It isn’t surprising that the National Coalition Party’s (Kokoomus) proposal to tighten social security guidelines between migrants and “white Finns” (kantasuomalaiset) has caused confusion. The answer is simple and hinges on the fact that ethnicity and race are social constructs.
The mix-up over the use of the term kantasuomalainen has not only caught Kokoomus by surprise, but it also reveals their ignorance and simplistic view on integration.
MP Pia Kauma, who made a questionable name for herself in 2014, when she wrongfully accused Somali mothers of getting social welfare to buy new baby carriages due to cultural reasons (sic!), is at it again. Before, it was baby carriages, now it’s taking away constitutional rights.
But let’s cut to the chase: Why are people like Kauma and Kokoomus defining who we are? We have a right to call ourselves whatever we wish and, to use one of the Perussuomalaiset catchphrases, we have the right “to take back” our identity from people who don’t mean well. We decide who and what we are.
