amw

absurd reasons for being a refugee

Jan 12, 2021 11:47

This wonderful piece of news made the front page this morning: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/12/bangladeshi-man-with-asthma-wins-france-deportation-fightRead more... )

immigration, news

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Comments 12

geminiwench January 12 2021, 20:10:17 UTC
Everyone wants a better life.... and where harassment and violence "sucks, but also it's par for the course as a trans person and as a woman." it seems like a legitimate move to look for something... somewhere... where its even a LITTLE less likely to happen. Also... New Zealand. Who doesn't want to move to New Zealand right now? Would you rather try your luck as an asthmatic in Bangladesh or in France? I interviewed a kid from the Democratic Republic of Congo... he got a record deal in Uganda when he was 15 with the group he fronted. He went over to Uganda and recorded his album and did a tour and the civil war in the DRC heated up and they closed the borders. He lived in a refugee camp for 6 years in Uganda while his family was still in the DRC. He applied to the U.S. and he finally got placed... and been living here 4 years. He's never seen his family since he was 15. Some would argue he was lucky... he's in the U.S. now. Life is FINE. Except... it costs so much to travel he may never see his family in person again... while they ( ... )

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olamina January 12 2021, 22:24:53 UTC

The refugee system shines a spotlight on the fact that as a global community we suck in helping countries actually be better/fairer. We're just like "meh forget it. Just go live in the other place. Your place isn't salvageable. "

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geminiwench January 13 2021, 19:33:53 UTC
There is also that added bonus of,
"Oh, you say FRANCE is too polluted? You want to come to US?"

Or "America is too homophobic and you don't feel safe? Please, tell us more!"

Not that it's not true... like, first world nations have ALL KINDS of first world problems, alongside plenty of poverty problems too like malnutrition, hunger, infestations, unsafe water, homelessness,... depending on which first world country you're in and where in that country you are. Only the poor in first world countries are generally told to just... deal with it... and can't afford (or find a pro-bono) lawyer who is going to try and get them asylum in a "better" country with... maybe healthcare, but similar problems with pollution,... or cleaner air, but no real opportunities for people who don't have a 4-year degree.

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olamina January 14 2021, 22:52:04 UTC

Not to mention the people still waiting outside the country for refugee status and all the exploitation that goes on in camps and other transitional spaces 👉🏾
"I met with the kids and asked them, 'Are things still being done the way they were, do you still have to dance and sing in front of newcomers?' They said, 'Yes, but this time we're not doing it for other celebrities, this time we're doing it for you.'"

It seemed to her the organisation focused more on its brand than on children's education.

"I just decided I'm done with the NGO world using me for 'my beautiful story of courage and hope''

Https://bbc.com/news/stories-55653029

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olamina January 12 2021, 22:21:58 UTC

I was watching a clip of Fran Lebowitz where she was like "Being gay is not slavery" and it was nice to hear someone just plainly throw out false equivalence. I thought of you as I chuckled to it. It's here and I've been saying these things for years https://youtu.be/DG21S11IciU

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amw January 14 2021, 18:58:09 UTC
This was an excellent clip, thanks for sharing.

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livejournal January 12 2021, 22:36:28 UTC
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wanderingmogwai January 14 2021, 02:29:58 UTC

There is a bit of video of Ronald Regan stating the importance of immigration to the American ideal that is being used by some recently to make a point. In the 80's apparently people were not devoid of their human rights and as much as a bully that the US was we still valued them. All of them. Idk about world wide then but world wide now that is not the case. What do you think of this seeming drastic change in policy? Or is it all just spin?

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amw January 14 2021, 18:55:23 UTC
This is an extremely interesting question, and i think is related to the current civil unrest in America and around the globe ( ... )

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wanderingmogwai January 20 2021, 06:44:26 UTC

I'm still digesting this. You brought up several points that I need to look deeper into. I've gotten as far as neoliberalism. I have to be honest I don't know what that is. :p
From what you've said tho it's obvious to me you know what you're talking about. I hate to keep bringing that up. I'm not simping I promise! Lol. It's just the truth!

Soooooo.... what is neoliberalism?

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amw January 20 2021, 07:11:09 UTC
I'm not sure i really know what i'm talking about! It's just something i am quite interested in, so i've spent a bunch of time reading about it. I don't know if my ideas are correct or not - there is still a lot of debate amongst journalists and academics who know far more than i do ( ... )

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