Exposing white Finnish privilege #79: Spreading lies at our economic peril

What if most of the anti-immigration talking points spread by politicians like Jussi Halla-aho, Riikka Purra, and most of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party are just outright lies and urban legends? What if those false arguments put Finland in economic and social peril because they are untrue?

An interesting paper titled, The 14 Most Common Arguments against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong, published by the Cato Institute, dispels common myths.

Even if the Cato Institute list applies to the United States, it sits very well with Finland. The same arguments are made against immigrants in the United States are made in Finland.

Take, for instance, #2 “Immigrants abuse the welfare state,” a favorite argument of the PS. The party’s chairperson, Halla-aho, has gone as far as to state that low-income migrants come to Finland to work for a while and then live off welfare.

Like in Finland and the EU, some studies show that migrants are less likely to use social services and welfare. Migrants are a burden on state finances.

• Read the complete list of counterarguments by the Cato Institute here. 

White Finnish privilege #79

The media appears toothless in the face of these myths that are constantly recycled. The media becomes too often an uncritical rubber stamp for xenophobic politicians.

In the meantime, white Finnish privilege and denial ensure that matters will continue as today.

We could at least agree that the current hateful rhetoric and hostile environment, our immigration policy, and lies about migrants by different groups are hardly consistent with our own values.

Like Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal (1898-1987) pointed out in his groundbreaking study of racism in the United States about eight years ago, US society lives in conflict because it does not practice what it preaches.

Do we practice the societal values we preach in Finland?

See also:

• Defining white Finnish privilege #1: I have it and you don’t
• Defining white Finnish privilege #2: Third culture children versus “pupil with immigrant background” 
• Defining white Finnish privilege #3 No history, no doctrine, no heroes and no martyrs
• Defining white Finnish privilege #4 Holding the short end of the stick
• Defining white Finnish privilege #5 It’s ok to be a racist
• Defining white Finnish privilege #6 Not having a voice and the media
• Defining white Finnish privilege #7 A definitive guide
• Defining white Finnish privilege #8 Underrated and less intelligent
• Defining white Finnish privilege #9 Mohammad Ali’s insight
• Defining white Finnish privilege #10 I can victimize and make up any story I like about migrants because I’m white
• Defining white Finnish privilege #11: Case Teuvo Hakkarainen
• Defining white Finnish privilege #12: Case Tom Packalén
• Defining white Finnish privilege #13: Case Matti Putkonen
• Defining white Finnish privilege #14: Losing sight of the real issue
• Defining white Finnish privilege #15: Case Halla-ago on the PS
• Defining white Finnish privilege #16: Rosa Emilia Clay and my history versus yours
• Defining white Finnish privilege #17: The Perussuomalaiset and our civil rights
• Defining white Finnish privilege #18: Labeling others according to your prejudice
• Defining white Finnish privilege #19: My rape statistics about your group
• Defining white Finnish privilege #20: Labeling Others to strengthen “us” and “them.”
• Defining white Finnish privilege #21: Who can be a Finn?
• Defining white Finnish privilege #22: From racist, fascist to a politician without memory
• Defining white Finnish privilege #23: Greater police powers to monitor migrants and minorities
• Defining white Finnish privilege #24: Becoming a heartless accomplice in wars and people’s suffering
• Defining white Finnish privilege #25: This land is my land, this isn’t your land
• Defining white Finnish privilege #26: Are you an ethnic Finn?
• Defining white Finnish privilege #27: White versus Other media
• Defining white Finnish privilege #28: Are you an ethnic Finn (Part 2)?
• Defining white Finnish privilege #29: Your family is worth less than mine
• White Finnish privilege #30: Whitewashing and racializing the news
• White Finnish privilege #31: The Soldiers of Odin and the Finnish media
• White Finnish privilege #32: The white Finnish police and “them” 
• White Finnish privilege #33: Appropriating our narrative to maintain the status quo, amass more power and privilege
• White Finnish privilege #34: Building a political career on privilege and nativist nationalism   
• White Finnish privilege #35: Case Sampo Terho and the ministry of (dis)culture
• White Finnish privilege #36: Hate speech and censorship
• White Finnish privilege #37: The master of near-everything
• Defining white Finnish privilege #38: Cultural appropriation and racism are quaint discussion topics between white Finns
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #39: The Hollywood ending of racism that will never happen in Finland
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #40: To whitewash or to disenfranchise
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #41: An Islamophobic politician and gender equality 
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #42: Labeling and shaming
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #43: White versus dark skin
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #44: Defending Nazis’ rights to march is ok as long we agree on the common enemy
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #45: Do blondes have more fun? 
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #46: Teuvo Hakkarainen = white racism and sexism 
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #47: President Sauli Niinistö’s “culture inside four walls”
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #48: Allow me to smear your religion so mine can shine
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #49: When white privilege backfires 
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #50: Caving in to white narratives
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #51: The police are the defenders of white power and privilege
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #52: Having no privilege is dangerous
• White Finnish privilege #53: Plan Finland’s unplanned pregnancy campaign #ProtectBlackGirlsToo #Whatofme
• White Finnish privilege #54: Disguising your racism, bigotry, and prejudices effectively
• White Finnish privilege #55: It’s that time of the year – Christmas! 
• White Finnish privilege #56: How Islamophobic is Finland?
• White Finnish privilege #57: Finland’s “hostile environment” against migrants
• White Finnish privilege #58: How the police, media and politicians fuel Finland’s hostile environment against Muslims and migrants
• White Finnish privilege #59: In this country, you are guilty before proven innocent
• White Finnish privilege #60: Oulu, OULU! Awaken and sniff the racist coffee.
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #61: #NoRacismInUniversity #WeAreNotSkinColour
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #62: On free speech and scared white men
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #63: Silence and acting dumb are the swords of institutional racism
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #64: The cancer of institutional racism in Finland
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #65: Racism exists because our society profits from it
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #66: Abdirahim Husu Hussein and dealing with racist passengers in a racist environment
• Exposing Finnish white privilege #67: Pirkka-Pekka Petelius’ apology exposes deep-rooted white Finnish supremacy
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #68: The party that injects Finland’s Islamophobia with steroids and other hate-enhancing drugs
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #69: At the dentist – do you speak Finnish?
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #70: At the dentist’s and where are you from?
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #71: Hate speech is an example of white supremacist privilege
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #72: False police reporting is an example of violence and open hostility
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #73: Stoking and exploiting white suspicion
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #74: The anti-Semitic beast inside Jussi Halla-aho
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #75: Obsession with race, ethnicity, and us versus them
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #76: Two news stories that expose entitlement
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #77: The PS are Finnish white supremacists
• Exposing white Finnish privilege #78: the spread and acceptance of white nationalism

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