By Enrique Tessieri
People who think that only white Finns are “real” Finns are, in my opinion, seriously mistaken. Their mistaken view represents a modern segregated view of society we saw in the United States before the 1960s and in worst cases in South Africa before 1994. The “Only Whites” sign isn’t posted on doors these days but in their minds.
By celebrating our Finnish identity on our cultural and ethnic terms, we mean being included in Finnish society through those magic words, acceptance and respect. In such a Finland, everyone is included. Nobody is left out.
Despite our good intentions towards others and ourselves, there will be some who will not come on board.
Today, Finland’s third-largest party, the Perussuomalaiset (PS), has declared war on immigrants and our cultural diversity. If such a party ever had its way, our society is in deep trouble. Instead of building bridges between us, they will destroy them with their ignorance, chicanery and political opportunism.
“Real” Finns were, are and will be culturally diverse Finns living in a society that encourages inclusion.
So you are mixing finn and finnish what are two totally different terms.
Finn is ethnicity.
Also what is that war you are talking about, mind to elaborate?
Hannu
If you must decide to tell native English speakers what the meaning of English words are, at least look them up in a dictionary first.
Oxford dictionary:
“Finn is ethnicity.”
Yes but only secondarily. Finn/suomalainen refers to Finnish nationality regardless of ethno-cultural background, that is, it’s a national identity. The Swedish-speakers of Finland, for example, are Finns even though some of them don’t know a word of Finnish. Nowadays there are more and more Finns that look and sound different than the majority but they have always been there, just in a bit smaller numbers maybe.
Seppo, you are right. Hannu lives in a fantasy ethnic world where he — incorrectly — believes that the Finns are like Native Americans who are a lost tribe still living in caves and obsessed with their genetic background. Wrong. There is a big difference between the Saami and Finns. The latter is NOT an indigenous group like the Saami or Mapuches of Chile.
Hannu, immigrants are NOT like Columbus when he sailed to the Americas. This view of things is typical far-right hogwash found on blogs like Hommaforum and Scripta.
In Estonia, word “Estonian” has purely ethnic meaning. In Finland term “Finnish” seems to have less ethnic connotations.
Anyway, comparision of word “Finns” and “white Americans” is out of place here. Enrique again is making comparisions between apples and oranges.
Enrique, I think that comparision of Finns with Native Americans takes place, because Finns in Finland are autochtonous people just like NA are in Americas. And comparision of recent immigrants in Finland to white settlers in America also takes place, because both are connected to colonisation, in one way or other.
Finland is not free country, it has it´s master, namely USA (after end of WW2). You can see USA´s “finger” in many aspects in Finland (also in many other European countries). F.e. in many Finnish radios you can hear American singers such as Rihanna, about which you can only wonder what she got anything to do with Finnish culture or music. Rihanna is on Finnish radios not because Finnish people want her to be there, but because she is ordered by some organisations to put there. You can see already in cultural sphere that Finland is dictated by America. There are many aspects which show America´s dictation, which is linked to “colonisation”. The “colonialism” here is going together with imperialism. American imperialism.
Without it Finland wouldn´t have had even considered to let many of immigrants inside country. Finland has been dictated by will of foreign country from Americas, it didn´t follow will of own people. Mass immigration in Finland has been reflecting the American will, American dictature and American imperialistic ideas. The opinions of most local people were avoided. No wonder so many Finns now feel frustrated.
You, Enrique, stand on side of colonisators, and you don´t even acknowledge it. But now at least somebody is telling you that.
–You, Enrique, stand on side of colonisators, and you don´t even acknowledge it. But now at least somebody is telling you that.
The only ones that buy your “colonizers” versus “indigenous” Finns are anti-immigration group.
In the first place, where did we come from? Was the Garden of Eden in Finland? Or did we all originate from Africa and emigrated to different parts of the world. Just like the Nazis created the Aryan “race” to suit their racist and ethnocentric justifications to exclude people, commit mass murder and justify expansion (“lebensraum”).
Gathering by your adjectives, like using “mass” before immigration, tells me a lot about what kind of opinions you follow and have accepted.
I will tell you Laputis as I have so many here: Finland was, is and will be culturally diverse. Inclusion is what makes our society strong not fictitious racial tales about who we are. Finns, like all Europeans, are form many places. They are diverse not only culturally but ethnically. Far right groups use the “monocultural” argument to push a myth like “Aryan race.”
Laputis
Also, Estonian is both a noun and adjective in English – Erki is one Estonian who loves new technology, vs. the Estonian capital is Tallinn.
I.e. calling oneself Estonian could be equivalent to calling oneself either a Finn or Finnish. Generally speaking, a Finn is an inhabitant of Finland. Perhaps that explains why PS called themselves ‘True Finns’, as opposed to simple ‘the Finns’.
Laputis
Laputis
So, Finland’s master is the USA and the only evidence you provide is that you can hear Rihanna on the radio. lololololololololololololololololoololololololololololololololol
….still laughing!
lolololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol
…still laughing!
Thank’s for that little bit of Friday fun, Laputis.
Enrique, They killed a somali youth in leppävaara again.
D4Y, is this the link? Nuori espoolaismies surmattiin asunnossa: http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2012021715221048_uu.shtml
Enrique “There is a big difference between the Saami and Finns. The latter is NOT an indigenous group like the Saami or Mapuches of Chile. ”
Mind to prove that, as far as i know we have been here 10000 years (there was slight ice problem before that) and sami and finnish were same language 4000 years ago (proto finnish).
From where we came and when?
Mark so you scold me on using term righ? As that what you pasted said “a native or inhabitant of Finland” and thats what finn is and this is what i said.
Jos jotakuta täälä kolonisoidaan niin värillisiä. Jos maahanmuuttajat aikovat kolonisoida Suomen niin aika huonosti menee. En ole vielä kuulu keskitysleireistä tai joukkohaudoista. Eikö ääri-oikeisto puhu laiskoista maahanmuuttajista. Miten pieni, eripurainen ja vielä “laiska” “maahanmuuttaja” aalto aikoo kolonisoida Suomen. Koko ajatus on ihan hullu ja naurettava.
–Miten pieni, eripurainen ja vielä “laiska” “maahanmuuttaja” aalto aikoo kolonisoida Suomen. Koko ajatus on ihan hullu ja naurettava.
Hyvä ksymys, Asian, ja näin on. On vaikea ymmärtää mitä äärioikeisto ajattele, koska mitä se ajattele on hyvin sekava ja epäloogista.
Hannu
This has been contested recently by very established Finnish linguists, that Sami and Finnish derive from the same language.
and
As you can you can see, it’s not what you said. You said that Finn is ethnicity. In a sociological sense, I agree it is a lot about ethnicity and shared identities, but in a political and practical sense, it is by no means and has never been so narrowly applied. If you want to be academic about it, go ahead, but don’t pretend to yourself or to us that you are on the same page as ‘ordinary people’ in their understanding of the word ‘Finn’. Especially if we are talking about the English-speaking world and talking about the meaning of English words.
“This has been contested recently by very established Finnish linguists, that Sami and Finnish derive from the same language.”
Source?
–“This has been contested recently by very established Finnish linguists, that Sami and Finnish derive from the same language.”
Source: Check out Fenno Ugric languages. All languages derive from a common language. Saami and Finnish derived from a same common language as did English from Sanskrit or Spanish from Latin.
Asian ja enrigue, katsokaa seuraava video ja miettikää sitä että ulkomaalaisten määrä on viimeiset kymmene vuotta kasvanut noin 8% vuodessa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY
Hannu, you cannot predict societies by using a pocket calculator. We have gone through this a lot on Migrant Tales. Your reasoning is flawed because you think culture does not change. Culture changes, mixes and adapts constantly. If you don’t believe me go to the 1950s in Finland and see what I mean.
Hannu, Ihmisten muuttoon paikasta toiseen ei voi laskea laskimella. Ihmiset tulevat ja menevät suhteessa miten paljon heillä on tietoa ja kuin kiireinen on muutto tarve johonkin tiettyyn paikkaan. Käytännössä tarkoittaa jos haluat lopettaa maahanmuuton niin voit aloittaa demonisoimalla Suomen. Sovitaanko, että jokainen maahanmuuttaja soittaa jokaiselle ei Suomessa asuvalle sukulaiselle miten hirveä Suomi on. Te voisitte pitää Suomen antimainostus kampanjoita pakolaiskeskuksissa.
“This has been contested recently by very established Finnish linguists, that Sami and Finnish derive from the same language.”
That is a pretty brave statement, Mark. At least I haven’t heard of those linguists.
I sounds like research that has a different than just finding out facts. For example, the Hungarians have spend countless amount of time and energy to prove how their language is actually not related to the language of the barbaric Finns, without any real results though.
*It sounds like research that has a different goal than just finding out facts.
“Real Finns”??
Who are they?? Ever seen one?? What do they say?? Are they real Finns?? What’s their historical background??
Somebody interested?? Why??
Is it important and why?
Alot of questions about belonging without nationality. I feel at home as a “non-Finn”
And………. nothing else matters.
Happy!!
Seppo.
What’s your point??