Re: Immigration (was Re: US Science Education Sucks)

From: E. Shaun Russell (e_shaun@extropy.org)
Date: Sun Aug 26 2001 - 11:31:02 MDT


Tiberius wrote:

>Most come from two rural provinces in Mexico. Many also come from
>other countries in latin america, But it doesn't matter if they come
>from the country or the city, or some other country. MOSTLY, they are
>uneducated peasants, and they bring an uneducated peasant culture with
>them and an uneducated, superstitious peasant brain with them..

Though I don't like the way you say it, you may be partially correct;
however, the Latin American peasants you denounce also bring with them the
willingness to do jobs that very few born Americans would want to do...and
for less money. Ask your average American if he or she would be willing to
shovel a farm's worth of cow shit for a week for $200, and I think you know
what the answer would be. Ask your average Hispanic the same question, and
many would jump at the opportunity. The presence of Latin American
immigrants is more of a benefit to the economy than a detriment as I see
it; I could be wrong. You may renounce their presence now, but if they
were all to suddenly disappear, you will realize how much you have taken
the work they do for granted.

As to your contentions about their "peasant culture" and "peasant
brain[s]," why should you care? You don't have to be assimilated into that
culture, any more than you have to be assimilated into the culture
instilled by the Catholic church.

>Also, regarding the immigration of educated software professionals,
>i.e., HIB's, I myself work with many H1Bs, albeit often remotely via
>phone and email etc., so in some way, my own living derives from them.
>But I recognize that American citizens would take those jobs were
>there no H1Bs.

Is that so? And if so, do you think that an American will always do a
better job than an immigrant? I had the misfortune of being born fifteen
miles on the wrong side of the US/Canada border. I didn't have the choice
of being Canadian or American, and it is a question of geography as much as
anything else that it is very difficult for me to attain permanent
residency in perhaps the world's best country, USA. I have abilities in a
multitude of areas, but even now I have very few options open to me in the
US due to my specific immigration status. And I love this country. As the
COO of Kryos Biomedical and the Operations Officer etc. of Extropy
Institute, I am most certainly not taking jobs away from Americans; one of
the jobs was essentially not able to be filled by any American, and the
other required a keen interest in an obscure area.

Divorced from my obvious personal bias, I think it is a dangerous game to
close the border(s) (which you may not be proposing), and it breeds both
cultural arrogance ("We can do it ourselves...we don't need those
*outsiders*") and xenophobia. To me, neither of those traits seem very
favorable.

________________________________________________________
E. Shaun Russell Operations Officer, Extropy Institute
e_shaun@extropy.org http://www.extropy.org
                                             COO and Director, Kryos Biomedical
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          Hear my music at: http://www.mp3.com/eshaunrussell
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                  ~K i n e t i c i z e Y o u r P o t e n t i a l~



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