Striking news: journalism is sick and tired!

Today I want to share some thoughts about writing, about journalism and about being a young freelancer – or an enterpreneur, to make it sexier.

I used to think that "as long as you keep going everything will work out", "Just keep going".

It all started after I finished high school and decided to move to France, because I was totally lost with what I wanted to do. After about a year of searching and trying to integrate to another culture, I returned home and decided to pursue for journalism.

First I took the obvious way: university. Didn't get accepted. So I tried another way. And another, and another, and another...failures, disappointments, even some successes. "Keep going".

Working for free, studying, reading, working overtime for free, writing, doing workshops, brainstorming, moving, learning languages, networking, asking, working and getting paid, studying, listening, reading, moving, questioning, sending applications, calling, writing, listening, moving, trying harder. "Keep going".

After some years, I moved yet to another country to study more, to learn more, to open my eyes. Must stand out of the crowd. Working, reading, learning, studying, questioning, moving, working, learning, asking. "Keep going".

Our world has kept going on too. Catastrophes, wars, financial crisis, environmental crisis, food crisis, poverty, hunger, money, growth, branding, development, competition, unemployment, success stories. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube. Laptops, smartphones, tablets, pads, pods, streaming, sharing, posting. Blogging, taking photos.

Photographers trying to get a living while shooting, filming, layouting, doing graphics, editing, even writing. Writers trying to do all the above and realizing that the thing you are best at suffers because you are asked to multitask and have no time to do anything properly.

Longtime professionals trying to fight against the prevailing, absurd copywrite policies in order to get paid as they should. Young professionals trying to compete with thousands of others, even work for free, to get the foot between the door and gain recognition in hoping that some day they make a living with what they love to do. "Keep going".

Are you feeling dizzy?

It has been eight years since I started this rollercoaster, and in a couple of months, I will end one chapter of my life knowing that I have absolutely no certainty what is going to happen in the next one. I am afraid.

I am afraid that I will remain unemployed. I am afraid that my capabilities are not enough and I should try harder. I am afraid that I am forced to learn how to multitask with all kinds of technologies and still be aware of what is going on in the world, in all the different forms of social media, and still look around, observe people and come up with unique ideas. "Keep going".

I am afraid that I am forced to make catchy headlines and write stories in an interesting and objective yet funny yet serious yet informative manner while knowing that newspapers and magazines are dying. Who's gonna read them anyways?

I am afraid and I am tired of keep going.

I want to take time to look around, to focus. I want to listen without having to think where I have to be in the next few hours. I want to investigate, re-read, question, evaluate and rewrite while I write. I want to write stories that have a message, a meaning, a purpose. I want to write stories that don't have to have catchy headlines just to get 100 000 clicks. I want work with professional photographers, layouters, and graphic designers who have time to do what they are best at without having to worry about hundred and ten other things.

I want to write stories that make both you and me stop.

When I was 26

A year ago, I woke up in a quite different setting.

After a blurry night of trying to get rid of the nasty feeling of 25-lost-and-alone, I looked at the morning rays with a stranger. The stranger was exciting, new and confident. I was sure that the stranger would help me overcome the uncomfortable feeling. "Everything will be different", I thought.

And different it has been – not exactly the way I planned it though.

I have observed, listened, and felt unconditional happiness and love, as I have seen my friends and closed ones reaching their dreams and turning new pages.

I have blinded my eyes, shut my ears, and numbed myself, as I have experienced misery and pain too hard to handle around me.

I have worked worked worked. Sometimes so hard that I have forgotten why. I have travelled through time and borders. I have sat down and been quiet. I have ran. Ran away and towards the finish line.

I have laughed and cried. Been hopeless and desperate because of stupid things like being late or saying something embarrassing. I have been joyfull and optimistic when realizing that small things such as drinking wine with a friend are actually what makes everything great.

I have backed out and taken a leap of faith. I have told the truth and lied over the phone to my mother that everything is a-okay. I have been pretending.

And, little by little I have tried to get rid of the stranger.

This morning there was nothing exciting, only me, honest and plain, crying in her coffee cup. But these tears were no bad tears, although they were flavoured with a tiny bit of self-pity (after all, it is my freakin' birthday and I'm alone working for my stupid thesis).

These tears came from the realization that being sad is as good as being happy. Life can be a bitch and at times it is so wonderful that your heart almost cannot take it.

Therefore, today I have no expectations. Only thing I am sure about is that I don't need any strangers to make me happy. I can be just me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DKxBdvEtuU

When the penis got out of hand.

Mentioning the p***s, and you cannot wait to find out what's next?

Good. This is exactly what I want to show. I want to show, that no matter how far we've come from those days when masculinity was regarded as a symbol and basic definition of modern society, we still have a long way to go. Everything still (or at least most of the time) revolves around the pnis, or more correctly, around what the pen/s represents.

As an example, I will share an event that occurred couple of days ago in our university.

A poster of "Society of Feminists" was put up on the common room wall announcing the society's weekly meetings and inviting people to join their discussion. Soon, someone got a funny idea of drawing a ***** on it. I am emphasizing the word funny, because "c'mon guys, that's what it was!". At least according to many facebookers who commented the poster after it spread on the social media.

Often there are two ways to react, when these kinds of things happen:
1. You shut up and let it go.
2. You won't shut up and let it go.

The latter happened, and at some point somewhat reasonable discussion changed into mean backlash. "This just shows that feminists are uptight ninnies, who get provoked by a p#n#s", someone said. "Don't come here to comment on things, when you don't know what you are talking about", others responded. "Why are these people in our school?", "Am I not allowed to have a differning opinion?", "It is just a P___S!".

Since halfway of the eighteenth century, the ideal of modern masculinity has held onto an image of a man with will power, honour and courage. This is how it is to be a MAN, this is how you "get some balls", this is how you won't become an "uptight ninny". Even though this normative sterotype has somewhat changed the past decades, the image still prevails.

The drama with the poster proves it. The norm is so deeply rooted in our daily lives, that many think it is okay, or actually recommended, to shut up and let it go. On the other hand, when you feel the need not to shut up, it is easy to get provoked and become offensive in the defence.

And this is what strikes me the most. If even in universities – where people are supposed to be "educated"– it seems impossible to have a constructive discussion, how can our societies develop?

It is easy to make jokes when you don't understand how it feels to be the one who's made fun of. It is also easy to laugh if you don't feel offended. But no matter what is the case, wouldn't it be wise to think before you decide not to shut up – or draw a penis on someone's poster?

Empty your closet and come clean

Today I had yet another epiphany. A really good one.

I was lying in my bed, scrolling my Facebook and browsing through different lifestyle blogs (due to research reasons, of course, nothing else...) when I bumped into this article of NYT-liite, a fly-leaf of Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. It was an article about shopping addiction, consuming and the standard of living in wellfare societies.

It was also a story of Anni, 24-year-old nurse, who spends around 800 euros per month shopping (excluding her nescessary expenses such as rent, bills and food). Anni is no-one particularly special, she is just a normal young woman, who likes to buy things. As she hersef discribed it, "whereas someone likes to go to yoga, I like shopping".

Even though her behaviour and attitude towards her "hobby" struck me at first, soon I realized that what else could she be? Or actually, what else could I be?

Thousands of young women, men, girls and boys are just like her. Our whole lives are constructed around consuming. The purpose of our work is to create more things to consume and more money to consume those things.

Clothes, food, beauty, wellness, lifestyles, different idea(l)s, other peoples lives...everything is branded and made available around the clock. Thanks to social media we can share and sustain our consumerist behaviour. Feel connected.

With all my hippie-community-bike-second-hand-biological-recycle-yoga-meditation-awareness I cannot escape it either – I also consume. Every day actually.

Every day I spend time on Facebook scrolling on and on mostly random people's pictures and status updates. I enjoy eating sushi although I know its bad. I like to go to the hairdresser and get a new do from time to time. I like, or would like, to go on holidays. I buy things (even if used), and it makes me feel good.

According to NYT-liite, Finnish people consume 11 times more than hundred years ago. It is easy to escape responsibility and think that I am not that bad. Or, that the damage is already done.

But as long as we keep our closets closed, we cannot see that they are filled with shit we really do not need.

P.S. For those of you who are able to read, the whole article is here http://nyt.fi/20130913-himoshoppaaja-piti-nytille-ostospaeivaekirjaa-perusviikolla-paloi-500-euroa/

Vad fan?!

In Finland we have this hot potato called pakkoruotsi.

Already for decades (since the law about the mandatory second native language was established in the 1970s), certain generations have promoted for ending the obligation of Swedish in Finnish schools, because they see it as a violation of freedom of choice. I find this completely retarded.

With a justification like the above people should demonstrate against the whole compulsory school system. After all, it obligates every Finn to study during nine grades following the convergent syllabus, which includes a whole bunch of other disciplines as well.

Of course the prevalent system should not be unquestioned, but to speak about the importance of basic education, I think it is just great that we have so many different subjects to study in our schools – let them be mandatory.

And I think here lies the problem: it is not so much about the language itself, but the fact that some uptight old farts – who are/were bitter about Sweden ruling over Finland in the 18th century and making us bilingual – have taught their children and grandchildren to hate the jävla svenska språket!

What I find the funniest is that the Swedish speaking Finns (a Finnish language minority) are obliged to study Finnish. However majority of them complain about nothing.

So, with this introduction I come to my point. The latest grassroot movement has put up a petition and gathered over 50 000 signatures against pakkoruotsi, which means (as to the Finnish law) that the parliament needs to have a hearing about it.

Making Swedish optional would not be so concerning if Swedish would be vibrant in the country otherwise, but the thing is that more and more people know less and less Swedish. And it is all because of the stupid attitude.

Didn’t God himself say something along the lines ”As long as people are speaking the same language, nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them”.

Not being a great fan of God nor the Bible, I must say there is a point there. Or at least according to my interpretation there is. In the story of the Tower of Babel, people screw up their city and scatter apart because they stop speaking the same language.

So, isn’t it the benefit of all to learn different tounges to keep communicating and building a rich and vivid world together?

Peace and love, puss å kram,

Roivis, whose level of Swedish is embarrassingly poor (at the moment)

Amazing!

Normally I would not get too excited about Facebook, but now darlings, let me just say this is simply amazing!!! Obviously there are "some" (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers) other people as well who are sad about diminishing culturally valuable yet unprofitable media!!!

Radio Helsinki – the boat that rocks!!!

Check this out: https://www.facebook.com/SaveRadioHelsinki

Listen to the radio, oh listen to the radio

When was the last time you sat down and read the daily news? Or a book? I mean really read, from cover to cover without checking your Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, Idon'tcarewhat? Better yet, when was the last time you listened to the radio? And jumping from channel to channel while you're driving on your way to work doesn't count.

Yeah, I thought so – you don't remember.

Not so long ago, I used to love reading the Sunday paper for hours with a huge pot of coffee and nowhere to go. Sometimes I put the talk radio on and let the soothing voice of the dj mutter on the background. My favourite moments were those, when the lovely Lasse Kurki (a Finnish musician and a radio host) played a song and I could shout in my mind "Oh, this! I had forgotten". Lasse used to have a program called Rakkaudesta (it means out of love) which was streamed every Tuesday and Sunday on Radio Helsinki – one of the last local radios in Finland where there are no playlists.

And here comes the but. The news corporation that owns the station recently announced it is going to shut down the radio. It is no longer profitable. And while going through the accounting, they are right. Why should unprofitable be maintained just because some nostalgic hipsters want to listen some neverheard-songs?

The euphoria of modernity and gadgets has made us restless. Browsing through all the possible media from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook to What'sup has made us so busy (beacuse we want to know everything every second) that most of us have actually no clue what's really up.

The online papers circle around the same topics and only compete with who has the most clicks – who cares if the headlines give totally wrong idea about reality. Every radio and tv-channel are stuffed with formats that all resemble one another. Books and records are on the sale basket two weeks after their release because no-one has the time. And if there are independent media that try to do thigns differently, they won't last.

Old formats are dying out like it has been for generations, so what? you say. But is it really like that? Or do we like to convince ourseleves so, because it is easier?

Perhaps, there could be another way. But to realize that, we should first stop for a second and listen to the radio – while it's still there.