Blogimummo briefly in English


I have noticed that some of the visitors come from countries other than Finland. If they are not Finns living abroad, they must be disappointed with the language. 

I write about things that interest me: society, politics, human relations, immigration, EU, minorities, education etc.


So far, I have discussed...

May - June 2018
 
Immigration and refugees. I don’t believe in walls and closed borders. The world is one, and we who live in the Western world are responsible of many things that cause migration. 


Education in Finland. The discourse is greatly focused on money or lack of it. Universities are obliged to school students for working life. Too little attention is paid to humanities and all-round education.


I praise education. Knowing, including knowing that you don’t know, is one of the most important things for saving the world. 


Europe and EU. I feel sorry for them. Populism is widely spread in European politics. Putin and Trump are not interested in Europe. Instead, they are doing their best to disperse it. I love my continent and believe in it.


North Korea and the summit between Trump and Kim. I can only hope for the best in future. I also discuss the picture of the North Korean people we get through the media. Even though I admit that Edward Said is right about “Orientalism”, I still don’t think that our construction of North Korean life is the biggest problem people have there. 


Israel, Palestinians and Jewish settlements in Jerusalem. Using religion or history as an excuse is not a reasonable argument anywhere, least of all, when it concerns people’s right to existence. 


Men. I accuse them (not all of them) for the most misery in the world. But I also see how women are supporting men in their work of destruction


Finnish Civil War 1918. It still divides people. I am not a great lover of wars. 


Bishop Michael Curry’s speech at the royal wedding. It was a real breakthrough in the stuffy world of aristocrats and celebrities. 


Class society. We are living in it. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer as always, but now at an accelerating tempo. Most of the university students come from academic families.


Bob Dylan. I’m a fan but I don’t know exactly why. Dylan is and wants to be a mystery. He has heard and read a lot and uses it in his music. I think we are thirsting after meaning and wish to find it in his texts. 


Physical appearance and sex appeal. They have, of course, a great impact on our social contacts. Deviant appearance can be a stigma that affects your whole life. Plastic surgeries help people. Today, however, also young and good-looking people use much of their financial resources to improve their looks. The result is not always worth the money that is spent. Is surpassing nature what people really wish to achieve? Or are they addicted to the social construction of the human body that the media delivers?


Public sector and services. Why could we afford much more in the 50’ies and 60’ies than today? The money cannot be the reason. 


Donald Trump leaves United Nations’ Human Rights Council and makes new friends, such as Kim Jong-un. 


Otherness and ethnicity. Why do people label other people that don’t look like themselves?


Poverty and envy. Some poor people seem to envy other poor people who, as they suspect, are receiving undeserved social benefits.


Wealth and the American Dream. Often just pure coincidences decide our faith. Society is needed to protect the interests of the weak. 

Debt. Especially young people live on credit to meet the pressures for a high standard of living and success.


July - August 2018
 
Populism. While expecting the meeting in Helsinki between Putin and Trump I once again focus on populism which is on the rise in Europe. Populists claim that they are working for the people meaning their voters. People are their path to power. It’s ironical that people use their democratic right to elect leaders that after having their votes do their best to destroy the democracy. 


White heterosexual male. This term was widely used in the 90’ies to describe the privileged status from which it is possible to use control and power. In my opinion, the term is badly inflated. Power is more complicated than that, and it’s everywhere as Foucault concluded. 


Anti-Trump and Putin protest. I and about 2500 other people demonstrated against Trump and Putin before their meeting in Helsinki. “Make the world great again” was one of the best placards to describe our feelings. 


Personality disorders. Many labels (psychopath, sociopath, narcist) are nowadays used to describe difficult persons. Sometimes those names are used correctly, sometimes not. There will always be difficult people in your life. However, it’s important to keep distance to protect yourself. Remember that 99 % of people can feel empathy. 


Authoritarian personality. Why do people need hierarchies and blindly believe in authorities? The only hope is to educate already young children to use their own brains. 


Empathy. I discuss Empatia (Empathy), a book written by Elisa Aaltola and Sami Keto. Empathy is an evolutionary old and important character that makes us human beings. We should appreciate and improve our sensitiveness by listening ourselves and other beings.



September  -  October 2018



Homo Deus. I read Yuval Noah Harari’s book Homo Deus. A Brief History of Tomorrow and was very impressed. Homo Sapiens has justified his exploitation of the planet and other animals by referring to God’s will. Digitalisation and science can create a new species that could enslave us just as we have done to the rest of nature. 

Refugee camps. People who don’t want to take any immigrants often say that refugees should be helped so near their homes as possible. The vast majority of refugees (84 %) are already now living in camps in their neighbouring countries. It’s important to improve the circumstances of these camps, but living there is no permanent solution. Besides, it can’t be only other poor countries’ responsibility to help. 


Ideals. Idealists are often seen as dreamers who don’t understand reality. What if ideals, as a matter of fact, represent deeper reality? Tunnel vision may hinder us from seeing the whole story by showing the mere shadows. 


The newest bestseller of Yuval Noah Harari convinced me: he is my real soulmate. 21 Lessons for the 21th Century tells us the story of all lies that humans have told each other. Thinking outside the box is challenging, if not impossible, because the box is inside us.
 

 
 
 
 



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