A Corporate Reincarnation of the Goths

The sudden appearance of the Goths during the decline of the Roman empire is a bit of a mystery, especially if interpreted as an invasion of foreigners. However, if the Goths represented a certain set of values rather than a people, their appearance makes more sense. I'm therefore of the opinion that the Goths were not a people but a culture, and that this culture had its origin on Gotland of present day Sweden.

The Goths had the following core values:

1. Don't break stuff
2. Don't steal
3. Honour your words

Whatever other values they had were of a more local origin. The Goths in present day France had a different way of organizing themselves than the Goths in present day Germany. Only their shared core values tied the two cultures together.

Seen in this light, I find it interesting to see the rapid expansion of Securitas her in Porto. They are suddenly everywhere. Just the other day I saw one of their cars speed up the road where I live.

Securitas is a Swedish security firm with more than eighty years of tradition. I know the company from my childhood years in Norway where they appeared back in the seventies, and I have nothing but good to say about them. Their guards are friendly and reasonable, and they concern themselves only with the core values of the Goths. If you don't break any of these simple rules, there's nothing to be feared from them. Unlike police officers who will enforce any arbitrary dictate by the state, Securitas guards leave us alone.

A further advantage of their presence is that they are providing a service similar to that of the police. But they do this with more diligence and focus. Hence, people can see for themselves that private security is superior to state run security. The police is no longer in a monopoly position, and must moderate their excesses. Securitas puts pressure on the police to become more civil.

The original Goths were not exactly civil. They worked mainly for the state, and did much of its dirty work. However, the similarities between the Goths and Securitas are nevertheless worthy of note. There's a set of core values shared by both. Both originated in Sweden. Both are essentially anarchist at their core. Where the state fails to provide sufficient security, the Goths step in, now as a corporate reincarnation of their original self.

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By Securitas AB - Securitas AB, Public Domain, Link