Comment: Here is an excellent example below what is wrong in Finland with the ongoing debate on racism. The story below is apparently a rebuttal to another one published in Savon Sanomat, where Riita Wärn of the Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK), warns that growing racism in Finland could hinder its image and scare off skilled immigrants from moving to this country.
While it is a good matter that a predominantly white Finnish lobby group is making such a statement, another white Finnish person, general manager Janne Vihavainen of bus company Veolia Transport affirms that racism isn’t growing in Finland. “We cannot state that racism has grown significantly in Finland,” he said.
What worries me about these types of debates like between Wärn and Vihavainen is that there are no immigrants or visible minorities giving their opinion on the matter. Even though I side with the woman from EK and commend that association for speaking out against such a social ill, there are still no immigrants giving their opinion.
Are immigrants or their associations too afraid to speak out? Do reporters shy from asking them if there is racism in Finland because they feel uncomfortable about what they may hear and have to write?
We don’t have to use a real immigrant such a question. Why not ask a Multicultural Finn if there is racism in this country?
The question is why we don’t ask these groups this important question.
_______________
Viljami Vuorento
Pääkaupunkiseudun linja-autoliikennöitsijät eivät allekirjoita Elinkeinoelämän Keskusliiton Savon Sanomille kertomaa näkemystä rasismin lisääntymisestä. EK:n työvoima- ja maahanmuuttopolitiikan asiantuntijan Riitta Wärnin mukaan maahanmuuttajiin on alettu viime vuoden aikana suhtautua aiempaa penseämmin. Erityisen huolissaan EK on maahanmuuttajavaltaisten alojen työvoimapulasta.
Enrique, you an immigrant and you are keeping a site which handles the subject. Why don’t you speak out for other immigrants who have faced racism? The truth is that not all immigrants are facing racism, but there is the minority who are suffering a lot from it. And I don’t think they want to become a victim for this cause, because it might make their lives even more difficult.
Niko, isn’t that what we are doing all the time on Migrant Tales: Speaking out for immigrants and minorities. There may be some truth in what you say because some first-generation immigrants would rather roll with the punches than protest. It is the second generation and Multicultural Finns that start to raise their voices. They do so because they saw how their parents were pushed around and do not want the same type of treatment. I am not an immigrant in Finland. I am a multicultural Finn.
Niko is right.
White immigrants do not faced racism so much than Black, Arab or Asian people.
People of colord racism is too offent everyday reality.
Hi Asian and welcome to Migrant Tales! It is true what you say: visible minorities face much more discrimination than invisible minorities.
Well, I am a relatively new immigrant here, and after being born in a western country, and having lived in several other developed countries, I do not accept any of the BS here in Finland. I know how I should be treated, and do not put up with any discriminatory treatment here in Finland. I am indeed very passionate about defending my rights, up to the point that some immigrants have advised me that I may be monitored by the Finnish police and authorities.
To this suggestion I say that I do not give a damn. The worst that could happen is that I be sent back to my homeland, and that would be a blessing , since I have been trying to leave Finland for some time now. To those of you racists who will say “then just f**** the hell out of Finland” I will let you know that before I can leave, I need to get sole custody of my Finnish children.So this is what is keeping me here in this land of doom and gloom.
What I hate is the way Africans especially put up withe the BS from the racist Finns. Notice I said Africans, and not black people, because not all black people here are from Africa(born and raised there).The Africans offer no resistance whatsoever, and just “roll with the punches.” I too am black , but anyone who meets me knows that I stand up for my rights when I have too, without ever resorting to violence.
Immigrants here need to speak out and challenge the authorities when they are being treated badly. Remaining silent does nothing to help the situation. Infact, the way I see it is that the more immigrants remain silent, the less respect they get from the Finns.
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS!!!
Hi Foreigner, you should be proud of yourself! Standing up for our rights should be everyone’s goal.
@Foreigner
If you disregard statistics about refugees from Somalia or Sudan, African immigrants in Finland are doing better than most immigrant groups. Most of these people are too busy working and taking care of their families than to care about politics.
Finnish 5183058 8.7% unemployment
Lithuania 615 12.5% unemployment
Bulgaria 618 12.2% unemployment
Norway 695 10.8% unemployment
Kenya 640 4% unemployment
Ethiopia 651 8.2% unemployment
Ghana 700 8% unemployment
Japan 905 9.6% unemployment
Bangladesh 840 9.5% unemployment
Nigeria 1020 10% unemployment
Poland 1888 11% unemployment
Italy 1432 11.5% unemployment
Ukraine 1798 17.7% unemployment
Britain 3213 10.1% unemployment
India 2736 7.2% unemployment
China 4620 8.5% unemployment
Source: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyokay/2008/01/tyokay_2008_01_2010-04-20_tau_001_fi.html
Asian, you must be new here. White foreigners in Finland face an even more pernicious form of racism than visible races. They are constantly told that they cannot complain, even though they endure the same kind of crap as other races, simply because their skin in not pale enough and their hair not blond enough. Also, every time they experience racism, they are told that it cannot be that since they are white.
Enrique, over the last few days, I told the same thing to many journalists. Many of them complain that they cannot find any specialist on the immigration topic who is willing to voice their opinion publicly. What they really mean is, they cannot find a FINN willing to voice their opinion on that topic publicly, if their opinion is not gonna be a xenophobic one. JusticeDemon, yourself or I would fully qualify as experts on the immigration topic, except that we’re not 100% Finnish, so we’re not likely to ever be contacted. That, plus journalists here don’t know how to do their homeworks; if they did, they would have found all three of us by now.
Now that I think of it, there’s exactly four immigrants that get to speak for all foreigners, if and when the press ever bothers asking anyone: Alexis Kouros, Husein Muhammed and Fatbardhe Hetemaj, more rarely Oge Eneh. Then, the press typically makes the mistake of asking Jani Toivola what it feels like to be a foreigner in Finland.
True, Martin-Éric, but in a story like that one on immigrant bus drivers and racism, the reporter should have asked some bus drivers their opinion. In the trade this is making a point, or another way of editorializing in a story, which is a no-no.
BlandaUpp, it is not about politics, or the unemployment rate of such groups. It is about something called self esteem, which I think many Africans lack. If you value yourself, you can never ever put up with such racist treatment meted out by the Finns, and keep quiet.
Besides, unemployment rates have nothing to do with my original observation, which is that Africans put up with too much BS from the racist Finns.I too am employed here in Finland, yet I do not tolerate any of this discriminatory treatment.I find time to complain and seek redress when I am treated poorly.
Also, even when talking about employment, I have seen Africans keep quiet when they are treated poorly. I once saw a superior berate an African worker in front of everyone who was there.It was painful to watch. What did he do? He cowered for the superior. At least he could have walked away, or asked his superior to lower his voice.He did none of that, and just stood there and took the verbal abuse. That is someone with absolutely no self respect.
All I am asking is for all of us immigrants to speak out and express our displeasure when we are treated unfairly here in Finland.There should be no fear.The worst that can happen is that you are sent back home, which isn’t so bad!
For Enrique
– Niko, isn’t that what we are doing all the time on Migrant Tales: Speaking out for immigrants and minorities.
Well, this is true, but I meant something more public. There has been quite many news about racism lately and this would be a great shot to open the debate. I’m sure that there are some eager reporters who would like to interview the people in this forum. Or if nothing else, you have a background as a reporter and you can interview foreigners in Finland and try to publish it 😉
For Foreigner
– If you value yourself, you can never ever put up with such racist treatment meted out by the Finns, and keep quiet.
You understand that you are no better than those racists, if you say that (all) Finns are racist? You are generalizing as are the people you hate.
Martin-Éric
Your argument that white people face racism can be true but it is not so bad than people of colord. ( Onko sinun esimerki luettelon pohjalla joku arabi kun siltä se kuulostaa minusta.)
Thist system is build for white man so even if they are at bottom they can till say that at least I am not black or generally people of colord.
If you are white then you can alway lie about your birth place.
People of colord can not do so and to be believe.
Why people of colord don’t speak about racism because white people don’t believe it is true
Oftent they anwser that you are over sensitive or you made up.
Asian, you seem to assume that white people all look the same (just like most white people think that all Asians look the same). It is incorrect. This system is not built for white men. It is built for blue-eyes fair-skinned blond women.
Martin-Éric
You are correc partly it is just white who created this crazy idea about blue-eyes fair-skinned blond women. Now all people of colord and white are traying to fit this model.
People of colord hate to be what they are. White don’t need to hate-self. just tray harder
I am asian i know my own reallity and what it is doing to my people.
so don’t start telling that this is not white system when you are white.
You are blind to how racism work in western society.
Start asking how people of colord feel to be freak or exotis.