Populist ventriloquism
Heading through Helsinki slush to interview Finnish teenage delinquents (of whom more in a week or two) has got me thinking about "populist ventriloquism".
No, I am not talking Ray Alan and Lord Charles here. Rather, it's a criminological theory that is, I read, currently influential.
The argument is that economic globalisation has substantially eroded a state's capacity to govern directly and so "intervention in the lives of socially deviant children" emerges as a "mechanism whereby the state attempts to establish or sustain its political authority".
To put it another way, politicians demonise children in order to disguise their own weaknesses. The analysis is laid out in a study entitled "Incarcerating Young People: An Anglo-Finnish Comparison".
While the UK locks up thousands of young offenders, today there are just six juveniles behind bars in Finland.
And the explanation, it is suggested, is that the British government is caught up in a "culture of control".
"In this situation," the argument runs, "the state endeavours to maintain its political authority by directing the anxieties generated by accelerating social, economic and cultural change... towards certain categories of demonised 'other'".
This diversionary tactic is, as you might have guessed, described as "popular ventriloquism".
It is a cynical view of the motivation of our elected representatives, it seems to me, and I am not persuaded that the pursuit of power always trumps a belief in social justice.
The theory rests on the view that anxieties have replaced ideals as the driver of electoral success. "In a situation where the voters who make a difference are disproportionately middle-aged, white and relatively prosperous, it comes as no surprise," the argument goes, "that the targets of governmental demonisation... are disproportionately non-white, non-prosperous and young".
While the British government is giving our youth a hard time, the report suggests, the Finns are pursuing progressive penal policies.
"Far from galvanising the press to demonise 'folk devils' as a means of generating social solidarity, government and the media co-operate to deflect attention from youth crime in order to protect children from stigma."
Yesterday I met the crime reporter from Finland's biggest tabloid who confirmed the point. When I told him that British red tops routinely describe youngsters as "thugs" or "yobs", he looked aghast.
"We wouldn't do that," he said, shaking a disbelieving head. "It is unethical."
Finland is not Britain. Its society and institutions are less adversarial, it has a system of proportional representation and political parties do not attempt to outbid each other on getting tough.
The consequence is an approach to criminal justice based on "welfarist strategies" rather than on punishment.
I doubt that British policies on delinquency are simply a cynical attempt to convince voters that national government has real power. But, viewed from the Helsinki slush, it is clear that our treatment of children comes from another planet.
I'm 
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Too many people are out of touch with their children in Britain today.
They drop them off at school and pick them up from the child-minder. No wonder children feel dis-enfranchised and lost in society.
Ministers attempt to control educational establishments, instead of letting teachers educate.
From birth children are institutionalised instead of being loved.
What age do children leave home to start school in Finland ?
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Only if we compared the UK and Finland annual prosecutions and court cases for young offenders, crime for crime, case for case - and they showed that they matched exactly - would I be convinced that Finland has exactly the same types of young offenders and type and scale of crimes that the UK does.
I think I'd be more convinced if we were comparing the UK with, say, a US state, with a similar number of cities and demographic, that had pioneered a new approach.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
It would seem to me that it is not only juveniles that suffer at the hands of politicians. There is a political merry-go-round of hate figures including immigrants, dole cheats, the EU and (my favourite) single-parent families (do politicians advocate abortion as a more favourable solution?).
Every time a question is raised about the fundamentals of economics or job creation the political hate machine goes into overdrive aided admirably by the Sun, Daily Mail, et al.
'Diversionary tactics' I believe they are called!
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Maybe some aspect has been left out. Here in Finland we have one of the lowest numbers of immigrants from third world countries in EU.
Ask if this fact can be part of the reason why youth criminality here is so low would be straight ahead considered racism and therefore ignored and deleted or would it be considered a fair question in an open debate about pros and cons about immigration?
Tony.
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#4
And don't forget druggies!
From the article - "The theory rests on the view that anxieties have replaced ideals as the driver of electoral success."
This is so spot on. An excellent summary of the political woes of, as far as I can tell, the entire english-speaking world.
Electioneering (and thus everyday politics) has transformed from a competition to inspire the populace with your vision of where we can go and what you can do to get us there, to rumbling about scapegoats, stoking fears and then denouncing them.
It's a sick system, and by that I mean one that is seriously ill and in need of some medical attention.
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How often do gangs of Finnish teenagers rape and mutilate 16 year old girls with learning difficulties?
Do I hear "Never" - I thought so...
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When I retired my we moved to Finland two and a half years ago to be nearer my Finnish wife's family. The contrast in attitudes to and behaviour of children and young people is amazing.
Children start school at seven. One sees children of this age trudging or cycling off to school unaccompanied - sometimes a mile or more. There is no "school run" to convey them a few hundred yards from home. I must say at once that this is partly due to the segregation of pedestrians and cyclists from motor vehicles. However, where they must cross roads there is no need for crossing patrols, as motorists will always stop for them.
I've never yet heard a small child in a supermarket screaming at its harassed mother "gimme, gimme, gimme!"; an all too frequent event in Britain.
Young people do gather in groups in the evening; but there is not the threatening atmosphere I've felt in Britain. They wil step back to let you pass, and if you do happen to catch their eye they will be more likely to smile than scowl.
Corporal punishment has been forbidden for years, and parental smacking appears to be unknown.
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Of course, Finland is quite different to Britain. In Britain, most social behaviour problems are caused by the density of population here.
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Burklockehobbes - never heard the phrase "keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer"? That's all Finland did in trying to remain independent from a belligerent neighbour that had already taken Karelia from them. With the support and stability brought through EU membership, they have moved away from dealing with Russia on a political level where possible. Remember, the UK has the advantage of being an island and therefore not at risk of imminent attach from aggressive neighbours. Conversely, it has bred arrogance that we are untouchable, meaning we are unable to appreciate freedom - it's never been challenged enough. Not even the IRA or Al Quaida could do that.
Back to the original discussion.....Despite the obvious size differences between these two societies, Finland is a good example of where tough legislation is not necessary to control people thanks to civil values being taught, respected and reciprocated from day one. Schools have pupils from 7-18 sharing the same space and thus learning to deal with others better. Children are very much perceived to be the future and must be invested in to maintain/improve life in Finland. As opposed to being demonised and controlled through fear. Consequently, the country is home to some of the highest literacy and numeracy rates in the world. Well-rounded parents double up as educators in the home, instilling values that schools cannot cover - sitting at a dinner table every night, being encouraged to contribute and share their stories of the day as active participants in the home. This rubs off in their social circles. Add to that a healthy attitudes towards nature (and protecting it) and an acceptance of the human body (naked sauna anyone?) makes them confident as individuals. Their resourcefulness, out of necessity owing to their extreme climate, means they take little for granted. And that they are tougher, physically and mentally.
These are all aspects absent from Britain. We have a nation of dependent, semi-literate, self-pitying, self-victimising, obsese, culturally ignorant, disrespectful and aggressive youth obsessed with material objects and bordering on alcoholism. Why would anyone choose to live in the UK? It may not be their fault, but that is how they are. And why I want nothing to do with them. Teacher friends of mine find themselves unable to control or discipline kids - they've been deemed untouchable, increasing the resentment towards them.
The advantage of being a small nation means a greater sense of responsibility and closeness within communities is engendered. In the UK, people blame others as much as possible for their actions and problems and it's easier to escape justice - whatever scale it's on. People complain, but never take the initiative to resolve the issues. Finns do. This is why some of my closest friends hail from this wonderful nordic land. What would I want with selfish, hopeless, clueless Brits?
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When Unicef revealed that British and American children are the most unhappy in the developed world, I was not surprised. There is a toxic cocktail in Britain of, on the one hand, widespread hostility towards the young, stereotyped as rude (in my experience, the rudest people in Britain are middle aged women, not the young and not foreigners) and violent (violent crime in Britain may be higher than in Japan and Switzerland, but it's far below US levels). On the other hand, too many parents are at best obsessed with their offsprings' physical safety but otherwise totally absent from their lives. Given this toxic brew, I think British children are on average surprisingly good given the circumstances.
It is easy for politicians and the tabloids to demonise children if the public is already hostile and aloof; they are merely pandering to the public's prejudices.
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#4 Gladysstreetexile
Abortion has already been linked with (falling) crime in the book 'Freakonomics' see the BBC review of the book here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4674897.stm
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What interested me today about such things was said by Mr Obama.
"the right for mothers to look after their own children"
I wonder what difference that would make in our country?, to the ideals that we say we so greatly lack about our underachieving feral children.
The attention on male role models in nurseries is good but as my 18 year old son said when we watched it on the news.
"of course men want higher wages for the same job, danger money from public opinion ah pedo....."
sad but true whipped into Populist ventriloquism by the press and the media.
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An interesting article and whilst there are probably many changes between the UK and Finland, most of these comments are using them to justify prejudices. Politicians do have a generally a shameful record over the last 20 years, but Mark fails to acknowledge the role of the media in fanning the view that the majority of young people are feral monsters.
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The article is spot on, we would do well to look to our Scandinavian cousins for models of good ethical living rather than to the US. As a child mental health clinician every day I see the damaging impact of our society's attitude to young people. They ARE our future, the vast majority of young people are law abiding and indeed, given the chance, often the most idealistic and committed to changing this world for good! Yet we; demonise them, send them to school far too young, say its ok for adults to hurt them (smacking), prioritise having possessions and careers over nurturing etc. The list goes on and on. I think we are one of the least child and family friendly countries in the developed world and it shows in the level of emotional and behavioural problems suffered by our young people...and unfortunately for some this leads to offending behaviour. We reap what we sow.
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Looks like Finland's murder rate is more than twice as high as England's
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcgvinco.html
Maybe if Findland locked up more youths its murder rate would come down. Just a suggestion.
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tryingtoberational wrote:
"...We [Britain] have a nation of dependent, semi-literate, self-pitying, self-victimising, obsese, culturally ignorant, disrespectful and aggressive youth obsessed with material objects and bordering on alcoholism."
What, every one of them? You really haven't made much effort to meet them have you, if that's what you think. If every time you approach some kid you have that sort of aggressive attitude, you really shouldn't be too surprised when you get exactly the same back.
There seems to be in GB, a culture of aggression and complete denial that you might have ever made a mistake. This is most noticable at the top in parliament, but is really everywhere. Why are we so surprised that so many kids follow our example? The amazing thing is that there are so many youth who are really excellent people who we can, and should, have a lot of respect for.
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#10
How can you ask for respect when, in that wonderfully sweeping statement, you've just been disrespectful to a whole nation.
Apologies if everyone you've met/meet over here has been as you described but if thats the case you're a very unlucky person...or you just bring the worsed out in people.
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Comparing the UK with a country like Finland is unrealistic. A bit like comparing the UK with Colombia or Afghanistan at the other end of the spectrum.
Finland (and the other scandanavian countries) have not experienced uncontrolled mass imigration and many have a decades long history of eugenics - basically not letting problem families have loads of kids, then bring them up to be even bigger problems.
Unsurprisingly they have blue eyed, blonde haired and impeccably ordered societies.
Whether social policies that work in such settings would work in a collapsing society like the disunited kingdom is another matter.
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Don't expect more of your children in terms of their behaviour when well known public figures' behaviour is considered acceptable, even amusing and tolerated. The recent completely unacceptable comments of various BBC employed "personalities" re Polish prostitutes and travelling to Florida via Auschwitz are a case to point. Unless such adult personalities are sharply brought to order, (fired and finacially punished) do not expect your children to behave differently from their adult role models.
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As usual, Mark, you seem to express (in a convoluted way) the idea that Punishment = Evil.
1- Voters make a difference only during elections. Politicians are free to ignore them afterwards. If that was not so, we would not have prison overcrowding and we probably would have retained the death penalty.
2- I wish all you people who believe "punishment=evil" would have your way. Free all the prisoners, never lock up anyone. Watch the results. I would bet a lot of money that we would soon revert to the old system.
3- Before presenting Finland as a paradise, have a look at international murder rates:
Finland - 2.75 (2004)
UK - 2.03 (2002)
Singapore - 0.49 (2004)
Morocco - 0.47 (2004)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_homicide_rate
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#21 The_judge_of_it wrote:
"As usual, Mark, you seem to express (in a convoluted way) the idea that Punishment = Evil."
I didn't read anything like that into the above article. I can't speak for Mark, but for myself.
I know perfectly well that punishment is very often necessary, but it should be just, fair and rational. There's a lot of voices in this country that just want to hit out at someone, anyone. Youth are an easy target for them to blame and scapegoat. The great crime seems to be - 'being young'. Of course these self-same voices should be allowed to do anything they want: why should they have to take responsibility for themselves?
You hear the likes of me suggesting that you should behave yourself, instead of just lashing out at anyone whether or not you know anything about them, and you try and twist that to 'Free all the prisoners, never lock up anyone.' That suggests to me that you've run out of even faintly plausible excuses for your behaviour, and now you're trying to evade responsibility by blaming anyone else.
Have you ever thought about standing for parliament?
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Entirely agree with the description of our country as driven by anxieties rather than ideals. It manifests itself at all levels: the example given by politicians as exemplified by the parts of PMQ that appear on television, the suspiscion of a whole group (eg social workers, teachers) when a few of their members make a terrible mistake, the mistrust of all immigrants or single parents. It is now part of our culture fed by the media. The media are just trying to sell papers and they are just telling people what they want to hear. In this country we are incapable of handling good news for any length of time. Good news stories usually collapse into a BUT .......... and the malaise continues.
Moving on to the issue of children, there is a curious dichotomy in the way they are treated. In schools teachers are discouraged from giving too many (or even any) negative comments, resulting in children believing they are marvellous. I am in favour of the view that children should be able to voice their opinions, but this does not mean that they can always get their own way. And then all of a sudden they are told that they are wrong, lazy and selfish. Part of this is called 'growing up', but whereas in the past parents would stick at it, nowadays some quickly give up. This happens because of the culture of not making 'negative' comments or indeed any comments at all. By 'negative' comments I include things like, "Well done. You've made your room tidy, but I don't think toys should go in the same drawer as your clothes." Small continuing interventions are time consuming but keep the relationship going and small changes in behaviour (which could lead to larger ones) can get noticed. But then parents have busy lives and they were children (perhaps not so 'disfunctional') and what we are seeng is an amplification of something that has been happening for a couple of generations.
Having said all that most young people I know are perfectly hardworking and polite. Governments and children alike are just reflections of the society in which they tend to function. In our present society something that enables people to live in their own personal bubble like the iPod, virtual reality games/ activities, social networking sites in which we create an idealised image of who we are may have a greater influence on how we develop as children and as adults than any fine speeches and good intentions from our politicians.
Regaining control means recognising both success and failure. It means making the hard choices and sticking at the task. It means self sacrifice while keeping an eye on the distant prize. It doesn't start with governments. It doesn't start with families. It starts with getting more and more people on board.
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Erm, Ok.
Good article, but from the comments it does sound like most british parents are indifferent towards their children, and that the average parent will ht their kid more than they hug them.
The media may demonize kids, but the huge majority of parents are fairly good, if not as perfect as "crime free" Finland.
Also, as pointed out in other articles, suicide is the greater problem than homicide.
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If one wants to deal with the problems of youth crime in this country then we must deal with issues the political correctness stop us facing at the moment - is there a correlation between youth crime and ethnic background? Is there a correlation between it and family background - are the number of parents, their legal status and sexual practises statistically important? This is not racist or sexist or imposing Victorian values, but looking at the truth and the good book says that the truth will set you free. It is certainly trure that it is only when we have the courage as a nation to face the causes of antisocial behaviour among young people, however unpalatable, that we can have any hope of tackling them.
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We as adults (all of us) lead by example and children learn from us. The more acts of responsibility, respectfulness and positive effort we demonstrate, the better for children.
As a teacher, I set the standards of behaviour in my class and apply them consistently.
Perhaps we should look at the examples British adults set rather than hound British youth
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Interesting to note how often anyone who wishes to mention anything to do with race feels fearful enough to immediately suffix their comments with hot denials of any intended racism. The Anglo-Saxon community cannot even start debating the real issues, because we are so suffocated by those who claim to be liberal.
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