The Äijävihreä Manifesto: What Makes a Green Bloke?

So, what does it mean to be an Äijävihreä? And do you have the attitude?

An Äijävihreä is — or sees himself as — a liberal, educated, middle-class bloke: curious about the world and perhaps a local version of Tim Walz.

An Äijävihreä has ideas about how to make the world a better place. He has also given some thought to the small matter of how to pay for all those good ideas.

You don’t have to be a man to have the Äijävihreä attitude. Women and non-binary people can have it, too. It’s an attitude that recoils at conservative backsliding but is also sceptical of identity politics when it draws lines between people and shuts others out.

An Äijävihreä may have had a slightly eccentric or radical past. These days, though, he can listen calmly to different points of view and see things in a broader context. No need to turn every disagreement into a revolution.

An Äijävihreä stands up for the rights of minorities, women and children.

He wants to develop the world around him in ways that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Like many men in the Nordic countries, an Äijävihreä is open-minded. And plenty of blokes have already done their bit to build a more equal and environmentally sustainable world.

An Äijävihreä may raise an eyebrow at the idea that violence and selfish conservatism are sometimes associated with the older bloke — the stereotypical setämies — simply because of his age and gender. Surely, being a man of a certain age doesn’t automatically make you a reactionary loudmouth?

Trained to think strategically, an Äijävihreä likes the idea of the Greens becoming a growing, pioneering political force: a party that gets things done, turns its goals into real change and renews the way politics works. A party where an ever larger and more diverse group of motivated people can make a difference.

An Äijävihreä knows what he brings to the table. A green strategy won’t get very far if the middle class — and the Äijävihreät among them — are left out.

So, have you spotted a little Äijävihreä in yourself? Or are you a kindred spirit?