that’s it. I can’t take it anymore.
I don't think I need to tell you that ISIL was behind the Paris attacks last Friday evening. it was a barbaric attack not only on Paris, but on western culture as a whole. however, what really bothers me – what has me wide awake at 3.30 on a thursday morning – is the sudden and cruel reaction to Syria's refugees, who have been trying for many years to escape the brutal realities of an oppressive dictator, and now a group of murderous extremists; the likes of both of which, ironically, collectively make the attacks on Paris seem tame. thus, this is a conversation that we shouldn't even need to have. yet here we are.
we, the united states of america, created ISIL. no one wants to talk about it, much less admit it, but it really is that simple. we invaded Iraq on false pretenses, ham-fistedly tried to make things better, and then just left. in the resulting power vacuum – which had the distinct aftertaste of rich white people once again trying to force dominion over poor brown people who had never asked for it – ISIL was all too ready to step in, and have since conquered a fairly significant swath of the middle east.
this conflict has generated an equally significant number of refugees, particularly from Syria, who, as mentioned, has also been gripped by a ferocious civil war at the hands of a ruthless dictator for quite some time. these folks, from every level of society and walk of life, have simply had enough. they have left everything – their homeland and their livelihoods – to try to eke out a better, more peaceful existence elsewhere for themselves and their families. it's an impossible situation that these people find themselves in, the likes of which most of us fortunately cannot even fathom. the west's reaction to it, however, has only made things even worse.
as one of the attackers may or may not have been a refugee himself, an unfortunately large segment of the countries that pledged to help absorb some of the collateral damage of this conflict have suddenly found themselves with cold feet. forgotten is the image of one Aylan Kurdi, the young child so callously washed up dead on a greek beach of paradise, a stern reminder of the very human toll this conflict has grown to inflict. forgotten, because our kindness and compassion could just as easily be taken advantage of in such an egregious way. and now the doors to better futures are slamming shut left and right to everyone affected by this.
which, as I'm sure you realize, is horrible. Syria has been in dire need of help for a long time, and its people need help now more than ever. given its role in creating the latest horror that the Syria now has to deal with, it is the very least that the USA can do to open its borders to at least a generous portion of the vast quantity of refugees this conflict has generated. we've done it before, and now it's time to do it again.
as the refugees come from all walks of life, we'd be letting in a swath of highly educated, highly skilled people into our society, the likes of which we desperately need. immigration is always good for societies. more brainpower is always good for the economy at large, and a little bit of diversity is never a bad thing, either.
the flipside to this is that if we do not open our doors, if we do not help clean up our mess in the middle east, this will absolutely have the effect of driving more disenfranchised people into the waiting arms of ISIL. for every refugee that we turn away, there are 5 more dedicated enemies born, that we will someday have to deal with. an ounce of prevention is here truly worth a pound of cure.
of course, with every large quantity of people, there exists the possibility that some of them will be bad people. this is simply unavoidable. we are no different, of course: what, with our mass shooters, and the alarming number of people defecting from the west to ISIL itself. indeed, assholes are everywhere. however, not allowing the bad apples to spoil the bunch is a decision we can actively make. this should not impede our ability to be compassionate.
and honestly, if the trillions of dollars our western governments pump into surveillance can't weed out the bad apples, then maybe we need to take a closer look at what a bad apple really is.
and if your reason for not wanting these people in your country is simply because they're different, then kindly go fuck yourself. you are not allowed to be a part of the solution, because you are the problem.
it should be noted that this issue is decidedly distinct from that of abortion and gun control. although, it is curious that the same people who would fight so valiantly for the rights of an innocent unborn fetus would so easily deny the rights of an innocent displaced population; and that there are those that could so easily wash their hands of the awful reality of unchecked gun control.
and it should go without saying that changing your facebook profile picture to include a transparent bastardization of the french flag merely displays your own ignorance of the violence the rest of the world has grown numb to.
it is an unfortunate, crass reality that our species has evolved such a disparity between those who have never known the horrors of senseless armed conflict, and those who know only these horrors. count yourself lucky if you are among the first group. I know I am. but when we wield our spirit of self preservation against those whose lives have been marred by violence, we become no better than the perpetrators of the very brutality which we are so desperately trying to evolve beyond.