Re: [freeflychris] Whats your take on this
it seems like a chicken little style scare tactic to me. heck, the vid offered NO suggestions!
when economic times get rough, verbal assaults on "outsiders" grow.
some random thoughts...
- many have stated concern that the US will turn Brown thanks to Latin America immigration. now some fear this.
- immigrants admire the US, that is why they come here. many relish the opportunity they find, and I doubt they want to change it.
- birthrates always tend to be higher amongst the poor and lower amongst the wealthy. in developing countries, many view large families as necessary for a form of retirement. they need more kids to ensure several survive to adulthood, and then be able to support their parents. it is a tactic to provide a social safety net. I bet as they assimilate into Western countries, their birthrates will drop. heck, 100 years ago, Italian and Irish immigrants had huge families.
- society changes no matter what. it is harder to find stay at home Moms. it is harder to find a stable company with a
pension plan (most have switched to 401-k's). houses are bigger. kids play with electronic games rather than outside. this is why we have such a strong stereotype of the old codger lamenting about how things have changed... just think, 100 years ago, we lacked interstate highways, air travel, television, radio, computers, many lacked electricity, etc. today, "The Arts" struggle for funding. Ballet & Orchestras lack popularity. so our culture will change whether there is immigration or not.
- Christianity is NOT a uniform, homogenous group. neither is Islam. witness the unrest in Iran. it is easy, but inaccurate, to use 1 stereotype to portray millions of people. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, that Chicago minister, a bunch of right-wing evangelists, etc. are not great faces of Christianity, and fail to represent the mainstream, but they do get time on TV. I doubt the faces of Islam shown on TV are mainstream either.
- hundreds of years ago, western europe was struck by fear. the plague and other tragedies created harsh living. people struggled to survive and find answers. as they returned to the basics, they ignored or destroyed many books of knowledge. it was their way of attempting to end the cycle that led to their misery. much of history was lost. much of which remains was preserved by followers of Islam... we could not have our current culture if Muslims had not preserved the past!