The Curse of Being a Refugee in First World Countries
Sheila and Yoko
In the US, several conversations have transpired in reference to the reasons why refugees occupy other countries. One conversation thread took place on a social network, which I will not disclose in order to retain the person’s privacy. One woman in particular felt offended because she thought that refugees and immigrants were overpopulating the United States and were hindering Americans’ chances of obtaining better job opportunities. I will name this person Sheila. Her views about people entering and living in the US seemed to upset her.
Meanwhile, in Japan, another conversation took place a few months or so later with another lady whom I will call Yoko. This time it was a face-to-face dialogue between the two of us. She expressed that refugees were not welcomed in Japan because the citizens are afraid that the asylum seekers might hurt them and increase crime rates in the country. The ensuing question for Yoko was, “how often do you see crimes committed by refugees in the news?” She nearly choked on her blank answer then searched to give a response, but could not find one. She was speechless. On the other hand, I asked Sheila if her ancestors were originally from America. She defensively responded that they were involuntarily taken there, adding a few exclamation marks to emphasize her point. She followed it with more reasons as to why refugees and immigrants should stay in their countries and Americans should not get involved in helping them. In cases like these, the topic is open for discussion, but Sheila was not allowing anything to change her thoughts. Her mind was set and she only wanted to express her opinions instead of assessing the situation.
American territory is open to thousands of refugees every year for valid reasons; there is war or terrible political uprisings in some countries. It seems to be more than a valid reason to flee dangerous grounds. While having a conversation with the women, a strong sense of influence seems to have overpowered their impressions of diverse cultures. In both conversations, the ladies were asked to place themselves in the refugees' situations. Would they want to flee their countries and go to a safer place or stay in an area where their death sentences were guaranteed? Yoko quickly defended her position and stated, "as long as they don't commit crimes" and ended the sentence with, "I am not afraid of refugees, my friends are." She did not want to turn our conversation into a debate so she felt the need to give in. In the meantime, Sheila dismissed our conversation and began ranting off to other friends in her social media timeline.
Comfort
Sometimes, individuals forget that they live in such comfort. They fail to realize that somewhere in other countries people are scurrying from one hiding place to another, avoiding the bullets and bombs that are landing in their own back yards. In cozy countries like the US, Japan and so forth, a good number of citizens have jobs, they have places to call homes and have access to 2-to-3 meals a day. Regardless of some issues here and there, most people are not ducking for their lives unless of course they live in the worst ghettos of mankind. That, in itself, is a different story.
Blinded, Disconnected and Greedy
People can find themselves blinded by prejudice or greedy behavior. Big societies tend to have more and want more. In spite of having humility, the average person works hard to have more and many times it is due to the addiction to having stuff. It becomes such a habit that people refuse to connect with others on personal levels. Nowadays, gadgets are pretty much controlling the lives of many. There are computers, tablets, music players and more, enough to open one’s own electronic shops. The worst part about it is that consumers become remote controlled by their own devices. They lose compassion for people when they vanish into social network drama, causing their egos to resent other people or blaming the world for their issues. Social Network members become hooked on short stories. Then, once they read someone’s point of view on a topic, for instance, about refugees, the voiceless (the asylum seekers) are bashed and no facts are available for everyone to see, only opinions. This causes shutter vision in a lot of people if they do not seek the truth in facts. It becomes a subjective topic. Many social network users are so blinded by the "he said, she said" news. Hate is spreading like butter and people, in this case refugees, are disregarded as if they are worth less than the trash seen on the pavement. This is where the disconnected and greediness blinds individuals who fail to think for themselves and find facts.
Experiencing a New World
In 2013, Japan accepted six refugees into the country. That is a terribly low number. From those six, three of them had to reapply before being granted acceptance. A full story in the Japan Times provides more details. In The United States, the number of asylum seekers’ estimated intake was much higher. The government anticipated a roundabout of 70,000 refugees. The chart on page five elaborates just what their expectations were. After further research, no conclusive number was found on how many refugees were accepted. Although these home seekers may feel they have won a ticket into safety, they have other restrictions that may be more than tedious. As shown on The Immigration Equality website, you will notice some of the procedures that refugees have to follow. A similar procedure occurs in Japan.
At some point, people of all backgrounds need help in order to overcome some difficult situations in life. Everyone has to tackle diverse situations. Some people may need help overcoming health complications, others in getting their finances in order, or having a plate of food, but refugees need safety and homes. When people see the following names, they don’t think of them as refugees.
These people were not stepping on anyone’s feet to live in another country, jobs did not become scarce when they occupied the United States and they did not commit any crimes. They solely needed another chance to live and show their worth.
In the US, several conversations have transpired in reference to the reasons why refugees occupy other countries. One conversation thread took place on a social network, which I will not disclose in order to retain the person’s privacy. One woman in particular felt offended because she thought that refugees and immigrants were overpopulating the United States and were hindering Americans’ chances of obtaining better job opportunities. I will name this person Sheila. Her views about people entering and living in the US seemed to upset her.
Meanwhile, in Japan, another conversation took place a few months or so later with another lady whom I will call Yoko. This time it was a face-to-face dialogue between the two of us. She expressed that refugees were not welcomed in Japan because the citizens are afraid that the asylum seekers might hurt them and increase crime rates in the country. The ensuing question for Yoko was, “how often do you see crimes committed by refugees in the news?” She nearly choked on her blank answer then searched to give a response, but could not find one. She was speechless. On the other hand, I asked Sheila if her ancestors were originally from America. She defensively responded that they were involuntarily taken there, adding a few exclamation marks to emphasize her point. She followed it with more reasons as to why refugees and immigrants should stay in their countries and Americans should not get involved in helping them. In cases like these, the topic is open for discussion, but Sheila was not allowing anything to change her thoughts. Her mind was set and she only wanted to express her opinions instead of assessing the situation.
American territory is open to thousands of refugees every year for valid reasons; there is war or terrible political uprisings in some countries. It seems to be more than a valid reason to flee dangerous grounds. While having a conversation with the women, a strong sense of influence seems to have overpowered their impressions of diverse cultures. In both conversations, the ladies were asked to place themselves in the refugees' situations. Would they want to flee their countries and go to a safer place or stay in an area where their death sentences were guaranteed? Yoko quickly defended her position and stated, "as long as they don't commit crimes" and ended the sentence with, "I am not afraid of refugees, my friends are." She did not want to turn our conversation into a debate so she felt the need to give in. In the meantime, Sheila dismissed our conversation and began ranting off to other friends in her social media timeline.
Comfort
Sometimes, individuals forget that they live in such comfort. They fail to realize that somewhere in other countries people are scurrying from one hiding place to another, avoiding the bullets and bombs that are landing in their own back yards. In cozy countries like the US, Japan and so forth, a good number of citizens have jobs, they have places to call homes and have access to 2-to-3 meals a day. Regardless of some issues here and there, most people are not ducking for their lives unless of course they live in the worst ghettos of mankind. That, in itself, is a different story.
Blinded, Disconnected and Greedy
People can find themselves blinded by prejudice or greedy behavior. Big societies tend to have more and want more. In spite of having humility, the average person works hard to have more and many times it is due to the addiction to having stuff. It becomes such a habit that people refuse to connect with others on personal levels. Nowadays, gadgets are pretty much controlling the lives of many. There are computers, tablets, music players and more, enough to open one’s own electronic shops. The worst part about it is that consumers become remote controlled by their own devices. They lose compassion for people when they vanish into social network drama, causing their egos to resent other people or blaming the world for their issues. Social Network members become hooked on short stories. Then, once they read someone’s point of view on a topic, for instance, about refugees, the voiceless (the asylum seekers) are bashed and no facts are available for everyone to see, only opinions. This causes shutter vision in a lot of people if they do not seek the truth in facts. It becomes a subjective topic. Many social network users are so blinded by the "he said, she said" news. Hate is spreading like butter and people, in this case refugees, are disregarded as if they are worth less than the trash seen on the pavement. This is where the disconnected and greediness blinds individuals who fail to think for themselves and find facts.
Experiencing a New World
In 2013, Japan accepted six refugees into the country. That is a terribly low number. From those six, three of them had to reapply before being granted acceptance. A full story in the Japan Times provides more details. In The United States, the number of asylum seekers’ estimated intake was much higher. The government anticipated a roundabout of 70,000 refugees. The chart on page five elaborates just what their expectations were. After further research, no conclusive number was found on how many refugees were accepted. Although these home seekers may feel they have won a ticket into safety, they have other restrictions that may be more than tedious. As shown on The Immigration Equality website, you will notice some of the procedures that refugees have to follow. A similar procedure occurs in Japan.
At some point, people of all backgrounds need help in order to overcome some difficult situations in life. Everyone has to tackle diverse situations. Some people may need help overcoming health complications, others in getting their finances in order, or having a plate of food, but refugees need safety and homes. When people see the following names, they don’t think of them as refugees.
- Supermodel Alek Wek
- Musical artist Wyclef Jean
- Reggae Artist Bob Marley
- Physicist Albert Einstein
- Actor Jackie Chan and many other famous people were refugees and became celebrities of some sort.
These people were not stepping on anyone’s feet to live in another country, jobs did not become scarce when they occupied the United States and they did not commit any crimes. They solely needed another chance to live and show their worth.