I work in higher ed. If we’re focusing on “the economy” alone, international students bring SERIOUS MONEY to the communities where they attend college.
Like. They have to have liquid cash to cover a year’s worth of expenses in order to even be accepted to the university. That’s tens of thousands of dollars in foreign money flowing to local landlords, grocery stores, utility services, etc., multiplied by dozens or hundreds of students EVERY YEAR.
Desperate is the right word, and I think they’re intending to make people more desperate in order to exert control.
I’m not saying a $10k gift would be life-changing, but it would pay off a significant amount of my debt, freeing up a lot of my monthly cash flow.
Is there a non-paywall link?
I don't think that's true, because non-Western Christians don't have this problem while atheist white Americans do.
Fair point. I don’t know much about non-Western Christians. But the ones that made it to American shores have definitely seemed to fit.
And the War on Terror definitely contributed to the culture of “foreigners are evil animals.”
Yeah, I don’t think the GDP is a great defining factor of economic emergency, in that words like “recession” have to be declared before the country treats the problem seriously. Assuming that growth is going to happen forever in a finite world is naive. And there are serious problems in the economy happening despite the GDP, like increasing poverty and lack of education or healthcare.
So like, my frustration is that “recession” has to be said before the government freaks out and attempts to fix things, but things are already really bad in ways that matter far more.
One theory that I’m starting to understand through reading social science books on American history is this:
“White” Americans (I use quotes because the definition of whiteness has changed throughout the years) need someone to define themselves against in order to feel “more civilized” and worthy. First it was Natives, then the Irish and German, then the Eastern Europeans and Italians, and throughout all of this it has been Black folk. Then modern times have brought the Hispanic to this purpose. Now I think the latest permutation of this need to feel pure and civilized has included just….all “non Americans,” including any foreigners they don’t consider “proper and civilized.”
It’s like an insecurity of identity so deep that it requires an “othering” in order to feel safe. “I am better than you, you are less than me, therefore I am worthy.” Conservative “white/proper” Christians have always had an identity crisis, so they’ve always felt the need to invade other cultures and lands while subjugating the locals in order to feel superior. I’m starting to think that this is another permutation of that.
Maybe this theory ties into or explains the social media phenomenon of Christians constantly putting down both different Christians and non-Christians. They have to feel superior because…they don’t know how else to define themselves.
Edit: I’m completely going out on a limb, here, but I wonder if that has to do with the fact that Christianity teaches its followers to live for their own death. Like, it provides very little meaning to life because everything you’re living for happens after you die: love God so you can go to heaven, do this so you can go to heaven, follow these arbitrary rules so you can go to heaven. It doesn’t answer the questions “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” beyond like…their death, which is forever away. So if you don’t know why you are alive, if you can’t rely on a meaning or purpose to the 80 years while you’re on earth, then what else do you have to define your culture on? Like the insecure playground bully. “I don’t know who I am or why I’m here, so in order to feel secure, I have to feel stronger and smarter and more superior than everyone around me, even if (or maybe especially) that hurts the other kids.” The violence could be an expression of that frustration and insecurity.
Or maybe not. I don’t know. Of course, I do know “white” people and Christians who don’t behave this way, who are kind and generous and not-xenophobic. It seems to be more of a wider-culture thing. It’s definitely mixed up with settler-colonialism, though.
”…ending Biden’s dumb war on things that work.”
This is real language used in official White House communications.
It is the language of a second grader.
“State’s rights!!!1!”
Someone else in my life mentioned this! I’ll need to take a look.
Yes. I suppose I should add this: modern-day, “average” Americans have been fed the false narrative of American greatness and equality of opportunity their entire lives. This particular concentration camp flies in the face of that narrative and is living, breathing proof that the USA is a violent, racist country obsessed with the “in group=humans” and “out-group=animals” ideology.
And the horrors of this camp and a bit of the cognitive dissonance between that false narrative and the reality of what is happening cause nausea.
This is uncanny.
I wish they included “legal” in the headline. Would make a world of difference to centrists.