Swedish Commie-Feminist Poetry in English

[moomin]

In Sweden we have a party called Vänsterpariet (The Left Party, duh!) that used to be the commies but don't call themselves that after the fall of the wall - although they still sport pictures of gentle and caring mass murderers such as Lenin in their offices. Go figure.

Anyway, the interesting thing is that this party has rather been kidnapped by extreme feminist nutcases and that the brunt of their hatred seems more directed toward men in general these days as opposed to being directed against anyone who could read in the past.

The Party Leader, Gudrun Schyman, a proud feminst and a heavy drinker who claims that she wasn't actually ever a commie, despite being a member of an extreme marxist-leninist association in her youth, has kindly decided to share her world-view with us in the form of beautiful poetry. I've decided to translate it so that the world at large appreciate the wisdom of a woman that holds 14% or so of the Swedish popular vote:


The male power elite
forms the future
with prejudice
and precision weapons.
The clinical war
is held at a premium.
All operations
are successful,
even when the patient dies.

They sow powerlessness
and reap victims of war.
Sorrow becomes hatred,
justice becomes revenge.
The song of women
is drowned by male commands.


-- * --


Time nips at my neck,
like a mad dog,
ever driven forward
by men in war clothes.
designed by
Bush and Blair.

Tens of thousands of innocent people
flee from the cities of Afghanistan.
Women and children and elderly.
In the shrouds that that protect against
sun and sand,
they try to protect themselves
from the mad dogs.

The male power elite of the world
preferes to dress in
Bush's and Blair's bombs.
Civilians become "victims"
only when they're dead.

Women all over the world,
weave the protective veils
of restraint.


No, it doesn't rhyme or scan in Swedish either. And it sounds just about as bad as well. It's a mad, mad world, it is.

Swedes wanting to check this out for themsleves, in case you think I make this up - and who could blame you? - can check the following link where you can find all of the above and then some.
Enjoy!

http://www.sourze.se/default.asp?itemId=10092276
http://www.sourze.se/default.asp?itemId=10092278

[DanS]

Weird. Am I reading it correctly to mean that she's defending the Taliban regime and its insistence on wearing the Burkha?

[Az]

If IT IS true, than she's would make a great addition to the "Looney Toons hall of Fame".

[Stefu]

Well, that's some crappy poetry, uh-huh. Didn't Sweden have that case of feminists removing urinals from some daycare because men's ability to pee standing up discriminates against women?

Silly Swedes.

...of course, what with Finland's Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance - hey, at least it has more imaginative name than it's Swedish counterpart) having such MPs as Pekka Tiusanen who worked for Stasi in his youth, it's not that much different here> still different here. Ha ha ha!

[moomin]

Originally posted by Dalgetti
If IT IS true, than she's would make a great addition to the "Looney Toons hall of Fame".

It is certianly true to the limits of my ability as a translator. In fact, I have some regrets for making some of it sound better than it was in the original.

And yes, Gudrun Schyman is certainly a full-bore nutcase. She still runs the third biggest party in Sweden.

[Aivo½so]

LOL @ Gudrun Schyman

[Stefu]

Maybe she could shack up with Albert Speer. The poetry they'd create!

[Clear Skies]

There are nutcases in most countries' politics - Jean Marie Le Pen, Nick Griffin and President Bush amongst them...

[moomin]

Originally posted by DanS
Weird. Am I reading it correctly to mean that she's defending the Taliban regime and its insistence on wearing the Burkha?

Oh, the Taliban might have been slightly misguided as far as their view of women is concerned, but in Gudrun's world they make up for that little omission - and I rather believe she thinks could she set them straight about that by explaining feminist theory - by resisting Evil America.

[Az]

This thread screams: "Snapcase , come here"

[Clear Skies]

Actually I'd say it screams 'Bugs ****ing Bunny, come here'. It needs some of his famous dry wit. God knows it's got little enough of anything else.

[Az]

but the truth is , that these people are scaring me. They are showing what has become to the left today, in a very unpleasant light. Their ideas are perhaps innovative, but that doesn't mean that they're good . You can see it everywhere, the strive for a real revolution to promote planned economy and equality for citizens is over, and all they do is try to put sticks in the wheels of corporations.

[General Ludd]

I can't say anything about the quality of the poetry (especially since it's been translated) but I get the content of it, and agree with the jist of it.

She's talking about the patriarchal society we live in, where the men who rule the world use it as a real-life playing field for their wargames and pissing contests.

[Az]

yes, men rule the world . But the condition now is "the people that rule the world are men" , basically putting their gender out of context with the issues of proffesional questions of the people that lead nations and organizations today.
It's totally wrong. Connecting all behavior with being a man or a women is stupid and prejudiced.

[monkspider]

I must break with the party line and strongly disagree with the message of this poetry.

[Az]

she's not one of the party. They aren't communists. they're femminists. for details , ask Snapcase, he's one of them .I wouldn't advice it , though , it's utter crap. N/O, Snapcase.

[moomin]

Originally posted by Osweld
I can't say anything about the quality of the poetry (especially since it's been translated) but I get the content of it, and agree with the jist of it.

Of course you do.

[moomin]

Originally posted by Dalgetti
she's not one of the party. They aren't communists.

Oh, Vänsterpartiet habours a lot of commies - they're officially accepted, although the party doesn't call itself communist anymore.

It's just that the feminist creed has a higher priority these days. What Gudrun says to the blue-collar workers who've traditionally have supported Vänsterpartiet is that "your evil male oppressors first, and poor victims of capitalism second". Amazingly, they seem to be buying it.

[Az]

well , I certainly don't share their feelings.

[CyberGnu]

Well, Gudrun has always had a very weak grasp of reality... What amazes me is that 14% of Sweden is so incredibly dense as to vote for her... I guess a lot of it is pure greed, but still...

[monkspider]

Modern Feminism has degenerated into a socially acceptable hate group. It has about as much to do with the Communist ideal as Nazism.

[Az]

[chequita guevara]

I doubt you'll find very few of us communists actually agree with the Communists. I think Oswald's interpretation is probably correct, though.

[chequita guevara]

minkspider, be fair. Modern feminism is a wide a political movement as there is, with people on the right like Camile Paglia, Andrea Dworkin, and Cathrine McKinnon (though the latter two do not like the former) to Gloria Steinem to Naomi Kline, to bell hooks, etc. Feminism has bourgoisie proponents, anti-male components, socialist, black radical, lesbian, communist, etc. positions. There is no feminism. There are many feminisms. Some of them are pro-human some are anti-human.

[Az]

no , Che. I clearly sense that by "the men that rule the world" she doesn't mean " the people that rule the world" . I find that wrong. "The male power elite" is utter nonesence, as if the war of the genders actually exists as a global battlefield, in a sort of similarity with the Class Struggle.

[Stefu]

Incidentally, when you un-poetrize that, you get:

The male power elite forms the future with prejudice and precision weapons. The clinical war is held at a premium. All operations are successful, even when the patient dies. They sow powerlessness and reap victims of war. Sorrow becomes hatred, justice becomes revenge. The song of women is drowned by male commands.

Time nips at my neck, like a mad dog, ever driven forward by men in war clothes. designed by Bush and Blair. Tens of thousands of innocent people flee from the cities of Afghanistan. Women and children and elderly. In the shrouds that that protect against
sun and sand, they try to protect themselves from the mad dogs. The male power elite of the world preferes to dress in Bush's and Blair's bombs. Civilians become "victims" only when they're dead. Women all over the world, weave the protective veils of restraint.

I did always believe that deep down, most poetry is just bad prose that is chopped up to look more artsy-likey and, thus, deep. I thank Gudrun for proving me right.

[General Ludd]

I don't know anything about feminist movements, but I don't see this as being male vs female or some sort of "gender war". It's about patriarchy.

The world we live in is built on a patriarchy that's been continuing for thousands of years - The land is divided into militant territories, all of which are ruled by "chieftans", who compete needlessly against eachother for no other reason then to comfort their own prides and egos, and to continue on some sort of bizzare tradition. As I said earlier - They use the world as a real-life playing field for their wargames and pissing contests. That is what a patriarchy is and even though it's a masculine trait, it isn't always neccisarily limited to the male gender, nor does it mean that all males have to be like this.

[chequita guevara]

Dalgetti, not saying I agree with her, but with Oswald's interpretation of what she's trying to say, as opposed to Eurowiggy's. I think that your commentary on her, however, is correct.

[monkspider]

Fair point Che, I don't discount that there may still be a few noble feminists in the world who don't subscribe to the hate-mongering agenda of the outspoken leaders which many of us stereotype them by and do genuinely want to make the world a better place. On the same coin however, I have yet to ever encounter such a feminist.

[chequita guevara]

Well, you are in Kansas.