Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2006, Page 59

EINAFERÐ VÓRU MENN
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higher education from Denmark and other
countries, retuming home after many years
m foreign urban environments to make ca-
reer in the Faroe Islands, a small society in
transition, fit best to these categories. The
pragmatics are those with highest visions
and political cleverness, while the urban
youths in general are more anonymous and
‘conventional’.
The booming IT business is an interest-
mg new economic sector with growing
prominence, embracing men (and women)
from most youth cultures in society. The IT
husiness embraces cowboys, urban youth,
Pragmatics - even former lonestars. Some
of the private computer engineering enter-
Prises are run almost like traditional Faroese
físhing vessels: strong masculine dominance
(influencing the language and behaviour), a
high degree of infonnal symbolic conunu-
nication and networking, hierarchical struc-
tures, ruthless individual competition,
etcetera. Pragmatics are not seldom creative
'nventors developping new products for new
markets in 1T and other latemodern busi-
nesses. Cowboys and urban youth are as-
sisting the pragmatics in different working
tasks. If a venture turns out to be unprof-
itable the pragmatics immediately start on a
new business venture with new name and
new partners. They erase their traces, change
locality, and fínd new potential investors.
They don’t have any deep attachment or loy-
alty to local community.
tngi is adopted from Asia but has lived in the
Faroe Islands since he was about five years old.
Before arrival to Torshavn he lived in Denmark
for 2-3 years with his sister (also adopted) and
Faroese parents. Ingi is today 35 years old and
has established his own family. He has a wife
and two children. He loves to live in the Faroe
Islands and wouldn’t dream of moving to any
other place. He likes to spend summer holidays
in Denmark, like his parents did every year while
Ingi was a child, but he shows no interest in
travelling to other places... He spends most of
his free time at home with his family. He is very
happy and proud of what he has obtained in life:
he has a good job, a family, a nice house, a big
car, and all the electronic equipments (televi-
sions, computers, stereo music systems, mobile
phones, DVD-players, etcetera) that he is a big
‘fan’ and consumer of. He has a large social
network, embracing people from many reli-
gious, social and bultural backgrounds in the
Faroe Islands. He is a person that easily can
speak to anyone he meets, that shows strong self-
confidence, and that is quite egocentric, always
calculating the maximum benefits he can get
from any social interaction or venture. He is very
conscious of his background, of his merits and
failures, and always wants to be in total control
of his own life. Ingi has, before he got married
a few years ago, experiences from many
different manual jobs and has had many different
friends from manifold cultural environments.He
has always been a kind of insider and outsider
at the same time whereever he has been -
flexible when in a new context, but also always
ready to leave and change path of life. He feels
best at home. His strong social capital, based
on charm, good huntour and the art of ‘pro-
moting’ yourself, has helped him getting where
he is today, as well as, not to forget, the econo-
mic security that his caring parents gave him as
a young man. He always had money in his poc-
ket, even if he used a lot of money on entertain-
ment and luxury goods. He is a opportunistic
survivor knowing how to become friend of the
strongest and is considered as a loyal mate to
many groups with different values and styles in
society. He has, consciously, never put himself
clearly into any caging category.