Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead

While we were sleeping, the most interesting thing happened. I was having all kinds of political nightmares already and woke up in a state of, let's say, bewilderment (for example, about my dream that I went to the Billa supermarket and they were selling human embryos in the form of chicken eggs for you to raise at home...). Anyway, all that to say that

Jörg Haider died last night in a car crash. The Austrian politician with that special umpfff, a reptile that has crawled through the Austrian consciousness for the past 25 years, the prodigal son of parents who were members of the Nazi party before Hitler even invaded, that "family man" who has groped young men in bars a few times to often to silence the gay-rumors... I feel a big sigh of relief coming on: God bless him. Let's move on now...

If you are out of the country, be glad, Because almost all Austrian heads of whatever are now speaking of Haider as a political hero. The collective crush on this charismatic patriot is suddenly revealed. The Austrian people are stunned, bewildered, and some talk of the "end of the world." The bloggers on derstandard.at call it the Austrian "Grabredenmentalität" (funeral-speech mentality), a time when all the "unnice" things you could say about someone get swept under the rug when they die. (This blog, in true fashion, has since been removed from the website, because of its "unpious" content. And this is a leftist newspaper we're talking about!) Suddenly, the morality of forced "piety" creates a vast silence that spreads its wings across the land...

...and comes alive with the sound of music!


[Just before the national elections a couple of weeks ago, I took this snap shot from Haider's election campaign. On the top left it says "Jörg Haider's List, the Original," on the bottom it reads "Rolling up sleeves and helping out. For your sake. Austria." And then someone wrote with a marker on the poster "Sprengt die Penise," which translates either as "Blasts the penises" or "Blast the penises." All depending on whether you like it as an erotic fantasy or a feminist rant.]