Light in the dark

The flurry of icy stuff falling from the Helsinki skies last night has left little trace. Sadly. Though the promise of severe weather later today brings a slim promise of a less black cityscape.

(Which reminds us that major climate change negotiations are supposed to be taking place in Durban. Not much of them in the news though.)

Perhaps to keep minds away from such grimness, the city’s publicly accessible indoor spaces have gone a bright shade of red! Exactly like they did last year. And the year before that. And before that.

But while some things continue year after year, in tune with the seasons, other things change somewhat. For example, a few years ago it would never have seemed possible for the kind of racist diatribes we’ve heard in recent months, even from parliamentarians, to be uttered publicly.

Nor would one have guessed that so many column inches would have been devoted to whether or not Finns are lacking the courage to speak up against injustice when they see it. It was no doubt with mixed feelings that many Finns read President Halonen a month ago urging us all to show a little bit more spine!

But Halonen is on the way out. Elections are early next year.

The editorial offices of JHJ have always had a soft spot for the Green’s unconventional, intellectual and soft-spoken presidential candidate, Pekka Haavisto. But suddenly his widespread popularity has become a news item of its own.

Facebook has helped spread his good words over the last 24 hours after a pop-person, Anssi Kela, wrote a blog post about him.

The background is this. In October a Basic Finn (yes, the chap who’s routinely in the news!) quipped that homos [sic] and Somalis could move to the Åland islands, thus neatly insulting a good few minority groups in one sentence.

Some time later he personally contacted Haavisto (who is quietly, unashamedly, gaily married) to apologise. Thus was set in motion a series of events that culminated in Haavisto visiting Hakkarainen at his family-owned sawmill and his local bar in Viitasaari. He apparently also asked to see the man’s hands (looking for genuine callouses!?)

Not a bad bit of campaigning, for both men. But Haavisto in particular has earned deserved praise for his behaviour.

Kela’s text is heart-warming:

Pekka Haavisto voisi olla … presidentti, joka uskoo ihmisiin ja on valmis avoimeen keskusteluun myös oman mukavuusalueensa ulkopuolella. Presidentti, joka pystyy katsomaan tietämättömyyden lävitse ja olemaan takertumatta ajattelemattomasti heitettyihin loukkauksiin. Presidentti, joka ei näe ensimmäisenä sitä mikä meidät erottaa, vaan sen, mikä meitä yhdistää.

Suomi on viime vuosina alkanut jakautua uudella tavalla kahtia. … Netissä kurkkuja leikataan jo – missä kulkee se raja, jonka ylitettyämme hyökkäämme toistemme kimppuun kaduilla?

… Muutoksen on alettava myös valtakunnan huipulta…. Kuka sopisi polunraivaajaksi paremmin kuin mies, joka meni Viitasaarelle ja ojensi kätensä kansakunnan tämänhetkiselle sylkykupille?

Or, in our halting translation:

PH could be a president who believes in people and is ready for open dialogue beyond his own comfort zone. A president who will see through ignorance and not become caught up in thoughtless insults. A president who doesn’t see first of all that which separates us, but that which unites us.

Finland in recent years has become divided in two in a new way… on the internet we’re already cutting each others’ throats – when will we reach the limit after which we’ll attack each other on the streets?

… Change has to come from the top as well… Who better to beat the path than the man who went to Viitasaari and held out his hand to the nation’s currently favourite spittoon?