A popular Finnish radio station YleX – equivalent to BBC Radio 1 – ran a feature in 2010 titled “Prisoners of conscience”. The series featured individuals whose opinions and lifestyles were considered at odds with the society’s norms and were therefore often disapproved of. One of the interviewees was a female prostitute. She described her life as a sex worker and defended her chosen source of income. Another person introduced in the feature was a voluntarily childless woman called ‘Kati’. She disclosed her negative views on children and childbearing, and saw absolutely no reason for her to become a mother. The feature’s presenter later recalled that “quite surprisingly” the prostitute had received plenty of positive feedback from listeners supporting her choice and her right to do what she wished with her body. Kati’s opinions, on the other hand, had filled the show’s inbox with extremely angry messages from listeners, one of them even saying they hoped “Kati would burn in the fires of hell”. The presenter had mentioned earlier that ‘Kati’ had only agreed to do the interview so long as her real name or face would not be made public. The presenter wondered about this at first, but then understood Kati’s concern, in the end stating dryly: “Well, what can I say – in Finland, whoring is apparently more acceptable than voluntary childlessness.”
Tunnisteet: yhteiskunta ja perinnepöperöt