#kvennablaðið

[stefankarlfanblog]

I'm going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I'm going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren't archived properly so they're lost, I'm also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 3 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20170720095645/http://kvennabladid.is/2015/08/08/paradisarfuglinn-chad/

The bird of paradise Chad

Published on 8 August. 2015 Categorized as COUNTRY & NATION Tags: CHAD JASON • MAKE-UP ARTIST• HAPPINESS • GRINCH • SYMPATHY • FRIENDSHIP

I will never forget the night on Hverfisgatan. Bar 46. It was in the June of 2012. One of my best friends and colleagues, Chad Jason, took hold of me, kissed me and pressed himself against me. I was saying goodbye to him for the last time, but I didn't know any better than that we would meet again in autumn just as last autumn when we started our work in the play of the Grinch.

There he made me up every day and brought me into the role, sometimes several times a day. Then we'd look deep into each other's eyes many times a day.

But when I looked in front of him that night, his eyes were full of tears, he had never shown me so much emotion before, he had never really shown me when he was depressed or sad. If something went wrong he laughed and smiled, made fun of it all. When he got angry, he was quick to put things in a different context, make a mockery of himself and make someone laugh and think that everything was fine.

Chad Jason died in October 2012, alone at a hospital in Queens, New York, after refusing treatment for a disease that plagued him. When he finally fell into a coma and his strength dried up, the doctors were able to start the treatment and give him a cocktail of injectable medicine, but by then it was too late.

He didn't need to die, he could have kept going, he could have continued to live life but he chose not to.

Why, we never get to know for sure, but he had already told me many things, told me what had driven him in his day.

He had already told me how his mother made him eat out of the trash at home when he was little, how the siblings had to pee in a bucket in the yard because she didn't have time to pay the water bill, that his siblings had to steal food as to not starve and later how his sister and brother rejected him because of his homosexuality.

He also told me about how his sister later became a psychologist for homosexual couples and tried to reconcile with him. He told me he couldn't love anyone, how he has no respect for himself and how he works around the clock so as not to have to listen to his thoughts - because then he always heard those voices of the past that told him that he was not free to love anyone he wanted.

The makeup artist is not just a makeup artist

Good make-up artists become one's best friends, psychologists. The first people you meet when you come to work in the theater and those who leave the theater with you in the evening.

The make-up artist reads you immediately, shocks you or calms you down, depending on what you need when you step into the theater from the whirlpool of reality outside the theater.

It can be compared to having a lover which you can tell everything to and that tells you everything. We trusted each other, and during the thousands of hours we spent together in closed locker rooms across the United States, I heard his stories, stories that I am only now able to put into context. I don't think it's fair when I think back and the more I think about it, the more I hear him repeat the same things over and over again. Maybe I'm only now listening to him.

Now I understand why and much better how important it is for us to come together, all as one, and to support diversity.

Now I understand so much better what it means when Páll Óskar sings "I am as I am" and now I understand how important it is when we walk together today and listen to each other and hear what we say, loving, hand in hand.

Chad was like that lover, the lover I needed then and I love him for what he really wanted to be but never got to experience.

I loved him as himself, this wonderfully beautiful drag queen he wanted to be with the gold and silver feathered wings that rose to the sky in the final tone of the night queen. Unforgettable as a national hero, the Argentinian Evita Peron.

In heaven, the audience stand around his soul, I'm sure. They shout:

"Bravo Chad, you are beautiful, beautiful like a bird of paradise."

Chad, I love you.

Here is a video that Chad put together where he shows how Grinch came to be:

[drbjornsdottir]

Að vera hræddur við dauðann eins og margir eru er hræðslan við sársaukann sem við upplifum þegar við fæðumst.

Stella

http://kvennabladid.is/2014/12/31/stella-konan-sem-kann-ekki-ad-hraedast-fyrri-hluti/

[stefankarlfanblog]

I'm going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I'm going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren't archived properly so they're lost, I'm also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 2 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20200804105703/https://kvennabladid.is/2015/06/06/arfinn-er-lika-blom/

The heir is like a flower

Published on 6 June. 2015, Categorized as COUNTRY & NATION, Tags: HEIRS • WEEDS • NATURE

Prejudice against heirs has long since spread throughout the thieves' block and I would like to try to pick up the garden glove for the misunderstood prima donna, who sometimes behaves rather awfully if she is not kept in check.

An heir a well-to-do individual which can be let to enjoy themselves in various ways in Icelandic gardens, he gets up quickly when the weather is good and has the ability to arrive early in the garden party and often to leave last.

Heirs, or weeds, as narrow-minded tired gardeners often call them, are flowers that grow from seeds, shed new seeds and then become soil again.

These are types such as: Social Democratic Party (Social-media), Citizens' Party (City - bursa-pastoris). The Iceland Movement (Icelandia- urens) The Liberal Party, the New Force and the Humanist Party (Mix - nymanii) to name a few.

The perennial individuals, on the other hand, are the ones who snuggle in safe soil during the winter and then sprout every year with a little bit of renewal every few years.

These are species such as: the Independence Party (independent - repens), the Progressive Party (Forward-Tussilago-farfara), the Social Democratic Alliance (All in volgaris), Left-Green Movement (Left - arvense), and of course the common dandelion (Taraxacum spp.) Etc.

shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is non-partisan.

But now the big question is, should these plants be eradicated and not be allowed to bloom or simply to allow weeds and find their purpose and reconcile? Yes, but for that, the occupants need to be a little vigilant and on all fours because it is important not to allow the weeds to lose control in the middle of the garden and just take it over. It can be possible do this by removing the flowers from the grasses with a joint effort so that they do not reach maturity as seeds, as they are fertile individuals that spread quickly during the flowering stage.

It is also possible to pick the "offspring" from the grass in question so that they aren't irresponsibly distributed on the land, as if it were boasting about its own fertility within plants that may give birth every few years, like the asparagus that can't stand to be offended much more.

Yes, heirs are like flowers, but if we don't control them, they will take over the gardens and kill other species, suffocating them. Gardens should certainly consist of many species, the flora of Iceland is about 4-500 species, so it would certainly be sad if we let the heir take over completely, but he is also entitled as long as he does not sow too much.

If we cultivate our gardens, the environment will be so much more beautiful and we will feel much better in harmony with nature and people.

[stefankarlfanblog]

I’m going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I’m going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren’t archived properly so they’re lost, I’m also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 8 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20200926180851/https://kvennabladid.is/2017/01/30/eg-styd-sjomenn/

I support fishermen

Published on 30 Jan 2017, Categorized POPULAR Tags: ITEMS • WAGE STRUCTURE • ELECTIONS • COST PARTICIPATION • QUOTA KINGS • QUOTA KING • QUOTAS • WAGES • SOCIETY • SAILORS• TRAWLERS • FISHING

Why is there so much stagnation in society towards fishermen? Why can't the public support them better?

It has never been customary in Icelandic society to criticize the quota king in the municipality because he has the small community in his back pocket. "He" can offer anything to sailors and their families, "He" walks around the town and talks about the day and the road and doesn't have to do anything to play king, the others take care of it by bending and turning. The livelihood of the whole families, the whole generation, is in the hands of such "Quota Kings" and their fishing in the area and therefore nothing can be said. The "kings" usually build the biggest houses, own the nicest cars and everything is transferred to the "quota kings" because without them this small municipality wouldn't be much and will probably just become nothing. People should thank the "Quota King" for not going to the next town, "He" could have done it but did not and for that we should be thankful.

"DEMANDS"!?! AND THEN WHAT?!? (Read like the soup scene from Oliver Twist)

"Then you come here and you're going to ask me for a wage increase!" - Now the "Quota King" is offered enough and yes, yes, you get an increase but you will then have to pay the cost that I'm also paying. The oil and the ships that I am building for you. I don't need to have any luxury trawlers built for you, I could just have any old mud boat, but if you really want to, I will go for the new build, but then you must also pay for it. When I sell the ship (which is about 25-40 years old) you won't get a penny from it as the cost will be so heavy for me and my family that we'll have to own another new trawler, which you will then have to pay the down payment of too, or your next generation.

Of course, our fisherman agrees, as he doesn't that have many other options. The fisherman who came to the place to build a future for himself and his family, or just came on board in search of work as a loner, has suddenly become a large operator of a two thousand million ISK trawler and has begun to participate in all kinds of costs with food and clothing that he has no overview of and no agent to review the company's accounts to make sure his contribution is commensurate with the actual cost of the trip. Yes, and even though the fisherman may not have many restaurants on board in the Baltic Sea, he is still obliged to pay for the food in one restaurant with a small subsidy from the company, as fishermen are forbidden to bring their own kitchen on board, let alone use the kitchen for your own cooking. On the contrary, one of the crew has a duty to get in from the deck or out of the train and help the chef who himself has to take part in gutting fish between meals, we don't want to see people sitting and resting on board trawlers, such poverty costs people the share.

Actors who work in a dream studio receive a paid guarantee and then a share of the tickets are sold, the general success of the film in which the person works. For simplicity, let's say one movie is like one tour. Yes, it would be strange if Ólafur Darri came to Steven Spielberg's location with a salary guarantee of one and a half million and 1/150 part of the film's profit, but would have to pay for his own food, the costume and the make-up, the set (because it is new), the camera and all devices that were under 7 years old, as well as the electricity needed to run the lighting equipment. Do you think that Ólafur Darri or any other actor would accept such an exchange when looking at the overall interests, profits, etc.?

It's natural that those who own the bulk of the film and its production bear the cost, that is because they have a higher share, that is why it is in their interests to run a profitable business, so that they can then pay themselves a larger share of the capital that is available for the exchange after the tour has ended and a settlement has taken place. The actor doesn't get to see the results, can you imagine if all the actors, extras, walk-ins and staff of Shindler's List would have had to go over every single bill before the salary was paid? Probably no one would have gotten paid yet to this day. Therefore, matters are simplified in such a way that everyone who is still involved (like the fisherman) gets a wage guarantee and then part of the success as one company (SAG / AFTRA) manages the whole group and no one has to participate in any costs, as such a calculation example would be ridiculous.

Therefore, it is difficult for me to understand why the fishing industry - "Spielberg" in Iceland - makes the fishermen (actors) bear the actual costs without them or the treasury receiving anything in return. Fishermen and the general public in the country are being deceived, and this has been the case for the past 35 years or since 1983 with the enactment of Act no. 24/1986 on oil standards. A catch insurance fund and items such as employers' counter-contributions such as social security contributions, accident insurance, etc. were included in the oil benchmark. Inserted as a cost to seafarers who the employer or the fishing industry is required by law to pay for those who work for the fishing industry.

Both fishermen and the general public are making billions in revenue in total and the state in the billions in income tax. These are the billions that end up in the pockets of the fishing industry, the shipowners, the "quota kings" that no one dares to upset or oppose so that the town is not left to dry. The "quota king" who cries so loudly that he falls in the mountains if he has to pick up his wallet and pay more. The company's pain threshold is very low when it comes to picking up the wallet, but very high when it comes to taking a strike, because the company's funds are around the world, unexplored and untaxed if it turns out to be true, not only the wages of hardworking fishermen. who risk everything and live in a remote camp with their children and wives, there lies Landspítalinn, there lies our education system, there lies the disability benefits and our social system, there lies the Norðfjörður tunnel, Dýrafjarðar tunnel and other transport connections, there are probably close to four hundred billion from the last 35 years (from 1983 with the enactment of Act No. 24/1986)

I like fish and almost every time it is on my plate I think of Icelandic fishermen, my father who was a fisherman, my grandfather who was an engineer and the many fishermen who are in my family and around me and everyone I know, fishermen are everywhere, they number in the thousands and are a big part of our society, they pull rocks into the farm every day and are supposed to get much more for it because then we also get much more.

Let us not be so numb, we will get the money we have from the fishing industry, the money that swims around Iceland around the clock and build our society and reduce inequality. Remember that if the fisherman gets more, you get more too, when the fisherman's share is reduced, your share is also reduced, we have the resource in the sea, right? And the next time you park in an unbuilt and unheated car park by the 100-year-old Landspítalinn by Hringbraut (which is not even Hringbraut anymore) and come out and have already received a parking ticket on top of the cost participation you paid out when you paid 2,500 ISK. for the blood test you were in, think of the "Quota King" and be careful not to complain because if it were not for him, you might not even have been able to take a blood test.

Is that the joy of the devil, commissions and profits, the wealth of the poor man found in rich funds.

Hjálmar Jónsson from Bóla

1796 - 1875

http://www.althingi.is/lagas/nuna/1986024.html

https://www.facebook.com/stefankarl.stefansson/posts/1242340135819636

[stefankarlfanblog]

I'm going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I'm going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren't archived properly so they're lost, I'm also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 1 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20150325155620/http://kvennabladid.is/2014/01/20/heidursverdlaun-eru-ekki-fyrir-konur/

Honorary awards are not for women

Published on 20 Jan 2014 Tags: honorary award • Hollywood • Actresses • Discrimination • Oscars. television • Stefán Karl

Since 1938, the Hollywood Film Academy has awarded several select individuals an honorary award at the Academy Awards for their contributions to the film industry. The festival is actually divided into the main festival, which we know well and is televised live, but first there is another festival is held shortly before where other branches of the film industry compete for awards in categories that are not considered a reason to broadcast. It should be noted that these categories are nevertheless important elements in excellent filmmaking.

But if we just take a look at the main festival and look at the division of the awards, a number of interesting things come to light. The first to receive the actual honorary award was W.D Griffith, who at the time had produced over 500 films, both short and full-length, and was therefore well-deserved.

Now, 78 years later, and about the same number of honorary awards later, only ten adult women have been awarded the coveted honorary award, including nine actresses. Very few female child stars such as Judy Garland and Shirley Temple have received statues of honor (miniature statuette) for their acting.

This certainly raises the question of whether there were only a few women that worked in Hollywood? Are women being discriminated against here? No answer is available, but insiders at the Academy have argued that this is simply because not as many women have been involved in the development of the film industry from the beginning. And because women don't have the same responsibilities within the business as men.

Others have sharply criticized this, arguing that women are less productive and less powerful than men, and in fact many women are in the most powerful positions in Hollywood.

Here are the women who have received the honorary award from the beginning:

The list of men can be found all over the internet and it's not on the agenda to list them all here. But to make it easier for the academy to choose and for our own information, we can look at a great list of outstanding women who should all receive the Academy Award for their contribution to film, acting, production, directing or screenwriting, to just name a few.

The first list is of women who are still alive, the second list is of women who all have passed over the great mist without having received the coveted statue of honor. These lists are certainly not exhaustive and no doubt there are names that some disagree with and others may want to add more names. Let's look at these names and honor women in Hollywood and don't forget that without them the film industry would be much poorer.

Here are some women artists in various branches of the film industry who are still alive, some in full swing, who haven't received honorary awards:

Danielle Darrieux, Doris Day, Michèle Morgan, Julie Andrews, Julie Christie, Joan Fontaine, Eleanor Parker, Eva Marie Saint, Joanne Woodward, Catherine Deneuve, Claire Bloom, Mia Farrow, Vanessa Redgrave, Marsha Hunt, Liv Ullmann, Micheline Presle, Shirley MacLaine, Isabelle Huppert, Goldie Hawn, Deanna Durbin, Isabelle Adjani, Debbie Reynolds, Maureen O’Hara, Leslie Caron, Julie Harris, Susan Sarandon, Gena Rowlands, Claudia Cardinale, Bibi Andersson, Machiko Kyo, Faye Dunaway, og Angela Lansbury,Gina Lollobrigida, Anouk Aimée, Ellen Burstyn, Sissy Spacek, Jane Alexander, Diane Keaton, Marsha Mason, Piper Laurie, Karen Black, Ann-Margret, Kim Novak, Dorothy Malone, Shirley Jones, Liza Minnelli, Valentina Cortese, Jane Powell, Cicely Tyson, Carroll Baker, Samantha Eggar, Silvia Pinal, Debra Winger, Sarah Miles, Margaret Ménégoz, Kathleen Kennedy, Jeanne Moreau, Nicole Garcia, Monica Vitti, Barbra Streisand, Lee Grant, Agnès Varda, Catherine Breillat, Barbara Hammer, Lina Wertmüller,  Anne V. Coates, Harriet Frank Jr., Glenn Close, Joan Fontaine, Eleanor Parker, Jane Alexander, Isabelle Huppert, Agnès Varda, Danielle Darrieux, Mia Farrow, Maureen O’Hara. Olivia de Havilland, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, Luise Rainer, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Jodie Foster,  Jessica Lange, Barbara Kopple, Thelma Schoonmaker, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Barbra Streisand and more and more.

Deceased women artists:

Elizabeth Taylor, Greer Garson, Claudette Colbert, Gloria Swanson, Audrey Hepburn, Jill Clayburgh, Jennifer Jones, Jean Simmons, Rosalind Russell, Marlene Dietrich, Janet Gaynor, Alida Valli, Simone Signoret, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Paulette Goddard, Anna Magnani, Ava Gardner, Mae West, Miriam Hopkins, Ginger Rogers, Patricia Neal, Janet Leigh, Susan Hayward, Dolores del Rio, Norma Talmadge, Anne Baxter, Joan Bennett, Edwige Feuillère, Lilli Palmer, and Kay Francis. In addition to Constance Bennett, Ann Sheridan, Lana Turner, Ann Harding, Constance Talmadge, Irene Dunne, Colleen Moore, Jean Arthur, Anne Bancroft, Judy Garland, Norma Shearer, Annie Girardot, Betty Grable, Gene Tierney, Anna Neagle, Merle Oberon, Joan Blondell, Pola Negri, Eve Arden, Mary Astor, Sylvia Sidney, Claire Trevor, Corinne Griffith, Margaret Leighton, Alice Faye, Jane Wyman, Grace Kelly, and Ruth Chatterton, Corinne Griffith, Victor Varconi, Constance Cummings, Nancy Carroll, Margaret Lockwood, Giulietta Masina, Edith Evans, Clara Bow, Silvana Mangano, June Allyson, Agnes Moorehead, Ann Todd, Lucille Ball, Hedy Lamarr, Susannah York, Gloria Stuart, Jeanne Crain, Margaret Rutherford, Thelma Ritter, Gladys Cooper, Simone Simon, Ann Miller, Fay Wray, Aline MacMahon, Mary Boland, Marjorie Main, Dame May Whitty, Lois Weber, Alice Guy, Theda Bara, Pauline Frederick, Dorothy Gish, Alice Joyce, Mae Marsh, Viola Dana, Clara Kimball Young, Ida Lupino, Dorothy Arzner, Anne Bauchens, Dede Allen, Barbara McLean, Betty Comden, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Bess Meredyth, Dorothy Farnum, Ruth Cummings, Jane Murfin, Jeanie Macpherson, Lenore J. Coffee, Anita Loos and many countless, countless more.

Happy Oscars!

Stefán Karl Stefánsson

[stefankarlfanblog]

I’m going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I’m going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren’t archived properly so they’re lost, I’m also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 7 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20151114231315/http://kvennabladid.is/2015/10/08/af-menningarsveppum

Of the cultural fungi

Published on 8 Oct 2015, Categorized ARTS & CULTURE Tags: OPINION PERSONS • ELITE • FUNGI• ART SPIRITS • ART • PHOTOGRAPHY • CULTURE • CULTURAL LIGHTS • MUSHROOMS

Sveppir (fungi) are in many ways unique organisms and therefore classified into their own kingdom, the fungal kingdom. For a long time, however, fungi were classified as plants, because at first look they were more like them compared to animals. There is, however, a fundamental difference between fungi and plants where plants are primitive and use chlorophyll for photosynthesis, but fungi can't photosynthesize and form their own nutrients themselves, but they're preservatives and feed on organisms such as dead plant parts and carcasses of animals.

Self-appointed cultural fungi also exist. I want to avoid mentioning names and groups, as these cultural fungi are quite fond of cracking down on artistic sprouts by any name.

About cultural fungi, like other fungi, that they are predisposed to photosynthesis when it comes to culture and the arts and therefore sit saltily in the distance - keep quiet for years, but then spring up from the soil to absorb nutrients from products that the sprouts themselves have long forgotten.

There is little more recognition in the arts than achieving the goal of grabbing the attention of the cultural fungi, which considers itself so much of an astute that it does not even have to familiarize itself with what the artistic sprout does before learned articles about its results spring up like mold in wetlands.

A recent example of this awakening of the cultural fungi is when a fool in the wild allowed himself to call an "elite" by name.

The elite is precisely the kingdom with which the cultured fungi was always classified as before, until the cultured fungi couldn't produce their own nutrition as has been stated before and need "fertilizer" or some kind of support in order to hope for life. And because the cultural fungi and the wannabe cultural fungi have everything under the elite, they react to the idea of talking the elite down and pretending that it doesn't exist. This is a well-known method in the whole animal -and plant kingdom.

But in the fungus kingdom some are edible while others are poisonous and it is often impossible to distinguish between them and therefore it is important to urge the ancient saying: "Beware of imitations". Cultural fungi often try to get art sprouts to adapt to them, which unfortunately often causes the latter illnesses - even death.

With this article, I would like to remind you that we must take good care of nature, not step on the buds of art and not indulge in any cultural fungus. Most of the sprouts are edible, although they are not suitable for everyone, but the fungi can be dangerous, as they are seasonal products, except those that are produced in specially made greenhouses, tasteless and low in nutrients.

[stefankarlfanblog]

I’m going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I’m going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren’t archived properly so they’re lost, I’m also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 6 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20200919031758/https://kvennabladid.is/2015/09/30/breitt-bros-candyfloss/

"A beautiful smile is like cotton candy"

Published on 30 Sept 2015 Categorized as COUNTRY & NATION Tags: BULLYING • BULLYING DISCUSSION • COMPULSORY SCHOOLS • TEACHERS • STUDENTS • SCHOOLS • SOFFÍA VAGNSDÓTTIR • EXCLUSION

The headline is ironic, as we will see later. "Irony is an insidious way of telling the truth," said Lillian Hellman. Yes, there are many ways to tell the truth when it comes to bullying. This applies regardless of whether it's the perpetrator of the bullying, the parents of the children in question and teachers, school administrators and other school staff members. But, of course, there are, and fortunately most often, individuals who just get straight to the point, but for many reasons they seem to be declining.

Recently, I saw a post and media coverage on the Facebook page of Soffía Vagnsdóttir, the educational representative of Norðurlands eystri, the former principal of Bolungarvík Primary School and was knighted The Order of the Falcon for her contribution to social affairs and culture in Bolungarvík. There, Soffía said that she had had enough of the bullying discussion; in fact, she was a little offended, referring to the negative image and tradition of discussion that was always drawn up instead of teaching children rather the good old "national values" and then she listed them: Friendship, sympathy, compassion, helpfulness, honesty, justice and human rights.

These values can all be torn apart, reduced and added, etc., because whatever Soffía or I think we don't experience the same power in the words, it is now the power of language and the understanding of it. The same goes for emotions, there is a jungle of experiences, depending on who is involved, words and sentences that can be arranged in various ways to try to explain their well-being or behavior, and the same goes for irony. It seems that society is always trying to standardize children's well-being and put it in some form or system that is easy for the principal, teacher, parent and educational representative to deal with at work. But emotions and experiences will not be recorded in an excel file, ever.

There are many ways to tell the truth, and children who follow the discussion tradition of older ones know it. Children see through things like "National values" or "A beautiful smile is like a sweet cotton candy". They are pure and simple, if they hurt themselves they say loud and clear "OWWWWWIIIEE!" But when dad hurts himself he doesn't say anything because he's showing strength, then goes into the laundry room and then kicks the dryer. We are taught so early to find the way around the truth: "Don't always say that." - "Stop yelling now" (said in a negative tone) - "Don't start now" and so on.

But why are we so preoccupied with constantly trying to come up with new ways of going about things? Why is there no educator or school principal in the world who has come up with the simple and correct way to deal with bullying? Is it maybe because everyone just walks around with a beautiful smile like cotton candy when they hear "OWWWWWIIIEE" and then put their fingers in their ears, close their eyes and employ for themselves quotes like: "Now harden up your mind" or "That wasn't that serious" or "no one will be an unbeaten bishop." and the most commonly used: "It's good for everyone to have a little bit of adversity." All of these ironic methods used to avoid having to deal with a serious issue: A person's well-being.

Soffía makes it clear that she is not speaking as an educational representative at all, but that this is her personal opinion. However, it is quite clear that she is criticizing methods and issues that are clearly part of her job. Just like an actor going to a show, she can't get to work and back home without Soffía Vagnsdóttir.

But then I ask myself the core question that seems to burn on Sofia in that post and to others: Has anything been achieved with the discussion?

For me, the answer is obvious: Looking back over the last 15 years, the answer is yes. It's not to be mistaken that bullying cases have in most places been put in some kind of channel that didn't exist before, and in most cases children now have to go to some house to deal with their issues and well-being. It's not just a change for the better, but a clear and smart innovation in the school system.

All schools must now, by order of the Minister, have so-called bullying teams that work according to a special bullying plan that schools must have. The Olweus program has reached more than 100 schools in the country, but other schools choose to use their own system. The awakening that has taken place here since the turn of the century has not gone unnoticed by anyone.

Research, books, documentaries and feature films have been published, and laws on workplace harassment have been enacted, with associated reforms for the economy. The effects show better well-being and a better atmosphere in society in many ways. I could go on and on for a long time, but this should suffice.

It is therefore not only surprising, but also heartbreaking, to read that the poor wordsmith and the education representative should claim bluntly that little or nothing has been achieved with the bullying discussion in recent years. "All these big discussions and work in schools, in the workplace, in the whole community about bullying and negative communication just seems to have yielded nothing," says Soffía. It may be that the case was difficult for her in Bolungarvík, as she received many cases there which parents were very dissatisfied with not getting a better solution than was actually witnessed. I will not say anything about the reasons for that, but it may be because Soffía didn't have the strength to face the truth, to look up to the fact that bullying is real, mental violence that thrives in Bolungarvík like elsewhere?

Is the campaign that Soffía set up in Bolungarvík: "A Beautiful Smile is Like Cotton Candy" just a way to get around reality and not have to deal with it? I won't say anything about that, but Soffía wrote on her Facebook page: "Let's turn this into a positive approach, talk about and teach and introduce national values and then use art to spice it up. I have faith that the result can be much better. "

Erindi's campaign and the collection of Á Allra Vörum went well and showed us videos and stories from Iceland, based on true stories and not some sugar-coated world that doesn't exist, where the truth is turned into some positive approach and spiced with art. It is certainly often uncomfortable to look at the truth, just as it was difficult to look at the bodies of children on the sunny beach of Turkey, which was an example of denial by the outside world. It is also difficult to look at the true face of the society we live in.

A smile can certainly change the darkness into daylight, but then you have to stop indefinitely turning away from everything that is said. That is a dangerous societal evil. If we don't talk openly about it, we will never succeed. We all have to stop putting things in a system, committees and boards that only decide that nothing can be done. Only then do we begin to believe that the feeling of exclusion and loneliness that we feel when we are bullied is just a normal "negativity" or communication problem. We stop greeting ourselves on the street while the others smile.

"If there is someone who is never talked to and never talked about, then he must disappear little by little and stop daring to believe that he really exists."

(Tove Jansson: Eyjan hans múmínpabba (Moominpappa at Sea) - Translation by Steinunn Briem)

[stefankarlfanblog]

I’m going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I’m going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren’t archived properly so they’re lost, I’m also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 5 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20170729002434/http://kvennabladid.is/2015/09/25/vid-eigum-oll-erindi/

We all have a mission

Published on 25 September 2015 Tags: bullying • talents • violence • Society • caring • exclusion

Einstein said that we were all geniuses, but if we judged a fish by its ability to climb trees, he would go through life convinced that he was stupid.

The same goes for us humans - if we make general and uniform demands on individuals then we will never see their talents.

Today, a fundraiser is underway for a new communication center that the organization Erindi intends to build, and the campaign "Á allra vörum" is responsible for the fundraising. There will be a live broadcast all day on Channel 2 and then a special TV broadcast on TV starting at 19:35.

I want to encourage all Icelanders to show social responsibility and support this amazing initiative that will benefit thousands of children, parents and school staff for a long time to come when it comes to this deficiency disease which is bullying.

Bullying is a deficiency disease - like scurvy, said Margrét Pála this year. Bullying results from lacking, lack of care, sympathy, compassion, encouragement, understanding, listening, love and tolerance. Often all that is needed is care and support for those who are suffering and receiving such little attention.

There is a fine line between social exclusion and world fame. Yes, I say that and I mean it.

There are many examples of the fact that it would've made such little difference for talented individuals to be expelled from society, and there are many more examples of those who didn't have the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the judgment of society.

Little Gillian was considered unruly and rather rude at school, her friends teased her and she reacted with timidity and shyness but when that mood hit her she jumped up on the table and danced, sang and let all the badness go. The school of course decided to send her to a psychiatrist and the intention was to send her to a special school for children with special needs.

We understand that this was around 1940 in the UK and therefore the names ADHD or other 'behavioral problems' we know today have not been identified.

When the psychiatrist had interviewed the mother and daughter, he said "This girl doesn't have to go to a special school - she needs to go to a dance school".

And there we have it. By listening to each other and not judging others for their behavior or appearance, an individual can be changed from being a "complex case" to the "genius" that Einstein was talking about.

This little girl is Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne, one of the leading choreographers of recent decades and was among others the lead choreographer in all of Adrew Lloyd Webber works, from Cats to Phantom of the Opera. Gillian could have ended up at the other end of the community where far too many people end up, as a sort of cut in a community that wants to throw everyone into the same mold.

Bullying is something that unfortunately accompanies us and society as long as we suffer and don't take it seriously. It's not possible to accept that a child or any other person is feeling bad because of bullying.

There is nothing natural about condemning those who look different, speak differently, walk differently or live a different life than you and they have to suffer for it with shouting, names or even threats, exclusion and even from life itself.

This is nothing less than terrorism against society, the society of which you are also a part and therefore this is really an attack on yourself and who you are. And the values you want to stand for, I believe. We must teach this to our dear children as well.

If you want to live in a society where you are respected for who you are and not for what others want you to be, then train yourself to be nice to other people. Is this something that is that complicated?

We love each other, ourselves and support and encourage everyone around us and we will get it back many times over.

The organization Erindi is now writing a new chapter in the story of how we as a society, Icelanders, turn defense into offensive and tackle one of the most difficult social problems in recent years. We all have a mission.

Erindi is an association of professionals in the field of pedagogy, public health and education and has the role of disseminating education and creating a general discussion on issues concerning the interests of children and young people at all school levels. Erindi's goal is to open a communication center where people who were in bullying cases can receive advice and services from professionals.

[stefankarlfanblog]

I’m going to translate a series of articles that Stefán Karl wrote for the news website of Kvennablaðið, unfortunately Kvennablaðið has been discontinued and the site no longer exists.

But thankfully, the articles that Stefán Karl wrote were archived on archive.org and as a way to archive them further, I’m going to translate all of them.

Something to note first, while the text is intact, a lot of the images weren’t archived properly so they’re lost, I’m also going to leave some misspellings as is in the articles just for the sake of archiving.

This is part 4 of 8:

Original article: https://web.archive.org/web/20200811122006/https://kvennabladid.is/2015/08/25/born-eiga-alltaf-ad-njota-vafans/

Children should always enjoy the benefit of the doubt

Published on 25 August 2015, Categorized as COUNTRY & NATION Tags: CHILDREN • TEACHERS • STUDENTS • COMMUNITY • SCHOOLS

Well, the schools start in full swing again after summer. May I ask teachers and school administrators to take good care of the children, not to treat them with excessive harshness and unfairness, to respect their rights and the laws that protect them, their opinions and general human rights. Don't put children in an awkward position in front of others in the classroom or at school that could hurt their well-being and person.

Make sure to know that we all have special needs, we were all born with the diagnosis of being unique and therefore all need different help.

And let me remind you that children should always enjoy the benefit of the doubt.

If a school employee is suspected of being abusive or even abusing children - that the person in question is immediately fired, even if only temporarily while the case is being investigated. So that you'd be willing to take good care of them.

May I ask parents and guardians of children to take an active part in school work and the whole school culture, to demand that our children respect and encourage others around them and to have good communication in general. Respect the rights and opinions and cultural background of others in the broadest sense.

May I also ask that you immediately and unhesitatingly address any issues that may arise, whether related to your child or other children, so that we can prevent the suffering, anxiety and distress of our children.

And kids, may I ask you to be friends, respect each other and always make sure to tell if someone is mean to you, if someone is mean to someone else, let others know, always tell so that others don't end up feeling bad.

May I ask us as a society to be attentive in these matters and stand together and work together towards the goal of reducing violence against children, no matter who is exposed to it or who uses it.

The situation in Iceland about these matters isn't good enough and we all have to do better, start thinking about these matters with more weight and with more determination.

Finally, may I ask you above all else to enjoy each day and I thank you for every victory we achieve in life and at school - both small and large. Have a good time at school and work week.