Scandinavia and the World
Scandinavia and the World
Small Talk satwcomic.com

Small Talk


Every time I make a comic about Finnish saunas I'm told it's a running joke in Finland that Finns only make small talk in saunas.

Denmark Finland Norway Sweden
5th May 2015
Tweet
Follow Scandinavia and the World on:
Patreon Facebook Twitter Tumblr
 
461 Comments:
 
sort by: direction:
9 years ago #9470096        
17
 
0
 

Our icy layer starts to melt a bit in high temperatures of sauna, so we'll get a bit more chatty. After leaving sauna, our natural subzero core quickly cools down and we're back to the familiar cold facade.


show replies

9 years ago #9465010        
7
 
0
 

Saunas are to Finns what dogs are to the English. It's a permit to talk to strangers. If you want to talk to strangers in England, borrow a dog and walk down the street. People will smile at you and ask you what the dog's name is, how old, and say how nice it is. . . . Otherwise they never notice you, it would be intrusive.

7 years ago #9723134        
6
 
0
 

Am I the only one who enjoys Finland's speaking?


show replies

9 years ago #9410310        
6
 
0
 

I'd love see this as an animation!

7 years ago #9770899        
5
 
0
 

Still my favourite after all those years. Cracks me up every time

txag70

27
9 years ago #9403028        
5
 
2
 

Amazingly, the word "Perkele" was nowhere to be found here.

Lumpex

18
3 years ago #9861319        
4
 
0
 

Yep. In high school our class went swimming but me and my friend didn't ever get to the pools because we got stuck talking to some stranger in a sauna for 2 hours.

Lhinden

23
9 years ago #9484719        
4
 
0
 

Silentium est aurum


show replies

7 years ago #9749925        
3
 
0
 

"I had chicken for dinner."

Finland is too freaking adorable.

9 years ago #9463258        
3
 
0
 

"Finnish people are most stoic human beings on earth"
http://www.iep.utm.edu/stoicism/

Finnish people are defined by silence. Is that healthy?

"The key to the Finnish character is quietude. Finns rarely enter into conversation with strangers; words are chosen carefully; small talk is considered suspect. Instead Finns revere "sacred silence" and hold that keeping quiet is healthy and promotes thoughtfulness. In his book Cultures in Conversation, author Donal Carbaugh quotes a young Finn who admits, "I never realized that people in other cultures might regard the word 'shy' as a negative word... 'Ujo' or 'shy' in Finnish has a neutral or positive meaning."
"Finland is no place for complainers, and long, dark Arctic winters have shaped some of the hardiest—and most stoic—human beings on Earth.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200701/global-psyche-no-need-words

Add comment: Please Sign in or create an accout to comment.

View all 461 comments