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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   22860 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 26, 2025

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Related: "That picture's got to be AI generated: just look at the text." "That's Finnish!"

Of course people would use AI to maintain the conspiracy that has us believe Finland is a real country.

Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas? Come on.

Finnish is a ridiculous language, but the country is real enough. Mostly it exports people (like Linus Torvalds) who are angry all the time from having to speak that language.

Except Linus is from the ethnic minority of Finns that are native Swedish speakers. Further reinforcing the conspiracy theory that Finland is an imaginary country made up by the Swedes.

@Stefferi, isn't the minority in question actual ethnic Finns, who just so happen to speak Swedish as their primary language due to some historical happenstance, or am I wildly misinformed?

Yes. Finland-Swedes are ethnic Finns, with some elements of historical immigration from Sweden. Essentially until mid-1800s there was a trend towards Finns rising up in societal ranks to adopt Swedish as language, which was then followed by a trend towards Fennicization, leaving the current 5 % as a remnant.

Also, almost all Swedish-speakers expect those from Åland and maybe the deepest Swedish-speaking countryside tend to also speak native-level or almost native-level Finnish, Linus Torvalds included.

His native language is Swedish, but he had to speak Finnish to get by.

You have to speak Finnish in Finland. When you go to the shops and do things, 95% of everybody speaks Finnish so I learned Finnish as a second language and these days it’s my weakest language by far.

I'm sure this made him even madder than a native Finnish speaker who at least knew nothing better.

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