National Coalition Party MP Pia Kauma has made headlines recently by exploiting people’s suspicion of migrants in general and migrant women in particular for buying new baby carriages with welfare money. Even if her claim is based on hearsay, the MP continues to make headlines.
She doesn’t get noticed for victimizing migrants and basing her claim on gossip, but because what she says appeals to a lot of people in this country. It ironically appeals to those Finns who want to continue seeing see migrants asking for welfare handouts instead of being treated as equal members of society.
Kauma goes further by not only reinforcing urban tales but creating new ones along the way. One of these is that some migrant groups have to buy new baby carriages because a girl cannot use one that was used by a boy.
Total baloney.
MP Pia Kauma gave a boost to her prospects of being re-elected in April by attacking migrant women.
When asked what is the source of her claim about migrants purchasing new baby carriages, Kauma responded on YLE’s A-Studio with a poker face:
”Of course it’s very difficult to get factual information, but I have been in politics for ten years and traveled throughout Finland from time to time and have and got similar comments from many different people. I was contacted about this matter recently.”
Right, Kauma. You base your claim on gossip and were too lazy to get the facts because it would have foiled your plan to get media attention as next year’s parliamentary elections near in April.
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Definition #10
The only explanation why Kauma’s victimization of migrant women has received so much attention in Finland is because she’s white and because what she says appeals to many Finns even if it isn’t true.
Kauma’s plan to be in the spotlight has worked magnificently. An urban tales (migrants get more welfare than Finns)* has been reinforced even if it took a few days to disprove it.
The media has played an important role by giving racists inflated importance and respectability.
Disagree?
What would happen if a black Finn would make similar claims as Kauma?
In the first place, such a claim would never see the light of day. If it did it would be ignored or used to attack the person and all migrants in this country with an hostile, “How dare you say that – you aren’t white!”
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
*See Pekka Myrskylä’s posting that proves why white Finns get more social welfare than migrants.
Immigrant privilege #1: I can victimize and make up any story I like about native Finns because I’m immigrant
I encourage you to write about this.
Racist Finn privelage #1: I can dismiss all racism in Finland as ‘made up stories’ because no-one believes a foreigner!