It is the same feeling of anticipation you have at an airport, where you are in the land of nowhere with a sense of being somewhere else. You are wrong if you if you believe that there is only one way of traveling. As a migrant who has travelled all of his life, I have…
Month: September 2021
Finnish lawmaker has three ethnic agitation convictions to his name
The Oulu district court found Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Sebastian Tynkkynen guilty of ethnic agitation for his Facebook postings in 2017, according to Yle. While no Finnish media mentioned it, the third conviction for ethnic agitation is a record for a Finnish lawmaker. Hiding behind Islamophobic arguments and that the sentence violated his free speech rights, Tynkkynen said…
Subcontracting social ills to higher pay
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED According to Helsingin Sanomat, Deputy Mayor for Education of Helsinki, Nasima Razmyar, believes that the best way to deal with inequality at Helsinki schools is by paying teachers a bigger salary. Ramyar has a good idea, but it does not even begin to deal with why there is so much inequality…
The worst racists of Finland
Wrong. I am not talking about people who post a lot of racist trash like from the far-right Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party. I am specifically talking about those who claim to be against racism but are unwilling to challenge institutionalized racism and suffering, in many cases, from white fragility. Our system of institutional racism has so…
Twitter (@PasiPennanen): Rasisti useasti leimaa itsensä
@PasiPennan huomauttaa, että oikeistolaisia kokevat rasisminvastaisen kampanjan kohdistuvan heihin. Tämä ei yllättää. Oletko huomannut, että rasisti useasti leimaa itsea seuraavalla tavalla: “Luuletko, että olen rasisti?” You said it. I didn’t.
Dismantle institutional racism and myths if you want people to adapt to Finland
The ongoing discussion in Finland about our ever-growing cultural and ethnic diversity is grounded on two misleading assertions that hide the core problem: language is the magic bullet to become a part of society, and white Finnish society is innocent – if you don’t adapt it’s because of you. Heikki Turkka of Children of the…
The magic word for Finland’s future success rests on change and inclusion
Finland is in a bind, and we have heard these for a long time: Finland’s population is aging, and there is an ever-growing need for foreign labor. Our answer to these challenges is not only disappointing but leaving our future to chance. Why is there such a negative and suspicious attitude towards foreigners in Finland?…
Tuttu temppu jota poliitikot käyttävät: sanoo jotain rasistista ja pahoittelee sanavalintaa kun kohu nousee
Seuraava temppu on yksi vanhimmista jota poliitikot käyttävät kun sanovat jotain epäasiallista tai rasistista. Otetaan keskustan kansanedustaja Juha Pylväs, joka kutsui turvapaikanhakijoihin sanoilla jonkin sortin “elintasosurffarit.” Pylväksen temppu: Hän leimaa turvapaikanhakijat rasistisesti. Hän pahoitteli sanavalintaa kun kohu nousi. 3. Hänen rasistinen ulostulo on onnistunut, koska se on levinnyt äänestäjien keskuudessa.
Migrant Tales Literary: Where happiness lives
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. William Blake (1757-1827) Leo Honka Of all the seasons that pass over Finland, possibly fall is the most magical. But what makes it stand out from the others? Is it the pitch-darkness? Is it the vast universe above and its…
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Finland’s hardline and bureaucratic immigration policy is deadly for democracy
“Finland’s hardline and bureaucratic immigration policy based in great part on suspicion and fear of outsiders is partly to blame for the rise of a populist and hostile anti-immigration party in the last decade and even for high migrant unemployment. A systematic policy of exclusion suggests that our plans to bring foreign labor will fail. A…