Why are you so surprised that Perussuomalaiset (PS)* Sampo Terho is Finland’s new minister of culture, sport and European affairs? The Swedish-language HBL expresses dismay and there are many others among us who appear just as awestruck by the appointment.
Terho, and everything that he represents, are the best example of white Finnish privilege and extreme denial. He is a dangerous example of how official Finland plays down racism and bigotry and its impact on our society.
I’m still amazed by how the Finnish media, politicians and other institutions, who should know better, continue to deny and flirt with fascism, racism, bigotry.
Sampo Terho. Source: perussuomalaiset.fi.
Swedish People’s Party chairwoman Anna-Maja Henriksson of the opposition naturally sees Terho as the wrong person to head the new ministry. Terho has led the charge with other groups as chairman of the Association of Finnish Culture and Identity to undermine the role of the Swedish language in this country.
Swedish is the second official language of Finland.
“Let’s first understand that we’re appointing a EU skeptic as minister of European issues, who wants Finland to hold a referendum [like Brexit] on EU membership,” Henriksson was quoted as saying in Jyväskylä-based KSML.
Why is Terho ideologically unfit to be Finland’s new minister of culture, sport and European issues? Here are just a few reasons:
- Anti-cultural diversity and disrespect for minorities
- White Finnish-language supremacist
- Neoliberal survival of the fittest economic views
- Tea Party conservative
- Anti-EU
- Anti-linguistic diversity, wants to undermine the role of the Swedish language in Finland
- Anti-immigration politician who wrote in 2007 a racist eugenics-spirited “essay” about races
Definition #35
The appointment of Terho as minister of culture, sport and European issues is a good example of how much in denial Finland is about its white privilege and cultural diversity. His appointment sends a hostile message to migrants, minorities and our ever-growing culturally diverse community.
The message is clear: Finland is a white country and will remain so.
The media and some political analysts in Finland still believe that the election of a racist and anti-immigration party like the PS in 2011 didn’t imply anything. It did and exposed our denial of social issues like racism and bigotry so much that we were blinded by them.
Should we wish Terho, a politician that loathes minorities, asylum seekers and cultural diversity the best of luck in his new job?
Certainly we can if you believe that cancer is a cure for our problems.
See also:
- Defining white Finnish privilege #1: I have it and you don’t
- Defining white Finnish privilege #2: Third culture children versus “pupil with immigrant background”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #3 No history, no doctrine, no heroes and no martyrs
- Defining white Finnish privilege #4 Holding the short end of the stick
- Defining white Finnish privilege #5 It’s ok to be a racist
- Defining white Finnish privilege #6 Not having a voice and the media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #7 A definitive guide
- Defining white Finnish privilege #8 Underrated and less intelligent
- Defining white Finnish privilege #9 Mohammad Ali’s insight
- Defining white Finnish privilege #10 I can victimize and make up any story I like about migrants because I’m white
- Defining white Finnish privilege #11: Case Teuvo Hakkarainen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #12: Case Tom Packalén
- Defining white Finnish privilege #13: Case Matti Putkonen
- Defining white Finnish privilege #14: Losing sight of the real issue
- Defining white Finnish privilege #15: Case Halla-ago on the PS
- Defining white Finnish privilege #16: Rosa Emilia Clay and my history versus yours
- Defining white Finnish privilege #17:The Perussuomalaiset and our civil rights
- Defining white Finnish privilege #18: Labeling others according to your prejudice
- Defining white Finnish privilege #19: My rape statistics about your group
- Defining white Finnish privilege #20: Labeling Others to strengthen “us” and “them.”
- Defining white Finnish privilege #21: Who can be a Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to politician without memory
- Defining white Finnish privilege #23: Greater police powers to monitor migrants and minorities
- Defining white Finnish privilege #24: Becoming a heartless accomplice in wars and people’s suffering
- Defining white Finnish privilege #25: This land is my land, this isn’t your land
- Defining white Finnish privilege #26: Are you an ethnic Finn?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #27: White versus Other media
- Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn (Part 2)?
- Defining white Finnish privilege #29: Your family is worth less than mine
- White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news
- White Finnish privilege #31: The Soldiers of Odin and the Finnish media
- White Finnish privilege #32: The white Finnish police and “them”
- White Finnish privilege #33: Appropriating our narrative to maintain the status quo, amass more power and privilege
- White Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism
* The official translation to Finnish of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) party is the Finns Party. In our opinion, it is not only a horrible translation, but one that is misguided. A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Such terms like the Finns Party of True Finns promote as well in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and thereafter the acronym PS.
I’m still amazed by how the Finnish media, politicians and other institutions, who should know better, continue to deny and flirt with fascism, racism, bigotry.
Media in Finland is a tragedy, i have never seen a clever or even normal journalist in Finland, never seen a fact about refugees life in Finland in any Finnish magazine and newspaper, they just support racists, clearly and with loud voice.
Go and tell them a real story about a refugee? will they bring it in news? never !
This is a racist country ! they flirt and kiss racists and fascism, racism, bigotry and terrorism.
and
What a unlucky country is Finland that Sampo Terho make decision for it, huh huh
I am wondering how much brain he has in his head? maybe less than gram !