While I don’t like every position Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes, I really love that AOC’s youth and beauty has broken the brains of every old, right-wing man. They simply cannot deal with the idea that an attractive young woman is an elected leader, that she studies, parties, dances, has friends and exists. The same thing happens in other countries too. In Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin is a 36-year-old woman with lots of friends. PM Marin likes to go clubbing and dancing and sometimes she leaves her work phone at home while she’s out partying until 4 am. That’s what happened last December and it made international headlines. Well, the current controversy about PM Marin is that she… had a small house party with friends. They danced and there’s a video of them dancing and having fun:
Finland’s Prime Minister @MarinSanna is in the headlines after a video of her partying was leaked today.
She has previously been criticized for attending too many music festivals & spending too much on partying instead of ruling.
The critics say it’s not fitting for a PM. pic.twitter.com/FbOhdTeEGw
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 17, 2022
According to Finnish people in the know, soon after this video was leaked, right-wing Nazi neckbeards began posting online about how PM Marin and her friends were on drugs and something about a “flour gang,” which is something that does not exist. Those conspiracies grew and they were amplified by pro-Putin outlets and political commentators. The Finnish media began making the story into a much bigger deal, so much so that PM Marin announced on Friday that she took a drug test to prove that she was not taking party drugs or any kind of drugs, she was just dancing with her friends.
Sanna Marin, 36, came under fire this week after a leaked video showed her partying, with some politicians saying she should be tested for narcotics. At a news conference on Friday, Ms Marin said she had taken the test and expects the results next week. The prime minister repeated her denials that she has ever taken drugs.
“I did nothing illegal,” she told reporters in Helsinki. “Even in my teenage years I have not used any kind of drugs,” Ms Marin said, adding that she took the drug test as an added measure to allay any concerns. The prime minister also insisted that she is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Reporters questioned whether Ms Marin, who has been in power since December 2019, would have been able to make snap governmental decisions if necessary.
“I don’t remember a single time that there was a sudden situation in the middle of the night to go to the State Council Palace,” she insisted. “I think my ability to function was really good. There were no known meetings on the days I was partying.”
Ms Marin said she knew she was being filmed, but said she was upset that the footage had become public.
“I trust that people understand that leisure time and work time can be separated,” she added.
“I trust that people understand that leisure time and work time can be separated” – that’s completely foreign to most Americans, although I would assume that many Europeans do understand the work/personal time separation. The other thing most Americans will not understand is the idea of having a leader who isn’t ready to deal with any situation 24-7. Then again, America is a nuclear power and we have one of the largest military forces in the world. Finland is a much smaller country and it’s less likely that any prime minister would need to answer “the red phone” in the middle of the night. Anyway, as long as PM Marin could be reached in case of emergency, I simply don’t understand the issue? She was dancing with her friends in a private home!
Anyway, women are posting videos of themselves dancing in solidarity with PM Marin.
Love it! Danish women are posting videos of themselves partying while tagging Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
To show “Solidarity with Sanna” pic.twitter.com/8gsUTuROLJ
— Very Finnish Problems (@VFinnishProbs) August 20, 2022
Finnish PM Sanna Marin defended herself to the press after private videos of her partying with close friends leaked to the public earlier this week pic.twitter.com/9F2ex9MQYK
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 20, 2022
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
-
- (200220) — BRUSSELS, Feb. 20, 2020 () — Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin arrives for a special meeting of the European Council at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 20, 2020. Leaders will aim to agree on the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027, the multiannual financial framework (MFF). (/Zheng Huansong),Image: 563670016, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS excluding China – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Zheng Huansong / Avalon
-
- (200222) — BRUSSELS, Feb. 22, 2020 () — Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin arrives for the second-day session of a special meeting of the European Council at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 21, 2020. The two-day-long special meeting of the European Council called to set the next seven-year budget ended in impasse Friday night after 27 member states failed to find common ground. (/Zhang Cheng),Image: 563710222, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS excluding China – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Zhang Cheng / Avalon
-
- Press conference by the Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, at Palazzo Chigi, at the end of the talks with the Italian Prime Minister. Rome, Italy 18/05/2022,Image: 692346481, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alessandro Serrano’ / AGF Foto / Avalon
-
- Press conference by the Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, at Palazzo Chigi, at the end of the talks with the Italian Prime Minister. Rome, Italy 18/05/2022,Image: 692346708, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alessandro Serrano’ / AGF Foto / Avalon
-
- Press conference by the Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, at Palazzo Chigi, at the end of the talks with the Italian Prime Minister. Rome, Italy 18/05/2022,Image: 692347011, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alessandro Serrano’ / AGF Foto / Avalon
She clearly cant trust her inner circle then. I do understand there is a certain image you must uphold when you have the highest office in the land.
How is this different from male politicians playing golf? Why do they get free time but she doesn’t?
Yup- it has nothing to do with upholding an image and everything to do with sexism and double standards. Male politicians “party” just as hard, they do drugs and golf and vacation (cough, Ted Cruz) and get hookers and cheat and gamble and do all sorts of things that men obviously lose their minds over if a woman dares to *checks notes* fucking dance with her friends AT HER OWN HOME.
@winkingdom this. Men are allowed to have fun but as soon as a woman does it, its considered a bad thing . What women do in their private time which isn’t law breaking shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat us especially when our male counterparts are allowed to do far worse and still maintain their position
The idea Americans think their leader is ready 24/7 has surely been cast in doubt after 4 years of orange hamburglar?!!
The annoying thing is rich white men have no qualms about vacationing/relaxing even when they’re in the midst of crises. See Boris Johnson repeatedly in Greece during covid and the ongoing cost of living issues. He doesn’t even apologise much less offers to prove he would be capable of handling an urgent decision.
It’s because men are often too dumb to understand that women are not one-dimensional.
They love women to be followers that do nothing more than please them.
If they’re not, then okay, she is a politician. But only a politician. Having a woman be a politician and a person who likes to have fun goes far beyond their limited comprehension.
#Not all men 🙂
exactly! this is totally sexist nonsense. female prime ministers are allowed to have fun with their friends and families, just like the men are! there is nothing inappropriate about this, any more than it’s inappropriate for a prime minister to have sex or poop!
these are private moments and whoever leaked that video is the one in the wrong!
@ Ceej, I still can’t wrap my head around people still supporting Cruz the Criminal after the enormous freeze in which hundreds of people died and thousands of homes were destroyed. He is such a snake.
Say that to all the men that have harrassed women, but still have power. Not just talking about Finland or European countries either, because it’s everywhere.
Or the men that have commited other crimes but still have power?
Can’t believe this comment in the first comment to this.
I never said what some men get away with is right, all these comments most of them i agree with especially powerful white men getting away with everything. And I can be disgusted with them and STILL say that when you have the most powerful and respected office in the land then there is an image to be upheld for any and everyone taking those pubic roles.
The focus of my thoughts on this matter has been (and remains) the person she invited to her home who violated her privacy (for money). There’s a special place in hell for that kind of asshole.
Yeah, that’s what stood out to me. She’s been betrayed by one of her friends. I would imagine that’s the biggest problem here, not that she let off some steam with pals. It’s that she can’t even be herself, having fun at home because someone with an agenda might make it public. How sad.
Yeah, I’m actually running on the assumption that one of her friends was hacked by the Russians. She has taken a hard line against them, Putin HATES her, and we all know they are excellent hackers. It was leaked to the far right and then the press. Stinks to high hell of Russian espionage. It is apparently incredibly easy for a good hacker to hack a normal person’s iCloud.
Dancing is great exercise, just saying.
It’s being blown out of proportion. She’s a 36 year old woman having fun with some friends. She’s not at work, and she doesn’t have to work 24/7.
I’m a 47 year old teacher and I like to go out with my friends. Should I stay at home because students might see me and see that I’m a person just like them?
Work is work, provate life is private life. Let’s all dance…. And have fun and live life….
Ha, ha: gotta say, I was a teacher, and the only things it stopped me from on my off hours was smoking weed and going to the nude beach near us. That could have been…awkward!
The scrutiny of this feels so sexist and stupid? She was on personal time,living her life and now they are acting like she can’t do her job. I think it is ridiculous that she was pressured into a drug test.
Agreed, what I wouldn’t do to live in a country where my leader(s) big scandal was……..dancing with friends after hours. The Finnish media need to reel it in.
I was surprised this was a big deal, and I hope she insists that recreating (legally) in one’s off hours is not only one’s right, but a GOOD thing! I’m looking forward to younger politicians taking over in the U.S., and changing things a LOT!
My job is executive level but dumb. Like I’m not saving lives, nobody will lose their housing or child if I make a mistake.
Yet for some (American) reason, my “team” prides itself on always being available. Yes, our titles indicate that we are in charge, but I truly cannot stress how not emergent my job is. I also Am the only woman, only one under 55, so I participate in the charade.
If that’s what it’s like for me and my job I cannot imagine what it’s like for her!
I’m starting a new job in my field next week and when they told me I will get $50/month for my cell phone, I immediately thought “ugh nooooooo then I will be on call 24/7.” I work in event planning so if my banquets team needed me after hours, sure. But clients? Ain’t nothing that can’t wait until the morning.
God, I’m sick of white men killing all the joy there is in the world (to be clear, I’m a white woman of some years). Oppress us at your peril, guys — see: all the TicTocs of women dancing and partying in solidarity, and all the women who will line up at the voting booth in November.
ITA! If she’s doing a good job, which it seems she is, then what is the problem??? She seems so cool, too, I really admire her
Cshell and the irony js those hypocrites criticising her do worse , but will look down on any woman who dares to enjoy life or step out of the hypocritical line they have drawn for us , line they themselves don’t follow
Literally, so what.
Absolutely stupid. Let her dance
Ugh, there is a certain group of people that cannot handle a young, capable, attractive woman in that position (perfect comparison to AOC).
Her recent hardline Russia stance is definitely exacerbating the current noise on all this; she pushes forward with NATO app and restricts Russian visas, suddenly there’s musical festival pics, party videos and a “cheating scandal” hitting the news week after week.
this! first thing i thought of was uh-oh someone really wanted to get some kompromat on sanna and here it is. only miscalculation was that a woman partying isn’t all that scandalous, at least not for (most of) western europe.
Yup, credit to her character that this is all they can come up with lol! It chills me to think of what they could get on most other (male) world leaders.
It’s white cis-male privilege, added double dose of sexism, on steroids in Finland with this woman. She is perfectly capable of performing her duties and yet when we point out the unsuitable behaviour of male, white politicians, they insist it’s all lies, or some nonsense.
And to the women in Finland supporting their PM, kudos to all of you!!!!
Kudos to Kaiser for pointing out the obvious association with AOC!! She has certainly shaken up some old cis-men in the Senate!!
Show me a white, male leader that doesn’t enjoy a few drinks and hasn’t been drunk whilst off duty whilst elected. Hell, many have been drunk ON duty.
No, this woman is being singled out for this treatment because she’s a woman. No other reason. Spare me this ‘needs to be able to run the country at any moment’ crap.
yeah where is this energy for boris johnson or trump? it’s not like she was out with bunga bunga girls a la berlusconi!
@ ElleV, don’t even get me started in the number of vacation days that Drumpf made. As for BoZo, he needs to leave 10 Downing Street now. Not later once elections are held as he is probably stealing/absconding with as must as possible. They should have escorted him out once he resigned.
There is not a better way to get out of your head than dancing!
+1 💃 Go Sanna
Right. Let me just say it’s expected that German politicians are photographed with a whole-ass liter of beer if they show up at Oktoberfest. They’re also “allowed” to go on summer vacation and are only expected to show up if there’s a disaster or other true emergency. I don’t want people to be available 24/7 for four years, it would mean they are perpetually stressed AF. That doesn’t sound great for the people who make the big desicions.
Leave the woman alone. They’re just all so …. boring and old and boring. God. The pearl-clutching because a woman was dancing! Did we leave the door open to the 18th century?
I leave my office around 6 pm, sometimes there’s overtime (compensated). I don’t have a work phone (don’t need one either). You would have to pay me crazy money to be available after I leave the office. My boss is of course always available. I’ve learned that 95% of crap that happens after cob could wait until the next day. People just think it’s important. It’s usually not.
Absolutely agree. Constant work, always being on, no way to release steam would not be good for leaders.
And my VP recently told me that he doesn’t work after 6 pm unless it’s an absolute emergency and that we shouldn’t either. And as a new person, it’s a great way to reinforce the culture of not doing overtime for no reason. 9 times out of 10, it can absolutely wait.
agree! i want my leaders relaxed, focused, and human
I wish people talked-about her doing deals with Erdoğan instead if this.
people on here arent smart enough to talk about the real issues. everything is Orange Bad Man , sexism, blm and covid aka the sniffles.
Feel free to enlighten us with some hot takes whenever you feel ready then.
My god they let Boris and company party HARD for years before even a peep was heard. Interesting how the Russians ran with it. They are looking to put a pro-Russian in.
Boris was off his face at Alexander Lebedev’s (ex-KGB oligarch, sanctioned by Canada but not, mysteriously, by us) Italian villa when he was Foreign Secretary. God knows the kompromat (and actual intelligence) they got from him.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a pro-Russian in Finland. This is not about trying to influence politics in any specific direction, this is about creating chaos and eroding faith in democracy in general, as has been their goal for decades now.
What about the males in top positions all over the world that have harassed women or commited crimes?
Hmm?
@ Flowerlake, we would be left with possibly 10 Repugnant’s in the Senate and 20 in the House, and I am being gracious.
Oh FFS let her dance! It’s her personal time. I love the videos of women dancing in solidarity. Lindsay Graham is drunk at work and slurring his words on the senate floor. Half these old dudes are drunk AT work. Even when they’re sober they come off as completely unstable, hypersensitive, unable to manage their emotions or think clearly (see Brett at his hearing).
Trump’s election really opened my eyes to the rampant misogyny in our world. Don’t you know women who dance and have fun are witches!
I’m Finnish and must say that 99 per cent of Finns don’t give a damn about what our prime minister does in her private time. No matter whether the prime minister in question is male or female. For most people, this isn’t a gender issue. What most people are shocked about is that the tape was obviously leaked from a private Instagram account with a very limited number of followers. It also seems that the prime minister hasn’t known those “friends” she’s seen with for a long time. What people are wondering is whether they’d be interested in her company if she wasn’t a prime minister, and if they’re just fame hungry, which would mean such people are hardly worth trusting in the long run. There are just seven months to go until the next election, so what’s the motive for leaking this tape? I don’t follow gossip columns, but some friends told me quite a few in that party are some kind of celebs or artists, who could obviously use some publicity. I don’t mean you can’t make new friends in a high position, but you have to be careful whom to trust. You and your friendship can easily be abused particularly in today’s world, where news – both real and fake – spread rapidly and there’s no way to stop them. What I think is that every Finnish politician has to be extra careful now. 1200 km of shared border with Russia isn’t going anywhere, and there are people who wouldn’t hesitate to use anything controversial against you or Finland in general given the chance. As I said, there are seven months to go until next election, and we won’t see until then how happy Finnish people really are with our prime minister and her party.
Other than this story I know nothing of her – what are her politics and are the Finnish people happy with her leadership and the decisions her gov is taking given everything with Russia?
Am just interested in understand more about her as a politician.
I’d say that in general, Finnish people are happy with the decisions taken with the current situation with Russia. Majority of us don’t think there would have been another way after what has happened this year, not that there would have been any illusions about the Russian politics for ages.
Sanna Marin represents the Social Democratic Party, I think they even have a website in English if you want to read more about them. I just read somewhere that an average party member of theirs is at least 70 years old, so that explains why they’re trying hard to appeal to younger people now.
People here are generally very much in favour of Marin and her policies. Her government got us into NATO and she favored limiting the number of Russian tourists visas, which is a big headline at the moment here. Both of these had, and still have, very strong public support.
She’s the head of the social democratic party and her government is made of left-centre parties (all headed by women as well). Her government is also the first time in 20 years or so when the main right wing party is in the opposition, which is a big deal in the Finnish political landscape. This controversy was mostly driven by right-leaning tabloid rags and for some reason some major publications went with it as well. They tried dressing it as a concern for drugs and then as a security issue – she was technically working that weekend and had no appointed second. All of this is just crap.
This is mostly a generational (and somewhat gender) divide now. Older right-wing people want to see this as a huge problem for the entire political institution, and younger generations see no issues with this. She’s still very popular and respected as a politician, and honestly I don’t see that changing.
@ Grace, and @ Northern Lights, thank you for your wonderful insight! When I saw this in the news this weekend, as everyone was questioning her drug use during a party, I knew it had ties to the opposing party. This party was held quite a bit ago so IF had been leaked then, it would have lost steam by the time the election was up.
Their are deranged and delusional politicians everywhere willing to use any tool to destroy opposing political party member. Here in the US, we could throw a rock and hit one with ease especially with the Repugnant’s.
Sorry her “friend” video’d & leaked. Maybe it was somebody’s +1 but real friends should protect her privacy.
And what does this have to do with AOC?
According to what I read, the video was leaked from a private Instagram account with just about 70 followers. So it was someone from the “inner circle” and that’s what makes people ask why it was done, which purpose it served.
It has to do with the similarities of how AOC as well as Marin are perceived to the public. The Repugnant’s despite AOC, as well as her crew of kick-ass group, and they try to use tools or blatant lies to try and persecute them in the public eye. There was talk years ago about how AOC didn’t live in the Bronx which was purely fictional.
How odd that Dr. Oz is running in Pennsylvania and lives in NJ, but the same rules don’t apply in US politics.
PM Sanna Marin is a breath of fresh air, she has exposed the limits of “Got you”, it is absolutley necessary to have a proper work/play balance.
She was out having fun, the images were leaked, stories exaggerated and she came clean with the truth. No excuses.
Her government has delivered, their democratic ideals still remain.
I love the response of the Finnish sisterhood.
Not everything in the human experience is a poorly written fcuking soap opera.
Oh FFS! Her country has everyone’s basic needs covered and is like the the best place to live in the world! The leader is allowed to let loose now and then.
Is she the first female to be elected as Finland’s PM? If not, was she the youngest? The tenor of this story feels like the kind of scrutiny one would get for being “the first” to do something. It feels oppressive and blown out of proportion. Anyway, if the most you can say to a politician about a situation is, “Think about the optics” (because the politician really hasn’t done anything wrong), then you should keep trying because this isn’t the “scandal” these people think it is.
Honestly, it didn’t even involve any nudity, underaged boys, or dead girls. There was no mention of suggestive dancing even! I hate to be cynical but call me when there’s a real scandal.
We’ve had two women as prime ministers before, but neither made it a full term, so she’s the first “proper” female prime minister (the first left her post a year into the government and second came in for a year after the dude before her quit). She is also the youngest, so there’s multiple firsts here. Not in terms of PM’s partying in general – Finland has a long history of state heads being drunk in public and even in official settings, but men of course.
The reponse here in Finland has been similar for the most part. The old right-wing men have to whine about something, and this suits as there are no real scandals in her government.
We should all post pics of ourselves dancing in fantastic dresses and enjoying life as women. This world is so messed up!
The world just wants to keep controlling women. She wasn’t dancing at a bar half naked drunk as hell. She danced infront of a cell phone at a friend’s house. She knew she was being recorded and was ok with it because SHE WAS JUST DANCING. Male politicians can cheat on their wives, have affairs using their own offices, sexually assault whomever they want, no biggie.
Couldn’t be anything to do with joining NATO, could it? /heavy, HEAVY sarcasm
What a bunch of sexist crap.
Everyone who flew the Lolita express (basically anyone in power) did bad.
This is good! Good for her. Hope she had a good time.
Honestly the only “problem” I see in this situation is that the PM clearly has some shitty friends or associates who don’t respect her privacy. There is no way that whoever posted this wouldn’t know that this would cause problems for her, so yeah – shitty friend.
Also, Finland isn’t exactly the place that gets the first call when the world is in jeopardy – pretty sure she can have a night off here and there. This is a nothing scandal.
Just a reminder to ensure everyone in your circle is truly in your corner. To release this in any form w/o her permission was just shitty.
If she’s performing as she should during work hours, idc what tradition says, she’s entitled to enjoy herself, period!
I live in a rather large city with a young mayor. Pre-pandemic I used to see him out quite a lot enjoying himself at bars drinking with friends. I don’t think anyone cared. I’m happy to see him out and enjoying himself because I know he works hard. This is such a stupid “scandal”