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  • J

    J.B.Oct 19, 2018 at 10:09 am

    “It’s hard to wrap my head around”

    It’s hard for us, as Americans, to wrap our heads around the anti-immigration views of *numerous* EU nations. This is partially due to the U.S. being a nation of immigrants. We are a melting pot of cultures, though it may be difficult to discern since many of us are a few generations removed from our family’s arrival. Our social fabric is very diverse and has changed more rapidly than our European counterparts for at least the last 100 years. We have the founding principles in common, so it’s expected that newer arrivals accept these principles and live in harmony with our Western democracy. This is why conservatives are hesitant to accept Syrian refugees in mass numbers: they have been forced to leave a country with a culture that is in many ways counter to our Western values, so assimilation is more difficult. That’s not to say it can’t be done (there’s an area in San Antonio with many Syrian refugees living normal lives), but it’s certainly the basis of policy disagreements. The right tends to think that the culture shock impedes assimilation, which affects an immigrant’s ability to become a productive member of society. That’s to say nothing about the additional strain this may put on our welfare system. Again, there is much policy disagreement and discussion to be had, though my views are in no way unique to others on the right, especially since “what it means to be American” seems to be a hotbed a disagreement between classical conservatives and progressive democrats.

    On the other hand, many European countries are more ethnically and racially homogenous than the U.S. These cultures and traditions span many generations. Assimilating to these cultures is much more involved than the U.S., and the native citizens are now grappling with issues that were baked into the American pie. A rise in Nationalism isn’t surprising, especially in a nation like Hungary that holds their common culture a bit tighter to their chests. Influxes of immigrants, especially from very different cultures, will necessarily catalyze a social change that many people don’t want. It’s hard to put ourselves into those shoes since we lack to context to fully empathize.

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  • N

    Nelson Taylor SolOct 7, 2018 at 8:05 pm

    Maybe you didn’t even notice it, but apparently your suggestion that oppression has made Hungarians wary of invaders is what you are after (oppression) by claiming to follow “progressive ideas”. Perhaps you would need to lose your freedom to get to appreciate it.
    Is it wrong that “they treasure their culture, their language and most importantly their history”? Is it not plain sanity “attempting to stay safe”? Why do you think Germans, who only 3 years ago welcomed “refugees” with candies at Munich train station, now want to reverse the foolishness of trying to integrate migrants holding opposite values?
    Keep up being intellectually curious.
    Cheers.

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