Why foreigners are so often a topic in the news

[antstar]

ain't that the truth!

[otyikondo]

"Foreigners" is a very popular topic in the news in Finland. Just pick some:

- They report the percentage of crime perpetrators of foreign background
- They calculate how much more expensive foreign students cost than natives
- Police do spot-checks on foreigner based on looks and sounds

...

I do not remember foreigner is such a hot topic in the news back in my home country. Do you guys think so too?

Oak.. what is your definition of "in the news"? Do you read the Finnish newspapers in Finnish? Or are you dependent like so many others on the services of STT, YLE, and Helsingin Sanomat in English, at least two of which probably factor into their selection process the fact that items they publish are READ by the foreign population. Hence stories relating to the foreign population or matters that might conceivably be of interest to said foreign population are given greater weight than they get in the "Finnish" Finnish media. Equally, none of the three outfits spend much time covering the stuff that most Finns read avidly on their way home, namely the on-off romance of a film director and a former underwear model.

Of course they COULD spend their entire time doing warm and fuzzy stories about ex-pat success stories or the American Wives' Club, but that wouldn't really be journalism, would it?

[raamv]

What I meant is this - if the numbers go down, then it would not be a problem anymore. So back to free education.

wrong..The cost still remains the same..so it will be skimmed of tax payers!!

5 free seats + 95 seats paid by taxes, is always better than 10 free seats + 95 tax paid seats. Assuming the revenues always come from taxes.

if you dont count the seats paid by taxes, then 10 seats @100K is definitely greater than what you have written above..
but for those 10 seats the costs still remain X ( minor variations of X) as compare to the tax paid seats..
Only the seats paid for generates 1M€ in revenue!!

[raamv]

Equally, none of the three outfits spend much time covering the stuff that most Finns read avidly on their way home, namely the on-off romance of a film director and a former underwear model.

Of course they COULD spend their entire time doing warm and fuzzy stories about ex-pat success stories or the American Wives' Club, but that wouldn't really be journalism, would it?

Even I managed to get a glimpse of the ilta rags saying something like the ero is not doused...

[greenhorn]

Now, I am not getting it, may be I am sleepy. Let's read the talk of underwear models now, will see the numeric stuff tomorrow !

[raamv]

Now, I am not getting it, may be I am sleepy. Let's read the talk of underwear models now, will see the numeric stuff tomorrow !

TBH; either of us are going to end up with one..so lets talk about the collective probability of .....zzzzz

[raamv]

More infor about the Innovation university :
http://www.yle.fi/news/id85076.html

In addition to supporting the operations of the Innovation University, the state is granting the Innovation University Foundation 500 million euros, on the condition that the foundation should get grants of at least 200 million euros from other sources.

[antstar]

of course foreigners are not a race, but they are from different races... hence the racial profiling

what about foreigners who are the same race as Finns? Is it then racial profiling?

I think this is a good discussion area, as there are so many different foreigners out there. I think many european "visiters" fit in well as the cultural differences are few, i.e. climate and religion. Of course life is alot easier when you don't have to worry about permits or visas and wjhen you walk down the street you don't look like a foreigner. The hard part is singing like one!

[greenhorn]

I think this is a good discussion area, as there are so many different foreigners out there. I think many european "visiters" fit in well as the cultural differences are few, i.e. climate and religion. Of course life is alot easier when you don't have to worry about permits or visas and wjhen you walk down the street you don't look like a foreigner. The hard part is singing like one!

Other foreigners, however hard they might try to assimilate with the local population, unfortunately can't do much about not looking like locals. So a bit of bias/prejudice, in my opinion, will always be there.

[antstar]

I think this is a good discussion area, as there are so many different foreigners out there. I think many european "visiters" fit in well as the cultural differences are few, i.e. climate and religion. Of course life is alot easier when you don't have to worry about permits or visas and wjhen you walk down the street you don't look like a foreigner. The hard part is singing like one!

Other foreigners, however hard they might try to assimilate with the local population, unfortunately can't do much about not looking like locals. So a bit of bias/prejudice, in my opinion, will always be there.

Definitely, unless those foreigners become so common that they are not seen as unusual any more. In the UK it is generally excepted that you will be working alongside all different types of colour and creed. All are then seen as normal, with the exception to the rule if the foreigner’s home country or fellow countrymen do something bad. Say for example, Muslims in general had a hard time after 9\11.

[debonaire]

I find this whole idea of doing spot checks on foreigners a disturbing trend...Obviously the intent is correct but the way of doing spot checks on specific groups is discrimating....Have the cops devised a way of branding specific groups of foreigners or are they simply doing these spot checks on the basis of a person's look and color...Doesn't that tantamount to ethnic profiling?
I would be really interested to know how the cops have planned to single out the foreigners for their spot check operations...Are they doing these spot checks on all foreigners irrespective of their color and race or they just picking up guys who look funny and wear funny clothes...Someone on this forum said that its mostly the funny looking foreigners who are sujected to spot checks for identification...Is looking funny a crime? Does it make them less of a human?And how the cops are gonna make sure that these funny looking people or other smater and so called superior foreigners are not subjected to this inhuman practice of random spot checks more than once? I mean they can be asked to show their ids at different places on the same day... or the cops gonna ask them to wear some kinda identification mark(just like the way nazis made the jews do it) in order to prevent them from showing their ids every time on being subjected to spot checks...Either way,I find it disgusting and discriminating practice which certainly outrages the dignity of a person on the basis of their looks and race...
And are these spot checks ever gonna end or its just a one time process?..There are many foreigners who have worked and lived here for decades and make Finland their home...So will they be subjected to this type of identification checks throughout their life in Finland,even if many of them have acquired finnish citizenship....but hey they look funny...

[debonaire]

*double post*

[mCowboy]

Other foreigners, however hard they might try to assimilate with the local population, unfortunately can't do much about not looking like locals. So a bit of bias/prejudice, in my opinion, will always be there.

As for someone how's lived in Finland for decades, and years in the UK and US too... it's still very interesting that most non-Finnish looking people I meet, I don't expect them to speak Finnish. I have many black and Asian Finnish born friends, who speak perfect or very good Finnish, but still the preconception is there, despite this experience. This is not prejudice or racism, it's just the fact that most non-Finnish looking people in Finland don't speak Finnish like natives, only a small percentage of it.

Back in the 80's it was very rare, and people like Billy Carson and Caron were the people in TV that spoke understandable Finnish, but that was pretty much it. Since then in the late 90's and 00's, the children of the immigrants have adopted Finnish language and are now in their early 20's and things are changing for better in that aspect. In 20 years things will be different even more with the mixing of native Finns and other races that have moved in.

[greenhorn]

I find this whole idea of doing spot checks on foreigners a disturbing trend...Obviously the intent is correct but the way of doing spot checks on specific groups is discrimating....Have the cops devised a way of branding specific groups of foreigners or are they simply doing these spot checks on the basis of a person's look and color...Doesn't that tantamount to ethnic profiling?
I would be really interested to know how the cops have planned to single out the foreigners for their spot check operations...Are they doing these spot checks on all foreigners irrespective of their color and race or they just picking up guys who look funny and wear funny clothes...Someone on this forum said that its mostly the funny looking foreigners who are sujected to spot checks for identification...Is looking funny a crime? Does it make them less of a human?And how the cops are gonna make sure that these funny looking people or other smater and so called superior foreigners are not subjected to this inhuman practice of random spot checks more than once? I mean they can be asked to show their ids at different places on the same day... or the cops gonna ask them to wear some kinda identification mark(just like the way nazis made the jews do it) in order to prevent them from showing their ids every time on being subjected to spot checks...Either way,I find it disgusting and discriminating practice which certainly outrages the dignity of a person on the basis of their looks and race...
And are these spot checks ever gonna end or its just a one time process?..There are many foreigners who have worked and lived here for decades and make Finland their home...So will they be subjected to this type of identification checks throughout their life in Finland,even if many of them have acquired finnish citizenship....but hey they look funny...

Since we try to be politically correct, so we use the term 'funny looking'. This actually means, those who don't look like Finns, aka, those who are not white (person of color). They are the ones who are easily identifiable as foreigners and subject to spot checks. I wrote above that no one can change their color and hence have to live with it, or go back to their own country.

[mCowboy]

I find this whole idea of doing spot checks on foreigners a disturbing trend...Obviously the intent is correct but the way of doing spot checks on specific groups is discrimating....Have the cops devised a way of branding specific groups of foreigners or are they simply doing these spot checks on the basis of a person's look and color...Doesn't that tantamount to ethnic profiling?
I would be really interested to know how the cops have planned to single out the foreigners for their spot check operations...Are they doing these spot checks on all foreigners irrespective of their color and race or they just picking up guys who look funny and wear funny clothes...Someone on this forum said that its mostly the funny looking foreigners who are sujected to spot checks for identification...Is looking funny a crime? Does it make them less of a human?And how the cops are gonna make sure that these funny looking people or other smater and so called superior foreigners are not subjected to this inhuman practice of random spot checks more than once? I mean they can be asked to show their ids at different places on the same day... or the cops gonna ask them to wear some kinda identification mark(just like the way nazis made the jews do it) in order to prevent them from showing their ids every time on being subjected to spot checks...Either way,I find it disgusting and discriminating practice which certainly outrages the dignity of a person on the basis of their looks and race...
And are these spot checks ever gonna end or its just a one time process?..There are many foreigners who have worked and lived here for decades and make Finland their home...So will they be subjected to this type of identification checks throughout their life in Finland,even if many of them have acquired finnish citizenship....but hey they look funny...

so it's ok to check funny looking/acting Finns but not funny looking/acting foreigners?

I hate that the racism card is always used, whenever there's something like this going on. I a white Finnish guy calls another race guy an idiot, the odds are that the other race guy pulls out the racism card, but it never happens the other way...

If motorcycle gangs are committing crimes, everyone looking like a motorcycle gang member will be subjected to suspicion. If the illegal immigrants mostly from Africa and middle east are the issue, those people will be subjected to suspicion. Very simple.

If you're an idiot, you're an idiot regardless of the race and color... it's not racism, it's just an opinion or sometimes a fact.