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I am a Finn and I agree on introversion. In our culture hard working in solitude is respected and showing your feelings is suppressed; both good for classroom s

by metoo 19y ago

I am a Finn and I agree on introversion. In our culture hard working in solitude is respected and showing your feelings is suppressed; both good for classroom study. In sports this culture shows too: we do generally very bad in team sports. The whole society is based on leveling differences. The week ones drop out and the good ones are held back but on the average everything looks good. It is also very rare to be self-employed. If you want to accomplish something out of ordinary you have to leave the country; think of Linus Torvalds for example. About history: Finland has been part of Sweden and Russian and we are still been constantly reminded about it. For example, our current president Tarja Halonen refuses answer questions about democracy in Russia. I think the whole country needs a psychotherapy about the Russia issue. You should think a Finn as passive-aggressive, risk-avoiding, self-loathing, highly educated native with inferiority complex. Those qualities with the lack of courage to speak up makes us the ultimate slave race.

gruseom 19y ago
You remind me of a joke I heard, and I'm curious to know if it's a common one. It goes something like this: A Finnish farmer answers a loud knock at his door to find a detachment of Russian soldiers. The officer informs him that Russia is taking over this land and demands on penalty of death to know which side the farmer chooses to belong to, Finland or Russia. The farmer replies, "It has always been my heartfelt wish to once again be part of mother Russia. But at my age, I couldn't take another Russian winter." I wonder if you would detect the "passive-aggressive" temperament you mention in this joke? It could be described that way, though it strikes me more as a kind of shrewdness, based in long experience of managing much more powerful neighbors. (I didn't know that Finland had gotten it from both sides.)

by metoo 19y ago

gruseom 19y ago

You remind me of a joke I heard, and I'm curious to know if it's a common one. It goes something like this: A Finnish farmer answers a loud knock at his door to find a detachment of Russian soldiers. The officer informs him that Russia is taking over this land and demands on penalty of death to know which side the farmer chooses to belong to, Finland or Russia. The farmer replies, "It has always been my heartfelt wish to once again be part of mother Russia. But at my age, I couldn't take another Russian winter." I wonder if you would detect the "passive-aggressive" temperament you mention in this joke? It could be described that way, though it strikes me more as a kind of shrewdness, based in long experience of managing much more powerful neighbors. (I didn't know that Finland had gotten it from both sides.)