The airing of the television satire ”Whiskey on the Rocks,” a fictionalized account of the 1981 grounding of a Soviet submarine near Karlskrona, Sweden, has stirred a pot of local debate, particularly concerning the accuracy of the actors’ portrayal of the Blekinge dialect. While some viewers nitpick the nuances of the accents, debating whether a character speaks with a Scanian lilt or perhaps a touch of Kalmaritiska, others find the entire discussion trivial in light of the show’s comedic take on a sensitive historical incident. This incident, during the height of the Cold War, thrust their quiet corner of Sweden onto the world stage, and the memory of it remains vivid for many.
For those who grew up in Karlskrona, the grounding of the Soviet submarine U137 wasn’t just a news story; it was a disruptive, surreal experience etched into their collective memory. The sudden influx of international journalists, the palpable tension of a potential international conflict, and the absurdity of a nuclear-armed vessel lodged in their familiar archipelago transformed everyday life into something akin to a spy thriller. This backdrop of dramatic tension forms a stark contrast with the portrayal in ”Whiskey on the Rocks,” which some view as a trivializing ”buskis” (farce) of a serious event, especially given the renewed geopolitical anxieties surrounding Russia. However, others, particularly those who lived through the incident, find a different kind of truth in the show’s exaggerated narrative.
The debate surrounding the series illustrates a generational divide in how the incident is perceived. For some, the comedic portrayal feels disrespectful, minimizing the very real threat posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They argue that turning such a significant historical event into a source of entertainment, particularly at a time of heightened international tensions, is inappropriate and insensitive. They would prefer a more serious treatment of the subject matter, perhaps one that explores the political and military ramifications of the incident.
On the other hand, those who remember the actual events often recall the sense of disbelief and surrealism that accompanied the submarine’s grounding. The juxtaposition of mundane daily life with the extraordinary circumstances of a foreign warship stranded just off their coast created a bizarre atmosphere. For this generation, the outlandish scenarios presented in ”Whiskey on the Rocks,” while fictionalized, resonate with the inherent strangeness of the actual event. The show’s comedic elements, though potentially offensive to some, reflect the coping mechanism often employed in the face of the absurd.
The author, a member of the generation that came of age in the 1980s in Karlskrona, identifies with this latter perspective. They argue that the submarine incident has been a part of the local popular culture for decades, and ”Whiskey on the Rocks,” with all its fictional embellishments, taps into the lingering sense of the surreal that permeated the city in the aftermath of the incident. The show’s portrayal, while exaggerated, captures a certain truth about the experience – the feeling of living through something so bizarre it couldn’t possibly be real. While acknowledging the criticisms regarding the show’s flippant tone, the author suggests that the farcical elements reflect the absurdity of the situation.
Moreover, the local fixation on dialect accuracy, while seemingly trivial, also speaks to the unique regional identity of Blekinge. This historically overlooked corner of Sweden, suddenly thrust into the international spotlight, holds onto its distinct cultural markers, of which dialect is a significant part. The debate surrounding the actors’ pronunciation underscores the importance of regional identity and the desire for authentic representation, even within a fictionalized narrative. The very act of dissecting the nuances of the local dialect demonstrates a pride in their regional linguistic heritage and a desire to see it accurately reflected on screen. This focus, while perhaps distracting from the larger geopolitical themes, highlights the intimate connection between a community and its unique cultural identity.
