Lately, I don’t want to talk to people about issues of refugees or immigration as I’m worried their viewpoints will make me want to end the friendship or connection right there (this is with regard to any human rights-opposing viewpoints). People seem to have forgotten how to be humane. And what was once a minority opinion (including all misconceptions), seems to have become the majority these days.
People confuse refugees with regular immigrants. Refugees flee for a reason. They don’t do this for fun, they are being persecuted. They flee because they have no other choice. Often, they know the risks involved but still choose to flee, hoping to find a safe place where they can start a life. What would you do, if it were you? Just like people don’t choose where they are born or what nationality they have, people don’t choose to be refugees.
People still seem to think that the vast majority just comes here for ‘economic gain’ and ‘to take our jobs’. If this was the case, they would not be granted asylum as asylum requires sufficient and substantive grounds. Yet, in the Netherlands, over 60% of all initial asylum applications in 2014 were granted (and many are still granted in appeal). This means that all those people have sufficient and substantive grounds to flee their country and to be based here.
And besides this distinction between refugees and immigrants, what’s so bad about immigrants anyways? Why are expats welcome, but immigrants are not (see this article)?
And why are people so worried about ‘overpopulation’ but they don’t mind all the baby-booming by their friends and family? That leads to overpopulation too! This is not my viewpoint, but a comparison to illustrate the hypocrisy. If you really don’t want ‘new’ people to enter your country, perhaps you should also be against ‘new’ people being born in your country? At least priority should be given to people who already exist, no? Or… perhaps rethink your stance and welcome all people, no matter where they’re from.
“I don’t care who you are… Where you’re from…” (bad BSB reference)
wwwanchi 