Danish writer Carsten Jensen http://www.litteratursiden.dk/sw46391.asp surprises me with a stigmatized short sight in danish newspaper POLITIKEN on sunday 11.3 2007. Asked about his opinion of UNGDOMSHUSET he says under the HEADLINE: The young havnt contributed with shit.
"...it was a working museum of a stone cold and dead youth culture, that haven't contributed with anything...(!) They played p u n k m u s i c in there. Punk is 30 years old."
His main point characterizes the users of UNDOMSHUSET as a bunch of political naivists and anachronistic individuals biased around marxistic and leninistic ideologies from the 70s. He accuses them of not taking action in contemporary political issues, such as the war in Iraq, nor relating to problems connected to immigrants-issues. And last, Carsten Jensen as many others, accuses t h e m as being without the humour that in someways were a trademark of the squatter-movement (BZ-bevægelsen) in the 80s.

First of all the shortsight of Carsten Jensen is constituted by him thinking the users of ungdomshuset as "them", meaning: all is one, all is alike. That just want do. Typical, he in this way represents a viewpoint that conceives the UNGDOMSHUSET as a youthculture in it self. UNGDOMSHUSET was a important part of a youthculture, a youhtculture that has contributed with loads of stuff, but most distinctly: the selfsufficience autonome organasation, away from the established political apparatus.

Moreover the youthculture in and around UNGDOMSHUSET includes an alive and kicking musiclife, which in no way can be narrowed down to punk. Hiphop, techno, deathmetal, twang and more has been represented to full extend on UNGDOMSHUSETS concert line-up over the years. And not the least did the the pirate radiostation (the only oned taking air in DK since the 50s) become a very humoristic tuning-point, among other flatlined and commercial radiostations hosted by the cultural icons like Casper Christensen, and the narssisitic motormouths of DR P3.

What Carsten Jensen means by "they played punk in there, and punk is 30 years old" baffles me. I mean, he isn't that conservative. Rock is 60 years old, literature is thousands of years old...does it say anything about quality? I am sorry mister Jensen, but it just comes out plain stupid.

As heard before by representatives from the the well-off -but-well-meaning-softcore-liberals-lefties-generation, Jensen is also disappointed that the users of UNGSDOMSHUSET seemingly is taking no action concerning for example, the war in Iraq. I find it strange the way hr. Jensen apparently would find it more acceptable if the youngsters fought his battle. That his conception of what youthculture should be, is enough to highlight it is as an error, is - in my book - conservative.
More important political initiatives are on-going in Denmark concerning the war in Iraq: On april 11th 2007 a important verdict will be given, deciding whether or not the good people of www.gk2003.dk can take primeminister Rasmussen to court for violation of the danish constitution. I mean the battle is being fought, and would it be a better battle if activists of UNGDOMSHUSET took part? Maybe. But not a necessity. And...it wouldn't surprise me, that if among the active people in ww.gk2003.dk, you can most possible find youngsters who in fact used the UNGDOMSHUSET, but have no apparent reason to link the two.

"Ungdomshuset have been a selfgoverning ghetto with the back against the rest of us." continues Carsten Jensen.
Well, to me that just goes to prove that he again tends to over-homogenize. An average friday night in Ungdomshuset was open to anyone. With the pro and cons that is expressed and accepted by various cultural hang-outs, nightclubs, restaurants etc. I mean, I dont think you can enter the restaurant at D`angleterre flashing in a classic punk-outfit and hair-do. What I am saying is: Ungdomshuset was not more excluding than many other (celebrated) places.

Conclusively Jensen disappoints me by not being able to see that the groundwork that is expressed and was on-going in UNGDOMSHUSET most likely in a near-by future would create and contribute to a richer cultural life. That youth spend away from mainstream consumer culture most like likely will nourish more (hopefully) free-thinkers, more (needed) criticism towards some of the same tendencies in The Modern as hr. Jensen over the years have spend page up and page down in various books critisizing.

It seems to me that Carsten Jensen has based his whole perspective and feeble insight of UNGDOMSHUSET and the cultural significants surrounding it, exclusively on the medias, which for a man of his postion is highly critisizable. But for being hr. Jensen, a man of many opinions and often brave and in solitude, I give him a star. *