I agree that the fact that we consume many of the same syndicated media outlets has an effect but there still are cultural differences. Much of what originates in American universities feels superimposed and alien here and not only because of English being a foreign language and a lot of things being lost in translation. There is a marked difference between Sweden and Finland in this regard, too. Sweden is very PC and, for example, nationalist populist parties have extremely difficult time there despite their increasing popularity and no other party wants anything to do with them. In Finland, Perussuomalaiset (I don't like their official English language name) was met with an endless barrage of accusations of racism from the mostly liberal media ever since their popularity started rising from the 2% or so in the early 2000's, which actually helped their cause. PS was included in the cabinet in 2015. Such a party that had Jussi Halla-aho as the leader of a prominent faction could never have been able to form a cabinet with any other party in Sweden. Denmark is similar to Finland this way and radically different from Sweden. The Danes actually tend to feel a little contemptuous of Swedish political correctness because, in Denmark, people value freedom of speech to a much greater degree even if it hurt other people's feelings.
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
I see it as moving toward the same way as the US. I predicted PS and their path as it started similarly (and continued on the same trajectory) as One Nation in Australia which began in the mid 90s. The US universities and their misguided SJW syndromes are spreading rapidly, even in Finland. Here, people are beginning to fight for things they know nothing about too.
The difference between Finland and Sweden is partly explained by the fact that Sweden somewhat more urbanized. The legacy of the Centre Party is such that sheer economic forces are in the process of bringing about a swift and brutal urbanization to the extent it is lagging behind our western neighbour. That means a larger voter base for the Green Party that is rife with the sort of PC copied from America. I have had a few discussions on Facebook with typical voters of the Greens and even with a couple of Green local politicians living in Helsinki. One of them struck me as hypersensitive, totally lacking a thick skin and incapable of handling differences in opinion. I'm not the only one suggesting that the Greens are not a party at all but a motley crew of whinging "individualists" competing for who is fighting for the most obscure cause of them all. :)
Yes, I have met a few and they are often well read with paper experience and a nice suit. I am not very political but, I do hear things from time to time and I think that Finland is in for some rough times.