Evidently Slyngstad used to be by no means prone to criticise the resource of his fund’s gargantuan wealth. Thomas Hylland Eriksen, nevertheless, had fewer qualms. ‘That’s interesting,’ he had stated the 1st time I had interviewed him, again in 2009, and requested him approximately Norwegian oil guilt. ‘I imagine you are directly to whatever, sure. We don’t ever make any hyperlink from the toxins to our wealth; really, Norwegians imagine they're very fresh, yet they pollute excess of the Swedes. ’ the subsequent time we met, post-Breivik, he had a brand new tackle the topic: ‘The psychological conundrum is particularly just like the placement we had on 23 July once we realised it used to be one in every of us who had dedicated the crime,’ he acknowledged. ‘We couldn’t blame the foreigners. We’ve continuously been used to considering ourselves as a kingdom as a part of the answer, and with the oil we all of sudden grew to become a part of the matter, and we can’t reconcile ourselves to that. most folk are fairly in denial. they are saying, “Well, you recognize, if we hadn’t been serious about those tar sands in Canada,” that's one of many filthiest methods of extracting oil you could think, “then another individual may have performed it in a good much less environmentally sustainable method. ” and also you be aware of, in case you argue like for you to argue for every thing, primarily – “If we hadn’t performed it, another individual might have, and they're much badder than us. ”’ Does a person in Norway ever recommend that you simply cease extracting the oil altogether? ‘No. actually we're pumping it up at huge, immense velocity, a lot swifter than an individual else, and i've constantly been struck through this simply because there's not often any debate approximately this. ’ And the impression at the Norwegians themselves? Is it making them gentle and lazy, because the Danes beloved to say? ‘Oh certain, after all it’s performed whatever to us. My facts is usually anecdotal simply because this isn't particularly my quarter of study, yet take the fish factories at the north coast – it’s good paid yet not easy, chilly paintings, fish-filleting. so much is now outsourced to China – the fish is flown to China, filleted, packaged in Findus containers and despatched again – however the relaxation is completed by way of Tamils and Russians, now not Norwegians. Norwegians stream to London or Paris to be whatever “in the media”,’ he guffaws, ‘and that’s a true signal of decadence! not anyone desires to paintings in a manufacturing unit, or be an engineer, every body desires to be famous . . . One has a tendency to take the area without any consideration. not anything is at stake. It doesn’t actually matter if I appear for paintings the following day, issues will chug on besides. unwell go away is up, and has been because the nineties, and never simply because humans get extra influenza, yet simply because they consider it doesn’t actually matter. ’ bankruptcy 7 Butter AS WE’VE HEARD, Norway has continually been a just a little peripheral, remoted, inward-looking position. In a feeling, the geopolitical turbulence the sector has visible over the centuries has performed a lesser position in opting for the psyche of the trendy Norwegian than its appealing, savage panorama has. Denmark equipped, then misplaced, an empire, has consistently been the bridge with continental Europe, and wrangled without end with Sweden.