Literature The author was beaten, beaten and strangled in the “total institutions” of his childhood – “The class teacher has a terrible power,” says Iida Rauma, who wrote the novel about her experiences

Already as a child author Iida Rauma, 37, it seemed that there was nothing unique in his experience, let alone private. And his experience isn’t even related to who he is. They relate to how adults view children.

He completed his primary school in Kaarina, high school and university studies in his current place of residence in Turku.

Rauma talks about violence against children, and also writes. Finally.

His earlier, critically acclaimed novels The Book of Disappearances (2011) as well as About sex and math (2015) he characterizes as “finger exercises”.

A great novel has just been published Destruction is a work he has tried to write all his life.

Previously, he was unable to because there is a lack of language in his perception of violence against children, as Rauma puts it. “And because it lacks language, it can’t be told without sounding small and weird, somehow absurd.”

Or forever from bullying to school bullying.

“The word itself means that it is not terribly important now,” says Rauma.

He avoids using the whole word.

“No other type of violence is talked about in the same way as acts and attitudes towards children at school. Such presumptions are permissible in the school environment, of which the adult world is subject to criminal law. ”

Rauma talks about the systematic oppression of children.

It might “sound pretty idiotic when dropped this way like this”. But that is the question.

For example, about constant snoring, loneliness, pushing, beating, and even attempts at strangulation and drowning in both live life and Rauma’s new novel, which is subtitled Case report.

That case is Rauma himself. Everything that happens to the book’s nickname A at school has happened to him too.

“I’ve been going to talk about them for a long time. But every time I go towards my own experiences, they have started to look secondary and small. ”

The reason is that in our culture, children’s things sound secondary and small. Literally: from children’s stuff.

According to Rauma, they are not considered to be socially important. Not to mention that they would tell about something broader.

“If someone experiences violence because of their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or something like that, we are well able to outline what kind of cultural forces it is.”

Racism, female hatred and homophobia are familiar concepts.

“But if someone experiences discrimination and violence because they’re a child, it’s somehow just not an existing thing.”

The concept is missing.

“Children and young people need their own #metoo movement,” says Rauma.

Immediately.

In the view of Rauma the school is compared to a prison and a mental hospital, for they are all about deprivation of liberty. The individual is thrown into the facility as if among others.

In these institutions, power relations are absolute, subjugating, stressful and cause social violence – and therefore also between their inhabitants.

“Certainly there are big differences between different educational institutions. But at worst, they are full of small, petty rules, or just rules because of rules that are only meant to show their place to the subordinates. ”

Even if teachers are allowed to walk through the front door, students are not.

Their school path except for the first years, Rauma is reluctant to call his own old doctrines completely total institutions at worst.

“Or at least something like that.”

My life only started after school years.

Admittedly, it seems to be a fairly common experience. If a nationwide survey were conducted on the willingness of adults to attend a class meeting, what would be the percentage of enthusiasts?

Would there still be more who oppose the return to the anxiety of youth with all their might?

For campaigning Rauma takes a bitter approach to eradicating so-called school bullying. For such benevolent endeavors as the recent example Words leave a mark and Eternal scars.

“What we see in them somehow points out that peer violence at school has negative consequences. Although it is obvious that if an adult is beaten or raped, it will have bad consequences. ”

As if some acts couldn’t be obviously wrong.

“Different rules apply to discrimination or violence faced by a child than by an adult. And then they will be agreed somewhere in the rector’s office, and no culprits will be sought. ”

So, put your hand on it, and your friends again.

Although really another has never even been accepted into the gang. And not acceptable.

Rauma remindsthat loneliness is one of the most painful and worst things that can happen to a person.

We are social animals, and we do not exist without other people. We support each other’s existence. We need the gaze of others to feel that we exist, both children and adults.

So being left out of the reference and peer groups is really dangerous.

“Bullying campaigns are terribly stunned by the fact that they communicate how a victim of violence has gone to waste: something terrible has happened that cannot be overcome,” Rauma points out.

“I don’t want to be saying anything like that to anyone.”

In Rauma’s opinion An anti-bullying action program developed at the University of Turku Nice school is completely on the way.

“It perceives bullying as an interpersonal activity and pays no attention to school culture. In other words, how favorably or unfavorably children are treated there. ”

More specifically, the significance of the teacher’s influence on the formation of group dynamics. Hardly any misuse of a teacher is even considered possible.

“The class teacher has a terrible power because there is no other adult there to observe,” Rauma says. “There’s a lot of completely unnecessary use of power just because adults can do it.”

From his own school years, he remembers a lot of adults who behaved inappropriately towards children.

“Not necessarily me, but something else shy and timid towards elementary school. They harassed a corner in the hallway or started shouting in the face for some completely indifferent offense. ”

In destruction the unlimited power of the teacher gets a face and a name: Ansku.

Their own books Rauma does not read reviews because he does not want to disturb and irritate the critic’s voice. He doesn’t even want to start pleasing anyone, even with half an accident. Writing must remain an area of ​​influence.

His partner, a Helsinki resident Matias Riikosen he does read the reviews of the works. They live on their own, but have kept one closer for ten years, commenting and passing on each other’s texts as well.

Riikonen’s novel, published last autumn Bedstraw became a Finlandia candidate and won the Fire Carrier Award.

“The appraisals of Matthias’s book repeatedly repeated the horror of how children have a truly hierarchical society,” Rauma recalls. “And, okay, yes In Matara it is. But what could it be because of that? ”

The answer is obvious:

The more submissive relationships there are in the adult world, the more sensitive the world of children will play.

According to Rauma, children are even projected on the characteristics of adults. It is thought that it would be typical for children to be submissive and enjoy the exercise of power.

“If adults, by their own actions, show that children – unlike adults – are allowed to be subjected to aggression. That children can be squatted, lightly humiliated and laughed at, so it is no wonder that children learn to do exactly the same thing to each other. ”

Just appeared In destruction there are three levels: 1) the individual being tried to destroy, 2) the city of Turku, which has already been destroyed, and 3) the ongoing destruction of the entire globe.

When Rauma first tried to write about violence against children in his twenties, he already knew that he should also write about Turku. In fact, the working title of the book was “Map of Turku Case Report” for a long time.

In his opinion, Turku is a traumatized city – if you can say so.

“Sometime long ago, this was a promising, thriving and cosmopolitan place, on a Nordic scale, of course. A place with a long and unique history. ”

Since then, Turku has encountered demolition work several times, after which Rauma no longer needs to be identified in any way. His hometown has lost its own history.

“Turku is a medieval city, but it is no longer visible in the cityscape. There is a break in the city’s continuum, ”says Rauma.

As is prevalent in his own life.

“If I try to tell you something about my experiences, there is only one version of my youth that is devastated by greedy, indifferent, and stupid adults.”

In addition to searching for the lost me Destruction can therefore also be read as a travel guide to the destroyed Turku. Rauma did a lot of background work for the novel.

So is the novel the highest level of destruction, an ecological disaster.

“Decisions are made by adults, and we don’t care what the children have left,” says Iida Rauma.

“So future generations are promised a ruined planet and pretty much just an apocalypse.”

Read more: Iida Rauma’s exceptional novel is read as evidence from the trial