Hit the Radio Hit
Well…
Thanks first of all for still checking the page out- I have been neglecting it for a while, but I was keeping myself busy working and having a flew…
Oh yeah!
I gave an interview today to one of the Swedish national radio stations (P3). The heavily edited/shortened version of what I`ve said was included in the evening news under ”The New Governmental Program, aimed at keeping the youth from joining the criminal gangs”. I was not censored, mind you- just heavily clipped, on the audio editing table and despite my denying it 3 times, during the interview, I was presented as “Alexei, an ex-gangster”.
I was asked:
-What do you think about this new government program?
And here is what I answered (slightly polished and translated from a poor Swedish into a half decent Englih)
- First of all this government`s attempt at occupying the youth in order to keep them from the drugs and crime is nothing new- it has been done over and over again and I`ve participated in it, forced to take part in the artificially created “jobs” for the existential minimum (welfare) money. My guilt of being a drain on the society and feeling of being worthless, was reinforced by the fact, that I was contributing absolutely nothing by spendind 8 hours/day doing… I`m not sure what:
My “job” was to glue together wooden planks- hours on end, day after day, in order to keep me from doing/selling drugs, as a part of my rehabilitation program. I was producing the low quality parts for a furniture company. Parts that were never to be used. Something that a conveyer belt, a production line machine would do 100 times faster and with a superior quality. My work was pointless. The absence of meaning is what drove me to the heavy drug abuse and I was finding myself stuck in doing something just as pointless as I considered my life to be, prior to this “occupational program”. It was a question of time, before I was back to my old ways with a vengeance, even more disillusioned and angry, than before. So it all depends on how this program will be applied this time.
-Alexei, what would you tell the young people, considering joining a criminal group?
-I wouldn`t “tell” them anything- I would ask them. What are their interests, dreams, talents? Despite, what the low grades at school and the teachers, who have long forgotten why and what they shall be teaching; despite the “school of hard knocks”, despite the messed up parents and joining the rat race being taught as the life`s meaning- despite all that: every kid has dreams, wishes and talents. Moreover every kid would rather apply those and be appreciated for them, rather than do/deal drugs or steal. It takes many, many years to install this dark nihilism and cynicism to make someone a criminal, yet it`s definitely not too late to give any teen a second chance at and show, that life can actually have a meaning. To show that they can be needed as they are- not try to reform, rehabilitate/debilitate them, but to make them feel useful and appreciated as they are. So- no- don`t tell them not to join a gang, because in a gang they find themselves belonging, after the world has turned its back on them. Being a part of a gang is a blast- it`s a brotherhood- a family AND an occupation. Something, that they`ve missed upon. Money is the last thing a kid thinks about, when joining a criminal gang- a thick gold chain and a nice car is only a confirmation of something, which is a lot deeper. Like a gold medal- its` worth isn`t in its weight in the precious metal.
I went on talking, trying to express all the ideas in my poor Swedish. Way too much for a 2 minutes pro-governmental piece, so only a few sentences were included, such as ”meaningful occupation is the best sort of therapy”.
(First draft).
Hang in there: the weekend is at foot. Check me out in a day or two. I have sooo much to say. It will be less boring- promise, but I had to publish my interview in the less clipped down version.
P.S. Was scanning through the pictures, that I`ve published a while ago, when I`ve noticed a “Scientology” banner. Just so that you know: I am in no way promoting them, the same is true about any and every add published on this blog. IF anything is to be ever sold/advertised here: it will be done first and foremost through my mentioning a product or a service in one of the chapters, after I have tried and approved it.
