Migrant Tales publishes on and off Finnish tabloid ads* (lööppi in Finnish) from the 1990s. Taking into account that Finland’s immigrant population started to grow during that decade, it is easy at least through some of the main stories of tabloids like Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti to see how some of them reflected our xenophobic and racist views.
The billboard below reinforces some Finns’ perceptions that anything that comes from Russia is bad. If you go there, for example, bad things can happen to you like when 70 Finnish tourists were hijacked by the Russian mafia.
In the early 1980s before Finland’s first alien act came to force in 1983, the police justified their tough immigration policy stance by stating that its aim was to keep criminals out of Finland. Another researcher that advised the interior ministry told me that its aim was to “keep the trash out.”
In 1993 only 14,409 immigrants lived in Finland, accounting for 0.3% of the population.
*MIgration Institute archive.
Once again you lie. This now proves that you are only intentionally trying to harm Finlands reputation.
Tell me one country where abduction of its citizens wouldn’t make to the news.
And secondly, that ad in no way says anything bad about Russia.
Finland’s reputation?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlCuJ4ZI7sU&w=594&h=365]
So justicedemon, you’re basically saying that Finnish people are all drunks and it doesn’t matter if our reputation gets any worse.
Hi Seriously, JusticeDemon’s point is, as I understand it, showing how terrible it is to generalize about groups. The far-right anti-immigration crowd does that all the time in Finland and Europe. So, now you know how it feels.
Welcome to Migrant Tales.
As I am new to this blog, could you tell me if you also count the True Finns and their voters as far-right anti-immigration crowd?
Hi Seriously
JD’s clip should be see and interpreted in the same way as Mr. Brownlee’s (minister of New Zealand).
When adderssing a problem and trying to make a score -for whatever reason- you make use of these technical possibilities.
You give yourself an excellent example what happens to foreigners every day when they are coined as rapists, criminals, beggars and profiteurs.
From your reaction I read that you are upset!! Correct??
Dear eyeopener, first of all i don’t believe that foreigners are coined as rapists or anything else daily, at least in Finland (unless you count telling about crime and other statistics as it).
And secondly, i’m not upset at all, I just noticed how he seems to not like Finland or care about its reputation.
Hi Seriously.
Knowing JD’s reputation I can guarantee you that this person is more than concerned about Finland’s reputation than many of the sitting parliament members can say. Including Mr. Soini, Halla-ajo and their friends.
Maybe you are not so much aware of site and blogs that DO CRIMINALIZE foreigners. Even in HS there are aon a regular basis articles that criminalize Romani, Somali, Russians. Estonians etc.
Maybe in your perspective these articles are not to be taken for serious. However. If I may point out to you that you are not the subject of these insults but the foreigners are.
Maybe you believe that the media are right!! Are they??
But it sounds good. It maybe reinforces what you already believe. Or: you can start to believe that these media must have a point that is right. Are you sure??
Every person has to develop a serious amount of doubt about communication. Double -and cross check- is a necessity to build a more or less correct picture. At least that’s what I have learned from my education in law and criminology.
As simple as that.
Seriously
Is it your view that the makers of that video did not care about Finland’s reputation?
“In the early 1980s before Finland’s first alien act came to force in 1983, the police justified their tough immigration policy stance by stating that its aim was to keep criminals out of Finland. Another researcher that advised the interior ministry told me that its aim was to “keep the trash out.””
Yes, and how many jewelry store heists committed by foreigners we had back then?
this is the truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrGZR5LRxLk
“Even in HS there are aon a regular basis articles that criminalize Romani, Somali, Russians. Estonians etc. ”
Yes, and there is a special publication: Alibi that is concentrated solely on criminalization. Isn’t that quite something!?