Introduction to Finland Diary
Finland just might be the world's most interesting country that Americans know least about. It has the best school system in the world, some of the most liberated women (the president is female), more cell phones per capita than anyone else, one of the world's best high-tech companies (Nokia), remarkable information technology of many kinds, great music from rock and jazz to classical. The Finns are proud of their generous welfare state, which provides, among much else, free health care and free education at every level.
Finland is quite big, the size of Kansas and Iowa combined, but sparsely populated -- 5.2 million souls, or about 10 percent smaller than metropolitan Washington, D.C. For three weeks, Lucian Perkins and I will be traveling around the country to try to figure it out. Lucian takes pictures and occasionally writes about what he sees; I will concentrate on words. We will try to figure out how the Finns have been so successful in so many different ways and why Finland appears to be one of the most modern and most adaptable societies anywhere. We'll also see if we can find some chinks in their armor, on the old but reliable theory that nothing is perfect.
We will add something to this Finland Diary every day. We'll also produce stories that will appear here and in the Washington Post newspaper starting on Tuesday, May 24. And we hope to hear from readers as we travel and talk to Finns. Please post your questions, comments and recommendations here, or send them to us in our official back-channel: finlanddiary@washingtonpost.com. We'll respond whenever we can.
To introduce Finland, I've conducted an e-mail interview with Pekka Himanen, 31, a young philosopher who has become quite famous in Finland, and quite well known in the U.S. for his work at Stanford and the University of California. His books have been published in 20 languages. They include The Information Society and the Welfare State: The Finnish Model, co-written with Manuel Castells, a renowned, Spanish-born sociologist of the information age who is now a professor at the University of Southern California. Their book is readily available, published by Oxford University Press. No one Finn can speak for Finland, of course, but Himanen seems like a good representative of the burgeoning new information-age intelligentsia that has remade Finland in the last generation.
--Robert G. Kaiser
Q. The
World Economic Forum has ranked Finland's as the most competitive economy in
the world. Finnish education probably is the best anywhere, judged by results of
comparative tests given to students in many countries. You Finns have more cell
phones per capita than any other people on Earth.You are making extensive use
of the Internet, and are among the most computer-literate
nations. Nokia and Linux are both Finnish inventions. You
have a wonderful system of musical education that has produced an inordinate
number of world-class musicians, singers and conductors in the classical
field, as well as an impressive crop of jazz and rock performers.
So what's going on in Finland? Why are you
doing so well--especially given
the fact that just 50 years ago, you were a poor and quite backward
nation?
))
Finnish author and philosopher Pekka Himanen welcomes guests in his Helsinki apartment. (Lucian Perkins - The Washington Post)
View Enlarged Photo
A. The
three things that people should know about the modern Finland are Nokia, Linux,
and HIM [the Finnish "Love Metal" rock band, most of whose songs are
in English, and whose Web site can be found at http://www.heartagram.com]. They
sum up the Finnish change. Nokia mobile phones are part of the conscious policy
of investing in innovation. Finland invests more as a percentage of GDP to
research and development than the United States. But Linux tells an important
difference: The Finnish idea is to be inclusive so that development benefits
all and not only few.
Linux is a free operating system that
anyone can use. It's very close to the idea behind our welfare state: free and
high-quality education available for everyone so that everyone has equal
opportunities in life. Finnish IT success and the education/health systems were
developed hand in hand so that there would be a virtuous cycle between them:
good education producing more innovators whose success makes it possible to fund
the welfare state. HIM is a story about our cultural identity. People should
listen to their "Funeral of Hearts" to get a sense of Finnish
identity. [You can hear an excerpt from it here, and also read the song's
lyrics: http://www.heartagram.com/music]. We have a history of suffering through winters and you can hear both
melancholy in their music as well as special Finnish energy. All of these
successes from IT to music have been important for forming a new Finnish
cultural identity: not a poor country anymore but a creative leader in many
fields.
Q.
Finnish women seem to be more fully liberated than even American women, or any
others. Even the elected president of Finland is a woman. Why?
A. The
main idea is equal opportunities: women don't have to choose between having
children and work. Society should make this possible, which it does through a
universal right to cheap child care run by college-level educated people. The
long maternal leaves plus the child care available to everyone as a right usually
surprises my many foreign friends.
Q. The
rich countries of "old Europe" and North America have chronic
problems with their educational systems, but Finland's seems to be working
beautifully. Why is Finland so good at educating its young people?
A. In
Finland, the link between the quality of education and poverty was realized
quite early. In the late 19th century Finland was a very poor country with very
little education. And it was poor precisely because of the lack of education.
The development of Finland has come through investing in the education system.
Of course, the absolute amounts invested
in a system don't tell you much. For example, Finland's health care system
absorbs 7% of our GDP [gross domestic product, the total economy], whereas in
America health care costs 14% of GDP. The U.S. has different systems for the
poor and everyone else, and they are not efficient. In education the key isn't
how much is invested, it's the people. The high quality of Finnish education
depends on the high quality of Finnish teachers. You need to have a
college-level degree to run a kindergarten. You need a masters-level degree to
teach at a primary school. Many of the best students want to be teachers. This
is linked to the fact that we really believe we live in an information age, so
it is respected to be in such a key information profession as teaching.
Q. When
Finns talk among themselves, do they discuss the relative strengths of their
society compared to others? How do they explain their successes to each other?
A.
Generally we don't talk about such things.
Q.
Nokia has been one of the most creative and successful companies anywhere in
the last decade. It has also become by far the most important company in the
Finnish economy. What are the secrets
of its success? Why did Finland turn out to be the natural home for cell
phones?
A. It's not a coincidence that Finland became the home of mobile phone revolution. But it's not what you usually hear: that because we have a cold winter and you have nothing else to do, or that because it's so difficult for the Finns to communicate otherwise! It's a combination. The high level of investment in technological research and development, which has been the government's policy since the early 80s. And, the nonhierarchical structure of Finnish companies like Nokia. This makes these companies more dynamic to act against their more hierarchical competitors.
Q. Linux, the free alternative to Windows, was invented by a Finn, Linus Torvalds. Was that a coincidence? Is there something particularly Finnish about Linux?
A.
Linus [Torvalds] is not an exception. The Internet Relay Chat was invented by a
Finn, the first graphical Web browser (before Netscape and Mosaic) was
developed by Finns, etc. It's the education system. Studying at the Finnish
universities is free and you also get a monthly student grant. So you don't
have immediate pressures to just graduate and guarantee a safe career.
Linus and others have space for playing with ideas and this is seen as an
important feature of the academic life in Finland. It took Linus eight years as
a student at the Helsinki University to get his master's degree, but he created
Linux!
Q. Some
Finns drink a lot of vodka; Finnish men have a high suicide rate. Unemployment
is higher in Finland than in the U.S. Is the rosy picture of successful Finland misleading? What's wrong with
Finland?
A. This
is the darker side of our history. As I said, we have a history of suffering.
Think about Finland where it can get -30 degrees Celsius [22 below zero
Fahrenheit] in the winter. And think of it before modern technology. It was a
real challenge to get through the winters. You can easily forget that when you
visit Finland at this time of year when people are happy bathing in the sun in
the summer.
Suffering
creates both the positive capacity of empathizing with the suffering of others,
which is the basis of ethics and caring--and the Finnish welfare state. But it can also turn into self-destructive
melancholy. We still have this but as I said, Finland is transforming greatly
through the new culture generated by thing like Nokia, Linux, and HIM.
Q. And
a related question: Linus Torvalds now lives and works in the U.S. You yourself
spent a couple of years in California in your 20s, in Berkeley. Why is America
so attractive to talented young Finns like you and Torvalds? Do we have
something Finland lacks?
A. Of
course. Finland doesn't have the same kind of multicultural space where people
from very different backgrounds can interact. And multiculturalism is also
important for creativity, as one can see in Silicon Valley. Also, Finnish
society doesn't incite entrepreneurial behavior as much as American
society does. I enjoyed my American time very much and I think that most
Europeans who criticize America do so because they haven't really seen it. For
me, the main reason to go to America, however, was paradoxically to work with
my colleague Manuel Castells who had moved there from Spain!
Q.
Finland has a welfare state; all education and medical care are free, pensions
are quite generous, and a spirit of egalitarianism appears to be strong. Many
other European countries are coming to realize that their welfare
states are too generous--they can't really afford them. What about Finland? Do
you face the now-common demographic crisis confronted by so many other
Europeans, an aging population and an insufficient number of younger workers
to support the welfare state?
A.
Finland is facing this challenge. But it's possible to solve. We introduced the
concept of "a virtuous cycle" in my book with Castells. If we are
able to expand the kind of creativity that we've seen with Nokia or HIM, then
we get enough income to continue to fund the welfare state, which provides a
basis for getting new innovators on a socially sustainable basis. Another thing
is to learn from America: Finland needs to open its borders
more for people and encourage an entrepreneurial culture.
Q.
Taxes in Finland are high--they take about 45 percent of your gross domestic
product (the comparable U.S. figure is just over 25 percent). A gallon of gas
costs about $5.50 in Finland. How do Finns feel about paying high taxes? Do
Finns, like Americans, dream of getting rich? Do rich Finns live like rich
Americans, in big houses with servants and such? Do you have Finnish conservatives who think their government is
too big, taxes them too much, and restricts their freedom?
A. It's
interesting that when the Finns are asked what are the most important things
for the government to do, health and education rank highest. Finnish tax rates
are quite high, but not the highest in Europe. As long as Finns feel they get a
good return on their tax Euros in terms of public services, they are willing to
pay. They generally see taxes as a fair price to pay for a society that
provides equal opportunities, and because everyone benefits directly from our
public services. Everyone has been educated in public schools and universities.
Everyone has used the public health services. These aren't just services for
the poor. If you don't allow your democratically-elected government to tax the
economy to provide equal opportunities in life for everyone, no one else can do
it. But comparing tax bites as a
percentage of GDP is misleading. To compare yourselves to Finland, Americans
should add to the 25% you pay in taxes all the costs of health insurance and
health care, higher education, savings for pensions and so on--in other words,
all the expenses that Finns don't have to pay, once they've paid their taxes.
Finns
want to get rich for the same reasons other people do--to be wealthy. But the
difference between the richest Finns and he poorest is not as big as elsewhere.
Finns wouldn't consider it fare if, as in the U.S., the CEO earned 350 times
more than the factory worker. The rich don't need to move into gated communities.
Their children will go to school with people from very different social
backgrounds, to they don't become a totally isolated elite.
Decreasing
taxes comes much lower in priorities here. Even the Finnish
"Republicans" don't run for a radical tax cut, although naturally
there are politicians who think that the government is too big. In the surveys,
"getting rich" is not among the highest priorities for the Finns.
Usually people talk more about health and family as the most important things
in life.
Q. What
or who moves Finns emotionally? Does the society allow for emotional reactions
to individuals, ideas, fashions, forms of art or popular culture?
A.
Mostly Finns are moved by the same things as people everywhere: love, etc. But
if we think about cultural things then the Finns continue to be very much moved
by music. The Finnish Top 10 has always music made in Finnish and that is very
Finnish in its nature. It's a marriage of the Finnish language and our
mentality. Finns can also get very emotional hearing the music of Sibelius, our
greatest classical music composer (especially the Finlandia hymn). A surprising
thing -- keeping in mind that many people abroad have the impression that the
Finns don't express their emotions--is that tango is very popular in Finland.
Argentina meets the stiff Nordic people there. On a larger scale, things that
are linked to the national identity can move people a lot: for example, when
Finland won the ice-hockey world championship in 1995, hundreds of thousands gathered
to celebrate in the streets of Helsinki. People still sing the songs that are
still associated with the victory. Often, Finnish reality is very different
from the stereotypes that people have about the Finns.
Q.
American society is divided on a number
of contentious issues.
Can you tell us briefly what the situation is in Finland in regard to:
*
Abortion?
A. The
Finnish view is that women have a right to decide on their bodies. There's no
controversy on abortion.
*
Euthanasia?
A.
Passive euthanasia--that is, not keeping people alive hopelessly--would be
acceptable to many Finns. Active euthanasia would be more divisive.
*
Prayer in schools, and the separation of church and state generally? Does
religion play any role in public life?
A. No
prayer in school. Finnish politicians don't refer to religion. You would never
hear a Finnish politician say "God bless Finland." Finns want these
things to be separated.
*The
teaching of evolution or creationism in the schools?
A. All
schools teach the evolution theory, the Christian theory of creation is
naturally also taught but not as an alternative to science but rather as an
allegorical story.
* Gay
marriage, and gay soldiers in your military?
A. Gays
can marry but not in the church. They don't yet have all the same rights as
heterosexuals do. No issue on gay soldiers.
* The
death penalty?
A.
Finland is strongly against death penalty, which is not part of our system.
* Gun
control? Can citizens own rifles? Pistols?
A. We
don't think that owning a gun is a constitutional right or that it would have
something to do with individual's freedom. The Finnish thinking is that the
number of guns is linked to having a more violent society. But you can own guns
on certain conditions, for example, for hunting, which is quite popular in the
countryside.
*
Immigration. Do you have immigration? From where? How are immigrants treated?
Do foreigners seek to become citizens of Finland? Is that possible?
A. We
have immigration in relatively small numbers so compared to the US Finland is a
very homogeneous society, which I think is a limitation. Immigrants can become
citizens of Finland but here our attitudes should get much more open.
We will be meeting Himanen in Helsinki and look forward to further exchanges with him. We may ask him to answer another round of questions at the end of our trip, based on what we see and hear in Finland.
--Robert G. Kaiser
By Robert G. Kaiser |
May 23, 2005; 10:00 AM ET
| Category:
Culture
Next: Modest Finland
Posted by: cecile Ruel | May 23, 2005 01:12 PM
In November 2001, I had the opportunity to work in Lahti and spend a weekend in Helsinki. I was truly blown away by the country of Finland and its people. Helsinki was a wonderful city to just walk and walk. All the travel books that said (warned) that Finns are a little cold and reserved were so wrong. Everyone I interacted with - from the people I was working with to store clerks - were warm and helpful even if we only shared about eight common words.
I hope to go back again some day (although in the summer next time!).
Posted by: Joe | May 23, 2005 01:36 PM
Good luck on your trip! As you may find out (emails, comments), finns are VERY interested in what others think of them. Having lived in Finland for 10 years (ages 10-19), and with my family still living there, I'm always curious to see what finns say about themselves.
I think the changes in Finland are much more drastic than Prof. Himanen described in his initial email Q&A, but I'll be interested to read your blog entries and stories.
Hyvaa matkaa!
Posted by: Mikko | May 23, 2005 01:40 PM
I'M A FINNISH NAMED PERSON FROM MINNESOTA, WISH I WOULD HAVE LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE FINNISH PEOPLE WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. MY GRANDPARENTS CAME FROM FINLAND WAY BACK. ANYWAYS IM 100% BLOODED FINN, AND PROUD OF IT.
THANKS TERRY E. RYTKONEN
Posted by: TERRY E RYTKONEN | May 23, 2005 01:43 PM
Making comparisons between this country and Finland is an exercise of very limited utility. Like comparing Vermont and California.
Posted by: kurosawaguy | May 23, 2005 01:53 PM
What an excellent first chapter in your blog. As a Finnish citizen permanently living in the US, your first arcticle was probably the best intro to Finland I've read anywhere.
For once a story about Finland without the "obligatory" reference to the wife carrying competition :)
However, to truly understand the Finnish, you have to explore our very difficult struggle during World War II, and the way Finland sacrificed and rebuilt itself after the war. Prior to the war Finland was a very low tech, poor and illiterate country. It's only after the war Finland started its development into one of the wealthiest countries in Europe.
Our achievements in sports (Paavo Nurmi, Mika Hakkinen, ski jumping) are a great sense of pride and also played a major part of putting Finland in the world map before and after World War II. There was a time when Finland took more Olympic gold medals in wrestling and (middle) distance running than other countries combined. For a poor, backwards, small country in the outer regions of Europe, this was about the only way to make our mark. It was as if David beat several Goliaths, repeatedly every four years.
Posted by: Tero Paananen | May 23, 2005 02:13 PM
I enjoyed reading Prof. Himanen's introduction to this Journey. Having lived in USA -as a born, raise and educated Finn- now close to 15 years, I often have difficulties summarizing these areas. Job well done! I also look forward following your journey through Finland, especially my native Lapland.
Posted by: Koikkalainen | May 23, 2005 02:13 PM
Keep up the good reporting, Greel!
Posted by: Pelican | May 23, 2005 02:40 PM
Made a trip to Finland last December for a retreat, had a few days to explore. Nearly everyone spoke English and very easy to talk to. Stayed in a hostle in Helsiniki at first then was invited to stay at an apartment of a friend of mine there.
There is such a sincere peaceful energy to the place, was a very cool trip.
Posted by: Darrin | May 23, 2005 02:43 PM
Please report on the status of the indigenous peoples, especially the Sami. I know that historically they have been treated rather shabbily in Sweden, but have not heard anything about those in Finland. Is their right to retain their language, culture and traditional land respected?
Posted by: kurosawaguy | May 23, 2005 02:48 PM
I enjoy very much readnig your Finland Diary in washingtonpost.com, and I am excited to hear that you will post story on this every week.
I am not a Finn but have quite a few of Finnish friends, as I am fascinated by the people and the culture. The Finns are honest, nice, and have an excellent sense of humor!:)
A little story to share: May 1st is the International Labor Day and the Finns have this huge celebration called Vappu (Wappu). Whoever has graduated from high school will wear those hats 6pm sharp on Vappu's Eve. So it's quite a scenary and party in Finland--you will see hundreds of Finns drinking on streets with those funny white hats on:) So this year, my Finnish friends in Boston came up with this funny idea of putting the hat on the duck statues at Boston Common. I would like to submit the photo if interested.
There's also an article about Finnish culture that I would like to submit but the email (finlanddiary@washingtonpost.com) is not working. Please check and let me know if there's an alternative email address to comment.
Posted by: Sue | May 23, 2005 02:51 PM
You two seem to have a knack for taking fascinating journeys together.
How long did it take for you or you two to come up with the idea for this trip? How long has it been in the works? How much research did you or other members on staff at the Post put into the trip? How planned is your trip? How much time have you alloted for serendipity?
Will you be doing some compare/contrast reporting with lifestyles/social conditions/government in Finland vs. U.S.? (Is it as one poster shared..that comparing the two countries is of very limited utility, like comparing Vermont and California?)
I hope your reporting, Bob, will be thought-provoking, hopefully on a daily basis. I recall your trip to the Ohio delegation at the Republican convention. I thought it not as strong a piece as your mapcap dash to find a New York City fireman to interview. In hindsight, Ohio played a quite important role on election night.
I am curious whether Finland has a gastarbeiter "problem" like Germany? Is Finland doing anything interesting in the high tech biosciences? Are they doing any research in the many realms of high tech that may be considered "bleeding edge" given the high level of credentials required of their teachers, as explained in your inital reporting today?
I really hope that "ol' Tex" Lucian will deliver some great photos, as he did for the Republican/Democratic conventions last year.
This jaunt of yours shall certainly enliven connecting to the Post electronically for the next three weeks--for me at least!
Tack sa mycket.
Posted by: U.S. Svenska flicka | May 23, 2005 02:55 PM
I lived in Finland for 7 years. Finland has the least corrption among officials compared to all countries of the worls. Life could be a bit expensive at first glance, but housing is affordable and that usually balanced the budget well. The Finns struck me initially as very isolationists and cold, this changed after few months once I began to understand Finland better. I realized that the Finns are among the most honest personalities in the world. I am proud of the time spent there and will always treasure the memories and the wonderful friends. Have a wonderful trip and don't let the shyness of the Finns be a barrier, if you manage to break it you will see how warm hearted they really are. If you are offered KoskenKorva or Salmiakki, make sure you have a ride home :)
Posted by: Talal | May 23, 2005 02:57 PM
Very interesting introduction. I'm looking forward to future entries.
Posted by: Cameron | May 23, 2005 03:03 PM
Ah, going to Finland at this time of year - your job is a nice one. Having travelled to Finland many times for business, I can say that I love it. Two points about the article however: religion does not play a huge role in Finnish life anyway, so it is not terribly enlightening to learn that there is a separation of politics/religion. That is not true in America, so the comparison is meaningless.
Second, some Finns do not have the broadest view toward foreigners, I have found. And it is easy to achieve the best education in the world when you don't have to cater to immigrants. It is totally homogeneous, as the article correctly points out.
Hopefully you visit Oulu and Tampere - two very different places (and cultures) compared to Helsinki.
And honest? Let me tell you a short story. While shopping in Hki, I lost my wallet fat with American bucks in it, and plenty o' Euros. After much panicking and a frantic call to my wife back in the States for no apparant reason, I retraced my steps and remembered the last place I took out my wallet - the jam and gift store on the other side of town. The owner had closed up, but hearing that I was there she rushed back and returned my wallet. She had been calling every hotel in Hki looking for me. Nice, huh?
Posted by: harry | May 23, 2005 03:32 PM
I have been a Finnophile ever since a summer ('87) spent there as an exchange student with the Törmänens of Kempele (near Oulu). It's a beautiful country. It is VERY homogenous, and this does make it very different from the US--the "Vermont vs. California" comparison is apt. Still, I remember it fondly and often.
Posted by: Mike | May 23, 2005 03:43 PM
Wonderful beginning to what i'm certain will be a fascinating diary!
My Finnish Grandmother eloped with my French/Mohawk Grandfather, much to her parents' chagrin, and i have cousins among the Saami. i hope your coverage will include the lives of the Saami within Finland's borders: not only the prejudice and stereotyping they endure, but also their strong and vibrant culture.
Posted by: Karen | May 23, 2005 04:47 PM
Bravo! Your jaunts around the world are easily one of the most interesting features to read (and look at) in one of the world's most interesting papers.
As to Finnish education, I recommend visiting Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu (http://www.syk.edu.hel.fi/), a high school in Helsinki that features the International Bacceloreate (IB) program. Here is where you will meet dozens of bright young Finns that beat the pants off almost all others in those OECD educational studies -- but that's not all that you will notice. Visit the cafeteria of this elite school and you'll see that there is only one dish on the menu: soup. It's not that the Finns are poor or "boring." It's just, well, smart and practical: healthy, cheap, warm and tasty. What else do you need? Second thing you'll notice: not one overweight (or even unattractive) kid in the school of hundreds. Not one. The IB coordinator herself is one of those countless impossibly bright, attractive young Finns sipping soup with everyone else.
Also, you gotta try that Finnish reindeer meat. Love it.
So this doesn't turn into a total ***-kissing affair, I sampled some of that "HIM" music and found it needed salt. The professor really needs to listen to some Squirrel Nut Zippers. Fast. Also, what is wrong with this sentence: "Finns wouldn't consider it fare if, as in the U.S., the CEO earned 350 times more than the factory worker." Tsk, tsk.
Lastly, a recommendation for the world travellers' next stop: the most interesting place that people think they know but don't: Liverpool.
Posted by: Jerome | May 23, 2005 05:12 PM
I loved reading your Finnish Diary. I am a second generation Finn - my parents both having been born in Finland. The only family that I now have live in Helsinki and Tampere - I live in Los Angeles. I smiled as I read your comments about the Finnish temperament, ingenuity and rather humble approach to business and life in general because they are so true. I see these qualities in myself and certainly in my cousins when I speak with them. I never took the time to admire these qualities in my parents who while in their twenties and still single with $25 in their pockets left Finland in 1929 for Canada and a better life. Sadly they lived through some of the toughest times in Finland especially in 1918 during the Finnish Civil War but they never lost their Finnish "sisu", a word known to every Finn. I am extremely proud of my heritage and I so appreciate your first hand reports of your days in Finland.
Posted by: Mirja Bishop | May 23, 2005 05:49 PM
As a Finn who has been living in the US with my American husband for the last 8 years,I thoroughly enjoyed your Finland Diary sofar.
I often am engaged in conversations with American friends who seem to have a hard time believing that any "government run" services might be efficient, modern and of equal or [gasp!] higher quality than something you would get on the private market. I really liked the fact that you pointed out that Finns actually do get a lot for their taxes, and that it is not always the amount of money that determnes the quality, but often the investment in education and people. I do think the comparison looking at what we in the US have to pay for insurance, health care, education, elderly care, child care etc was relevant and spot on!
One very essential part of our Finnish national identity that we are particularly proud of, and that I hope you will be blogging on, is that we have two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, and although only about 6% of the population considers Finnish-Swedish their first language, we generally take pride in knowing both languages and we treasure this cultural diversity. A good way to feel the pulse of how harmoniously our cultures blend would be to visit the plains of Ostrobotnia and report to us on the beautiful city of Vasa, the magnificent archipelagio and perhaps catch some of the concerts during the world famous Korsholm Music Festival, especially in the charming little village of Solf!
Thank you for your refreshingly open-minded reporting! I am very much looking forward to following your adventures.
Posted by: Marjo Aho | May 23, 2005 06:34 PM
After my first posting, and after reading several nice comments about the well balanced life in Finland, I would like to add that Finnish government also got many things to get better about. As a small busienss owner in USA, I find it amazing that someone can actually get off the ground with a small business in Finland. The lack of encouraging system, helping small companies become bigger (and providing additional jobs for people) is almost non-existing. Both of my parents (living in Finland) are business owners and I run a small company here in USA. We often compare things (taxes, etc), those daily things to business owners no matter where you live and operate. I could never imagine having to start up my operations in Finland after hearing about my parents experiences - this is mostly about the overwhelming taxation during the first few years. Facts I hear make me wonder how on earth companies ever get started in Finland ..... maybe this is where that *sisu* comes in play. I very much hope to read about small business owners and how they struggle with their first years of operation. Basically, if you can pull it off in Finland, you can pull it off anywhere ....
Posted by: Koikkalainen | May 23, 2005 07:12 PM
Q. Some Finns drink a lot of vodka; Finnish men have a high suicide rate. Unemployment is higher in Finland than in the U.S. Is the rosy picture of successful Finland misleading? What's wrong with Finland?
I would like to add a comment to the above question concerning the unemployment in Finland. The situation has not been like this always, quite on the contrary. One clear reason to this is that there used to be a very lively export trade with the Russias: clothes, machinery etc. In return we got gasoline, natural gas and so on. The downfall of Russia put this business into a temporary halt affecting many companies and creating unemployment in business areas which used to have a steady flow over the Eastern border. Much of the current unemployment is a result of this and as a reminder of this, the Russian goverment still owes a fairly large sum to Finland of the unpaid goods. As a ground level example of what we experienced in the industry (I used to work as an engineer) was that suddenly the former buyers simply ceased to exist and when we delivered the goods (machinery) they were left unopened and unprotected. Anyway, the unemployment has been getting smaller and hopefully continues to do so.
---
About the vodka; I don't have any statistic at hand but if we measure the consumption in pure alcohol it does not significantly differ from similar figures in Europe.
Back in the history Finland also had a Prohibition but when it was repealed the selling of alcohol was not totally liberated. Even today, you can buy beer but not vine or stronger beverage from a general store. As a layman, my wild guess is that the politics in this matter (similar with Sweden) has an unexamined psychological impact in this whole question.
Posted by: Risto Apajalahti | May 23, 2005 09:28 PM
Q. Some Finns drink a lot of vodka; Finnish men have a high suicide rate. Unemployment is higher in Finland than in the U.S. Is the rosy picture of successful Finland misleading? What's wrong with Finland?
I would like to add a comment to the above question concerning the unemployment in Finland. The situation has not been like this always, quite on the contrary. One clear reason to this is that there used to be a very lively export trade with the Russias: clothes, machinery etc. In return we got gasoline, natural gas and so on. The downfall of Russia put this business into a temporary halt affecting many companies and creating unemployment in business areas which used to have a steady flow over the Eastern border. Much of the current unemployment is a result of this and as a reminder of this, the Russian goverment still owes a fairly large sum to Finland of the unpaid goods. As a ground level example of what we experienced in the industry (I used to work as an engineer) was that suddenly the former buyers simply ceased to exist and when we delivered the goods (machinery) they were left unopened and unprotected. Anyway, the unemployment has been getting smaller and hopefully continues to do so.
---
About the vodka; I don't have any statistic at hand but if we measure the consumption in pure alcohol it does not significantly differ from similar figures in Europe.
Back in the history Finland also had a Prohibition but when it was repealed the selling of alcohol was not totally liberated. Even today, you can buy beer but not vine or stronger beverage from a general store. As a layman, my wild guess is that the politics in this matter (similar with Sweden) has an unexamined psychological impact in this whole question.
Posted by: Risto Apajalahti | May 23, 2005 09:29 PM
Thank you. You really made my day. I wish you all the best from the sunny and warm Helsinki (25 C degrees).
In your articles you have found the modern Finnish spirit. Great work!
Posted by: Jukka Siukonen | May 24, 2005 03:47 AM
The e-mail adress isn't working, so I'll just post these comments up here:
I noticed a few errors in Pekka Himanens post. Of course not everyone
is an expert even on their own country.
Firstly, on prayer in schools: there is in fact quite alot of prayer
in schools, though I understand that this is becoming less so as
younger generations of teachers start work. There is mandatory
religious education in schools and often days are started with prayer
or religious singing. Wether or not children participate is decided by
the parents though participation is automatic and if children's
parents do not wish for children to participate they must take part in
special classes emphasising philosphy and different world views.
Participation in these classes is higher in the large cities and
propably zero due to peer pressure in rural areas. My friend is a
history teacher at a local highschool near Turku and he teaches a
class of four to five students these classes.
On guns: though I do not have a source to quote, apparently there are
more guns per capita in finland than in the united states, though this
may include all kinds of guns. I am sure there are fewer hand guns. It
is perfectly legal to own a hand gun if you belong to a gun club.
Anyone can join, I think the age limit is 16. Shotguns and rifles have
few restrictions, I'm not sure you even need a permit for a shotgun.
American gun laws are very strict compared to Finnish laws. Attitudes
in cities are quite anti-gun, though in the countryside guns are very
common.
There are some shootings every now and then, though 99% of the time
the people know each other. Most gun crime appears to take place in
rural areas or in people's homes.
Oh, and one more thing, on the welfare state. This is very contested
right now. An overwhelming number of Finns support the welfare state
and every political party claims to support it. However, the methods
vary, with the right wing parties claiming liberalization is the
answer and the left wing parties being more concervative on the issue,
wanting to atleast slow down the outsourcing of services. The
political mainstream however is quite homogenous with mostly
rhetorical and powerbase differences between left and right and real
life policy going in the same direction of greater liberalization.
This is exemplified by the fact that the last three governments have
been coalition governments with a broad political base.
Of course people's political views vary much more.
Just thought you might want to know.
Misha Dellinger, Turku
Posted by: Misha Dellinger | May 24, 2005 04:24 AM
I've been to Finland twice in the past three years, during the summer of course. It is a marvelous country with extraordinary people. I myself, marvel at the egalitarian ethos as compared to our winner takes all structure. The people are great and selfless, the sharp honesty can take some getting used to. All in all, I've always wondered of expatriot jobs there :)
Posted by: Bill | May 24, 2005 04:59 AM
Errr.... no religion?
Firstly, Finland has a State Church, or actually two. The Evengelic-Lutheran and the Greek Catholic (=Orthodox) churches. They have a right of taxation, meaning you "belong to church" = you pay automatically ~1,2% tax off your pay. Businesses also pay a "community tax" regardless of denomination, so the Jewish barber and the Moslem butcher as well as the Roman Catholic baker and the atheist barowner all pay "church tax" to the Lutheran and Orthodox coffers.
And what comes to religion in school; its 12 years of obligatory religion classes - depending on your denomination - parents can opt for "ethics" if they don't "belong to the Church" but theres no escape.
A contrast however to the USA; where everyone "goes to church" in Finland your average male goes to Church when he gets married and after he's dead. The attendance figures are maybe 10% whereas the "belong" figure is closer to 85%.
Posted by: Hank W. | May 24, 2005 05:36 AM
" its 12 years of obligatory religion classes"
But those classes are not confessional, or at least they should not be. They should not be worshipping but learning about religion.
But Hank is right, Finland has a state church, and it's quite integral part of our society.
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 06:02 AM
On the immigration thing.
Finland has for the past hundred years or so been exporting people in search of a better livelihood, so one can compare Finland to countries like Iceland or Ireland rather than Germany, Sweden, UK let alone USA or Canada. Apples & oranges.
If we look into the statistics, as from the "Pocket Information 2001" by the Poulation Register Centre (theres a 2003 out as well)we can come up with a few breakdown numbers.
The amount of resident "foreiginers" i.e. people who are not citizens, is 1,8%.
Of these the largest group by citizenship is Russians, 20.000; and Estonians, 10.000; Swedes 7.000 explained probably by the fact these are neighbouring countries, the fourth group being Somalian, 4000; and Iraqi 3100 which is explained by refugees from these countries. The other big citizen groups are Great Britain, Germany, USA -some 2000 each.
The percentage of foreiginers per city is pretty parallel with the size of the city as well as its position on the map, as the largest, Helsinki with 550.000 inhabitants has 25.000 foreiginers; Espoo with 200.000/6.000 both in the South, Oulu with 120.000 inhabitants has 1.600 foreiginers in the North.
While classification by race or nationality is illegal, the classification by "citizenship" as in by passport can be done. When you talk about the whole population, as in residents you can make a
classification by the language a person speaks. Now the probability of a person from Estonia speaking Estonian or a person from Vietnam speaking Vietnamese may well be 90% accurate, however this doesn't apply to world languages such as French, English or Arabic. So the breakdown by
nationality, race or somesuch can only be made with wide generalizations.
Now if we look at the mother tongue breakdown we see a somewhat interesting development. Besides the three "domestic" languages that have some sort of official recognition; Finnish 4 780.000 speakers,
Swedish 290.000 speakers and Sámi 1.700 speakers, the other big languages are
Russian with 30 000 speakers, Estonian 10.000, English 7000, Somali 6.500, Arabic 5.000 and Albanian, Chinese, German, Vietnamese and Kurdish with some 3000 speakers each.
Also if you say that 1,8% foreiginers of the population is "very little" we'd say it is "extreme". At least compared with the figures of very stabile
0,3% in 1980
0,3% in 1985
0,4% in 1990 after which it started to rise with 0,1% per year to 2001.
In 1980 the population of Finland was 4 700.000, 12.000 foreiginers. Now *you* can ask yourself if Finland was not a "homogenized" country?
The smaller minorities, the Tartars and Roma in Finland have never numbered more than a few thousand, and for example the Sámi have been classified historically more by their livelihood and culture rather by their language and Swedish-speaking minority then again by their language, as their livelihood and culture is indistinguishable from the Finnish speakers.
BTW The foreign population of Finland was until the 2nd World War bigger than that of Sweden. Go figure.
Posted by: Hank W. | May 24, 2005 06:09 AM
Quote: American gun laws are very strict compared to Finnish laws. Attitudes
in cities are quite anti-gun, though in the countryside guns are very
common.
Actually, the finnish laws are a lot stricter. You need a permit to own or carry a fire arm. You even need a permit for specific ammunition if you want to buy any.
Yes, the hippies in the cities are anti-gun but most of the people still have relatives living in the country and have more reasonable attitude. A quite common hobby is hunting. Think about poor Bambi.
Every gun owner is registered and every gun is registered. Even shotguns. If you want to borrow a gun you need a permit. The permits are only issued if a person has a good reason i.e. a hobby, not personal protection.
In the US they have .45 rounds next to LEGO boxes.
Posted by: Arttu Kamppila | May 24, 2005 08:10 AM
Finland does have some of the most liberated women in the world. Here, women even work in construction and road crews with the hot asphalt and even doing the grass cutting in the summer and landscape maintenance of the city. But then again, they may also be Russians on guest worker visas. I can't tell the difference between finns and russians when they're dressed in work clothes. Russian women tend to dress up much more than finnish women. Meaning, the Russian women will wear better makeup, nicer clothes and generally show more style. Finnish women like to keep it simple. But please don't make it sound as if Finland is the only country in the world with female leaders. Even Pakistan had a female prime minister. Also India, Latvia (or lithuainia) and a handful of others. Finland was not the first.
It is true, finland is huge, but nobody wants to live in most of it. This past weekend, my friends and I were saying that Finland is becoming a huge park. Compared to the rest of europe, Finland is like one large national park. Everyone is moving to the south, mainly to Helsinki and Espoo. Most of the land seems to be owned by the forest industry for their paper mills. You would think everyone would have a large house with 4 acres of land surrounding them, but the reality is that most people live in Row houses or in apartment buildings.
That is what makes living in finland difficult, its geography. You have sea to the west, sea to the south, Russia to the east so it might as well be a sea because visas are expensive and too much hassel, and the artic to the north. So we really feel like we live on an island very seperated from europe. The long winter nights also drive people mad contributing to the fact that finland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Finns have an extremely short memory that helps them survive in this land. They forget bad memories quickly. If you watch finnish movies and television, they rarely display winter scenes. They convince themselves that it is not really so long. The ones that do not succeed in this attempt suicide. Everyone in this country knows someone who has attempted suicide. That is what makes it such a great place to get away to if you just want to forget about the world.
Finland has been able to clean up their industries by doing something extremely simple. Outsourcing those industries to Russia and eastern europe. The major dirty work that goes into making phones, electronics, forestry products, etc.. those are done in other countries. Finland doesn't even make its own matches anymore.
I know that Finland has been ranked as the most competitive economy in the world, but I really find it hard to believe and so does the Helsinginsanomat which can be read in the article "Seven myths about finland". http://www2.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20031111IE1
Unemployment is really high here. And last I heard, Finland is no longer number one in mobil phones per capita. When your land line costs you 20 euros per month, PLUS per minute charges no matter where you call... there really is no reason to have a land line phone when you can have a mobil phone of which an average bill is 20 or 30 euros per month. People in finland, and the rest of europe for that matter, don't realize that in other parts of the world, as in the states, a land line isn't very expensive and local calls are free.
Linux may have been a finnish invention, but it was based completely on UNIX which was an american invention.
Something that is amazing about finns is that even though they don't have a lot of money, they will spend most of it on the latest gadets. Most everyone in Finland makes around 20,000 euros per year, people with masters degrees, engineers make a maximum of 4,000 euros per year, and that's after many years of experience. The cost of living in Finland is probably 30 percent higher than in the US. So, if you walk into a finnish house, you will not feel like you have walked into an american house. A lot of their furniture will be hand me downs or they have just cashed in on a inheritence. Housing costs are the same in Tampere as they are in southern california.
And like I said before, when I am paying 30 to 50 percent income taxes and 20 percent (VAT) sales taxes, I find it difficult to call my health insurance and welfare benefits "free".
Finns and many others kick this word "FREE" around a lot. Free education. No, its not free, our taxes are paying for it. Free university, no, our taxes and industry partnerships are paying for it. If they would charge a little, maybe there would be more interesting research programs as in the states. But to be nice, Finland's university resources are INCREDIBLE compared to France, Spain or any of the other southern european countries. The exchange students from those countries can't believe their eyes. American students think the labs are a little under equipped but satisfactory.
This man, Pekka Himanen, says Finnish society is all inclusive. What a load of c**p. Finnish society is all inclusive of all higher educated finns. Highly educated finns do not mix with lower educated finns. Since they were 14, they divide their society among vocational schooler, high math students and low math students. They rarely mix with each other. And any minorities in the country are completely marginalized. But since it is impossible to not pay taxes, all EU citizens and permanent residents have a right to the welfare benefits. But if you're here on a worker visa and paying 50 percent taxes.. you have no right to welfare.
The biggest factor behind finnish success has been LUCK and excellent workmanship. They found a niche that was being ignored and they have milked it.
It was reported that even most unemployed mothers leave their children in day care centers. A fantastic idea here is the 3 year long maternity leave. But I must admit, for the employer, it is very difficult. They have to provide the first 3 months full salary and they have to find a replacement who after some time, will have to be fired because the mommy will come back to work. I have a friend who was working, then became pregnant. When she was nearing her third year of maternity leave, she became pregnant again, and the whole cycle repeats. How long can something like that be funded? My own family, my finnish wife just had our first child, and we are returning to California soon. SO her first year of maternity leave checks will help us a lot in California where I will be working as an engineer making 60,000 dollars per year (5,000/month). But you would be surprised at how easy it is to become accostumed to paying high taxes. That's just life.
Do you know that if you are self employed, the only pension you are entitled to is the one you create for yourself. You'll get nothing from the state. But its a different story for employees. Is that "all inclusive" finland? A big part of life in scandinavia is "envy". People here envy successful people. They talk about them behind their backs. Everybody guns for the top dog.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying finland is a horrible place to live, it just isn't for me. The snow service is especially horrible. Slippery sidewalks and roads are simply accepted, so falling is accepted as part of life. I just can't live that way. When I slipped and broke my leg, there were people around me and nobody helped me get up. I think that Finns have come to depend so much on their welfare system, that they have forgotton how to help anyone themselves. They simply expect the government to take care of it.
But Pekka is right, you cannot compare contries simply by GDP. It was stated that Finns pay 45% in taxes and americans pay 25%. Does that include VAT(sales tax)? I doubt it. So, using my own situation of $60,000/yr, I will pay $300 per month health insurance. So health insurance is 6%. 7% pension. Higher education, mine cost $3000 per year (I stayed at home with mom and dad like a smart kid). So I finished in 4 years, $12,000. How do I put this into the percentages? My pre-university education was also free.
USA Finland
Income tax 25% 45%
Health ins 6%
Pension 7%
------------------------------
38% 45%
Sales tax 8% 20%
------------------------------
46% 65%
Okay, now it bothers me how much taxes I pay. Especially when I see the number of drunks and free loaders living it up in Finland.
Its true though, most finns do not want to be rich. And I don't think most americans want to be rich either. But our definitions of comfortable and independent are very different. Americans with families do not feel comfortable and independant unless they have a house with over 100 sq meters (1000 sq ft), they must own a suv or minivan to comfortably travel with the kids, and everything else varies. Finns can cram their families into a tiny car and live in a 75 sq meter house comfortably and generally feel they are living a great life. And everything in their house will be very simple and gathered over many years of saving up.
If you have ever watched EUROVISION, it is a wonder that this article states that finland produces many great musicians. Finland has repeatedly failed to even qualify for Eurovision over the years.
The brain washing campaign of the government in Finland has been extremely successful. And Finns are great at supporting their own. They will pay 3 euros for a finnish grown cucumber even though it is next to a 50 cent cucumber from Spain. They buy finnish brands no matter how tasteless they are and will only say great things about anything finnish. It is for these reasons that you must be sceptical of all statistics in finland. They do not like to air their dirty laundry as americans do.
Finns are desperate for respect and recognition, after having been in the shadows of Sweden and Russia for the past 500 years. Finns like to say that their culture is 1000 years old, but.. they refer to the Sami culture, which is a completely different blood line of shorter, darker people. They still show re-runs of the 1995 ice hockey world championship where Finland won top prize. How nostalgic can you be?
A funny thing about religion. They say there is no relgion in school and that no politician says "God Bless Finland", but the fact is that all holidays in finland are from the Lutheran religion, and it has been reported in the helsinginsanomat that the lutheran church is extremely favored by taxes. Other religions were even called second class religions. But generally, finns are not religious and consider people who go to church to be "strange". And I'm sure they study religion in school because I have Bahai friends who go to the local school to give classes. I just read that there is 12 years of obligatory religion lessons. Religion lessons are for learning about your religion. That's how it works everywhere in the world. Nobody worships during religion lessons, well, maybe a little.
Lots of people in finland own hunting guns. I even know of a guy that shot at burglars running away from his house. Hand guns are rare. Which I think is a good thing. That's something I really admire and enjoy in europe. I rather be robbed with a knife than with a gun.
Finns generally do not like or accept immigrants. But they are coming none the less and I predict finland will have a serious civil upheavel in the future as middle europe is currently having with their far right groups.
Finland does have some of the most liberated women in the world. Here, women even work in construction and road crews with the hot asphalt and even doing the grass cutting in the summer and landscape maintenance of the city. But then again, they may also be Russians on guest worker visas. I can't tell the difference between finns and russians when they're dressed in work clothes. Russian women tend to dress up much more than finnish women. Meaning, the Russian women will wear better makeup, nicer clothes and generally show more style. Finnish women like to keep it simple. But please don't make it sound as if Finland is the only country in the world with female leaders. Even Pakistan had a female prime minister. Also India, Latvia (or lithuainia) and a handful of others. Finland was not the first.
It is true, finland is huge, but nobody wants to live in most of it. This past weekend, my friends and I were saying that Finland is becoming a huge park. Compared to the rest of europe, Finland is like one large national park. Everyone is moving to the south, mainly to Helsinki and Espoo. Most of the land seems to be owned by the forest industry for their paper mills. You would think everyone would have a large house with 4 acres of land surrounding them, but the reality is that most people live in Row houses or in apartment buildings.
That is what makes living in finland difficult, its geography. You have sea to the west, sea to the south, Russia to the east so it might as well be a sea because visas are expensive and too much hassel, and the artic to the north. So we really feel like we live on an island very seperated from europe. The long winter nights also drive people mad contributing to the fact that finland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Finns have an extremely short memory that helps them survive in this land. They forget bad memories quickly. If you watch finnish movies and television, they rarely display winter scenes. They convince themselves that it is not really so long. The ones that do not succeed in this attempt suicide. Everyone in this country knows someone who has attempted suicide. That is what makes it such a great place to get away to if you just want to forget about the world.
Finland has been able to clean up their industries by doing something extremely simple. Outsourcing those industries to Russia and eastern europe. The major dirty work that goes into making phones, electronics, forestry products, etc.. those are done in other countries. Finland doesn't even make its own matches anymore.
I know that Finland has been ranked as the most competitive economy in the world, but I really find it hard to believe and so does the Helsinginsanomat which can be read in the article "Seven myths about finland". http://www2.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20031111IE1
Unemployment is really high here. And last I heard, Finland is no longer number one in mobil phones per capita. When your land line costs you 20 euros per month, PLUS per minute charges no matter where you call... there really is no reason to have a land line phone when you can have a mobil phone of which an average bill is 20 or 30 euros per month. People in finland, and the rest of europe for that matter, don't realize that in other parts of the world, as in the states, a land line isn't very expensive and local calls are free.
Linux may have been a finnish invention, but it was based completely on UNIX which was an american invention.
Something that is amazing about finns is that even though they don't have a lot of money, they will spend most of it on the latest gadets. Most everyone in Finland makes around 20,000 euros per year, people with masters degrees, engineers make a maximum of 4,000 euros per year, and that's after many years of experience. The cost of living in Finland is probably 30 percent higher than in the US. So, if you walk into a finnish house, you will not feel like you have walked into an american house. A lot of their furniture will be hand me downs or they have just cashed in on a inheritence. Housing costs are the same in Tampere as they are in southern california.
And like I said before, when I am paying 30 to 50 percent income taxes and 20 percent (VAT) sales taxes, I find it difficult to call my health insurance and welfare benefits "free".
Finns and many others kick this word "FREE" around a lot. Free education. No, its not free, our taxes are paying for it. Free university, no, our taxes and industry partnerships are paying for it. If they would charge a little, maybe there would be more interesting research programs as in the states. But to be nice, Finland's university resources are INCREDIBLE compared to France, Spain or any of the other southern european countries. The exchange students from those countries can't believe their eyes. American students think the labs are a little under equipped but satisfactory.
This man, Pekka Himanen, says Finnish society is all inclusive. What a load of c**p. Finnish society is all inclusive of all higher educated finns. Highly educated finns do not mix with lower educated finns. Since they were 14, they divide their society among vocational schooler, high math students and low math students. They rarely mix with each other. And any minorities in the country are completely marginalized. But since it is impossible to not pay taxes, all EU citizens and permanent residents have a right to the welfare benefits. But if you're here on a worker visa and paying 50 percent taxes.. you have no right to welfare.
The biggest factor behind finnish success has been LUCK and excellent workmanship. They found a niche that was being ignored and they have milked it.
It was reported that even most unemployed mothers leave their children in day care centers. A fantastic idea here is the 3 year long maternity leave. But I must admit, for the employer, it is very difficult. They have to provide the first 3 months full salary and they have to find a replacement who after some time, will have to be fired because the mommy will come back to work. I have a friend who was working, then became pregnant. When she was nearing her third year of maternity leave, she became pregnant again, and the whole cycle repeats. How long can something like that be funded? My own family, my finnish wife just had our first child, and we are returning to California soon. SO her first year of maternity leave checks will help us a lot in California where I will be working as an engineer making 60,000 dollars per year (5,000/month). But you would be surprised at how easy it is to become accostumed to paying high taxes. That's just life.
Do you know that if you are self employed, the only pension you are entitled to is the one you create for yourself. You'll get nothing from the state. But its a different story for employees. Is that "all inclusive" finland? A big part of life in scandinavia is "envy". People here envy successful people. They talk about them behind their backs. Everybody guns for the top dog.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying finland is a horrible place to live, it just isn't for me. The snow service is especially horrible. Slippery sidewalks and roads are simply accepted, so falling is accepted as part of life. I just can't live that way. When I slipped and broke my leg, there were people around me and nobody helped me get up. I think that Finns have come to depend so much on their welfare system, that they have forgotton how to help anyone themselves. They simply expect the government to take care of it.
But Pekka is right, you cannot compare contries simply by GDP. It was stated that Finns pay 45% in taxes and americans pay 25%. Does that include VAT(sales tax)? I doubt it. So, using my own situation of $60,000/yr, I will pay $300 per month health insurance. So health insurance is 6%. 7% pension. Higher education, mine cost $3000 per year (I stayed at home with mom and dad like a smart kid). So I finished in 4 years, $12,000. How do I put this into the percentages? My pre-university education was also free.
USA Finland
Income tax 25% 45%
Health ins 6%
Pension 7%
------------------------------
38% 45%
Sales tax 8% 20%
------------------------------
46% 65%
Okay, now it bothers me how much taxes I pay. Especially when I see the number of drunks and free loaders living it up in Finland.
Its true though, most finns do not want to be rich. And I don't think most americans want to be rich either. But our definitions of comfortable and independent are very different. Americans with families do not feel comfortable and independant unless they have a house with over 100 sq meters (1000 sq ft), they must own a suv or minivan to comfortably travel with the kids, and everything else varies. Finns can cram their families into a tiny car and live in a 75 sq meter house comfortably and generally feel they are living a great life. And everything in their house will be very simple and gathered over many years of saving up.
If you have ever watched EUROVISION, it is a wonder that this article states that finland produces many great musicians. Finland has repeatedly failed to even qualify for Eurovision over the years.
The brain washing campaign of the government in Finland has been extremely successful. And Finns are great at supporting their own. They will pay 3 euros for a finnish grown cucumber even though it is next to a 50 cent cucumber from Spain. They buy finnish brands no matter how tasteless they are and will only say great things about anything finnish. It is for these reasons that you must be sceptical of all statistics in finland. They do not like to air their dirty laundry as americans do.
Finns are desperate for respect and recognition, after having been in the shadows of Sweden and Russia for the past 500 years. Finns like to say that their culture is 1000 years old, but.. they refer to the Sami culture, which is a completely different blood line of shorter, darker people. They still show re-runs of the 1995 ice hockey world championship where Finland won top prize. How nostalgic can you be?
A funny thing about religion. They say there is no relgion in school and that no politician says "God Bless Finland", but the fact is that all holidays in finland are from the Lutheran religion, and it has been reported in the helsinginsanomat that the lutheran church is extremely favored by taxes. Other religions were even called second class religions. But generally, finns are not religious and consider people who go to church to be "strange".
Lots of people in finland own hunting guns. I even know of a guy that shot at burglars running away from his house. Hand guns are rare. Which I think is a good thing. That's something I really admire and enjoy in europe. I rather be robbed with a knife than with a gun.
Finns generally do not like or accept immigrants. But they are coming none the less and I predict finland will have a serious civil upheaval in the future as middle europe is currently having with their far right groups.
Hi, I'm a mexican american living in finland for the
past 3 years. As Michel had stated earlier, it is
VERY difficult to find a job in finland, especially if
you are a foreigner. I myself even with a bachelors in
mechanical engineering ended up working in a english
preschool. In this country, if you are a foreigner,
everyone basically assumes that you are a refugee.
Especially if you have dark features. Gypsies aren't
even considered human. I would be surprised if they
are accounted for in the census. They say gypsies
don't go to school, but they don't look like gypsies
until they are married, at that point, they decide
whether or not they will wear their traditional
dresses and from then on, they wear them all the time.
But let me tell you the true reason why finnish
students do so well on tests. Teachers are a small
part of the reason, the big reason is CULTURE. That's
right, there is nothing more important to a finnish
family than the education of their children. The
parents talk about their children's studies all the
time, they help their children study, they proof read,
they make special tests for them, they send them to
extra intensive courses just before the big end of
year exams. You see, in this country, you're either
educated or you are "amatti" un-educated.
Finland has a holiday called Vappu on May 1st. On
this day, everyone who graduated from highschool (not
vocational school) wears a white hat. By law, you
only have to attend school up to the 9th grade.
People begin schooling at the age of 7 years old,
therefore being a bit more mature. At the age of 14,
they are expected to decide if they will do
highschool(who can go on to university) or vocational
school(to learn a trade like plumbing, janitor, road
repair, truck driving,super blue collar work). Then
the kids in highschool need to decide if they will
pursue high math(for engineering and accounting) or
low math(for liberal arts, hotel and tourism, etc..).
At this point, the grand divide begins. Most students
of high math only mingle with other high math
students. Low math only mingle with low math students
and the same with vocational school students. Then,
the students who go off to university rarely would
date or even imagine marrying someone who did not have
a university degree. They call the people who go off
to junior college(vocational school) "AMMIS" and it's
not a compliment.
So this is one big reason for why they do so well in
school. In the schools, there is absolutely no
respect for teachers. They call their teachers by
their first names or they make up degrading nicknames
for them and say it to their face. Many of the
finnish teachers that I know go off and get drunk just
as much as any teachers I know in Los Angeles.
Actually, since getting drunk at a party in finland is
almost "required", I am sure Finnish teachers are
drunk more often.
Another major factor has to be the fact that most
finns only have one child. So this child receives a
lot of attention and investment. The low birth rate
also aids in their low child mortality rate. It's
easier to hit a target with a rifle than with a
machine gun.
I seriously doubt that the finnish teachers deserve
most of the credit. It's like a doctor in Florida
taking credit for the great tan everybody in Florida
has. It's the culture!
At this moment, I have completed my masters of
Material Science in the University of Tampere. This
has to be the easiest system in the world. In all of
my classes, there was only a final exam for each
class. Rarely did most students ever show up to
lectures. Copies of old exams are available in the
department offices. And the new exams tend to repeat
the same questions as the old ones. So it is nearly
IMPOSSIBLE to fail an exam. But it is also VERY VERY
difficult to get a perfect or near perfect score.
Compared to my Bachelors from Cal Poly Pomona where we
had almost weekly quizes, mid-terms, then final exams
plus homework that was a part of your grade. But
maybe at masters level everywhere in the world, life
gets this easy.
They also practice in highschool by using many old
exams.
In Los Angeles, in my schools, that was always
considered cheating. If anyone was caught with old
exams in the university, something bad happened to
them. And teachers were not allowed to make copies of
books of anything. We had to buy them or check them
out of the library. But in europe, it is not illegal
to copy something if it is for educational purposes.
That is why we do not need to buy books in europe for
univeristy courses. The teachers give us copies of
books and notes and handouts to study from.
So these are some of the factors that go into those
high scores. So if you want those high scores for
your children, now you know what you have to do.
Oops.. sorry.. I had too many windows open, I hope this posts on the correct page.
Posted by: Eddie | May 24, 2005 09:26 AM
Hello Robert and Lucian,
I have just discovered your Finland Diary! I very much enjoyed the interview with Finnish philosopher Pekka Himanen, and the comments from others.
I wonder if you know about Finlandia University. Established in 1896 as Suomi College, it is the only university in the United States established by the Finnish. We continue to actively explore, preserve and promote our Finnish roots here in the Copper Country, as does the greater community. We are located in Michigan's upper peninsula on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Hancock, MI. The landscape here is said to be very much like Finland's. Over 38,000 persons of Finnish ancestry live in our service area, 25.6% of the entire population of the region.
The university also has many ties to contemporary Finland. The Finnish Ambassador to the U.S., Jukka Vultassari, delivered the commencement speech to our Class of 2005, and in 2003, President Tarja Halonen had the same honor. This week, several of our staff members are participating the Finnish Expatriate Parliament. In fact, our president, Dr. Robert Ubbelohde, is the only non-Finnish heritage member of this body.
I hope that you'll visit www.finlandia.edu to learn more about us.
Karen Johnson
Asst. Dir. of Communications
Finlandia University
601 Quincy St.
Hancock, MI 49930
906-487-7348
karen.johnson@finlandia.edu
Posted by: Karen Johnson | May 24, 2005 09:52 AM
Washington Post published today, May 24, the 'Finland Diary: A Country That Works', focussing on the school system. The story is good, but there is at the bottom of the page a 'Brief History of Finland', which would need some checking/revision: Main points: 1)1918. The summar states that the leftist were in supported in 1918 civil war by Soviet troops; there were no Soviet troops at that time, but remnants of the Czar's army in Finland; 2)First elections for Finnish Parliament took place in 1906, not in 1919; 3) 1920/30s, there were political tensions, but you would not call it a period of 'instability'; 4)1939.
It would not be correct to say, that Soviet troops easily defeated the Finns.
Advise to read history of Winter War;
5) 1941. Finland did not ally itself with Germany. Finland was waging its own separate war with the Soviet Union;
6) 1944. Soviet troops did not invade Finland. The whole point was that the Soviets were not able to cross the 1940 border. Advice reading the history of 1941-1944 war; 7) 1947 Paris peace treaty confirmed loss of territory as agreed in the armistice of 1944; there was no further loss of territory in 1948 treaty;
8) Finland pursued neutrality from the end of World War II, it did not begun to follow a neutral cours in the 1960s.
It is sometimes better to leave out these type of 'bullet type' historical summaries
as they are bound to include inaccuracies.
Posted by: Ossi | May 24, 2005 10:31 AM
"Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying finland is a horrible place to live, it just isn't for me. The snow service is especially horrible. Slippery sidewalks and roads are simply accepted, so falling is accepted as part of life. I just can't live that way. When I slipped and broke my leg, there were people around me and nobody helped me get up. I think that Finns have come to depend so much on their welfare system, that they have forgotton how to help anyone themselves."
Doesn anyone else see a contradiction here? First he complains about snow service, then about dependence of Finns.
"If you have ever watched EUROVISION, it is a wonder that this article states that finland produces many great musicians. Finland has repeatedly failed to even qualify for Eurovision over the years."
Yeah, Eurovision is the indicator of quality, sure. You had some good points in your post, but remarks like this doesn't give you much credibility, you just sound bigoted.¨
"Nobody worships during religion lessons, well, maybe a little."
Holy Christ! (and I'm not even religious, but this is just too much...)
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 10:36 AM
Hehehe.. ah Markkus.. i must admit, when I start talking about finland I do get wound up.
It's a great country, I've enjoyed my quiet years here, my easy going job with interesting research project has been very nice too, incredible flexibility, I love my finnish wife, her family is also very nice to me. I've really enjoyed canoeing in the lakes and trying to catch fishes. Can you believe, I haven't caught a good fish in almost 2 years!! I almost caught a nice size pike last night but he got away.
But I really hope that Finland starts importing more food or bringing down taxes on food so that the restaurants and kebab shops can start serving real meat instead of that ground meat.
Have you been to St Petersburg? Isn't it amazing the difference in variety in their supermarkets compared to Finland? And unbelievable that the entire population of Finland can live in a city only 300 kilometers away from Helsinki.
Hey, and Eurovision. ABBA got their start on eurovision, so you cannot say it is wrong to use it as a measure of quality. But anyways, eurovision is always fun to laugh at and criticize. Do you really think Greece deserved to win this year? Yuck.
Me bigoted? Nooooooo.... just trying to keep it real.
And yes, you do not worship during religion lessons. I have studied many different religions and I was not worshipping at the time. When I took my catecism classes for my roman catholic faith, I was not worshipping, I was learning the history of the church, its laws, and so on. We would also learn to memorize the prayers. So when I was working to memorize them, I wasnt really worshipping, I was memorizing.
You know, we had my baby's baptism a couple days ago, and I was AMAZED that my wife could recite her prayers from memory because she told me she has only been to church maybe 30 times in her life.
Anyways, enjoy the summer! While it lasts.. hopefully we don't get any rain like last year. Last year's weather completely destroyed me... I can't live through that again.
Posted by: Eddie | May 24, 2005 10:59 AM
It was with pleasure (and a smile) that I read your words about Finland. I am not Finnish by birth, but feel part Finnish through music, nature, and most of all, the friends I have met there. My first 10 trips to Finland have proven to me that this land is a special place. Getting to know the people and NOT just being a tourist is the way to discover the real Finland. I look forward to reading your Finland diary, hoping you will include more stories about the impact music has on the lives of the Finns. Finnish folk music is among the most beautiful music to be found anywhere in the world.
Posted by: Karen "Lulu" Foley | May 24, 2005 12:44 PM
We had a computer glitch that mistakenly disabled our e-mail address, finlanddiary@washingtonpost.com. You can send us private mail to this address now. It is working again. Sorry we had this problem.
Posted by: Bob Kaiser | May 24, 2005 12:53 PM
I have question: What is that sulfuric smell in Oulu? Whenever I visit it in the fall, the smell is pervasive.
I love Finland, especially Helsinki and that great esplanade down the middle of the boulevard.
But it is right about starting a business. A fellow Nokia employee once told me that there is some kind of regulation that a 2-3 person company still has to pay full benefits.
But what is that smell in Oulu? Any Oulu residents want to comment? Thanks!
And Finnair is great - still free drinks vs. stingy American Airlines.
Posted by: vision | May 24, 2005 01:15 PM
"But what is that smell in Oulu?"
They call it "the smell of money". Paper mills and all, you know.
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 02:14 PM
Great first article, can't wait to read the rest. I am an American who lived in the eastern port city of Kotka, Finland for about 10 months during the mid-nineties. The people are very friendly and kind in most situations, although there are a few "right-wing" types who don't take kindly to foreigners, especially non-white ones.
You should really, really consider doing a followup to this story during the long, dark winter because I don't think you can tell the full story of this beautiful country without experiencing this phenomenon first hand.
IMHO, cell phone penetration in the U.S. is only now approaching what Finland's was back in 1996. The public library system was a great resource and free internet access helped me to keep in touch with home on the cheap!
Poster "Karen" (I believe) is right...the Finns are probably the most fit people I have ever met. Per capital, I have never seen so many people of all ages exercising as I did there. This may go a long way in explaining why Health Care costs in the U.S. are devouring our GDP while Finland can manage to fund theirs through taxes.
Many of the young Finns that I met do cast a longing eye towards America and most, if not all, expressed a desire to move there in search of "opportunity". I don't know if this has changed since my stay there.
Funny you mentioned vodka: all of my friends there didn't care much for Russians and boycotted drinking vodka in favor of cognac!
Taxes: Ouch!
Overall, that trip was one of the best experiences of my life and I can't wait to go back. Looking forward to the rest of yoru series.
Posted by: Chris | May 24, 2005 02:16 PM
"I have question: What is that sulfuric smell in Oulu? Whenever I visit it in the fall, the smell is pervasive."
I'm pretty sure that the smell is coming from the Stora Enso Paper Mill. It is the smell of money they say. Although, at the moment all of our paper mills are shutdown because of some strife with collective labor agreement.
Posted by: Juhana H. | May 24, 2005 02:22 PM
My wife is pure Finnish, with parents Niemennen and Palomeckki, and grandparents born in Finland, but I am a "Laplander" of Scottish/Irish descent, and our son, age 22, is an interesting blend of heritage, but very much in love with the Finnish culture, especially saunas and coffee.
We returned to the motherland in the heat-wave summer of 2003, touring both Helsinki and the lake country (and the Ittala glass factory).
It was a near-religious experience for mother and son and I was privileged to be a part of it. There seemed to be some genetic thing going on with our son (Ryan) and his love for all things Finnish. He was the one reminding us that we were never to refuse either a sauna or coffee from a Finn. This was put to the test with our older cousin in her apartment during one of those 90+ degree (Fahrenheit) afternoons after lunch, when the cousin asked if we would like coffee.
My wife and I just couldn't do it, but he spoke right up in the affirmative and the two Finnish cousins had a grand old time perspiring together.
Another dramatic event was the train trip to St. Petersburg, wherein the Finnish segment and the Finnish personnel were all bright and cheery, but the atmosphere took a turn for the worse when we crossed the Russian border. We were glad to see the Finns again on the return trip!!
Ryan was also fascinated by Finnish Socialism that seemed to work very well and also the modern art museums.
The Finnish people are wonderful and our stay was far too short. We want to return when we can spend a week in a cabin on a lake.
Posted by: Del Boyles | May 24, 2005 02:31 PM
I would recommend you undertake an exploration of how the Finns enjoy the outdoors, and how this may relate to their overall medical - and economic - health. One outdoor sport that many Finns enjoy is orienteering, and every year several Finnish men and women rank in the top 10 worldwide in this sport that is both mentally and physically challenging. Every summer, the world's largest orienteering relay race takes place in Finland, celebrating a story of seven brothers. This day & night race attracts around 10,000 participants, in either 7-man relay teams (Jukola teams) or 4-woman teams (Venla). I was lucky enough to be on the first American team to ever compete in the Jukola and the experience, both on and off the course, gave us all a great appreciation for Finnish culture, nature, and recreation. For more information, you can contact their national federation: Suomen Suunnistusliitto 00093 SLU, Finland; Käyntiosoite: Radiokatu 20, Helsinki Puh: 09-3481 21*, Email info@ssl.fi, URL www.ssl.fi/.
For those who may not know, orienteering is an outdoor sport in which you find your way as quickly as you can around a course consisting of various checkpoints, akin to a scavenger hunt, and is often a key part of adventure races. In the greater Washington DC area, the Quantico Orienteering Club holds 2-3 events/month during its Sept-June season, suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Posted by: Greg Lennon | May 24, 2005 02:38 PM
"Have you been to St Petersburg?"
Only when it was still called Leningrad.
"Isn't it amazing the difference in variety in their supermarkets compared to Finland?"
Are you saying that they have a higher standard of living there?
"and I was AMAZED that my wife could recite her prayers from memory because she told me she has only been to church maybe 30 times in her life."
Yeah, finnish schools used to be very religious, but it has changed.
"Last year's weather completely destroyed me..."
Mentally?
(Ok, sorry, that was a cheap shot.)
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 02:58 PM
Both of my grandparents were Finns from Turku and an island(?) off the western coast. I would like to share a Finnish joke that my uncle always used to tell: "the Russians were always bragginhg about how they invented everything: the radio; the tv; etc. and yes even the toilet. To a Finn that may be true, but the Finns 'boast'that they put the hole in it. (Some of the intense 'disklike' that existed between the Finns and Russians'" Kitos...
Posted by: Ken Lehtonen | May 24, 2005 03:06 PM
Joke:
What do you call an outgoing Finn?
Answer: Someone who looks down at *your* shoes when he talks.
OK bad joke, but a running one in US Nokia offices. Hey, Finns get all the promotions/never get laid off at Nokia. But it's their company, so cannot expect better I suppose.
Worst Biz Trip ever: January in Hki. Best trip ever: June in Hki. A land of contradictions!!
Best ideas if visiting: Take boat trip to Talinn, Estonia! Or, take Friday night Silja-line booze cruise to Stockholm.
Posted by: vision | May 24, 2005 03:08 PM
In Finland they do teach religion as a subject for a whole 12 years. The whole point of the education is not to make Christians - The whole point is to teach people about all the religions in the world equally. Of their pros and cons. Everyone can choose what to believe freely. This, I believe, is the very opposite the the conservative US system.
Since first or second year no one is told to pray, not once. After a few years, at least 60% of the education or so is based on other religions than our own.
Posted by: Furious student | May 24, 2005 03:18 PM
What Mr Himanen says about school prayer and the separation of church and state is not accurate at all. Having gone through all the 12 years of the Finnish school system, I can say that it is not a particularly secural one. In primary school there definitely is school prayer, and you can be excused if your parents so desire. Religion is in the background of the society; it's a taboo.
In addition, there is no gay marriage in Finland. There are civil unions, but they are obviously not the same as gay marriages. This is an issue that's not discussed in the media in Finland anymore.
Based on my personal experience, a major difference between Finland and the U.S. is that in Finland, issues aren't simply talked about as they are in the States.
Posted by: G | May 24, 2005 03:31 PM
As for gay marriage, I do not think for a minute that Finland is an "open" society in that way. It is funny how many Finnish men joke that all Swedes are gay.
Posted by: jugjur | May 24, 2005 03:39 PM
"The whole point is to teach people about all the religions in the world equally."
Well, it's not that rosy, I'm afraid. At least the first six years of religion classes focus in christianity, which of course is quite understandable considering the effect christianity has had on our society/history.
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 03:44 PM
"Having gone through all the 12 years of the Finnish school system, I can say that it is not a particularly secural one."
When was that? You know the law/practice has changed quite recently?
Also, you should be cautious drawing conclusions like that based only on your experience. Times have changed, I schools differ from each other to some degree.
Posted by: Markus | May 24, 2005 03:50 PM
Some comments regarding Eddie's colorful outburst. Eddie, I think your personal view was extremely important in that it pointed out that by no means is Finland necessarily a dreamland to live in but it certainly is a good and safe place if you are looking for these properties. Your post did contain an exhausting amount of factual errors, but I try to go through the most flagrant of them as briefly as I can:
- There are very little Russian women working or even Russian people living here so they most likely are Finnish women what you have seen. Women are in general highly respected here and accordingly Finland was the first country in Europe to allow women to vote in 1906.
- Paper industry most certainly does not own most of the land. Most of the land is owned by common farmers and other individuals i.e. estate owners
- Long winter nights is too simple a reason for suicides, personally I like long winter nights. Finland is ranked 10th in the statistics: http://www.aneki.com/suicide.html
- Most Western European countries have established enterprises Estonia, Russia, Latvia etc. after the collapse of communism and so did Finland. "Cleaning up the industry" is a misnomer.
- Linux: Very little in this world is not based on nothing. Linus created the open concept which then was adopted and further developed by the community. The community is who granted the honor of the invention to Linus, so obviously there was a reason for that.
- Salary/cost of living: if we can believe these sites: http://www.aneki.com/richest.html and http://www.aneki.com/expensive.html living in the US is more expensive than in Finland though the average income in US is higher. Finland has been improving and out-ranked Sweden in GDP a couple of years ago.
- The taxation is high but is similar or lower than in Sweden. Including what has been said earlier we should not forget that the country is large with a small population compared to it's size. There are fewer people sharing the costs that come from maintaining the infrastructure including roads, government expenses, army etc.
- I must say that the degrading comments about the universities was almost insulting. There was a recent international study about schooling in different countries and if not best Finland was in the high top rank. I'm sure you can find the results from the net if you are interested in factual information. I personally hold a Masters Degree in Engineering and certainly disagree with everything you say. High standard tech university education is what is required for the telecommunications technology, paper manufacturing and machine development, electronics, process engineering, biochemistry of which we get most of our income.
You stated:
" Finns are desperate for respect and recognition, after having been in the shadows of Sweden and Russia for the past 500 years. Finns like to say that their culture is 1000 years old, but.. they refer to the Sami culture, which is a completely different blood line of shorter, darker people."
Lets have a brief review of the early history of the Finns, maybe this will enlighten some of the issues.
The Finns - not referring to the Sami - have a long history as a nation but not as an independent state. I won't go further than the year 1340 as I would have to dig it up myself. At that particular year the Pope Benedictus XII excommunicated a bunch of Finnish farmers living in Sääksmäki (a place) as they had declined to pay the fourth squirrel skin to their local bishop. This incident is recorded in the church books. From this we can conclude that there already existed an infrastructure, farming, a church organization and even regular communications to and from the Vatican i.e. a culture, and these things do not develop quickly.
It is true what you say that the Finns have been living between the Swedish and Russian Empires, both states ruling the cou
Very interesting discussion.