“Damned if you do and damned if you don't” – chastised for holding an opinion on something others have an opinion on, but don't speak out – dictionary.cambridge.org
We’re living in a world where the good are damned if they speak out and also damned if they keep quiet. Gary Lineker chose to speak out. I speak out through my blog. The universe doesn't expect us to turn a blind eye, and where there is conflict and people are being displaced, it has become even more important for those in a privileged position to speak out.
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker, A BBC Sports presenter is a good example. He put a tweet out over asylum policy and found himself in hot water for speaking out, suspended briefly pending an investigation into his tweet, then was reinstated a few days later.
Responding to replies to the tweet, Lineker described the government’s new plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people".
Gary Lineker support
“The controversy impacted the BBC’s sports programs, with dozens of sports presenters and reporters walking out of their jobs in support of Lineker.”
There are people in the world who need our help, people who have escaped conflict and who have become displaced. The bottom line is that as long as what we're saying is helping others, and we're doing it appropriately, we should be speaking out.
Hi Ilana
Thanks for activating our minds to think and rethink.
In this age of free information, many of us have simply left the thinking to others cos we're too busy consuming rubbish thrown at us from every corner of the tech spider web and are immobilised by it every waking moment.
Was reading your post today and part of it mentioned Lineker's stand on the government’s new plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat. He calls it “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people".
On one hand I agree with Lineker. I have friends who're illegal migrants and know to a certain degree how being forced to escape to foreign land is already a painful experience. Deporting them is literally salt added to the wounds.
However, I also know of people who're on the other side of the coin - people who started seeing unfamiliar faces and shady characters in their neighbourhood.
In fact, the past year or so, I've heard from a friend in northern Chile, how their neighbourhood (even public schools) are flooded with Venezuelan immigrants. They live in a not so well to do area of the region.
While they are welcomed and accepted, my school teacher friend has been hugely dismayed by the amount of violence inside and outside her school - knives brandishing, gangs, threats, etc. It doesn't take much to imagine how dangerous it has become for the teachers and students. Parents are alarmed, reports made discreetly for fear of safety, but the drama can still not been contained.
Life is really becoming impossible for the locals. The streets are no longer safe and the city feels like a jungle. The situation has caused a sense of insecurity so huge that one of their sons in his early 20s has gone into a depression and has been certified by their health department as such. His isn't an isolated case.
I guess that's one of the reasons why the US government or any governments in the world are hesitant to accept immigrants especially illegal ones.
That's apart from many other economical and social reasons that needs to be taken into consideration.
I've nothing against immigrants. Like I said, I have many such friends. Where I am, they are a common sight and fortunately they add value to our daily lives generally though not without the usual side challenges. The unmentioned costs too, can be huge. Imagine having a stranger or two living inside your home illegally - you get the drift.
I guess it takes two hands to clap. Migration can be a win-win situation but it takes a lot from both parties. Like some say, it's complicated.
Thanks Will and welcome to the site. Your response is exactly why I continue to write about the things that matter to all of us. Topics that give food for thought, but also topics that affect us all in our lives, not just me.
With the right provisions in place, like you, I also see no reason why this issue isn't workable. If you go back centuries, this issue isn't new. The issue is there is conflict in the world and people are literally fleeing persecution with their families.
It is up to all governments to make these solutions workable. They have become illegal because they are scared and are fleeing persecution. For them, it has become a matter of life and death. They know the risks.
It IS NOT up to governments to make judgments and to put the onus on the people fleeing persecution and make this about them. We're here to help people.
I agree with you and think they would add to society greatly. Yes, there may be teething problems initially, but they would be hard working and a good asset to the economy and society in the longer term. Before Brexit there were a lot of hard working people working in the UK from abroad.
Thank you for posting Will and I look forward to seeing you on the site again.