If you had a limited budget, would you support a small or a big business? What Finn inspired, helped or listened to you? Our guests passed on a series of thought-provoking questions from one episode to the next. In this summer bonus episode, host Denise Wall and audio engineer Travis Glossop unpick their musings over coffee and tea.
The first season of Finland: Through the looking glass featured a broad cross section of the immigrant community in Finland, and in addition to diverse narratives, guests also posed a chain of questions that reflected many perspectives.
Does society prioritise its most vulnerable?
One of the reflections that Denise and Travis considered came from S1 E4 guest, Allyana Thomas, who asked, “What do you think our society would look like if we prioritised the most vulnerable?”
“If we did prioritise, I think that we would see way more services for people living in situations where they're exposed to child abuse, intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, people who are homeless, people who have lost their jobs. We would not try to make these people ashamed due to circumstances that in many instances are beyond their control,” Denise declared, with Travis pointing out that the question itself reflected the fact that society’s priorities lie elsewhere.
Attitude to risk needs an overhaul
Another challenge the duo examined came from transgender comedian Jamie MacDonald, who wondered, “What would be the biggest attitude change [required] in Finland to make it a utopia?”
“What I found so fascinating and still to this day find fascinating about Finland is they seem so risk averse. There is a real inability to take a risk on something," Travis said, relating an anecdote about pitching projects to contacts at the Finnish public broadcaster Yle.
"Someone who works for the company told me directly, go to Sweden first,” Travis said, sharing his impression of a perspective that he thinks needs an overhaul in Finland.
Listen to the full bonus episode as Denise and Travis review and respond to all of the questions from Season 1 of FTTLG.
You can enjoy, follow and subscribe to Finland: Through the looking glass on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor.fm). Remember to like and rate the show, and tell a friend about us! You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Audio production was provided by Travis Glossop and the podcast was recorded at Enchanté Café in Helsinki.
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