Russians the use of the derogatory word “rüssa” has sparked a debate when the use of the word was not accepted at the Maunula book fair.
Supplier Ilpo Pajunen referred to the Russians with the word ryssa when interviewing the historian Jukka-Pekka from Pietiää At the Maunula book fair last Saturday.
The audience of the interview told the management of the Maunula house, which served as the event venue, as a result of which Pajunen’s other interviews scheduled for the fair were cancelled.
The interview was related to Pietiäinen’s publication in September Vihtori Kosola – man and myth –to the book, which tells the story of a right-wing radical and the leader of the anti-communist Lapua movement Vihtori from Kosola (1884–1936). Pietiäinen’s book also uses the word ryssa.
HS asked people of Russian background in Finland’s cultural sector what they think about the word.
It turns out that it evokes mixed feelings.
Actor and a writer Alina Tomnikova does not take a position on the case of Maunula’s book fair, but he feels that even when used in a historical context, the word carries risks.
“There is always the danger that it does not stay in its context and further widens the gap between people. There is great power in words, and this word is also associated with a great historical charge, which has created this gap between people for a long time,” reflects Tomnikov.
The use of the word in an offensive sense should not be allowed, he says. If it is necessary to discuss the topic, then the term “r-word” could be used.
Actor Elli Närjä says that the use of the word should be avoided in all contexts, as it can contribute to its normalization.
Närjä, who studied and acted in Petrozavodsk, moved to Finland again in 2013 and is currently appearing in the Belarusian Nobel Prize Svetlana Alexievich in the play based on the work The end of Soviet man. The play, which received several additional performances, is performed at the abandoned high school in Vuosaari.
Närjä himself was called a rascal as a child in the 1980s, but at least in the last ten years he hasn’t heard the word.
“I wouldn’t want to hear that word, because it brings up unpleasant memories and events.”
Närjä’s husband is Ukrainian and their son speaks Russian in addition to Finnish. They haven’t been barked at either. When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the boy’s school sent a message that the conditions of all Russian-speaking children should be made as safe as possible.
“I appreciated it a lot,” says Närjä.
Social media influencer Sergey Hilmania has been barked at as a rascal many times since he moved from Russia to Eastern Finland at the age of 12. The word is still popping up, for example, in the comments of his Tiktok videos.
“I’ve been wondering if it offends me. If a stranger yells at me, it has a clearly negative tone. But if we’re talking about history, when it was okay to use the word, I personally wouldn’t be offended by it,” says Hilman.
“If someone uses the word barking, it shows their own stupidity and indifference. No normal person intentionally uses terms and words that are not accepted or that offend another person.”
Hilman has spoken on the subject Cheers to Ugly Me in his podcast. Before, he had allowed his close friends to joke around, but changed his mind after talking to a member of parliament who was a guest on the podcast Fatim Diarra (green) with.
“Fatim said she forbade herself and her loved ones to use the n-word because if someone outside heard them using it, they might think it’s okay. I don’t want the word ryssa to spread for nothing.”
In Hilman’s opinion, it would be good to have a social discussion about the introduction of the term “r-word”.
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