And Norway Saves the Day

Here is a lesson the US, France, Israel, the new Iraqi people, and any other supposed democratic country with ethnic divides should heed. This is the story of how to integrate foreign people into your society without forcing them to change, without ignoring them, and by working with them. This is the story of true democracy - in action.

The Norwegian government has recently realized that there were a number of Somalians living in Norway. Somalians, Norwegians. Somalia, Norway. Seriously, I can’t think of anything less likely, and any two peoples less alike, than Somalians in Norway. But somehow it happened.

“So, what do we do?” asked the Norwegian government.

… (Pause. Norwegian head-scratching.)

“I have an idea. Bring camels from the Gobi desert.”

“?”

Exactly. Think about it. Somalians who just got to Norway are probably going to have a hard time immediately adapting to the ways of this highly developed, technologically advanced, Viking cultured, cold country. However, they do happen to have invaluable expertise in the field of camel herding. So what do we do? We bring camels to Norway.

The camels will be an attraction, sure enough, and they can also provide milk, fur, hide, fertilizer, and meat. Their herders could therefore live off of them. They also secure an alternative source of income for local agriculture. Further, and this is the most important part, you help assure a people’s successful entrance into society not merely by giving them government welfare and not caring about them (France) or by letting them rot helpless hoping one day they will succeed (US), but by giving them a job they excel at and that they like. Obviously, a job is the best thing any honest person could receive because not only does (s)he make a living, but they feel decent. Psychologically, the difference is unimaginable. To receive money you know you’ve worked for and honestly earned makes a huge difference, that benefits both the person and the nation.

The miracle doesn’t stop here. When asked about the prospect of having camels roaming around the land, local farmers were cautious but welcoming. Why not? If there aren’t any explicit issues that arise, it would be an interesting experiment. And, in true civic behaviour, the farmers suggested that they (the rich educated farmers from a developed nation) could learn from Somalians (whose country we can’t imagine the state of): Einar Myki, one such farmer, says, "Of course, if [Somalians] know camels from before, they can educate us if we want to start with this." Do you realize what this is? You have a rich white man saying he could learn from a poor black man! The spirit of humility and of equality is unparalleled! Amazing.

And just imagine what could happen: in a few generations, finding camels roaming (or in Norway’s case just chillin’) might even be a normal sight. In a few generations Viking Norwegian farmers might just grow up knowing how to herd camels, and Somalian Norwegians might be very talented at cross-country skiing and might follow the soccer exploits of Brondby and Rosenborg. I'm not saying that the introduction of a few camels is going to miraculously integrate a people inside their new society; I'm saying that if this type of attitude, on both sides, is sustained, and if they cpntinue to find logical ways of integrating people, then success is inevitable.

And that, in my opinion, is partly what true democracy is about: integrating a people, but not assimilating them. These Somalians aren’t asked (or worse, forced) to become white Vikings, they’re simply asked to give and receive in society. And they’re given an honest chance to do so.

Just for the record, you can probably imagine that Somalian camels in Norway will die of cold right around September and would stay dead at least until June. So they thought of bringing over Mongolian camels from the Gobi Desert, who are also used to extreme temperatures. Last I heard, Igor and missus had grown a family of two… And once again, Norway saves the day.