I can’t believe I’ve been living here for almost a year, and there’s the most dramatic and hilarious 10+ year-long “chaotic vs lawful” neighbour feud going on pretty much right next-door that I never knew about??
Like this is a narrow street of galleries and second-hand shops, right in the center of the oldest city in Scandinavia, and I already loved living here, but this is really bringing my delight to a whole new level
There’s this second-hand shop owner named Freddy, who’s a super chill,
Jewish,
eccentric anarchist who cares deeply about everyone who’s marginalised and struggling, and cares about art and diversity, and has been running the store for 40 years, and it’s like a meeting place for people
(My own experience with him is limited to seeing his free-roaming adorable dog walk around the street, and this one time I wanted to buy a flask. I didn’t have enough money, so he said “give me what you have and come back later.” So weeks later I did come back and give him some money, and he immediately gave it back to me and said that’s what happens when you’re honest.)
And then across the street is architect and home-owner Magne, who’s proper, uptight, law-abiding, angry, and very loudly protesting. Specifically about Freddy’s shop lacking proper permits, fire-safety rules, and that he puts wares out on the pavement which “clutters” the street and is unsightly. Some of his arguments are valid, others… maybe not as much.
Like, he has sued Freddy about this stuff (about it lowering his property values - he lost and had to pay for Freddy’s lawyer expenses), he keeps going to the government, writing complaints (He’s made 181 formal complaints to the government!!), and, amazingly, doing “art” protests. He’s dumped furniture on the city hall’s steps, he’s nailed stuff to his walls and said it’s an art protest called “Rubbish” and shit like this.
And so, this summer, he went one step further and he painted his building bright neon yellow and pink. Freddy of course, is delighted, as is other second-hand shop and gallery owners, who think it brightens up the street.
I agree, I actually think it was a delightful art protest against the government. Especially now as it’s getting darker and sadder outside.
But then this morning, as I was heading to take my exams, I literally had to stop and just look at the house and take a picture because. This angry, protesting law-abiding architect, who is going full chaotic-mode…
HAD NAILED A FRIDGE AND A FREEZER TO THE HOUSE??!!
The writing says stuff like:
“Who cares about rules? Certainly not Tønsberg municipality.”
“We have a second-hand shop, opened rubbish shop, garage sale”
“We open when we arrive, we close when we leave”
“Forgive my sins”
“Do unto others as they do unto you”
“Let anarchy reign”
The amount of spite and fury happening here, towards someone who is perhaps not lawful, but certainly is not cruel or mean-spirited either, is just… amazing.
I cannot believe the levels this is reaching, it’s beautiful, and I feel blessed to witness it unfolding practically right outside my house.
Something I noticed when I was stripping was that the younger, “hipper,” generally white patrons I came into contact with were by far the most vested in the whole “emotionally invasive performance of enthusiastic consent” thing. They all wanted to hear how I was doing it because I was “empowered” or an “exhibitionist” or just “a slutty sexual deviant that just does this for fun.” Like, I can’t even tell you how many times I actively encouraged this or worked it into a spiel, because nothing kills a sale like a pang of conscience alerting men that maybe this smart, seemingly stable girl doesn’t want to be here. I think that thinking I was “into it” somehow made it easier for them to feel like they weren’t just giant losers paying for sex.
I am entirely convinced that men only care about women being “empowered” by things like sex work because its easier on their ego as consumers, not because they give a shit about our wellbeing. Sex positive feminism is a dream come true for these men - all the benefits of exploiting women as sexual commodities without any guilt or stigma for being a creepy ass john.
