Racial hypersensitivity or an act of common sense - you decide. On January 11th, during a live broadcast talkshow Aamu-tv - Jälkiviisaat, a retired prosecutor Ritva Santavuori commented on press photos of Barack Obama’s step-grandmother Sarah Obama that had been circulated around the world, saying that the elderly Kenyan woman was ugly, referring to her "residual Negroid features". In the programme, Santavuori pressed her own nose down with her finger to illustrate what she saw as Sarah Obama's resemblance to a gorilla. [HS]
Talkshow Jälkiviisaat runs from monday to friday at nine o'clock, it typically has 350 000 viewers. In Finland, with just 5 million residents, this is a large number. Santavuori made her first appearance to the show on 1999 and has been a regular guest ever since.
Until now.
Council for Mass Media in Finland passed their verdict on February 2nd, displaying exceptional haste. the verdict was unfavourable for Santavuori. It states: "..Aamu-tv has violated against established journalistic traditions. Council has filed a complaint .."
Executioner may enter.
Santavuori - a public figure known by virtually everyone in Finland - is bluntly kicked out of the tv-show. Aamu-tv's editor in chief Leena Pakkanen doesn't admit firing her. Instead, she refers to their discussions where they "mutually agreed that after so many years, perhaps it was time to let go".
Sure it was. Perhaps it really high time we let go of the all the elders who speak of what they see.
