I dont even know where to start!? Ok, I ll start from my own childhood. When I grew up I had no idea where our family was situated in this society, which is really good. All I remember was that we had a crappy Renault that broke down more usually than it rains in Seattle. Or Norway.
I remember we had a nice yard where I could play safely with my friends. I remember playing hide and seek, finnish baseball and many other games that required space. We all had fun and no regrets.
As we grew up, I dont know what happened. Kids at school started to use our yard and house size as an argument in fights. (rich bitch) and so on. I hated it, all in all what could I do about it? Burn the house down? And I still remember the moment we bough our first Audi from Germany. Our neighbor stopped saying hello.
This is very normal in Finland. Another example: A shopping center called Tuuri in middle Finland had once a Lamborghini as a prize in a "lottery". All customers got a ticket and could win it. So one guy did. He owned it for a while and then sold it. Because of the money? No. He sold it because of the pressure in the neighborhood. Everyone started to hate him since he got the Lambo. Unbelievable!
Now this finnish tall poppy syndrome has gone off the hook. Every year our newspapers publish the accurate incomes of the rich and famous and brag about it for weeks. They compare company options and salaries to poor peoples wages and governmental services. "this many poor people could live for this long with this money" "while this many people got unemployed this guy got this much richer".
First of all. My income is non of your business. It is as private as my personal life.
Second of all, do we really think that these guys have never done anything for their salaries? They might get a million or two, but ever though how much good they do? Provide jobs, pay taxes, raise the overall living rate, create more business and so on. Why do we compare a Simple-Steve to a multitalented guy?
Third of all: we all know which jobs are the ones where you get paid a lot. Surgeons, lawyers and company owners have made a lot of money for centuries, and worldwide. At least in Finland we have no chance to say that I couldnt do it, since all education is FREE. I SAID FREE!
Now when our people in the parliament got a raise on wages and used 27000€ on sleeping blankets of course the hell broke loose. We complained that the parliament people can set their own wage, like we didnt already know that... and we complained how many poor people could rent a house for a year with the blanket money..which is 5 by the way...which is nothing by the way.
This whining and complaining drives me insane. People, please start concentrating on your own life and do the best you can do.
So this is one reason why I want to leave Finland. As I m going to be educated with a masters degree, probably at some point my finnish neighbor would start calling me with names.
I dont want to feel that hate that I got as a child any more.
Btw. 47 days to Aus! International driving license and uni scholarships are next on the list!
So you mean that everything should be built only by yourself, no matter from what class you are from? Education is really free, but that's because Finns have always thought of each other, in good and in bad. And the thing with the parliament is that the blanket money is something they've not earned but we as tax payers have given them. It's somehow weird system, this whole parliament. I think employer, the people, should be able to decide the salary of their employees.
VastaaPoistaTo say that we, finns, paid the blankets and the parliament didnt is bullshit. We ALL pay tax, so do the parliament people.
VastaaPoistaIf I only could, I would personally let my taxes to be used on those blankets, just to get rid of all the whining. I DO NOT care where my taxes are used in, they will go anyway. And that money will do a lot good in the society+the blankets.
Everything built by yourself?? Hmmmmmm whaaat? I m fine with paying tax, because all people do it. And it is the same for everyone. What has this to do with classes? All classes pay tax as well. Equality isnt it?
Just a point to think about...What about if no one cared where their tax euros were spent? Would the good still go around? This might be a small thing about blankets, but in my opinion it's just about the prinsipal of things. The money that is gathered from everyone is to go towards common good. OK, if the blankets are justified by better decisions, then fine that's allright! And apparently these blankets are also made in Finland so atleast there is some good towards the textile industry. I think it's healthy to have some discussion pro and against, atleast it shows that some people care about the decisions that are being made.
VastaaPoistaI don't think the cause of anger and envy among people is wealth per se, but the way most people parade their wealth. Your relations will start deteriorating as soon as certain bodily fluid starts building up in your head.
VastaaPoistaSo what could you have done? Learn to be modest.
You can always brag about the thing "if no-one cared" until the end of this world. You can use that argument on anything. In publicly or privately funded thing. This situation is like any other situation where we people know better where the money should be spent on. It has been the wages and not it is the blankets.
VastaaPoistaMy friends father made some of the chairs that are used in the parliament and got well paid for it. You could rage about that thing as well. Any time parliament do something you will compare it to your own life. You create an opinion on them. "Who do they think they are?"
Is this the right way to deal with it? If your life is all about complaining and comparing, then yes.
Or perhaps mind your own business, make the best of it and if you really want to make that change, go to parliament and solve the problem?
Parade the wealth? You are comparing again arent you?
If this is not envy, what is then? When will everyone be happy with the purchases that parliament does? When they buy Ikea furniture?
And please define modest?
Do you think only people up till certain point are or can be modest? As you seem to know how modest I m, I cant really argue. You seem to know how much good or bad I ve done...because all in all I have been born to house with a large yard...
How does this differ from racism? You have your stereotype of certain people and you comply it to all people?
And what is holding you back from revealing your identity ;)