Mid-summer speach by Peter Duetoft
: 25.06.2011 15:41:48
I have translated a speech, originally written and told by Danish politician Peter Duetoft, into English. Even it is a parabel, it is a true story about Denmark:
The space ship landed between some trees north of the capital city. The small green spacemen jumped out. They looked around. ”Well, this is how a democracy looks like” - said one of them. They left Mars 30 month ago. Mars just separated from Venus. Some said, that women is from Venus and men is from Mars, but that is not right. The despots was from Venus, but Mars had desided to make an end to dictatorship. With great success and the small astronauts was sent to Earth to learn about democracy.
”Let's go to town, said first pilot. By the power of mind they flew through the air and suddently they stood in front of a courtyard castle. ”Here lives their chairman”, they said to each other. ”She is a friendly woman, who makes art and want it well for her people. A country like this must be wonderful to live in”.
”We need to learn how they do”, said the chef. ”We go to the place called The Royal Library. Here we can read, how the country rule out democracy in real. We can read what they have. Then we can copy from the newspapers and documents – and bring it home and learn from it”.
Fortunately, the small green creatures brought their supersonic translation machine, so they could both read and write the language. Just like that! They used their mind machine again – and then they stood at a canal and a big house that looked like a black diamond. The house was open. They were going inside and started reading documents and newspapers from the last few years back.
”The state will deside who one can fall in love with! The state will deside who one can marry! The state will deside who can visit you!” The small green creatures looked at each other, amazed. ”That must be because it is more effective when that guy, The State, desides everything?”, the navigator said. The two others agreed and read on.
”The state will deside what clothes one can wear. The state will deside what one can do behind his own doors. The state will deside what TV-channels one can see”. (Well, the last one is only a surgestion. But it sounded like the leadership of the country took it very seriously).
”It is a civil duty to turn one another in anonymiously. The state has classified court trials, that no one will have knowledge of. The police will pick up people at night and send them out of the county”.
”Yes”, said the 2. pilot. "Maybe it's time to go back home to Mars, so we will not be victims of this democracy. Because we cannot speak the language,we look different, wear another kind of clothes, we are not rich and have no Earthly education – we will for sure be send to a wicked place”.
”Wait up”, said the leader. ”I don't get this. Something is wrong. Howcomes the rumours of this country was so fantastic? Why did no one protesting?”
They found another newspaper. Some big NGO's was critical, but the state said that if they were so, they get no more money – and then they became very quiet. At the same time the state removed all the criticals from the advising boards, and put in their own kind.
”Let's get home”, the green leader said sadly. ”Is this how they do in a democracy? Then it looks exactly like the ideas from Venus that we opposed to. They just named it ”authoritarian” instead of ”democratic”.”
Sad in mind, they go back to the spaceship. Mission was not accomplished. ”Maybe we should go to the Moon on the way home”, said the little one, ”maybe they are true to their ideas of freedom”. But the leader of the mission said: ”I Don't think so. Denmark was the symbol of the most excuisite and democratic country in the entire Galaxy – and see how it has been going. Let's go home to tell for sure, that this is not the way we want to destroy our most valued ideas and basics of life”.
Then the little spaceship started. They were lucky. 2 minutes later the emergency cars from the aliens policeforce showed up. The police has got anonymious reports, that some persons looked different and suspicious.
Suddently the youngest Mars creature took up two pieces of paper. ”I bring these. One is old and the other is new. On the old is written ”I have a dream”. On the new is written ”Yes, we can!”. That sounds very open and optimistic”. All of them looked on the papers and the pictures. ”Yes”, the leader said. ”Maybe the country they come from can be where the light shines in the darkness. But the two who said those words, look different compared to the people we just saw in Denmark. Maybe they stay more faithful to what they believe in” - and then the three pioneers flew on, wondering.
The space ship landed between some trees north of the capital city. The small green spacemen jumped out. They looked around. ”Well, this is how a democracy looks like” - said one of them. They left Mars 30 month ago. Mars just separated from Venus. Some said, that women is from Venus and men is from Mars, but that is not right. The despots was from Venus, but Mars had desided to make an end to dictatorship. With great success and the small astronauts was sent to Earth to learn about democracy.
”Let's go to town, said first pilot. By the power of mind they flew through the air and suddently they stood in front of a courtyard castle. ”Here lives their chairman”, they said to each other. ”She is a friendly woman, who makes art and want it well for her people. A country like this must be wonderful to live in”.
”We need to learn how they do”, said the chef. ”We go to the place called The Royal Library. Here we can read, how the country rule out democracy in real. We can read what they have. Then we can copy from the newspapers and documents – and bring it home and learn from it”.
Fortunately, the small green creatures brought their supersonic translation machine, so they could both read and write the language. Just like that! They used their mind machine again – and then they stood at a canal and a big house that looked like a black diamond. The house was open. They were going inside and started reading documents and newspapers from the last few years back.
”The state will deside who one can fall in love with! The state will deside who one can marry! The state will deside who can visit you!” The small green creatures looked at each other, amazed. ”That must be because it is more effective when that guy, The State, desides everything?”, the navigator said. The two others agreed and read on.
”The state will deside what clothes one can wear. The state will deside what one can do behind his own doors. The state will deside what TV-channels one can see”. (Well, the last one is only a surgestion. But it sounded like the leadership of the country took it very seriously).
”It is a civil duty to turn one another in anonymiously. The state has classified court trials, that no one will have knowledge of. The police will pick up people at night and send them out of the county”.
”Yes”, said the 2. pilot. "Maybe it's time to go back home to Mars, so we will not be victims of this democracy. Because we cannot speak the language,we look different, wear another kind of clothes, we are not rich and have no Earthly education – we will for sure be send to a wicked place”.
”Wait up”, said the leader. ”I don't get this. Something is wrong. Howcomes the rumours of this country was so fantastic? Why did no one protesting?”
They found another newspaper. Some big NGO's was critical, but the state said that if they were so, they get no more money – and then they became very quiet. At the same time the state removed all the criticals from the advising boards, and put in their own kind.
”Let's get home”, the green leader said sadly. ”Is this how they do in a democracy? Then it looks exactly like the ideas from Venus that we opposed to. They just named it ”authoritarian” instead of ”democratic”.”
Sad in mind, they go back to the spaceship. Mission was not accomplished. ”Maybe we should go to the Moon on the way home”, said the little one, ”maybe they are true to their ideas of freedom”. But the leader of the mission said: ”I Don't think so. Denmark was the symbol of the most excuisite and democratic country in the entire Galaxy – and see how it has been going. Let's go home to tell for sure, that this is not the way we want to destroy our most valued ideas and basics of life”.
Then the little spaceship started. They were lucky. 2 minutes later the emergency cars from the aliens policeforce showed up. The police has got anonymious reports, that some persons looked different and suspicious.
Suddently the youngest Mars creature took up two pieces of paper. ”I bring these. One is old and the other is new. On the old is written ”I have a dream”. On the new is written ”Yes, we can!”. That sounds very open and optimistic”. All of them looked on the papers and the pictures. ”Yes”, the leader said. ”Maybe the country they come from can be where the light shines in the darkness. But the two who said those words, look different compared to the people we just saw in Denmark. Maybe they stay more faithful to what they believe in” - and then the three pioneers flew on, wondering.