This has got to be one of the strangest stories I’ve read on YLE in English. It claims that lifting visa requirements for Russians would create thousands of job in Finland. Is xenophobia so ingrained in some Finns that they still think that foreigners and Russians are such a threat that they don’t grasp that tourism, never mind immigration, spur economic growth and create jobs?
Writes YLE in English: “Visa freedom would boost the Finnish economy and increase employment, according to researchers at the University of Eastern Finland. Last year Russians made four million journeys to Finland, with a visa-free regime expected to double the volume of traffic.”
The negative attitudes that some house of immigrants, which is maintained by myths and prejudice passed from generation to generation and learned at home and at school, is the real culprit that is feeding our ignorance.
It not only feeds our ignorance and fear but is impoverishing us as a nation. It is our prejudice that is robing us of new blood, innovation and hard work.
Ever thought why we are required in this country to raise the retirement age? Because our population is graying and because there are too few young people replacing those jobs left by our ever-growing army of pensioners.
Read story here.
Some Finns are still suspicious of immigrants and outsiders no matter how many positive examples you show them.
Even if an OECD study published in June that immigration boosted economic growth in Finland in 2011 by 0.16%, there are too many in Finland who believe that immigration is a burden and threat on our society.
As long as we continue to see immigrants and Otherness with suspicion, the more harm we will inflict on our nation.
Therefore, those who spread urban myths of immigrants and racism are the real enemies of our society who will leave you without a job and a future.