Unguided Philosophy: Monday, 3 August 2015 –
I will start by clearly defining the parameters of this post: This post is regarding asylum seekers, and specifically the events that are unfolding in Calais, it is not about economic migrants, it is about people who have migrated because they feel they have no other option.
Statistics and facts matter. So do people.
The Huffington Post published a brilliant article at the end of last month by Robin Lustig titled “Is It Time for Some Facts about Those Migrants?” (You can read it here). In it Mr. Lustig attempts to dispel some of the anti-asylum seeker rhetoric through a very simple tactic: the use of facts. This can be shocking to those who wish to postulate based solely on some populist rhetoric based in the fear of Britain no longer being Great. In this post I want to provide a brief overview of the arguments presented in the article as well as expand on them to include the reasons why much of the reasoning we hear to why we shouldn’t help others is dangerous and based in a false notion of us and them. Continue reading “Calais: Statistics and facts matter. So do people.”