Are Norwegians Mormons?

Tim Cavanaugh | October 6, 2004

Three separate stories about a series of three portraits of President Nixon that were so "shocking" they had to be removed from Norway's parliament...and the only detail anybody's coughing up is that the pics show Tricky Dick "holding a cup of coffee."

Anybody know the rest of the story? Is "holding a cup of coffee" a euphemism for something?

Comments

|10.6.04 @ 7:01PM|#

I'm a full-blood Norske born in America and I'm baffled by the whole thing. I spent some time there in the summer of '63 and never once met anyone as empty-headed as these people appear to be. I'd surely like to see the pictures. I have relatives over there who visited recently and I'm going to ask them what's up. (P.S. I'm one of the hot-blooded Norskes, so I'm looking for some action on this.)

|10.6.04 @ 7:05PM|#

Boy, you Hit & Run guys sure have a lot going on.

|10.6.04 @ 7:07PM|#

I'm a bit puzzled by the Morman thing - you know, asking if Norwegians are Mormans and all. The problem they're having likely goes far beyond any association with being "Morman" somehow.

|10.6.04 @ 7:18PM|#

Curtis-

Caffiene is evil to Mormons. So is pre-marital sex but....

|10.6.04 @ 7:19PM|#

The comment in the BBC story about the pictures being shocking are misleading. The Norwegian parliament simply decided that they don't want a picture of Nixon--a symbol of corruption--greeting foreign dignitaries.

The mormon comment alludes to the fact that mormons aren't allowed to drink coffee.

|10.6.04 @ 7:28PM|#

Caffiene is evil to Mormons. So is pre-marital sex but....

Oh, that... Funny. They drink a lot of coffee and pre-marital sex is not a big issue for most Norwegians. Trust me on this.

|10.6.04 @ 7:41PM|#

"The Norwegian parliament simply decided that they don't want a picture of Nixon--a symbol of corruption--greeting foreign dignitaries." - LT

I expect that's what it's all about, but I'll look into it a bit more.

|10.6.04 @ 7:42PM|#

Curtis - I know, that's why I need to go there. A guy I knew in college from Denmark said I would be popular with the ladies in that part of the world because of my brown hair, brown eyes, and darkish (for a white guy) complextion.

s.m. koppelman|10.6.04 @ 7:42PM|#

Since the English-language media is using one AFP report that neglects to even name the artist responsible for the pictures involved, I checked things in Norwegian. They're from a series by Kjartan Slettermark (website here). Look under Art -> Nixonvision and you'll see a series of variations on a picture of Nixon holding a cup of coffee. Nothing offensive, just a bunch of (sometimes funny) cut-and-paste distortions.. the head turned upside down, the face sliced and rearranged in various geometric variations, a yin-yang, etc.

Nothing surprising in the Photoshop era, but fun enough for the early 1970s when it seems most of this was done. It reminds me a lot of what some East Bloc artists were doing around that time.

Not Capitol Rotunda material, but it's not exactly the outsider-art Nixon-fucking-John-Wayne-behind-a-Jack-in-the-Box kind of thing I expected. Maybe it just wasn't sober enough for the Foreign Affairs conference room, or maybe the Prime Minister's afraid the Bush administration will impose sanctions. Dunno.

s.m. koppelman|10.6.04 @ 7:48PM|#

P.S., he made a short film, too. Just a bunch of spinning, dissolving Nixons set to synthesized insectoid sound effects. Pleasingly goofy as far as early-70s avant-gardism goes.

|10.6.04 @ 8:02PM|#

s.m.k., Shucks, It sort of looks like I got all hot and bothered for nuthin. Thanks, though!

Lowdog, yes, the trip there may well be worth the price.

|10.7.04 @ 12:02PM|#

Why would the Norwegian Parliament have a picture of Nixon in the first place?

|10.7.04 @ 12:12PM|#

> Is "holding a cup of coffee" a euphemism for
> something?

Ask Eddie Izzard. Nixon wasn't pictured with the President of Burundi was he?

http://cup-of-coffee.freehomepage.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0184424/quotes

|10.7.04 @ 12:46PM|#

Some of the facial distortions subtly resemble swastikas. I suppose some would consider the art to be poignant political commentary.

|10.7.04 @ 1:12PM|#

No, no, they're Normans. NOR-mans.

It's different.

|10.7.04 @ 1:48PM|#

I think you may have hit on something, Joe, but taking that angle will doubtlessly lead us into to much saxon violence...
Shirley Knott

|10.7.04 @ 3:19PM|#

Shirley,

You started it. It's not what I'd have pict.

|10.7.04 @ 3:35PM|#

There oughta be a law, but then I shouldn't be so quick to welsh on my libertarian principles. Still, you guys are making bad puns and will get away scot free.

|10.7.04 @ 3:48PM|#

The sheer gaul...

|10.7.04 @ 3:49PM|#

Furthermore, I would hope that all would-be art critics would consider all the germain facts and not go rushin in with ill conceived opinions. Do you think we should take a poll?

Highway|10.7.04 @ 4:02PM|#

I thought there was an unbritain rule that we not have pun wars...

|10.7.04 @ 4:28PM|#

Highway,
I'll bet you a fin against a bad check, no such rule exists.

|10.7.04 @ 4:38PM|#

Somebody ought to scotch this thread, already...

|10.7.04 @ 4:43PM|#

Let me be frank. Some readers love puns and are hungry for Moor.

|10.7.04 @ 4:50PM|#

Chinese

|10.7.04 @ 4:54PM|#

Are we ready to finnish this thread? Irish it would end soon.

|10.7.04 @ 5:22PM|#

If it bothered you, you wouldn't dane to reply.

|10.7.04 @ 5:32PM|#

I canuck do much more of this.

|10.7.04 @ 8:15PM|#

You guys are persian your luck. I can't believe y'all are latin this continue.

|10.7.04 @ 9:10PM|#

Did jew know, none of this was occidental?

|10.7.04 @ 9:13PM|#

I'm guilty of roman around this blog looking for chains to yank.

|10.8.04 @ 5:24AM|#

I love this thread. It should continue until no one can think of another angle.

|10.8.04 @ 11:59AM|#

This just a kurd to me: I'm feeling ill, call me a norse, man!

|10.8.04 @ 12:16PM|#

How did I miss this one?

The last post should read:

This just a kurd to me: I'm feeling sikh, call me a norse, man!