2005-09-26

Finska posla, Part II

I don't know how the story will turn out about the drunken Finnish EUFOR soldiers who spent an evening abusing the guests and staff and demolishing a club in Mostar. But it is not likely to enhance the welcome for international troops in Bosnia and Hercegovina.

5 comments:

Katja R. said...

My late mother had a very strong predjudice towards Finns. She said they drank and when drunk, behaved 'worse than the most ignorant Russian peasant'. Anyway I am glad she didn't read this, it would only have confirmed her in her predjudices.
I don't have any predjudices towards Finns. Hell come to think of it, I don't know any Finns!

Eric Gordy said...

Somebody once tried to explain to me that heavy drinking in Scandinavia was a result of tax policy -- it is so expensive, that people drink as much as they can when they get the chance.

Katja R. said...

she specifically had horror tales of the binges of Finnish male heads of household in Minnesota. The tax situation one way or another should not have encouraged drinking, indeed she was a kid during part of the Prohibition era.

Anonymous said...

Im sorry because of Finnish behavior there. Trust me, it happens all the time here! :D

Nothing beats a good and honest fist fight, while drunken ofcourse! ;)

Seriously; there are always morons among "ordinary people" which behave nicely when sober and became Mr.Hydes when drunk. It is the same everywhere, although, Finns maybe among the worst if you look at them generally. :) Who knows... shit happens and like I said, we are used to it.

Eric Gordy said...

I don't think that there is any reason why Finnish people should feel especially compelled to apologise. This sort of incident has more to do with being a soldier in this type of environment than with coming from any particular country. The situation takes people, puts them into conditions where they are isolated, frustrated, confused, and probably not especially welcome, and puts them under heavy arms.