A rambling essay about culture

Theme 6, topic 4

Is Finland becoming a cultural melting pot?

A controversial, but also a current topic because of the immigrant crisis in Europe. Before I write about this, I would like to mention that a 'cultural melting pot' refers to the assimilation of different cultures into a dominant culture. This usually occurs in nations with a large percentage of immigrants in the population or in areas conquered by another culture, which doesn't happen very much these days. Supporters of multiculturalism tend to eschew this metaphor and refuse to support the assimilation of cultures.

Best example of a country that may be considered a cultural melting pot is the United States of America, a nation built by immigrants and their offspring. Numerous cultures have combined to form a unique American culture, with its own traditions and values. In comparison, Finland is very different and much more heterogeneous, with Finns making up about nine-tenths of the population. We do have immigrants that form a small minority of the population, and they are assimilating into the Finnish culture over time, especially when the original immigrants have children that then assimilate into the dominant culture much more readily. But you can't really call Finland a 'cultural melting pot', because the number of these immigrants is still relatively small, even during the current European immigrant crisis. This is unlikely to change, because there are more attractive places to immigrate to, if we're being honest. Countries like Germany and France are more likely to become melting pots of various cultures as an increasing amount of people immigrate there, but even then this phenomena will only be noticeable in large cities, where immigrants are likely to find employment and affordable homes. Europe is unlikely to become a cultural melting pot comparable in size to the USA and the South American nations.

The question might not be whether Finland is becoming a cultural melting pot or not, but if it is becoming a part of a global melting pot. Thanks to an advanced, worldwide communications network known as the Internet, people throughout the globe can now easily communicate with each other and exchange ideas, bypassing the language barrier by using a common language, English. Globalization brings products from distant countries to Finland and allows us to learn about other cultures through cultural products such as movies and books. Are Finns slowly assimilating into the global culture? Will the entire Western world become a unified culture in a century or two? American culture is already influential all over the world. Is Finland dropping into a big pot of boiling, colourful cultural mass that slowly blends into a single colour?

Perhaps not, for it is doubtful that people will abandon their traditions entirely, and many will simply refuse to assimilate and instead do their best to stand out from other cultures. Different environments mean that some traditions cannot be abandoned because of practical reasons, such as certain architectural styles: Gable roofs are simply useless in dry environments, where a flat roof is more practical. People are unlikely to abandon their old religions and the values and traditions associated with it. Many also support multiculturalism and policies that allow immigrants and indigenous people retain their culture and language without having to assimilate into the dominant culture. An example of this would be the Sami, whose languages have been recognized in Finland and who have been given the ability to use their language for all government services.

In the end, if Finland is becoming a 'cultural melting pot', it certainly isn't going to be a very large pot. It will be more like a small kettle. Finland is undeniably becoming a part of the global culture, but not all of us will abandon our identity as a separate people with their own traditions and values. Humanity isn't becoming a melting pot, but a mosaic: We are united yet varied.

Source of information: Good old English Wikipedia

I might have strayed from the main subject a bit too much, but it's midnight and I'm too tired to rewrite the whole thing