The atrocity in France and the refugees

One of the most annoying thing the media does it to frame the conversations in a light they wish it to, even when it comes to straw men, or simply by ignoring facts/realities.

Case to the point? The recent massacre in Paris. Worries about the waves of incoming immigrants (refugees) suddenly flared up. There were several reasons, most of them valid, most of them should be discussed. However, any and all of these were shut down by commentators and “opinion formers” by deciding that any such worries equate calling all refugees with terrorists. So came the opinion pieces from the NYT, Guardian, etc, claiming people blame the refugees, and that most of the perpetrators were French, anyway.

Well, let’s just think about this for a second, shall we?

There are several issues at work here. First, and foremost, yes, there are morons who think it's all the refugee's fault. They are not very numerous (I hope), and they are definitely not right. So, to the reasonable argument. The first is the infiltration of these so-called “fighters” using the masses of refugees as cover. This is a possibility, it might be actually happening; or it might not. But it is a valid concern. Disregarding it is not only stupid, but criminal. You leave yourself open to a vulnerability because of your ideology. However I revile the Daily Mail, their cartoon depicted this very danger; it did NOT equate all refugees to rats, unlike the Nazi cartoon it was put next to.

That’s one issue. Another issue is more long-term, and, I think, it holds more water. It’s about integration. It’s about the question of how to integrate a huge number of people into economies which were hit by the double whammy of economic crisis and forced austerity. People who might or might not be willing to integrate. As we have seen in France for several years, their Algerian population is having serious problems with fitting in. They live in ghettos, their job prospects are much poorer than the general population’s. The young have no future, they are not accepted by the French as one of them, and they are not Algerian anymore, either. So they get radicalized.

Similar dynamics can be seen in England: populations distinct from the host’s culture tend to live in enclaves, clinging to their own ways, even if it’s conflicting with their new country’s, and holding extremist beliefs that are violating their new country’s basic values. (Just a side-note, so that we’re clear. I’m talking about trends and statistics; I’m not generalizing to every Pakistani, every Indian, every Arab, or every Muslim.)

You can see the start of this process with the newcomers as well: unwilling to learn the language of their new country, trying to ban local celebrations, living in enclaves, and being hostile to others who “intrude” to their small communities. Bulgaria has reported that not many refugees wish to stay there due to the small amount of monthly stipend they’d get there; most of the refugees also did not wish to stay in Denmark because they expected more money in Sweden. It seems to me some came with a sense of entitlement; what will they think and do when they realize even Sweden and Germany are not the lands of milk and honey? What will their children think growing up in this bitter disappointment, and harsh realities of present day Europe? These communities will be breeding extremism; and this is happening in the richest countries of the continent. What do you think would happen to a couple of hundred thousand refugees living in Central and Eastern Europe? This is a very much valid concern for those countries –and for the richer ones where this is happening now. Ten-twenty years from now there will be masses of disenfranchised young bearing a grudge against their country, against the “other people” living there. They will be perfect recruiting material for extremists. They would be what the Parisian youths were and are: burning cars, and joining Jihads. Not talking about this honestly in the name of liberal values is also criminally stupid.

So no. Expressing worries about masses of new migrants while we see the examples of previous failed attempts of integration is not racism. It’s just common sense politicians should well be heading, because their refusal to even listen and talk about these issues will only boost the support of the far right, and make things worse for all involved.