{"id":773,"date":"2016-02-10T19:34:59","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T18:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/?p=773"},"modified":"2016-10-22T18:37:35","modified_gmt":"2016-10-22T16:37:35","slug":"resonant-bodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/10\/resonant-bodies\/","title":{"rendered":"Resonant bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"troll-imadeWEB-1\"<\/a>They were back.\u00a0 It was impossible to ignore them.\u00a0\u00a0 The cooking pot lids.<\/p>\n

With every topic discussed, the owner of the hair salon struck a mannered pose:\u00a0 \u201cPoliticians are like pigeons.\u201d\u00a0From behind he examined the expression of the culprit in the mirror and seeing that his phrase had not missed its mark, he answered the questioning, silent gaze: \u201cWhen they are below you, they eat out of your hand, when they are above you, they shit on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Demo_12-150x150\"<\/a>Clearly, this man knows his pigeons.\u00a0 In front of Al\u00feing, the Icelandic Parliament, you could hear people banging pot lids, spatulas, or anything you might carry in your pocket were your path to lead to the Parliament building. People we beating and hitting any surface capable of making sure that the people\u2019s voice penetrated through the closed windows.\u00a0 Indeed, what\u2019s the point of standing outside in the wind and rain for hours on end, if you can\u2019t get your message through closed windows and make it so loud that any normal conversation becomes impossible, except by shouting at each other?<\/p>\n

The idea that we can draw lessons from the past and that the parliament, which was accessible without the slightest security measure until 2008, needed to be protected against its people, proved to be a very stupid.\u00a0 That year, the people stormed the Parliament, a sort of „Defenestration of Prague“ but without any defenestration, and Halld\u00f3r Gu\u00f0mundsson reported in his book We are all Icelanders<\/em> that parliamentarians only owe their lives to the lack of an available tree on which to lynch them, since the last tree had been been burned.<\/p>\n

To understand the Icelanders better, it\u2019s clear that such a thing would never have happened, even if parliament had been surrounded by an entire forest.\u00a0 No angry individual would have dreamed of it.\u00a0 The Icelanders enjoy humour when it falls under the category of the \u2018smart Icelander\u2019.\u00a0 The act of burning the only tree in front of the Parliament, the gigantic fir tree, that Norway sends to the Icelanders each year by boat in time for Advent, must therefore be fall under the category of \u2018smart Icelander\u2019. That year then, this majestic fir tree had gone up in flames.\u00a0 Icelanders don\u2019t like inflating the truth.\u00a0 Kiss goodbye to peace, joy and cupcakes.\u00a0 In the end it is a matter of pure survival.<\/p>\n

These events clearly left a deep mark on the ladies and gentlemen of the parliament and the building has now adopted the continental fashion of a \u2018security perimeter\u2019.\u00a0 A kind of \u2018iron curtain\u2019 between the people and its representatives, more than a thousand years after the island was first settled.<\/p>\n

Not that the people have become more violent over the centuries.\u00a0 In any way. Quite the reverse even.\u00a0 But it is easier to set up a security perimeter than rack your brains trying to understand how we could have got to the point of being forced to protect the people’s representatives against the ideology that they are supposed to represent, but in reality don\u2019t, and who as a result, either through fear or ignorance, only differ from Louis 16th by the non-heredity nature of their office.<\/p>\n

\"Demo_3-150x150\"<\/a>The security perimeter proved to be a stupid idea, because it used metal barriers.\u00a0\u00a0 An invitation appreciated by all those who were forced to stand in front of the door.\u00a0 And this is how more than a hundred boots were battered against the barriers, not discordantly, but rhythmically, generating a pulsating beat that could be heard as far away at the church of Hallgrimur. The beating rhythm echoed through the rows of houses like invisible drums calling the warriors to the battlefield; the parliament, like a circle of wagons, was under siege and there was no John Wayne in sight to free the gentlefolk from the clutches of savages.<\/p>\n

A few of these stoic messengers showed their \u2018smart Icelandic\u2019 spirit: they turned their back on the parliament and faced the people, without forgetting to hit back, like an Icelandic horse that punishes an inexperienced groom for getting too close.<\/p>\n

We would therefore be within rights to enquire what provoked this confrontation.<\/p>\n

It was the EU entry negotiations. But we would be mistaken in believing that this angry crowd was for or against Iceland joining the EU.\u00a0 It was purely and simply about respecting a campaign promise.<\/p>\n

During the election campaign, the winning party had promised to put the question of whether to continue the EU membership negotiations to the vote and let the people decide.\u00a0 Scarcely after taking office, the government stopped negotiations with the EU, because statistics showed that in any case, most Icelanders would vote against joining.\u00a0 Despite the logic of the Government\u2019s decision, the gulf separating it from the view of the people was immense: it wasn’t a question of knowing whether most Icelanders wanted to join the EU or not, it was about knowing that if a politician makes a campaign promise, however absurd, we must accept that he will break it. And this is what makes a people great: a word is like a signed agreement.\u00a0 If contractual fulfilment is stupid, that\u2019s the problem of the person who was unable to remain silent.\u00a0 If he had said nothing, he would have stayed wise and got off scot free.\u00a0 That may not seem very pragmatic, but it all depends on how you define pragmatism.\u00a0 For Icelanders, making an electoral promise and then breaking it is not pragmatic.\u00a0 A pragmatic approach involves either coming good on a campaign promise, or promising nothing.\u00a0 And to ensure the message is heard loud and clear, there are always pan lids and spatulas in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Well, the parliamentarians heard the message and quickly learned the lesson.\u00a0 The following day, the metal barriers had disappeared, replaced by a plastic noise reduction plastic strip.<\/p>\n

It was completely useless.\u00a0 Since in front of the Parliament, there are enough metallic objects that can be used as resonant bodies: lamp posts, street signs, parking posts, etc. Spatulas and pan lids therefore went on with their daily grind, since nature has taught each Icelander from their formative years that water drops falling one after the other will dissolve even the hardest of basalts.<\/p>\n

Since it seems that the Parliamentarians didn\u2019t dare leave the building. because the people were in front of the door, those who were standing in front of the door fulfilled their duty of assistance and brought sustenance to the representatives of the people.\u00a0 They couldn’t after all be accused of giving their MPs hunger pains.\u00a0\u00a0 Only scandalmongers would say that bananas were a reference to the fact that by abandoning an electoral promise, the Parliamentarians had lowered the Republic to the level of a banana republic.<\/p>\n

That being said, the process of cooling one\u2019s heels in front of the Parliament building for hours, day after day, cannot necessarily be transposed to other countries.\u00a0 That could lead to the collapse of the nation.\u00a0 Because you would need to drum for 365 days.\u00a0 Each year.\u00a0 In front of parliaments, at the town, county, regional and national level.\u00a0 Breaking electoral promises is therefore a well established problem in these countries.\u00a0 What was the point of me chattering yesterday?\u00a0 We take offence and fall into the same trap the next time. He who believes that apples never fall far from the tree is indeed a fool.<\/p>\n

In a democracy, the servant chooses his master, and the fish decides on the head.\u00a0 There is therefore not much point in poking fun at the master or the head.\u00a0 Better consider the fish or the servant rather than the head of the master.\u00a0 Those who want to become good citizens understand they must conform in time.<\/p>\n

\"EU-gurk-Flagge-B2-150x150\"<\/a>We therefore create structures in which the fundamental right of a cucumber to have a specific radius prevails over the right of every person to sell tasty cucumbers.\u00a0 And soon we\u2019ll have the idea that one thing cannot be bad in Europe if it is found to be good elsewhere.\u00a0 In the event of an offence, the State is reminded of its duty: the explosive conclusions of a firm of lawyers has already been drafted and waiting in the drawers to be handed out the the MPs.\u00a0 In the form in orders, with 9 digits before the decimal point.\u00a0 People here, people there.\u00a0 And now, it is no longer the noise of pan lids which affects the MPs to the bottom of their souls.\u00a0 The magical phrase is therefore:\u00a0 \u2018Hello, this is Boston Legal! My client has a pebble in his shoe.\u00a0 Do you want a lawsuit for damages? \u2019<\/p>\n

\"Demo_9-150x150\"<\/a>Isn\u2019t there a pan lid just under the sink? Could it be that we have noticed rather too late that the human right \u2018All humans are created equal\u2019 is also used for purposes for which it was definitely not intended?\u00a0 For example, people who hide behind the expression \u2018free market\u2019, are really interested in their bank balance and not their \u2018rights\u2019 at all.\u00a0 Other than the right to infinitely increase their balance?\u00a0 Indian rice farmers driven to bankruptcy in their villages fell into debt for something that until recently was a negligible cost: seeds.\u00a0\u00a0 And in a democracy, is it not the fish that chooses the head rather than the head that chooses the fish? Security perimeters here and there?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s cook the fish! Here\u2019s the lid … And now who wants some butter for the fish?<\/p>\n

Translation: Jackie Dobble<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"de\"<\/a>Resonanzk\u00f6rper<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Corps de \"fr\"r\u00e9sonance<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They were back.\u00a0 It was impossible to ignore them.\u00a0\u00a0 The cooking pot lids. With every topic discussed, the owner of the hair salon struck a mannered pose:\u00a0 \u201cPoliticians are like pigeons.\u201d\u00a0From behind he examined the expression of the culprit in the mirror and seeing that his phrase had not missed its mark, he answered the … Resonant bodies<\/span> weiterlesen →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[274],"tags":[336,338],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-the-road","tag-althingi-en","tag-reykjavik-en"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6uOIU-ct","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":758,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/09\/history-will-take-care-of-the-rest\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":0},"title":"History will take care of the rest","author":"Bj\u00f6rn Eriksson","date":"9. Februar 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The techno digs straight and regular holes into the heavy midday heat.\u00a0\u00a0 Just like every noon, stoic tourists sprawl in the bar\u2019s padded sun loungers, consuming foreign faces and bodies with curious, bored gazes like cheap commercials that glide past their eyes in the middle of a film.\u00a0\u00a0 On the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "On the road"","block_context":{"text":"On the road","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/on-the-road\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BildKrajina2-300x200","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/BildKrajina2-300x200-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":727,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/02\/the-baker\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":1},"title":"The baker","author":"Bj\u00f6rn Eriksson","date":"2. Februar 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Every morning, the men but also a few women used to philosophise on the bench, while people arriving at the East train station hurried to catch their bus and get to work or school on time.\u00a0\u00a0 The workplace of the men and women on the bench outside the East station\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "On the road"","block_context":{"text":"On the road","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/on-the-road\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"troll-imadeWEB-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/troll-imadeWEB-11.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":767,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/09\/the-information-society-based-on-science\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":2},"title":"The information society based on science","author":"Bj\u00f6rn Eriksson","date":"9. Februar 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Tilvera: In a democracy, no-one is powerless. Man\u2019s power can be broken by a man, by a revolt of moral conscience and by civil society. \u00d3nytjungur: He who prefers to say nothing often resorts to hollow concepts; and since the hallmark of societies is the love of chatter ... Tilvera:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Snjall"","block_context":{"text":"Snjall","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/snjall-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"troll-imadeWEB-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/troll-imadeWEB-11.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":744,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/03\/incomprehensible\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":3},"title":"Incomprehensible","author":"Bj\u00f6rn Eriksson","date":"3. Februar 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One day, a researcher asked an old man what spontaneously came to mind with the concepts of intelligence, reason, perception, utility, reality, illusion, belief, education and logic. The old boy lent forward on his chest and muttered: \"You can harp on for hours, trying to persuade people that they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Snjall"","block_context":{"text":"Snjall","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/snjall-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Troll_Illu_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Troll_Illu_1-300x183.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3557,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2026\/05\/10\/the-core-group-of-the-hreystimannafelag-in-iceland\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":4},"title":"The core group of the Hreystimannaf\u00e9lag in Iceland","author":"Onytjungur","date":"10. Mai 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been reported that a self-driving car is now even being tested in Europe, one that no longer has any pedals or a steering wheel. Isn\u2019t it about time we were reminded a little of why the human species was once endowed with a brain, hands and legs? Who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "On the road"","block_context":{"text":"On the road","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/on-the-road\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Morgunbladid_1988-07-03.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Morgunbladid_1988-07-03.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Morgunbladid_1988-07-03.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":781,"url":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/2016\/02\/11\/does-bielefeld-exist\/","url_meta":{"origin":773,"position":5},"title":"Does Bielefeld exist?","author":"Bj\u00f6rn Eriksson","date":"11. Februar 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2018Listen carefully and repeat\u201d was to be the phrase he remembered most when he began to learn German.\u00a0\u00a0 Critics suggest that with these words, he would have already learnt the basics of what characterises and distinguishes German schools.\u00a0 Of course it\u2019s not really true, as the example of a city\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "On the road"","block_context":{"text":"On the road","link":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/en\/category\/on-the-road\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"troll-imadeWEB-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/troll-imadeWEB-11.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1232,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions\/1232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.algorithmics.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}