Whenever I get fan or hate mail, I wonder why they never sign them with their names. I normally don’t publish hate mail but this will be an exception. The one below is by KKK Molly, at least it is what’s on her email address. I wonder what “KKK” stand for? Ku Klux Klan, maybe?…
Tag: white privilege
After using the full n-word on television twice, Esko Valtaoja now calls that host he insulted “white”
Every scar I have makes me who I am. Anonymous It is ok to utter the full n-word on Finnish television, as we saw on Friday on the Marja Sannikka show, which turned out to be a fiasco revealing how little homework the host had done and how polarized and ignorant Finnish society is of…
A danger to democracy
If there is one matter that US President Donald Trump’s self-coup has evidenced, it is the fragility of our democracy. This is also the case in Finland with the Perussuomalaiset (PS)*, a pro-Trump radical right party that openly supports Trump. Some factors unite Finland with the United States. Finns have – incorrectly – said in…
Finland is too white to solve its issues with racism. There must be change.
After the bombshell news that one of the suspects arrested Friday who brutally attacked Pekka Kataja of the Perussuomalaiset (PS) in July, the new chairperson of the Center Party, Annika Saarikko, said on Ykkösaamu Saturday that she could form a government with the PS. In light of the PS’ links with far-right groups, Saarikko’s response…
Kotoutuminen* #9: Spreading half-truths about integration
If the learn-Finnish-and-you’re-integrated promise is misleading, so are many others spread by people who should know better. “The best way to eliminate racism is to get people to know each other,” goes the affirmation. It is like the claim that traveling opens your eyes to the world. After we do all these things, will we…
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The end of white Finland’s hegemony over narrative and “truth”
“There are signs that white Finland’s hegemony over culture and society is being seriously challenged. Green League MP Ozan Yanar rightfully questioned President Sauli Niinistö’s problematic speech about migrants. We have information as well that the police and school principal may have played down what happened to a 10-year-old Muslim girl at school in Espoo in…
Twitter (Julie Pascoet): Silence is not only a political statement but privilege that contributes to inequality
Read original tweet here. Julie Pascoe is senior advocacy officer at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), Europe’s largest anti-racism NGO.
Camtu Suhonen: How discrimination destroys academic careers
Discrimination is a disease that plagues many organizations and often causes more damage to the organization such as profit loss, economical issues, and natural disasters. This is because discrimination destroys the people who make up the organization and causes damages irreparable by money or promotion. Career paths and patterns are things most affected by such a plague because they damage people mentally, emotionally, and socially. If a person is mentally and emotionally damaged by discrimination, this person becomes paralyzed and unable to function properly within the organization. Also, socially, victims experience role malfunction and resort to isolation for comfort rather than ask for help from colleagues.
Exposing white Finnish privilege #43: White versus dark skin
Brown is beautiful just like black and white are beautiful, right? Add to the latter equation power and privilege and a more sinister picture emerges: white is beautiful but brown and black aren’t.
Cultural appropriation of Saami in Northern Europe: “Make as much noise as you can”
The most recent case of cultural appropriation in Finland was seen in October when a Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) host put on a Native American feathered hairpiece. To add insult to injury, the YLE TV host aired on the same programme a clip of a Finnish 1960 “comedy” with blackfaced actors.