nevermind

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Pursuivant
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Re: nevermind

Post by Pursuivant » Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:02 pm

Well, these deleted starts are pretty silly. What I can read from between the lines is some romantic ideal of "finding roots". Which is fine if you have the time & money to do some extensive traveling. I wouldn't exactly recommend selling everything and jumping on the airplane (at least not after thorough research). Finland is a pretty tough place if you don't speak the language, even if you find a job niche where you can get by in English. As to find out what comes to "finding roots" the relations from 2-3 generations back can be slightly wary of some kin showing back as usually there were some dodgy deals regarding inheritance. Laugh away, but inheritance feuds are one reason Finns don't speak to their kin. Then again you might find a number of long-lost cousins, the records are pretty well kept from the 19th century onwards.

What comes to religions, the thumb rule is the conservative "god, religion, fatherland" types belong to the pro-israel crowd and go volunteer for sar-el, and ecohippie liberals and other residual communists to the pro-palestinian cause. But Swedes are quite "far along the road" or should I say "stuffed their head deep" into the political correctness they can't face the facts what in reality is happening, their official drum circle is still singing kumbayah in Malmo. The only challenge in Finland if you are observing would be to "keep kosher" as catering to a 1000-strong minority hasn't made business, on the contrary, theres a lot of halal stores about these days. In any case, your average Finn "belongs to the church" but "never goes there" and finds religious practices quaint and following any rules somewhat silly, even a lot of the local customs and legislation still reflect the 18th century strict government-ordained Lutheranism. Fighting over religion is something "silly foreigners do" - though as Finland is the "promised land of associations" theres a split in the revival movements every generation or so.

Finns do... well, did fight over politics and still hold a bit of a polarised grudge even the hatchets have been buried a long while ago. The new challenges with EU and globalisation are redefining the circus floor. Its not exactly left-right division. You have the left alliance in the government being the yes-man for pro-EU conservatives. I think the era of Kekkoslovakia and Finlandisation and the 1990's recession caused so much bottled up anger the emergence of the PS for example is just being fed up of the "consensus" - no matter whom you vote for, the same sh*t continues as the politicians do their tradeoffs. But this doesn't reflect as demonstrations on tear-gas filled streets where you duck rubber bullets. Well, not yet, but usually its the 10 guys and their mates who show up at any demonstration (decent people are at work and rather get annoyed).

Any decision you make, do the background checking. And do ask (even the stupid questions) as what you "know" is 100% better to form your decisions on as opposed to what you "think" ;)


"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

Re: nevermind

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