Martin (the other brother) just wrote his own article - exposing the Henrik’s story as - well - kind of made up
Translated to: ”fear is luckily an unfamiliar feeling for me. I have never feared dad. I must honestly say that i find it difficult to see the great fear, when others in the family recurrently visit and recently went on vacation with Gjert. Most people hadnt done that with a violent person, nor built their house within walking distance of their family home if they felt genuine fear. I have never feared dad in that way”
This comes across as corroborating the younger brothers' story much more than casting doubt.
Literally never denies any of what the other brothers said, just that he doesn't fear his dad.
This is beginning to look way more like bad coaching and not bad parenting, although both could be applied with better information. The kids that had Gjert as a coach think poorly of him, and those that didn't think he was just a normal dad. The bobby knight comparisons might be the most accurate.
Also, Martin is the middle child (of 7), so had the best advantage to see what went on in the family. Whether he was treated the same as the runners is irrelevant, this is the social media age - the kids know what the heck is going on. Do you seriously think if there was violence on the other brothers, or sister, that he wouldn't know about it?! He says that Gjert was overbearing, controlling and destructive. That is the coachaholic side of Gjert coming out. Did it affect his parenting? Of course, that is not in dispute. Martin was certainly marginalized - but he seems mature enough to get it - the family became about running success, and even though he was not a part of that, he is relatively okay with it.
I lang tid har jeg valgt å sitte stille i båten, men etter gårsdagens avisartikler kjenner jeg det er på tide å forlate den behagelige «tie-posisjonen» og fortelle min opplevelse av Gjert som familiefar. De fleste er kjent me...
I think the idea that he exposes the brothers is false. He's defending his dad yes but this is life - it's grey not black and white. He also writes.
Basically, I think that all family feuds should be kept within the four walls of the house, and it is sad that this conflict has ended up in the public spotlight, where bad feelings become entertainment for the man in the street. We all carry bad feelings to varying degrees, and some of them can probably be traced back to a controlling and sometimes destructive father growing up.
Gjert has by no means been an A4 (typical) father. For those who have seen the TV series on NRK, the controlling and querulous tendencies in him are clearly visible. Nevertheless, it is important for me to clarify that most of the feelings and memories are good. They are good because our home has been characterized to the highest degree by safety, joy and togetherness. Fortunately, fear is a foreign feeling to me. I never feared dad. I must honestly admit that I find it difficult to see the great fear, when others in the family are constantly visiting and have recently been on holiday with Gjert. Most people probably wouldn't have done that with a violent person, or built their house within walking distance of the family home if the fear is that great ... I have NEVER feared dad that way.
But my favorite paragraph was this one. All of these people have very strong personalities.
We are many strong personalities in the family, each and every one with strong opinions . The family picture has therefore been characterized by many loud discussions, and dad has always had clear lines for what he thinks is best for us. Nevertheless, we have been independent and confident enough to choose our own paths for our lives.
Did you watch that show- yes gjert set standards to be the best and it required LOTS of sacrifices that they agreed to.
I found him to be fair exacting, scientific, and brilliant. He could explain everything what and why.
I actually was shocked he wasn’t more of a tyrant like I’ve seen at high school meets here in town lol
That was a show, though. You cannot watch tv programs and believe they are reality. Not saying whether he indeed was an abusive parent or not, just that a tv show isn’t going to present it.
Abusive family dynamics are not necessarily the same for all kids. Sometimes one kid gets the abused and the other(s) are treated fine. Does not mean much one way or the other.
Did you watch that show- yes gjert set standards to be the best and it required LOTS of sacrifices that they agreed to.
I found him to be fair exacting, scientific, and brilliant. He could explain everything what and why.
I actually was shocked he wasn’t more of a tyrant like I’ve seen at high school meets here in town lol
That was a show, though. You cannot watch tv programs and believe they are reality. Not saying whether he indeed was an abusive parent or not, just that a tv show isn’t going to present it.
obviously he wouldn't be abusive on camera, but it looked like the boys were more annoyed by him than fearful.
Abusive family dynamics are not necessarily the same for all kids. Sometimes one kid gets the abused and the other(s) are treated fine. Does not mean much one way or the other.
Yeah and sometimes one or two kids are always playing the victim. I agree with Martin about keeping it behind the 4 walls. Have some loyalty to the family. Not regarding anything and everything but everyone put up with being abused as a child. Or almost everyone. We all survived.
I must honestly admit that I find it difficult to see the great fear, when others in the family are constantly visiting and have recently been on holiday with Gjert....
We are many strong personalities in the family, each and every one with strong opinions .
It's 2023. Saying you're scared is how you cancel someone and get what you want.
It's not a "strong" personality though. It projects pointless fragility, safe-space neediness.
Not every child gets treated the exact same by their parent/s. If a parent has multiple kids, they could be emotionally absent or abusive towards one and not the other.
In my household, I was the bold one who would call my father out on his manipulation(s) from 5th grade onward. I was bullied early on. By the time I was 14 I was taller than my dad, could handle myself, just not a filled out man yet. When I was 15 my dad could no longer do as he pleased.
When I was 16 the school district launched a child abuse investigation into my father. Back then, the courts turned it over to the county's social services because it was a first time offense. Neither myself or my father really wanted to do the social worker stuff. So, under a makeshift clause of mutually assured destruction, it died off without much follow up.
My younger brother was more submissive. But my encounters were much more aggressive and violent.
Sports were my savior from high risk behaviors. Children that are abused and bullied can go on to become felonious or even worse shoot up a school. I had both soccer and distance running from an early age as my outlet. I am lucky I had enough talent to be a standout locally and at the state level in my respective sports.
Without sports I may have not tried hard academically. Without trying hard academically, I may not be where I am today.
Again, I am fortunate. I had these challenges. I overcame them. I am in the minority, however.
Why is Martin's statement more or less believable than his younger brothers? It comes down to facts, and how do the facts get sorted out?
Yesterday I helped my college age son sue his landlord in small claims court for the return of his security deposit. My kid stood up and read a chronology of facts. His landlord stood up, called my lad a liar, and claimed victim status, and made up a story that was full of holes. The judge ruled in favor of my son. Because, facts.
Abusive family dynamics are not necessarily the same for all kids. Sometimes one kid gets the abused and the other(s) are treated fine. Does not mean much one way or the other.
Yeah and sometimes one or two kids are always playing the victim. I agree with Martin about keeping it behind the 4 walls. Have some loyalty to the family. Not regarding anything and everything but everyone put up with being abused as a child. Or almost everyone. We all survived.
Yeah and sometimes one or two kids are always playing the victim. I agree with Martin about keeping it behind the 4 walls. Have some loyalty to the family. Not regarding anything and everything but everyone put up with being abused as a child. Or almost everyone. We all survived.
there is no reason to continue the cycle
You're right. That's why Ingrid already moved out 2 years ago and Jakob and his 2 other brothers don't keep in contact with Gjert anymore.
So, is it still really necessary to take the extra step of ensuring Nordas can't train with Gjert properly, going to the Norwegian Athletics Federation with their family's story to publicly humiliate and strip Gjert of his accreditation, and telling the whole world that they won't race if Gjert is even in the same arena as them? These are the actions of rotten children trying to cancel their father for mistakes he made in the past.
