance of what we’re all now supposed to call “transgender” that Levine is mocking?
Dr. Levine’s public persona might affect his private life about as much as, and in the same way as, Vincent Damon Furnier’s “Alice Cooper” persona affects, or once affected, his life offstage. But the persona certainly is useful in 3 ways.
(1) As a ticket to opportunity: Of course, in that get-up, Levine makes the Biden administration look diverse.
(2) As a strategic distraction: Depending on what he plans to do with his power, the persona can be helpful to him because it sort of mesmerizes people (only because the novelty of publicly accepted transgenderism hasn’t worn off yet.) hence, makes it harder for them to focus on, or take seriously, what he does now, or what he did with whatever power and influence he had prior to obtaining his new position. He might get away with doing more damage while people are focused on his scarves, long hair, skirts and lipstick, because they’re not focused on what he’s doing.
(3) By providing him with a transgender card. Anyone who criticizes what he does will, of course, be said to be speaking out of transphobia.
Oh—-and I don’t think Dr. Levine is going to be needing any surgery or hormone therapy, because it’s going to be very clear to everyone that what he has or hasn’t done about that is nobody’s business, and us wondering about it is just another symptom of our transphobia.
Just have to say that it’s fun to see a MASH reference. It’s always a treat to see Klinger pop up:)
Finally got a chance to watch the video. These people are great. So glad the Japanese group won – with both knitting, heavy metal, geishas, and sumo! That is thinking outside the box.