Table 1
Us/them classifications, viewpoints and assumptions in Vignette 1.
| REPRESENTATION | SUBJECTIVITY | INTERPERSONAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTTERANCE | US | NOT-US | VIEWPOINTS | ASSUMPTIONS (EA, PA, VA)* |
| (U1) In Finland, minorities have been invested in too much at the expense of ordinary working people. | Ordinary working people | Minorities | Finland | Minorities are not ordinary working people (PA); ordinariness, working (VA) |
| (U2) A society tailored to the needs of minorities is not egalitarian, as it raises a small group of people above the majority. | [egalitarian]†, majority | Not-egalitarian, minorities, small groups | [egalitarian]† society | Investing in minorities is tailoring society to minorities’ needs [& not-egalitarian] (PA); egalitarianism [same for everyone] (VA) |
| (U3) It is clear that the weak and sick should be cared for, but in a diverse society the state cannot answer to the needs of every small group. | State | Small groups | Diverse society | Diverse society (EA); every small group has [unique]† needs (PA) |
| (U4) The same also applies to immigrants. Difference is enriching as long as they are not given different benefits at the expense of the majority. | Majority, [sameness] | Immigrants, difference | [egalitarian society], [universalism] | Immigrants are different (PA); [same for everyone] (VA) |
| (U5) Society should require reciprocity from immigrants, such that the costs of their integration comes from their own taxes | [contributors] | Immigrants, [dependents] | Society | Immigrants do not reciprocate (PA), integration has costs (PA), reciprocity means immigrants pay for own integration (PA) |
| (U6) The customs of immigrants should not be prioritised over those of the native population. | Native population | Immigrants | [society] | Immigrants’ and natives’ customs are different (PA); customs of native population (VA) |
| (U7) Everything flows as long as immigrants integrate into Finnish traditions and customs. | Finnish, traditions, customs | [unintegrated/unassimilated] immigrants | [Finnish society] | Integration/[assimilation] (VA); Finnish traditions and customs (VA) |
| (U8) Finland’s own social problems must be solved before we can take care of others’. | Finland, [agents] | [not-Finland], [dependents] | We | Finland’s social problems are separate from others’ (PA) |
[i] † [brackets] denote implicated us/them representations, viewpoints, or assumptions that do not appear directly in the vignettes, but that in our interpretation are implicated.
* EA = Existential assumption; PA = Propositional assumption; VA = Value assumption.
Table 2
Us/them classifications, viewpoints and assumptions in Vignette 2.
| REPRESENTATION | SUBJECTIVITY | INTERPERSONAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTTERANCE | US | NOT-US | VIEWPOINTS | ASSUMPTIONS (EA, PA, VA)* |
| (U9) There are not enough resources for the integration of immigrants and problems accumulate easily in the Finnish climate that shuns difference. | Immigrants | [homogenising]† Finnish climate, exclusion | Difference | Integrating immigrants (VA); Finnish climate shuns difference (PA) |
| (U10) Society is becoming more intolerant all the time and fear of difference has increased in relation to, for example, skin colour, religion and sexual orientation, to name a few. | [tolerant]; ethnic, religious and sexual minorities | Society, intolerant | Difference | Society used to be less intolerant (PA); tolerance (VA); acceptance of difference (VA) |
| (U11) All of this creates inequalities and active people are also starting to retreat. | [equality] | Inequalities | Active people | Equality (VA); staying active (VA) |
| (U12) No one has the strength to cope indefinitely and marginalisation is complete. | [people at risk of marginalisation] | [people with limited strength] | Coping (VA) | |
| (U13) The welfare state should take care of people, provide them with basic services and safety nets. | Welfare state | [competition state] | People | Social services (VA) |
| (U14) Everyone has the right to security and services, regardless of their life situation. | Universal rights to security and services | Distinctions in security and services based on life situation | Everyone | Rights to security and services (VA); people have different life situations (PA) |
| (U15) In contemporary Finland, services do not reach those who are most in need of help. | [reformed Finland] | Contemporary Finland | Those most in need of help | Services that reach those most in need of help (VA) |
| (U16) A strong state, which supports without blame, is in everyone’s interest, because each of us may need its help in different stages of life. | Strong [welfare] state, each of us | [individualism] | Everyone | State support (VA); there are different stages of life (PA) |
| (U17) However, in recent decades the welfare state has deteriorated alarmingly. | Welfare state | [competition state] | Recent decades | Stable welfare state (VA) |
| (U18) It should be strengthened, but also reformed to meet difference and the needs of different people. | Strengthened/reformed welfare state | [sameness, same needs] | Difference, different people | People are different and have different needs (PA) |
[i] † [brackets] denote implicated us/them representations, viewpoints or assumptions that do not appear directly in the vignettes, but that in our interpretation are implicated.
* EA = Existential assumption; PA = Propositional assumption; VA = Value assumption