Asymmetrical relations are not always unequal.

Byline: Atle Hetland

In a few recent articles, I have written about 'unequal relations', with reference to a book by Lisa Halliday, who the media and literacy critics in USA have said is a 'literary phenomenon' after her first novel, 'Asymmetry' was released a year ago. She writes about individuals and politics. The relations she focuses on are often unequal. She says that few relationships are really equal. Yet, there must be some equality, too, over time and in various fields, so that all can be good at something and share and exchange. That is also why I have written about multiculturalism, which has many similar dimensions, psychological, social, cultural, and more; people travel and share.

At political levels, we are all aware of inequalities, for example between towns, regions and states, indeed between the superpower USA and Iraq, which Halliday writes about, and she is not much in favour of the way the superpower behaves in spite of she being an American by birth herself, now living in Italy, though.

When differences are big between rich and poor within a country, such relationships are undesirable. We have seen a lot of that over the millennia, even in our time, when social scientists and politicians ought to have learnt how to curb poverty and other differences. For development and peace in the world to succeed, there must be more equality than today, between the West and East, North and South, and within countries. Alas, many of these inequalities are growing. If we really want to, we can reduce differences. Alas, we seem to behave against better knowledge and judgement.

When I have written about multiculturalism, I have written about the advantages of it and the benefits it gives to all, notably that people of different backgrounds who live in the same space will enrich the common environment. I am welcoming newcomers to Europe, and I believe they will invigorate the lands - unfortunately, they also drain the countries they leave. Countries with few immigrants from outside, and low internal migration and social class travels, will lag behind. Static societies stagnate, become self-sufficient and arrogant.

Let me admit today that last time I stayed for a quite some time in my hometown of Bergen, Norway's second largest city, which is both cultural and tourist capital, I discovered more self-sufficiency than I could remember from earlier, although there was always self-confidence, nothing wrong with that if we don't step on...