letter from copenhagen
vicbondi.com |
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letter from copenhagen |
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In
1971,
a group of anarchists and hippies seized an abandoned military base on
the outskirts of Copenhagen, and declared the area immune from the laws
of Denmark and its middle class morality. Thirty years later, the "free
state" of Christiana is still there, complete with dope kiosks, vegan
restaurants, and a standing claim to the alternative in lifestyles. Unless
you're opposed to soap, it's not much of an alternative: the place is
filthy and aging, filled with grizzled hippies hustling the tourists for
a cheap high. Whatever political forethought and rebellion animated the
place has matured into slap-dash housing and aesthetics culled from Yes
album covers. The place has the ambiance of an opt-in colonia.
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| For all that, everything you need to know about the difference between Denmark and the United States is found in Christiana. One can only imagine, for example, the bloodbath that would have ensued had hippies squatted, say, part of the Presidio in Ronald Reagan's California (the violence when they squatted People's Park is sufficient testament to that). In Denmark, however, not only do the authorities allow Christiana to exist, but they also continue to turn a blind eye to the dope dealing that, from appearances, is the primary trade of the community. This too, is begs the imagination amid the sturm und drang of the war on drugs in America. |
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excited? bored? annoyed? inspire me with your percipience: v_bondi@hotmail.com |
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