A red herring is something intended to divert attention from the real issue. When it comes to immigration, the True Finns do not have one but many red herrings on their plate.
Red herring 1: We are not against immigration but against Muslims “invading” Finland and Europe.
A naïve or ignorant person would say great, after we rid Finland and Europe of the Muslim question everything will be ok. At the best such a sinister plan against our values and democracy would end up a Pyrrhic victory. We would sacrifice our democratic way of life in order to vilify and exclude other groups.
The Muslims are the first of many “enemies” of the far-right. Moreover, they are a European minority.
Red herring 2: Why do the True Finns attack Muslims?
The reason why the True Finns only target Muslims for now is because it would be a hard sell to be against all immigration and immigrants. Their extremist views would become too obvious and voters would be turned off by them.
A story in Kansan Uutiset gave this view of the True Finns’ stance on immigration: Anti-immigration groups try to ensure over and over again that they are not against immigration but against immigration policy, which allows Muslims to move to Finland. In other words they don’t care about the blacks that have been allowed to move to Finland but the policy that allows them to immigrate here.
Red herring 3: We don’t want women to wear scarves because we are for gender equality.
This is one of the most hypocritical statements that I have read by parties like the True Finns. Let’s see what they are saying, in fact… They are ready to deprive people of their religious freedom and their right to their cultural identity in order to improve women’s rights. Does this make any sense?
Red herring 4: We are patriotic and therefore protecting Finland’s best interests.
So patriotism means excluding people from our society and insulting them in public in the name of “freedom of speech.” The type of society that the True Finns want to create (do they have a plan?) is where inequality would be the rule, not the exception.
Red herring 5: Immigrants should assimilate better to Finland.
This statement is that of a typical leader that directs battle from behind. The True Finns want immigrants to adapt to Finland and aim to water down and change our civil rights in order to do this. If you ask me, they sound more maladapted to Finland than immigrants.
Should the integration program for immigrants include members of the True Finns? It would not be a bad idea. This would give them the chance to learn about our laws, values and society.
“Why do the True Finns attack Muslims?”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/27/somali-born-teen-arrested-attempted-bomb-attack-us
Why do the True Finns attack Muslims?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333259/7-7-bombings-Muslim-artist-sparks-outrage-angelic-tribute-London-suicide-bombers.html
“Why do the True Finns attack Muslims?”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333537/SPECIAL-REPORT-Asian-gangs-schoolgirls-sinister-taboo-.html
Your reasoning is wrong because it labels a whole group. Should we be worried of terrorism and criminals? Certainly. To show how you stretch the situation to shape it to your narrow-minded view of a group, I will now do the same:
“Why do the Muslims have issues with Westerners?”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/world/middleeast/11casualties.htm
http://www.nrc.no/?did=9493701
“Why do the Muslims have issues with Westerners?”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8161335/Ehud-Olmert-says-Israel-and-US-are-wasting-time-over-settlements.html
“Why do the Muslims have issues with Westerners?”
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/02/24/un-346-afghan-children-killed-in-2009-more-than-half-by-nato.html
As you can see, I can pull out of my hat some easy answers as well. Should these links be be our fuel to hate other people? I don’t think so. What good will it do?
Ask yourself how hatred has solved matters. It is the way that ignorant people with low self-esteem solve matters like many members of the True Finns.
Interesting…
“Your reasoning is wrong because it labels a whole group.”
Well you just did it to True Finns. According to your logic some groups can be label as a whole, some can’t. Usual…
You comment has some many flows, I’ll go one by one, but let me start with the first:
So, Muslims have issue with Westerners, very well. Apparently they don’t any issue with the Western Social Security funded by those very same Westerners they so much hate, do they?
Did I say ALL True Finns?
–So, Muslims have issue with Westerners, very well. Apparently they don’t any issue with the Western Social Security funded by those very same Westerners they so much hate, do they?
Again the same flaw: You label a whole group. It is simply not true. And hey, Finns do not have issues with our social security. You forget, or appraently do not want to acknowledge, that our social welfare system is for everyone. Does it work? Of course it has flaws. What about our labor markets? Are they fair? As I said before opportunity is the key word. Give it to people and they will use it.
I have read pretty depressing stuff in Ireland. The first sector that is going to hit hard is the housing sector. Is it your fault? What about if you are unemployed? Do you have the right to social welfare and unemployment? Or should I accuse you of being lazy because you don’t want to work.
There are things in life like force majeure. Without even knowing your opinion about poor Brazilians, I already know what they are.
“Did I say ALL True Finns? ”
Yes, you did.
Anyway… The point is not the social security but those who have issues with us but no issues with our money. Your inability to contra-argument quickly changing the main subject just show how difficult it’s to use rhetoric against facts.
Mark Steyn is spot on on this matter…
“When they want to, Islamists can assimilate at impressive speed. So we have fire-breathing imams milking Euro-welfare and litigious lobby groups with high-rent legal teams. Neither of these are features of Arab life. Rather, they illustrate how adept Islam is at picking and choosing what aspects of Westernization are useful to it.”
Another excellent quote…
“Dr. Mahfooz Kanwar, a sociology professor at Mount Royal College in Calgary, went along to a funeral at the city’s largest mosque and was discombobulated when the man who led the prayers–in Urdu–said, “Oh, God, protect us from the infidels, who pollute us with their vile ways.” Dr. Kanwar said, “How dare you attack my country,” and pointed out to the crowd that he’d known this man for thirty years, most of which time he’d been living on welfare and thus the food on his table came courtesy of the taxes of the hardworking infidels. As Licia Corbella wrote in the Calgary Sun: “Guess which of the two men is no longer welcome at the Sarcee Trail mosque?”
In a country or group there are all types. Many in a party are joined by the same values. That is the difference between talking about the True Finns and a religious group. From what I heard, some former SMP members, like Pekka Vennamo, the son of the legendary political leader Veikko Vennamo, is concerned by the racism that has latched on in the party. But how are you going to allow a neocon and Bush supporter like Mark Steyn understand that.
When you make such strong statements about a certain group that crosses over to Islamophobia, why do you do it anonymously? If you believe so much in your “cause,” why hide. That is something I can never understand. Are you going to come out when your views are laws? By then, we would return back to the political stone ages of the 1930s, which I doubt will ever happen.
“Many in a party are joined by the same values.”
Even more when talking about religion, my friend…
“When you make such strong statements about a certain group that crosses over to Islamophobia, why do you do it anonymously? If you believe so much in your “cause,” why hide.”
Nice try, as usual when you have no argument that’s what you do. I’m anonymous, aren’t I?
–Nice try, as usual when you have no argument that’s what you do. I’m anonymous, aren’t I?
I believe in what I write and stand by it with my name. Why? Because I take responsibility for what I say. I will defend what I say in this blog anywhere with my real name.
“I will defend what I say in this blog anywhere with my real name.”
Just for the record, haven’t I shown my drive license here already?
LOL @Tony
lol@Tony the Toby