We miss you, Anna.
September 11, 2004 6:51 AM   Subscribe

She was destined to lead us.
One year ago today, Sweden got it's own 9/11 trauma. Foreign Minister Anna Lindh died by the hand of a madman.
posted by mr.marx (21 comments total)
 
I dunno if I'd really call that a 9/11
posted by delmoi at 7:27 AM on September 11, 2004


you know 9/11 is a date, right? the rest of the world have those too.
posted by mr.marx at 7:40 AM on September 11, 2004


oh, heh.
posted by delmoi at 8:06 AM on September 11, 2004


"The voices" told the madman to kill... anybody. Could have been any little lady out shopping that day. Could have been me. Where is the psychiatric help and healthcare we used to be so proud of?
posted by dabitch at 8:19 AM on September 11, 2004


(Could have been any man too I s'pose. Didn't mean to leave you fellas out.)
posted by dabitch at 8:20 AM on September 11, 2004


She was destined to lead us.

Did John Calvin say that?
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:26 AM on September 11, 2004


It's comforting in a very grim way that they caught the guy.
posted by hoskala at 8:30 AM on September 11, 2004


you know 9/11 is a date, right?

You know you phrased it really poorly, right?
posted by jpoulos at 8:41 AM on September 11, 2004


hoskala, they also arrested another guy for the murder at first, it's comforting that they got the right one on their second try. Three strikes would have been a bad blow for the populations faith in the police who never found Palme's killer.
posted by dabitch at 8:55 AM on September 11, 2004


You know you phrased it really poorly, right?

um, no. enlighten me.
posted by mr.marx at 9:49 AM on September 11, 2004


...and as a result, every person in Sweden is subjected to ridiculous color codes, endless hassles due to "homeland security", foreign wars with their troops (and family) on the line, endless government spending for war and security, and a countless impact on their society.

Hey, listen, I think I get the message that Sweden had its own tragedy on September 11th. But the wording (with 9/11 being both a reference to a date and an event in history) could lead one to think the two events were being compared.
posted by jmccorm at 10:03 AM on September 11, 2004


of course I was not comparing the events. why would i? my point is that this date has different meanings in different part of the world. chileans has had a special relationship to this date since 1973, americans since 2001, and now us swedes have it, since last year.
but yes, it was naive of me, sorry. this is an american site after all. never forget, that.
posted by mr.marx at 10:18 AM on September 11, 2004


MY 9/11 IS BIGGER THAN YOUR 9/11.
posted by reklaw at 10:20 AM on September 11, 2004


Not naive. Just to Americans, 9/11 is an event just as much as it is a date. In fact, today, I'd say the event is still greater than the date itself. If you say "we had our own 9/11 trauma", the first thought that comes to mind is "terrorist event". The meaning of 9/11 is quite polarized in the States, exceeding that of a date itself. Compare/contrast: "4th of July". [A date, or an independence celebration? "Sweeden had its own 4th of July celebration."]]

I know... I know... "Americans are too self centered! They cannot OWN dates!!!"
posted by jmccorm at 10:50 AM on September 11, 2004


yes I completely understand what you mean, which is why I said we had our own 9/11 trauma, not our own 9/11.
I mean, she did die on September 11. and on September 11, this year and many more following, it is Lindh's murder that'll have the memorials in the media and elsewhere in Sweden. not the terrorist attacks against NY or the coup in Chile.
posted by mr.marx at 11:01 AM on September 11, 2004


ah, mr.marx, thanks for posting this - I didn't have any problem with your wording at all, and although I recall the posts and the news when this happened, I hadn't associated the date. You make a very valid point about 9/11 not belonging to us.

My sympathies to you and all our other Swedish members...what a remarkable woman. I remember the shock of losing leaders, it's a raw wound...I am still saddened on the anniversaries of JFK, RFK, and MLK, Such an act of violence must be all the more unsettling for your country, no doubt, since violence is so much less an every day affair.

Has this made changes in the security for your politicians now? I was astounded to see that at her death, she was just out and about like any other citizen. That's such a wonderful concept but, sadly, our world may not be safe enough for that.
posted by madamjujujive at 11:08 AM on September 11, 2004


thanks, madam.
actually no, this hasn't changed anything, it was in the news just the other day about how the woman who is now foreign minister doesn't have any protection.
the only politician with around the clock protection is our prime minister. the rest of them only get's security on special occasions.
I think things would have turned out differently if the killing had been a political asassination and not the work of a loon.
(although some people is still convinced the killer had political motives, since he is serbian and Lindh was very positive about the NATO bombings).
for good and bad, "it doesn't happen here" is still a part of the swedish psyche, I think.
posted by mr.marx at 11:38 AM on September 11, 2004


Foreign Minister Anna Lindh died by the hand of a madman.

Hey, I didn't kill her. That was someone else.



It was Kennedy I shot. But that moron Oswald got the blame for it. Muhahaha!

(Every time I see "9/11", I keep thinking of it as 09 November. That's how we'd write it in these parts.
posted by madman at 1:26 PM on September 11, 2004


Thanks for the post, mr. marx. I remember being very saddened by this and the sudden release of the Palme memories and fears.

I also didn't see anything wrong with the wording of the post.
posted by somethingotherthan at 5:16 PM on September 11, 2004


It's really disturbing that it didn't Chang anything like mr.marx says. We have a new kind of minister now who is supposed to repair the busted health care system, and psychiatric care is on the back burner after she deals with more education for those who care for the elderly etcetera. You'd think psychiatric care would be priority number one....
posted by dabitch at 2:27 AM on September 13, 2004


blasted spellcheck, that's supposed to be change.
posted by dabitch at 2:28 AM on September 13, 2004


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