”When I meet a person, who has drug addiction, I get horrified” How to discriminate in a way that is typical to normative person and get horrified when meeting a experience that is outside of one’s own experience world -basics 1.Oh my God, that’s drunkard! 2. Yes, I have alcohol addiction. 3. Oh my God, that’s a junkie! 4. Yes, I am your client and I have drug addiction. 5. I’m so horrified, that person is taking some random pills! 6. Yes, I have medicine addiction. 7. Oh my God, that person smokes even! 8. … 9.    10. HEY EVERYBODY LISTEN TO ME, THIS IS HORRIFYING!!! I’M SURE THAT WE HAVE HERE A CLIENT THAT IS JUNKEY, DRUNK, RANDOM PILL EATER AND SMOKER! This is horrifying!

1.Yes yes! I just said, that you are right. 2. THIS IS HORRIFYING! I CAN’T UNDERSTAND! 3. Many of your clients has addictions. It’s quite normal. With different kind of intoxicants you can relax if it’s harder for some reason other ways. 4. What the FUCK! It has a BABY and ADDICTION! This is something that I can’t understand! 5. Yes I have reproduced. Addictions and reproducing are common in Finland, that’s why there are people who have reproduced and have addiction. I am one of them and we exict. 6. How can there be something like that?!! Whywhywhy!!!??? 7. Addiction is illness and there’s illnesses in the world. It’s more easy to get help to some illnesses than others. There’s not enough drug free treatment to addictions in Finland. Like Minne-sota treatment and that’s very expencive. Many don’t afford it.

1.AND THAT PERSON IS ALSO MOTHER!!! I can’t understand this! HOW SOME MOTHER CAN!!!? WHAT CAN I DO TO THIS SITUATION?! NOTHING!!! 2. We could search together information of the question that where I can get support. And I haven’t told you weather I have a vagina. 3. Well then there’s no problem, because he’s a father. Huh! 4. Well actually …. I have a vagina. / SHE SAID THAT SHE’S DRUNK and a MOM!!! I FEEL ANXIETY, HELP MEEEE!!! LET’S TAKE BABY TO HELL FROM THAT JUNKIE MOM!!!! I WISH THIS REALITY WASN’T REAL I CAN’T ACCEPT THIS TO BE REAL!!!! LET’S MAKE IT SO THAT IT’S NOT REAL!!! 4. um…. ok. Now it looks like that you have quite hard time. 5. AAAAAARRGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! 6. PAM! 7. ? 8. Now here is quite headless things going on so let’s get you a new worker to work with.

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Teoriaa ja ajatuksia:

Suomalainen sosiaali-, terveys- tai kasvatuspalvelun normatiivinen työntekijä odottaa asiakkaalta normatiivisuutta.  Tämän sarjakuvan tilanteessa normatiivisuutta on elämä ilman riippuvuutta. Päihderiippuvuutta sairastavat ihmiset ovat syrjittyjä suomalaisessa palveluverkostosta, jossa päihteiden käytön lopettaminen toimii porttina mielenterveyspalveluiden saamiseen, vaikka todellisuudessa päihteiden käyttö tuo helpotusta mielenterveysongelmiin, joiden käsittelyyn asiakas ei ole saanut tukea. Päihderiippuvuutta sairastava tulee usein työntekijän syyllistämäksi, mutta syöpää sairastava ei. On väärin, että sairauden laatu vaikuttaa siihen, tuleeko ihminen työntekijän syyllistämäksi sairaudesta vai ei ja siihen, saako hän tukea vai ei.

Sarjakuvan kuvaama kauhisteluun perustuva syrjintä on yleistä. Kasvatusalan työntekijälle on tutkitusti tyypillistä keskiluokkaisuus, keskiluokkainen perhetausta, korkeakoulutus ja jotka individualismiin perustuvaan työotteeseen yhdistettynä johtavat hankaluuksiin ymmärtää kokemusta, joka rakentuu eri lähtökohdista, kuin mistä työntekijän oma kokemus rakentuu. Oikeutta kauhistella itsestä poikkeavia asiakkaita perustellaan usein työntekijän oikeudella ”päästellä paineita”, mutta suurissa määrin kauhistelu johtaa epärakentavan ja syrjinnän mahdollistavan keskustelukulttuurin ylläpitämiseen työyhteisössä. Kauhisteluun perustuva keskustelukulttuuri hankaloittaa työntekijäasiakassuhteen työsisällöistä ja sen haasteista puhumista ja niihin ratkaisujen löytämistä. Kun ratkaisuja ei löydy, kauhistelulle perustuva keskustelukulttuuri johtaa työntekijän ”itsen” ulkopuolella olevan kokemuksen ohittamiseen, joka on yksi rakenteellisen syrjinnän perusmekanismeista.
Sarjakuva kuvaa myös sitä, miten Suomessa vanhemmuuden tukeminen on sukupuolittunutta, jonka takia miehet/isät/miesoletetut joutuvat perhepalveluiden rakenteellisen syrjinnän kohteeksi. Syrjintään johtaa omalle normatiivisuudelleen sokean työntekijän taipumus tarjota ”yhdenvertainen” palvelukokemus ensisijaisesti itsensä kaltaisille asiakkaille, eli suomea puhuville keskiluokkaisille valkoisille naisille. Perhepalveluiden sukupuolittunutta rakenteellista syrjintää on tutkittu mm. Isännäköinen-hankkeessa (linkki alla).

Tutkimuksen mukaan Suomessa päihdepalveluita tarjotaan hanakammin äideille, naistyöntekijät soittavat mieluummin lapsen asioissa äidille, synnytyksen jälkeen mielialakysely tehdään vain äideille ja terveyskeskuksien odotushuoneessa asiakkaille on tarjolla ensisijaisesti naistyypillisiä lehtiä. Isännäköinen-hankkeen haastattelumateriaaleja lainaten ”miehet saavat repeillä aika pahasti, ennen kuin heille tarjotaan tukea.” Ammattilaiskeskusteluissa sosiaali-, terveys- ja kasvatuspalveluiden miehiin kohdistuvaan rakenteelliseen syrjintään tarjotaan ratkaisuksi sitä, että miestyötekijöiden määrää lisättäisiin. Toisin sanoen toivotaan, että alan syrjimän väestönosan tulisi korjata itse alan syrjivät rakenteet. Tämä on hyvä esimerkki siitä, kuinka velvollisuutta kohdella työajalla ihmisiä yhdenvertaisesti sukupuolesta riippumatta ollaan valmiita väistämään viimeiseen asti.

Tilanne, jossa työntekijä kaipaa asiakkailtaan itsensä kaltaisuutta, jotta voi saada onnistumisen kokemuksia asiakkaiden kanssa työskentelyssä ja viestinnässä, estää palveluiden yhdenvertaisuuden kehittymistä. Jos laajoja sosiaali-, terveys tai kasvatuspalveluita tarjoavassa työpaikassa työskentelevä työntekijä ei pysty hyväksymään sitä, että hän ei voi toivoa työltänsä sitä, että voisi työskennellä vain itsensä kaltaisten asiakkaiden kanssa, palveluiden kehittyminen yhdenvertaisempaan suuntaan ei ole mahdollista. Asiakkaiden kauhistelu on syrjintää ja kiusaamista, vaikka se tapahtuisikin suljettujen ovien takana työyhteisössä.

Lisää tietoa

https://www.xn--isnnkinen-w2ac1t.fi/

https://www.xn--isnnkinen-w2ac1t.fi/isatyokirja/

https://www.ruskeattytot.fi/rtmedia/kaikkienkoulu

McIntyre, A. 1997. Making meaning of whiteness: Exploring racial identity with white teachers. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Hökkä, P. 2012. Teacher educators amid conflicting demands: Tensions between individual and organizational development. Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä.

Rantala, J., Salminen, J., Säntti, J., Nikkola, T., Rautiainen, M., Virta, A. & Kemppinen, L. 2013. Akateemisen luokanopettajakoulutuksen tulevaisuuden lähtökohdat. Teoksessa Salonkikelpoiseksi maisterikoulutukseksi – Luokanopettaja- ja opinto-ohjaajakoulutuksen akatemisoitumiskehitys 1970-luvulta 2010-luvulle. Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia 64, 189-199. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopistopaino.

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Some theory and thoughts:

(Firt of all, sorry that all of the text is not translated to english. All the main points are. The reason for that is that it’s translating all the text is too hard. If you love translating texts, here is a text to fulfill translation needs <3 ) )

In Finland normative worker in a social, health or educational service expects the client to be normative. This cartoon is about a situation, where being normative means not having an addiction. People living with an addiction are discriminated in services, when services can for examble demand person to quite using drugs before person get’s access to mental health services. In reality drugs provides relief to mental health problems, that you haven’t got any help to. It’s wrong that the disease you have affects to the fact weather you are going to be blamed of the disease or not.

This cartoon also illustrates the gendered nature of institutional discrimination in parenting support services that leads to structural discrimination against men / fathers / assumed male/ presents as male. According to the study, in Finland help to addictions is more often provided to mothers, women workers prefer to call mother when talking about children, after the birth only mothers do mental healt survey and in health centers waiting rooms there are primarily ”womenmagazines” available. Men has to be in a quite bad situation before support is offerd to them. In professional discussions to increasing the number of male workers in the sector is offerd as a solution to structural discrimination against men in social, health and education services. In other words, once again those who are discriminated should repair the discriminatory structures. This is a good example of how workers are ready to not take the resposibilty to treat people equally during working hours, regardless of gender.

A situation in which an worker can’t provide good communicaiton to everybody because of the hope that  client/customer would be like the worker (finnish speaking, midleclass women) prevents the development of equality of health-, social and educationservices. If a worker get’s horrified of customers’ life, it is discrimination and bullying, even if it takes place behind closed doors in the work community.

More info:

https://www.ruskeattytot.fi/about-us/

McIntyre, A. 1997. Making meaning of whiteness: Exploring racial identity with white teachers. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Murrell, P. C. 2007. Race, culture and schooling: indentities of achievement in Mulricultural Urban Schools. New York: Erlabaum.

Scott, K. A., & Boudon, D. J. (2009). Race, culture, and schooling: Identities of achievement in multicultural urban schools. The Journal of Negro Education, 78, 1, 95-96. Viitattu 22.11.2019. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.jyu.fi/docview/222106174?accountid=11774

In finnish of fathers:

https://www.xn--isnnkinen-w2ac1t.fi/isatyokirja/

1.Hey, maybe you could do our workingplaces equality plan. 2. Why? 3.  Because there’s no one else who knows how/ wants/ can do it. And you see nowadays there’s a law that says we have to have it.

1.Why there’s no one else? 2. I am in that believe, that there’s no one else, who is discriminated in here, than you. So you already know what is discrimination. You see you are important resource to us. 3. It’s so handy, that we have you. We benefit from it because we don’t have to use money to working hours that some one else would have to use on studying the discrimination subject before making the equality plan.

1. So could you make a plan that would get away the discriminating that is targeting to you in here? 2. Which we could then forget on the bottom of shelf where we put all the other things that are in our opinion ”new phenomenons”. 3. I can make the plan. Let’s at the same time change my working contract so that I get salary from 12 months as before, but my working time includes just the ”phenomenon week” that we organize in this working place every year.

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Vastuu syrjittyjen ihmisten oikeuksien edistämisestä kaatuu syrjittyjen ihmisten harteille, mikä johtuu siitä, että tutkittu tieto ei kiinnosta riittävän monia ihmisiä, joilla on lakisääteinen velvollisuus edistää yhdenvertisuuttaa työajallaan. Tämä johtaa siihen, että ainoat henkilöt, joilla on sanoja joilla puollustaa syrjittyjä ihmisiä ovat syrjityt ja he tekevät tätä työtä ilman palkkaa vapaa-ajalla.

The responsibility of defending the rights of those who are discriminated is normally on the shoulders of those who are discriminated. The reason for this is that not enough people that according to law would have to prevent discrimination during working hours, are interested of discrimination studies and don´t do anything concrete and because of that only the people, who suffer from discrimination has words to defend those who are discriminated. This leads to situation where the discrimination prevention work that law demand is done by discriminated peoples and during free time without salary.

1.Preventing discrimination -days / Welcome professionals to preventing discrimination -days. I know, that I don’t need to tell to you what is discrimination, because you are so great people, that you know things without getting acquainted to things. 2. Let’s have a discussion without using the word discrimination, so that no one get bad feelings or put defenses on. By hushing everything will be alright. So this is why the name of the event is something else, that it is. 3. Our ethical principles say that the dialog between us and a client is equal and because of that I will not use the word power or power difference and this rule is also for you all liseners. 4. It is easier that I don’t question the equaliness of our daily meetings with clients, because if I would, our profesionall identity would break into little pieces and picking them up would be too shameful.

1.I’m neither goint to talk about us professionals discrimintaing each other, because of the individualistic working culture and education we couldn’t talk about this subject from any other point of view than whos wrong and whos right. 2. And because of this we will concentrate on clients, wich is easier, because many of us think that client know in some situations better than us of clients life situation. Of course this affects clients age, congnitive skills and social class. And no-binarousheteromonogamous… or how should I describe this when the space in this cartoon is ending… 3. I hope that you wouldn’t tell any critical thoughts, because of our concensus searching discuss culture we assume those thoughts are accusations and that’s why we pass them with martyrism, and that´s why many of us hate many of us. 4. But wihtout longer speaks let’s start, now when our common rules are clear to everybody. Its’ so nice to be here with all of you with so good spirit. We are all so great people and skilled workers from the moment we were born. This is vocation work.

1.Preventing discrimination -days / Welcome professionals to an event, wich name is what it sais there. Now let’s talk about the question, what is discrimination and how you can prevent it. You can use the word discrimination. So let’s start, what kind of discrimination against this certain grop of clients have you noticed at your work places? 2. Well I have been at my work place in situations where these clients have been discriminated this and this way. And it has happened always unconsiously. 3. So that the thing that makes discrimination happen is working culture, and it’s hard to develop it, because there aren’t enough people at my workplace that would be interested of studies of discrimintation and would talk about the subject. And denying the fact that discrimination exsists makes it hard for many people to recieve new knowledge, when some on is giving it, and that’s why people don’t understand their role in institutional discrimination and that’s why talking about the subject is not possible. By the way I’m a young woman. 4. Interersting examble and thouhghts about the reasons of discrimintaion. Does some one else have experiences to share?

1.I am upset and I say, that I want to comment specially that what was just said. But really this comment can’t be said to be a comment of that last comment, because I’m going to tell my own experience, because I want to glue it on the experience I just heard, wich made me upset and terrifyed. 2. And when telling my own experience as quickly as I can I trie to cover the distrotion that just came in to my experience of reality, where I always act well, when I want wellness to the peolple around me, which I want always. 3. But now I want to tell everybody, that me and my fiends have a lot of experiences from the same kind of situations that just were descriped, and in our ecperiences things didn’t go the way that just was descriped. Things went very nicely and all the clients and workers had every time good spirit . And I am older than the person who spoke before me. 4. Yes, good thoughts. The experience that you just told was about non-discrimination and to this theme we will concentratte in Non-discrimination days that will be held in next month, and in there we can together talk of the subject, of how everything is so great in everywhere. You professionals, that are interested of this theme, remember to put this date to your calendar.

So now we can spare all non-discrimination experiences to non-discrimination days. And let’s go back to the subject. What kind of discrimination situations have you noticed at your work places? And have you develop some tools to making it easier to notice them?

1. Hello, friend! Aa! Yes! Hello, long time no see! 2. Hey which genitals did you have? / öö… penis! or öö…vagina (*the reader can choose the answer) 3. Well what about your partner, did your partner have same genitals as you have?! 4. öö… Yes I have! / Okei, good to know! We are also a couple and we have different genitals. I have penis and my partner has vagina! 5. And we have sex with our different genitals only two of us. And this partnership of different genitals will last and last and last until dying will as take apart from each other. And in this kind of partnership there is so many happiness giving meanings that they are hard to describe in words! Especially when you are down there and I have to yell to you! But it is very important that you know what kind of life we live! It is wonderful! Together just two of us!

1.And the best thing of all is that our genital rules give life much more happines than your genital rules! 2. Yeah, so much more happines! And blessing! What brings it to you? / You mean blessing?! Or having sex?! / No I mean happines! / To me cats! 3. To me many things, but I don’t have energy to tell them to you by yelling because of the platform you are standing on! 4. But hey, I ment to continue speaking that since you have those same genitals and a romantic partnership, it was good to see you now, because we have been meaning to tell you that after all we accept you!!! Isn’t it great!!

1.I must still make clear that  reproduction is affected by these different genitals of two parents and also of being together and having sex till the end of the life, because only these things brings happiness keys to the life of a child! 2. And these happiness keys are for the best of the child and you can never have those keys! So what can you do! It is for the best of the child that we think that you can’t ever be as happy as you could if you had those keys in your sex and your child. 3. And I have to declare that we accept you, even though the best of your child is not to be born, because we would bully the child because of the same genitals of parents. 4. So for you it is better not to bully your child by making a child to a world where we would bully the child. 5. And since every parent have right to define what kind of world their children thinks they are living in, so it was good that we now saw each other! Because we have wanted to say to you for a long time, that don’t say anything of your same genitals to our child! 6. And if our child asks, just say, that ”no.. we have different genitals, yes we have” for example! In this way you can provide key of happiness in our child*s future sex life. / No God my blod…

1.But hey, let’s hang out some day! We could go for a beer for examble!!! / Well this high platform effects to things…! 2. The platform where to accept Climbing instructions: Level 1, This level if for waiting the other genital to arrive and making pairs. Level 2, Put penis in to vagaina and repeat if with a same person preferably till the end of your life. Level 3, Put penis in to vagina so that there comes a child from the vagina. Alarm! Changing the pair after a child – bad as hell! On the third child you fly to heaven. YOU CAN’T CLIMP WITH YOUR GENITALS IF GENDER REASSIGNMENT IS DONE! (except if your in closet) 3. We can’t come up there because your platform has those own rules! / A damed! Your right! That did’t come up in my mind, because I’m up here! On the level three!

1.Well what about you others? Let’s go for a beer! / I don’t like high places! / I’m trans, I can’t come up there! 2. What about you, who hasn’t said anything yet?! / Me?! / Yes you! Do you want to go for a beer?! 3. Oh, how did these climping directions go?! Ööö… I’m married monogamous cis-gender hetero who has children! So if I understod correctly I can climp with my genitals to level three, where you are! On the top! And because of my parnership with different genitals and reproduction past, you don’t discriminate me! Which would make hanging up there easyer for me! If you compair the situation to my friends who you bully! The thinngs you have said are mental violence and because of that I don’t go to beer with you! But let’s go to beer if you some day decide to come down!

1.Okei! I think we are not coming down from here because it’s hard not to think this genital thing because we have climbed here with genitals in the firtst place! And all our nearest people have also climbed here with their genitals! So because of that it is hard for us not to be above you by speaking of accepting your sex life which is different from our sex life! And we also benefit of being in here, because this way we can see you far away and judge you and gossip! And it is nice to once in a while be horrified because of you, because in those moments we finally have a strong opinion of something! Which is own! And with this platform we can feel ourselfs good and accepted!!! You know, do acceptable things!!! Accept you <3! / Um… / How nice…2. Ok, well then have a good day despite of genital sec baby -things! / Yes, bye bye! And equally nice day for all of you! / Let’s go / Yes, indeed / You really need strenght to bear this all.

1.Ah, it was so nice to chat / So lovely gay people / But ou, I really pity them a bit / But hey, we accept them! 2. Yeah! 3. … 5. Yes, that’s right 6. Yes.

1.It’s a shame that we can’t see probebly those people, who are there. Which genitals they might have? 2. I have binoculars, here you have! / You can see with these almost inside the pants! 3. Ou yes, horrible! What?! I can’t imagine!! How can it be!!! 4. Ou my God, give me those binoculars also! Well yes! Huuhuh! But hey, we accept them, don’t we? 5. Naturalyhappinesblessedlovliness (inside the heart) Binaryheteromonogamy (the thing persons climb on) From up to down: Now this is proper way! / I want, that you want, what ”we want” (read: I want) / This is the only right way and that’s why it’s so wonderful! / Now everybody, make babies! / Oh satan now is good spirit! / Keep on pushing! / Mum wait, I don’t have the energy! / Dad I can’t

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Hyväskymistä painottava keskustelukulttuuri on yksi rakenteellisen syrjinnän muodoista. Hyväksyjän paikalta katsotaan väistämättä alaviistoon.

Normatiiviselle valtaväestölle (valkoinen, keskiluokkainen, cis-sukupuolinen, hetero, monogaminen, ei-maahanmuuttajaistettu, ei-rodullistettu) suunnattu suvaitsevaisuus-, hyväksymis-, moninaisuuden kohtaamis- tai kunnioittamisretoriikka on valta-asetelmia rakentava rakenteellisen rasismin ja syrjinnän tuottaja, jota ilmenee laajasti sekä sosiaali-, terveys- että kasvatusalalla.

Hyväntahtoisista pyrkimyksistä huolimatta keskustelukulttuuri on syrjivää ja kehittää keskustelua normatiiviseen, monokultuuriseen ja etnosntriseen suuntaan antaessaan valtaväestölle vastaansanomattoman etulyöntiaseman.

Yhdenvertaisuuden edistäminen ei ole valtaväestön tunteisiin vetoamista, vaan todellisen epäoikeudenmukaisuuden tunnistamista ja sen vähentämistä konkreettisella toiminnalla.

Lisää tietoa aiheesta mm.:

Holm, G. & Londen, M. 2010. The discourse on multicultural education in Finalnd: education from whom?. Intercultural Education, 21, 2, 107-120. Jyväskylän yliopiston kirjasto.

Lappalainen, S. 2006. Kansallisuus, etnisyys ja sukupuoli lasten välisissä suhteissa ja esiopetuksen käytännöissä. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:952-10-2671-5

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A culture of dialogue that emphasizes acceptance is one form of structural discrimination. If your in the position of a person who accepts, you are looking down to ”others”.

The discuss culture of tolerance, acceptance or ”encounter of diversity” is directed to normative population (white, middle-class, cis-sexed, hetero, monogamous, non-immigralized, no-racialized) and this discuss culture is one form of contructional discrimination that keeps normative power contructions up in social-, health and education institutions.

Despite its good intentions  this discuss culture discriminating and develops debate in a normative, monocultural, and ethno-ethnic direction, giving the majority population a position where to choose weather to accept or not.

Promoting equality is not about appealing to the feelings of normative people who are in power. It’s about recognizing real injustice and reducing it with concrete action.

Some studies of these theme:

Holm, G. & Londen, M. 2010. The discourse on multicultural education in Finalnd: education from whom?. Intercultural Education, 21, 2, 107-120. Jyväskylän yliopiston kirjasto.

Lappalainen, S. 2006. Kansallisuus, etnisyys ja sukupuoli lasten välisissä suhteissa ja esiopetuksen käytännöissä. Helsinki: Helsingin yliopisto. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:952-10-2671-5

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