I don't know much about Finland but the trajectory you describe is not specific to Finland. There is a broad trend in Western countries towards becoming anti-intellectual/anti-University, anti-immigrant, and more individualistic. On the anti-immigrant one, Australia has been sadly one of the leading proponents, and our policies have been picked up elsewhere. In particular, the latest US National Security Strategy looks like driving anti-immigrant policies further around the world. I subscribe to the view that immigrants make a country stronger overall, and diversity is a net benefit. I just feel this is becoming more of a fringe view on the world stage. Could Finland have resisted?
Oh 100% that broader shift is not unique to Finland, and Finland is in many respects getting a "light" version of the broader societal trends. I don't know if it could have resisted - I'm sure everything is possible, but clearly it didn't. Nor are we here to a sufficient extent.
Why do you gotta go and ruin my fanciful image of Finland with annoying things like patterns that coalesce into a truthful trajectory? Maybe part of Australia growing up is realising that our maturation as a nation cannot just be imported or imitated from Northern Europe. I felt proud last week of Australia for its social media account for U16 ban and then shock and pain after Bondi.
I'm mostly feeling good about our response to Bondi, too. Exceptions apply, but I am hopeful we will be able to respond well as a society. Certainly better than the US "response" has been to their shootings!
I don't know much about Finland but the trajectory you describe is not specific to Finland. There is a broad trend in Western countries towards becoming anti-intellectual/anti-University, anti-immigrant, and more individualistic. On the anti-immigrant one, Australia has been sadly one of the leading proponents, and our policies have been picked up elsewhere. In particular, the latest US National Security Strategy looks like driving anti-immigrant policies further around the world. I subscribe to the view that immigrants make a country stronger overall, and diversity is a net benefit. I just feel this is becoming more of a fringe view on the world stage. Could Finland have resisted?
Oh 100% that broader shift is not unique to Finland, and Finland is in many respects getting a "light" version of the broader societal trends. I don't know if it could have resisted - I'm sure everything is possible, but clearly it didn't. Nor are we here to a sufficient extent.
Why do you gotta go and ruin my fanciful image of Finland with annoying things like patterns that coalesce into a truthful trajectory? Maybe part of Australia growing up is realising that our maturation as a nation cannot just be imported or imitated from Northern Europe. I felt proud last week of Australia for its social media account for U16 ban and then shock and pain after Bondi.
I'm mostly feeling good about our response to Bondi, too. Exceptions apply, but I am hopeful we will be able to respond well as a society. Certainly better than the US "response" has been to their shootings!