Russia | The interviewer spoke about “Rissi” at the Maunula book fair and was allowed to leave: The word is now allowed in Finland, says the director of the Finland-Russia Society

Last the language used in the author interview at the Maunula book fair organized on Saturday at the Maunula house has caused aggravation.

Supplier Ilpo Pajunen referred to the Russians with the derogatory word ryssa when interviewing the historian Jukka-Pekka from Pietiää. The interview was related to Pietiäinen’s publication in September Vihtori Kosola – man and myth to the book.

Pietiäinen’s book also uses the same word.

As a result of the incident, Pajunen’s other interviews at the event were cancelled.

Vihtori Kosola (1884–1936) was known, among other things, as the leader of the right-wing radical and anti-communist Lapua movement.

According to the author Pietiäinen, the word “Ryssä” was for Kosola a “characteristic talking point”. However, the audience of the interview was reported to the management of Maunula House, as a result of which Pajunen’s other interviews were cancelled.

“It was said about the Maunula house that there [haastattelussa] there has been inappropriate language. The wishes came from the Maunula house, and I conveyed a message to Pajunen that such a wish came,” says the producer and editor of the Maunula book fair Heikki Valkama.

Maunula house the manager Ia Pellinen according to the case, the rules of the so-called safer space were followed, according to which inappropriate speech cannot be accepted.

“As a representative of the city, we have to stick to these rules,” he says.

Today, the term safer space is used in many contexts rather than the concept of safe space, because it is not possible to guarantee the security of a space 100% for everyone. However, the purpose and criteria are the same in the safe and safer space criteria.

Did the management of Maunula house notice that the interviewer Pajunen stated in the interview that the word was used in the historical context of the interview?

“I made the decision based on the attention I received from the employee. He described the situation as inappropriate. In this time, I want to point out that it is quite appropriate to bring that word up and say it once or twice, but it was brought up several times”, continues Pellinen.

“Here it’s not just this r-word, but ideas that we don’t support were brought up there. We are a city operator and we have certain rules.”

Pellinen does not comment further on these other ideas raised. However, he emphasizes that he followed the city’s instructions.

“This is not about what I think or what others think, but they are the city’s instructions, which we have followed when we had to make a quick decision. We want everyone to feel safe in the services and events that take place in the city’s premises and facilities.”

Historian Pietiäinen does not understand the decision of the management of Maunula house to deny interviewee Pajunen the right to interview him because of the word rysä, because according to him the word came up naturally in the interview, “as if Vihtori Kosola would use it himself”.

“I spoke in it myself [haastattelussa] among other things, the officers of the regiment. Vihtori, for example, signed letters saying ‘I’m angry Vihtori’. It would be foolish for me to change it.”

Pietiäinen emphasizes that all the discussion is based on the world of the work.

Pietäinen says that he himself thought about the use of the word ryssa when he started writing his biography. Because of this, he decided to open up his principles of using the word in the accompanying words of the book.

“I wanted to justify it by saying that here I am not using the word in an ethnic or offensive way.”

The word has not been used as an insulting expression about him in the book or in the interview. For him, it’s all about the historical context. Therefore, the historian does not understand the idea that words used in history cannot be used in a historical context.

Pietäinen emphasizes that the use of the word in an offensive way is not acceptable.

“My everyday speech does not include scrimmage. If that word is used in an offensive sense, then it is a completely different matter and it is of course not acceptable. But that was not the issue here.”

“But the essential thing is that when a historian writes about a certain time, he cannot start censoring it,” he continues.

Jukka-Pekka Pietiäinen is a docent of Finnish history at the University of Helsinki, who has published several books related to Finnish history. His dissertation dealt with Rudolf Holst. Pietiäinen has also worked as a non-fiction book critic, a non-fiction book publisher and for 13 years as the executive director of Finnish non-fiction writers.

Neither Ilpo Pajunen, the journalist who interviewed Pietiää, does not understand the decision of the Maunula house management to deny him the right to interview.

“I said in the interview that I use such a word in such an exceptional way. In the book, it was used naturally, and I couldn’t see that there was anything miraculous about my using it.”

Pajunen assumed that the audience would understand why the word was used in connection with the interview.

“Perhaps it shouldn’t have been assumed that everyone knows that.”

Pajunen emphasizes that he does not accept the word ryssa in everyday language.

“I certainly haven’t used that word in normal everyday life and I won’t, it would be inappropriate.”

The interview the recording is viewable Maunula’s wall – in the Facebook group. It appears from the recording that the word has been used several times in the interview.

During the interview, Pietiäinen tells that Kosola was imprisoned for treason, which raises questions in the interviewer Pajuse.

“When Vihtori got out of there at the time, he was a scumbag, excuse me for using this word, but in this context it is allowed,” says Pajunen and looks questioningly at the writer Pietiää.

“Yes, I use that too, just for that reason, I don’t usually, but I didn’t want to dilute it in this book.”

The author tells about Vihtori Kosola’s “enveloped anger” in the 1920s. According to Pietiäinen, this anger erupted later in Lapua.

“If anyone demonized the Russians, it was Vihtori”, Pietiäinen adds a little later.

At the end of the interview, Pajunen returns to the forces that drove Kosola and his actions and asks: “So what was Vihtori’s ultimate motivation? Was it grudge or who did it hate?”

of the Finland–Russia club Acting executive director Riku Savonen according to the current world situation, “they want to allow the r-word in a certain way in society”.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine also exacerbated the linguistic climate.

“We think that Russians can be beaten at the moment, regardless of what they think about the war in Ukraine or regardless of what their national background is.”

Savonen says that he has noticed that many other racist words are viewed much more strictly than the word “ryssa”.

“This word is given space in a different way. The word is currently being misused a lot, and it is used to create an anti-Russian atmosphere.”

Historical Savonen does not subscribe to the idea of ​​context as a justification for language use.

“Will you be able to relegate it to history with your own actions, or is there a risk that it will be interpreted that the word is perfectly usable even at this moment?”

Savonen brings up the n-word as a comparison, which can also be said to have a historical context. Would it have been repeated at the event, when the word is already an established colloquialism?

From Savo it would have been understandable to mention the word once or twice, but then use some other expression.

“Since the use of the word has provoked a reaction, it tells us that the community present may not have agreed with the matter.”

Savonen stresses that unnecessary use of the word should be avoided in all contexts.

He thinks it is important to think about how his own communication affects the use of the word in other social discussions.

When a word or phrase is used a lot, it is normalized at the same time.