tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post5145393641033333896..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Pro-life without exceptionSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-59513891167500676952014-08-08T21:17:06.688-04:002014-08-08T21:17:06.688-04:00Hm, I don't know. Culture changes fast regard...Hm, I don't know. Culture changes fast regardless of the pace of immigration. But I do see that in Europe, a big block of immigrants all from the same places has caused a whole subculture, at odds with the native culture. I don't care about preserving traditional French culture, whatever that is, but what they've got now is rioting and violence and *that's* hardly good.<br /><br />I do think it's natural to be a bit bitter in one's homesickness, especially when one really would rather have stayed home if not for political or economic conditions. And of course one likes to think of oneself as superior to everyone else. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother gave me that thought -- it was a lot of "see, this is why the Chinese are better." Which made me want to ask the author, "What about your husband? Doesn't he manage to be a wonderful person without that perfect Chinese upbringing?"<br /><br />One oughtn't to be big-headed or superior. One doesn't have to be self-deprecatory and abject either. Balance is good.<br /><br />Should the numbers of immigrants be kept low? I don't really think so ... but perhaps if the native population has a tiny birthrate like Europe has, it will drive a level of demographic turnover that isn't very healthy. You want to bring new people into a flourishing country, not a fading, aging one. (But, of course, if your birthrate *is* that small, you kind of have no choice.)Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-52578612362224255892014-08-08T00:10:57.368-04:002014-08-08T00:10:57.368-04:00Now, that's tricky. Your raising the question...Now, that's tricky. Your raising the question makes me think of both <i>ghazw</i> (what I looked up was "razzia", but wikipedia likes us to think it knows better about everything...) and on the other hand <i>pressura</i>, which was how the Asturias gradually re-‘conquered’ Spain after the Moorish period, though no-one was thinking of conquest for most of it.<br /><br />Ghazw definitely means an armed escapade, so <i>pressura</i> is probably closer to the mark, except for <i>stuff</i>...Belfry Bathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00514867101036143597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-39046218541220437072014-08-07T04:16:03.639-04:002014-08-07T04:16:03.639-04:00+JMJ+
Bat, you raised a point I never thought ab...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Bat, you raised a point I never thought about before! When I said that immigrants should admit to themselves that their new culture is "better," I didn't mean in the sense of its total superiority, but in the sense of taking responsibility for their own choices. But I didn't see that this refusal to embrace a new culture could have a twin in an imperialist's refusal to do the same. Yet the parallels are perfect! <br /><br />When talking about immigrants, we can't still call it "imperialism." And "racism" is too narrow a category. Oh, erudite pteropine wordsmith, what term should we use for what we now mean??? Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-27589102000348618112014-08-03T19:26:07.143-04:002014-08-03T19:26:07.143-04:00Another way to put a very similar thing; Britain m...Another way to put a very similar thing; Britain more-or-less conquered half the world by moving into poorer places and acting like rich Brits; the pattern was called "Effortless Superiority", by the English themselves. Yes, gunpowder and blast furnaces helped, but all the gunpowder in China couldn't kill all of India. The British Empire devolved into the British Commonwealth exactly when Britain got tired of being various sorts of British, everywhere.<br /><br />Allowing, or even encouraging, the reverse process (nonintegrative immigration) is simply asking to be conquered.Belfry Bathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00514867101036143597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-78039458292977730382014-08-03T12:37:23.294-04:002014-08-03T12:37:23.294-04:00+JMJ+
Although it is impossible to preserve cult...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Although it is impossible to preserve culture perfectly, I think that it is nonetheless prudent to keep the numbers of new immigrants low. This is to keep things from changing too drastically in a short time and to help the new arrivals to assimilate faster. We see over and over again that when there are enough new strangers in a place to form their own micro-community, they become a self-conscious minority rather than joining the larger community they supposedly came over to be part of. <br /><br />This was why nobody really liked the Chinese students at my New Zealand university (not even the other international Asians--LOL!), with the feeling being mutual. It's also why the Filipinos and South Koreans at the high school where I was teaching couldn't stand each other during the year when the principal decided to admit so many of the latter that they made up an unprecedented 15% of the student body. (Even the Filipino teachers, many of us tenured, thought that the policy changes made to accommodate our international students were ridiculous. Since when do newcomers get to call so many of the shots?) <br /><br />I truly believe that the full blow of culture shock--and the catharsis which comes from accepting that you can only live in one culture at a time--are necessary for people who want to live in a foreign country without taking advantage or being bad neighbours. <br /><br />This doesn't mean that the ones who already live there shouldn't reach out to newcomers with kindness, but that some things which seem like kindness might really be making things worse. When I hear, for instance, of immigrants living in a new country for nearly a decade and still being unable to speak the language, I get quite upset at the locals for letting the immigrants be so isolated. (Would <i>you</i> go for a decade without talking to the people next door?) I'm glad that many European countries are now setting language requirements for immigrants. It might seem "discriminatory," but it's for the entire community's good. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-65407842416306443282014-08-02T20:01:27.298-04:002014-08-02T20:01:27.298-04:00Your point about ecosystems is exactly what troubl...Your point about ecosystems is exactly what troubles me about the "cultural purity" argument. Cultures are in constant shift, and in my opinion they are enriched by new people. I mean, just compare the food available in 1950's America (burgers, fries, hot dogs) compared to the dozens of ethnic and fusion foods available today. It's enriched, not diluted.<br /><br />And yes, culture can't be preserved anyway. I just finished Second Nature, by Michael Pollan, in which he makes a similar argument about ecosystems. He says that all of our interactions with the environment should be on the model of a garden, because when we assume that "the wild" is actually wild, we often destroy it because our very existence (putting out fires, not allowing wolves, whatever) throws the entire system out of whack anyway. And even without us, ecosystems are never stable.<br /><br />As far as what level of cultural assimilation is best, I am not sure I'd agree that you have to think the new place is better. Perhaps that it's better for you, now, or that it's better in some ways. People who flee bad situations in their old country can be forgiven if they still hanker for their old country, as it used to be. That doesn't mean they shouldn't still be grateful and make a real effort to put down roots. It's what I've done moving here to Virginia. I realized it was unfair what we did in Philadelphia -- taking advantage of the friendship of others and expecting them to open their circles to us, when we had no real intention of staying for any length of time. We stayed just long enough for everyone to be sad when we left .... not very nice, when I think about it. To partake in the goods of community here in Virginia, it feels like part of the deal that we should commit to making this our real home, to acknowledge the culture that's already here (hence, no whining about the constant country music our neighbors blast -- everyone appears to like it but us), and to give back to the community as well as take.<br /><br />Though really this is instinctive. My neighbor today gave me an armful of sweet corn and a pound of homemade sausage. I suppose it was out of the generosity of his heart, but I feel a strong sense of obligation. I had better bake him bread or something ... I have such an unshakable impulse that it would be *wrong* to just say thanks and go on my way. It isn't neighborly.<br /><br />That's kind of far from immigration, isn't it? But the neighborhood is a microcosm of everything. When a nation welcomes you, you ought to be sensible of the debt. And yet, I've never met an immigrant who wasn't. It seems to be our nature to feel it.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-63368834578076023532014-08-02T13:19:51.284-04:002014-08-02T13:19:51.284-04:00+JMJ+
Sheila, I would love to be your neighbour!...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Sheila, I would love to be your neighbour! =) <br /><br />But perhaps I shouldn't have said that because now the rest of this comment might be stained with self-interest. ;-) LOL! <br /><br />Now, cultural identity isn't a 100% compelling reason to me--not because I find it unimportant, but because change is simply inevitable. (Remember the <i>State of Fear</i> readalong and the sobering evidence that trying to preserve an ecosystem by unnatural means actually wrecks havoc in the long run?) Yet I do respect locals' right to have their community be a certain way and "to enforce" that culture through traditions and day-to-day norms. It's a natural form of democracy. And a bunch of new "voters" moving into the neighbourhood and bring their own traditions and norms with them would be a little disruptive--to put it lightly! =P <br /><br />Riffing off of what Bat said, something I've always believed is that if you're going to make a conscious decision to emigrate to a new country, then you have the obligation to adapt to its culture. This doesn't mean checking your brain at customs, but it does mean admitting that you moved because your new home is, in an <i>objective</i> sense, better than the place that you left. It would might also mean being as <i>grateful</i> for your new culture as you are homesick for your old. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-33387220704282895372014-08-02T07:35:11.495-04:002014-08-02T07:35:11.495-04:00Yes, but for me to get here, somebody had to let m...Yes, but for me to get here, somebody had to let my ancestors in. My own mother-in-law wouldn't have made it in 40 years ago with the immigration laws we have today.<br /><br />A lot of people don't realize this, when they shout "get in line" or "we got in legally, so should you," but immigration law has gotten a lot stricter lately. If you are a poor Mexican or Filipino, you basically can't come in at all. From other countries we have a quota, but all of those quotas are so much lower than the number of people who want to come. You might be waiting 10 years or longer -- even if you have family members here.<br /><br />The system is so broken.<br /><br />But considering how I get on with some of my neighbors, it's no wonder I don't believe much in "cultural identity." We're all white Americans, and it doesn't appear to help. ;)Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-68850216970006420912014-08-01T15:44:55.543-04:002014-08-01T15:44:55.543-04:00There's an important difference, I think, betw...There's an important difference, I think, between being an immigrant vs. being descended from immigrants, in that if you've grown up in a place, then you know how to get on in that place, and your neighbors more-or-less know how to get on with you. Mostly. Sort-of. I know En. has had this sort of conversation before, so the short version is: immigration doesn't work by magic, but by changing the migrant.Belfry Bathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00514867101036143597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-30485115291537898952014-08-01T15:21:01.591-04:002014-08-01T15:21:01.591-04:00Political parties are more-or-less despicable to m...Political parties are more-or-less despicable to me. At the same time, I recognize that they *are* how you get things done in this country. I have chosen not to join any party, and I petition my representatives individually about certain issues. John, however, has chosen to join the GOP because he knows it's his best bet for getting onto Town Council and making a difference. Another candidate whom I like refuses to seek a party's endorsement, and I fear she's going to come in dead last because of it. I admire the sentiment, but I'd rather have her have a shot at actually representing me. It's a tough call.<br /><br />Anon, the pro-life community frustrates me. There are truly prolife issues (specifically the death penalty and war) that the prolife movement won't touch, and meanwhile they get all hung up on issues that aren't actually life issues (traditional marriage and birth control). I worry that they alienate some people who actually DO care about human life, and they appear hypocritical when they shrink from other human life issues. It's like they are becoming a mouthpiece for the Religious Right, rather than one for those in danger of death.<br /><br />E, I wish we had easier immigration so you could come be my neighbor! I don't see why I should be allowed to be here -- being, as I am, almost entirely descended from immigrants -- and other people shouldn't. Shouldn't we all be able to live where we want? I kind of thought that was something we could expect. Certainly when John and I talked about where we would live if we left this country, it was upsetting to learn that almost any place we might like to live was too restrictive for us to have a hope of getting in. How then does anyone have the choice to opt out of a government that doesn't represent them?<br /><br />I imagine in an apocalyptic scenario, I'd wish I had a gun. (Wish, because I wouldn't have one, because I am the sort of person I am.) There was an episode of Revolution (good show) where a man explains how a gang of thugs came and stole his cache of medications. Then his daughter got tetanus a few weeks later and died. I mean, I would be happy to share what I had with someone in true need, but what about gangs of people who just tried to clean up ALL the supplies they could? In every crisis, there are people who do it .... from the person stockpiling all the bread in the store to the ones who loot stores. It would be a dangerous world to live in.<br /><br />Just like in our everyday society. I don't want anyone to have guns, but if some people have them (and with our porous border and many other reasons, some people are always going to have them) wouldn't it be better if all of us had them?<br /><br />And yet ... and yet ... I can't see even touching a handgun, ever. Because the only purpose it has is to shoot people, and I cannot imagine a situation in which I would be capable of that.<br /><br />I have been meaning to write a post about guns for awhile. I should really do it ... but I'm afraid I'll disappoint everyone, because it's one issue where I am utterly conflicted and will have nothing clear to say. Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-70142095292980062662014-08-01T14:12:17.839-04:002014-08-01T14:12:17.839-04:00+JMJ+
Far be it from me to tell the people of an...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Far be it from me to tell the people of another country how they should police their borders . . . I actually have relevant experience with that! Just a few weeks ago, I reapplied for a tourist visa to the US and was denied again. Apparently, I <i>still</i> don't have enough money to be a good risk. =P When another American friend of mine heard the news, he quipped that I should just go to Mexico and walk over the border with Texas. <br /><br />This also reminds me of an argument a friend and I were having about the "Preppers" you also have over there. I didn't really have a dog in the race, but it was fun to play <i>advocatus diaboli</i>. Anyway, what she didn't like was that Preppers have a lot of weapons. Storing food, water, medicines, and other supplies, she could understand. But weapons? I reminded her of what happened last year, when Typhoon Yolanda devastated our local provinces of Leyte and Samar. People there lacked food, water, shelter, and electricity for <i>days</i> before relief workers could arrive. And I said, "If you had three months worth of food in your vault, and everyone else around you had nothing, don't you think they'd be desperate enough to try to attack you for it?" (Conversely, if <i>you</i> had nothing but knew that your weird neighbour were sitting pretty on some supplies, would <i>you</i> attack him for a share of his stuff?) <br /><br />Now, my own position on the matter is somewhere between the Catholic teaching that if someone who is starving steals food, he's not really stealing (and that, in fact, the person who is withholding the food--especially if he has more than he himself can eat--is the one at fault) . . . and the natural law that makes me put my family first. I think it is an injustice when poor women must leave their children in order to be nannies to rich women, and I was personally disgusted when I read the story of an activist who left her own kids with a nanny because she couldn't get the plight of some poor rural orphans out of her mind. So I blame neither those who want in nor those who want them out for the sake of their nearest and dearest. <br /><br />Bl. Teresa of Calcutta had a story about two very poor families. She learned about the second when she brought some food to the first, and was already planning to return with more food. But then she saw the first mother cutting her already meagre ration in half so that she could share it with the second family herself. The first mother was willing to deprive her own children so that the other mother's children could have a little bit to eat. They would all be hungry, but they would all have something. Beautiful, aye? But for me, the kicker is Bl. Teresa deciding NOT to bring more food that day, so that the first mother would fully understand the love that gives until it hurts. (It was this story that made me understand why she has haters, though, of course, I don't agree with them.) Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-63944387376476659962014-08-01T11:24:08.093-04:002014-08-01T11:24:08.093-04:00THANK YOU for again hitting it out of the ballpark...THANK YOU for again hitting it out of the ballpark. (I'm the anonymous commenter from your last post. I enjoy your blog and think you're a great writer.)<br /><br />I never understood why more of us pro-lifers aren't anti-gun? Why aren't more pro-lifers in favor of laws that protect our water, air and crops? Why aren't more pro-lifers against the death penalty? The Right-to-Life community hasn't spoken out against innocent children being deliberately killed in the Israel / Palestine conflict. <br /><br />Pro-life means protecting ALL human life. But when I've said that around die-hard Republicans, they call me a liberal, commie, feminazi, etc. no, No, NO! I am not a liberal for wanting all children to eat food free of pesticides.<br /><br />If we (the pro-life community) speak up for *all* life, we have a stronger argument. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-42965055240575735802014-07-31T12:17:04.539-04:002014-07-31T12:17:04.539-04:00Amen!
By the way, my family I think doesn't...Amen! <br /><br />By the way, my family I think doesn't know what to do with me. Am I conservative or am I liberal? I don't support abortion but I do want a free Palestine???? WHAA? ;) <br /><br />This is why, however, the Popes in the early modern period warned against joining political parties. I think they had a point. There has to be a way that as Catholics we can be politically active without being constrained by political platforms.'Akaterinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02481402144269479131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-78712749736607330872014-07-29T19:06:31.346-04:002014-07-29T19:06:31.346-04:00I love this post and completely agree with you. Yo...I love this post and completely agree with you. Your blog is fun to read because no matter what you stick with your convictions!<br /> entropynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-2802919568127273462014-07-29T18:45:02.176-04:002014-07-29T18:45:02.176-04:00The groupthink along the political spectrum is jus...The groupthink along the political spectrum is just ridiculous. There's no real connection between, say, believing in a free market and being in favor of fracking, and yet it's almost a point of pride for conservatives to be anti-environment. Or for the same people to be pro-gun and anti-immigration. I guess it's partly because they read and listen to the same stuff. That, and just the tendency of people to form tribes and then back each other up. It's a little lonely not to be in one myself.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-63489186250781381722014-07-29T10:14:39.794-04:002014-07-29T10:14:39.794-04:00I am completely with you on the incongruence of Ch...I am completely with you on the incongruence of Church teaching and any party line. That's exactly why I've always registered as an independent voter. I could not see any reason to promise allegiance to a political party that I did not completely agree with. I have principles that are more binding than their platforms. <br /><br />Also, I had to laugh at this post being proof that you're a liberal. Back in my first week of college, I remember being interrogated in the lunch line on my position regarding gun ownership. When it came out that I didn't like guns and had no intention of ever owning one or hunting with one, oh the accusations of being a media-loving liberal! It took several weeks to convince the person in question that I was not, in fact, a stealthy member of the Democratic party on campus.Alainahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04785564102360724557noreply@blogger.com