By Enrique Tessieri
A crucial term like acceptance is still very little used in Finland when debating about our culturally diverse society. Another key term is equal opportunity.Politicians, public officials, the general public, including immigrants, should use these terms in everyday speech when speaking about our society.
Former President Martti Ahtisaari suggested on Thursday that those Finns should invite immigrants to a cup of coffee. This is a very nice gesture. Culturally it would be the Finnish way to accept another person.
The coffee-drinking ritual in Finland rarely if ever is done between people who dislike each other. When we drink coffee together we strengthen our friendship and knowledge of each other through casual talk.
Since integration and acceptance are a two-way process, all of us have to tame our prejudices and do our part in being more acceptant of others. This is important because it helps create a better-functioning society.
When we are acceptant of others we cease to be the problem arising from our own racism and prejudice.
Three important key words are needed to be heard more in Finnish society: mutual acceptance, respect and equal opportunities.
You talk about mutual acceptance and you dont accept, you talk about respect and you dont respect and you talk about equal opportunities when you mean apartheid.
When was last time you invited bald young man or drunk for coffee?
Or anyone random from street?
Hannu, by acceptance I DON’T mean accepting other people who are racist towards me or wish other people harm. If these “bald men” or “drunks” renounced racism and accepted then sure why not.
Racism is a social ill. It is like cancer, a serious illness that is detrimental to society. You can never build social justice and equality if you have racism.
Hi Enrique, I read somewhere you are doing research on these issues in Finland ( I hope I am right here)….if so, it would be interesting to read it …if you have managed to publish, could you please point out in which journal I could get that (or those ) publications…If they are not ready yet, I am looking forward to read them one day. Thank you.
Hannu
All you have to do to avoid this unpleasant “racism” is follow your own formula: grow your hair back, put the bovver boots and braces in the attic, delete your hommaforum account and start conforming to educated mainstream views. Then nobody will know that you are a racist bigot and everything will be fine.
I would think that any random foreigner would have a better awareness of living in a foreign land than any random Finn’s awareness that said random foreigner might not magically know what is the Finnish way to behave or to perform some task.