Hello (M39, Finland)

[Arrokoth]

Yeah you pay for transparency with privacy. I'm not super happy about my income, savings/fortune and tax records being public info. I think people have the right to some privacy. But I'm so used to it being this way so it's just the way it is. The upside is that I can look up any politician I want to and see how much that person is earning and paying in tax. And then I can say things like "that useless overpaid bastard!".

Is it so that in Norway you can access information about someone's assets and ownerships as well? (Not just company ownerships)

I think paradoxically it seems that people here in the Nordics seem less interested in hiding their assets even though there is such transparency. Maybe it would be considered a shameful thing that a decent person would not do. Something to do with the protestant mindset affecting the culture?

 

[Forest Cat]

These are spot on observations of what is different around here! We used to have one president who had unlimited terms but after that the constitution was changed to allow maximum two six-year terms. We just had a parliamentary election and the 200 MPs are divided between 10 political parties! The new government has not yet been formed but they will need at least three parties to form a majority coalition. We've had "rainbow governments" with as many as six parties.

I think the schools still don't have lockers, the kids keep their belongings in those hooks or inside (unlocked) classrooms. Any alcohol stronger than 5.5% vol is still sold only in a state-run monopoly called Alko. Many coastal towns are bilingual and the law requires all the street signs to be in both languages. I have tasted peanut butter a couple of times in my life, I think I was over 25 years old when I tried the first time Sauna is still done in the nude, also in public swimming halls, but nowadays mixed saunas are getting less common (or people wear a swimsuit) and kids might go to sauna with their parents only until they reach puberty, but this totally depends on the family. I don't know if it's about being progressive or just practical. Also in the past, clothes would tell a lot about your social status so the sauna was a place where the peasant and the landlord were equal.

Finland has been lagging behind in transgender rights and only recently they changed the law which required proof of infertility from anyone changing their gender (now one just needs to fill out a form). I think the majority of people are supporting transgender rights, though.

My favourite city in Finland is Turku. My favourite place is any place during a nice summer evening Here's a picture of a rainbow at 11 pm at our summer cottage.

View attachment 100855

That summer cottage place looks outstanding. So green and lush and nice.

 

[Forest Cat]

Is it so that in Norway you can access information about someone's assets and ownerships as well? (Not just company ownerships)

I think paradoxically it seems that people here in the Nordics seem less interested in hiding their assets even though there is such transparency. Maybe it would be considered a shameful thing that a decent person would not do. Something to do with the protestant mindset affecting the culture?

You can find information about property and houses people own. But in the tax records you only find income, personal fortune and amount of taxes paid.

 

[Forest Cat]