Sporttisen matala

I use various social media to provide information about him to Käärijä fans in Japan and to help Japanese people who do not yet know him to like him, but everywhere I look, not just on twitter, I find daily hate posts against Käärijä.

Some people simply don't like him.

Some still bring up ESC 2023 even though it has been a year and a half already, put him down just to praise Loreen.

Some loudly insult him out of their humanitarian convictions, saying they cancel him, and yet they are back in fandom nonchalantly.

Others say they are true fans and are criticising him for his own good, so this does not constitute slander, but they speak ill of him, his friends and his family with foul language.

Some, feeling an unnecessary obligation to educate him, impose their opinions on him, ignore his human rights and try to turn him into someone they like.

And even between fans, drama is created every day.

Even I, who am not Käärijä himself, go crazy when I see these posts day after day, but I can only imagine how Käärijä himself feels when he receives all this hate, directly or indirectly, and it brings me to tears every day.

Most people, not only those who hate him, but even those who say they are his fans, don't care what one person, Mr.Jere Pöyhönen, would think of these posts.

They all believe they are absolutely righteous and just and are desperate to have their righteousness recognised and agreed upon in the small world of social media. Most of the things you don't like about him and "his mistakes" end in one sentence: "That's not for me." or "It's not my thing." You don't have to spend tens of millions of filthy and mean words to justify yourself.

In Japan and South Korea, a very large number of young celebrities commit suicide due to social media slander, which has become a major problem.

A few years ago, I was greatly shocked when a young and talented female professional wrestler in Japan committed suicide because of social media slander.

I wonder if those who never tire of slandering Käärijä and speaking ill of him have ever once considered that he might die because of their posts.

Sometimes I’m seriously scared that he might commit suicide someday.

Just imagining how he'd feel when he received slurs and death-wish messages from thousands of people around the world, instead of legitimate criticism, is enough to break my heart too.

In a world where we can do anything at our fingertips, have we lost the ability to imagine things happening in places you don't know about or how other people are feeling?

Of course, when he is clearly doing something wrong, it's right to criticise him.

But criticism should be factual and dispassionate. Thinking badly of someone based on imagination alone and using dirty, strong language is just slander. And it's also slander to speak ill of something that the other person has no control over themselves, such as their appearance or background.

People who don't know the difference should not post their opinions on public accounts on social media where everyone can see them.

Once a post is on the web, it remains as a digital tattoo, no matter how much you delete it, just as you cannot take back the words that came out of your mouth.

You have freedom of speech and thought, and your right to criticise someone should not be violated, but remember that with freedom and rights come obligations and responsibilities.

Recently in Japan, there has been an acceleration in the legal crackdown on slander on social media.

If you feel comfortable hiding behind anonymity, you are wrong.

Remember that there is always the possibility that you could one day be sued by the person you have slandered, subjected to a disclosure request, criminally prosecuted and made a criminal.

I am fascinated by the thoughtful words Käärijä sometimes speaks at his gigs.

Love and peace, that's all we need.

I hope that the world he, his loved ones and his fandom will create in the future will be a world full of love and peace💚