Pro union chairman Antti Rinne branded as “age racism” (ikärasismia) a proposal by Juhana Vartianen, director general of the Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT), to lower salaries for workers approaching retirement age, reports YLE. Is there such a thing as age racism? Shouldn’t the correct term be age discrimination (ikäsyrjintä)?
Read English-language YLE story here.
Even if Rinne wants to emphasize age discrimination by calling it a dirty name like “age racism,” the usage of the term in such a manner is not only wrong but demeaning to those who suffer from ethnic discrimination.
Like many sociologists who study racism, this social ill exists because it permits one ethnic group to empower itself at the expense of another. Racism is a far worse pathological disorder and goes beyond individual prejudice.
Migrant Tales wrote recently: “It’s clear that a lot is lost when you water down a term like racism and redefine it as ”age racism.” It’s like taking the term Holocaust and applying to something minor than the systematic murder of six million Jews in World War 2.”
Just like the Winter War (1939-40) stands out as an important historical milestone for Finns, racism plays the same role for immigrants and visible minorities. It’s a part of their history.
To use the term racism incorrectly in any language is to defile its true meaning and blunt and divide our attention to such a menace.