Quote:
Originally Posted by Igottago
Not disagreeing with you that this is what a lot of the Trump supporters see/want. They are basically asking for handouts, which is interesting because all you ever hear on the broadcasts that appeal to them is about hard work and creating opportunity and not just giving out handouts. They want their handouts too.
The only difference is the Syrian refugee lived under legitimate dictatorships, extremism, economic hardship, possibly death of loved ones and destroyed families, displacement from their home, coming to a new land where they don't understand anything. They actually probably need a bit of a hand to get going in their new society.
Yet the Trump supporter worried about losing jobs to them grew up in a democratic country, with access to at least a basic American education, relative security, social familiarity, opportunity to pursue whatever they want, and probably some basic level of social assistance if required (which they rail against regardless).
Yet somehow a Syrian refugee getting language training is suddenly a major threat to their existence. Do these people want English language training too?
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During this election you saw a lot of rust belters and unionized workers switch from (D) to (R) to support Trump - I'm sure there are some that don't want handouts like welfare or EI and some that do. They voted D for most of their life and it got them to this point, so they were frustrated.
For some, I think it is more along the lines of "the money could be better spend elsewhere", like that roads project or trying to re-open my factory. I'm sure lots of people are sympathetic to refugees, but they want their government to focus on America first when Americans are hurting. I think there is also some nationalist undertones that resent them for fleeing as well and that Americans didn't run away from their civil war (again, we can debate the legitimacy of this, but that is a common feeling).
Does that make them a bunch of racists for thinking that way? I don't think so. I just think continuing to label the entire group of them as such is only going to be counter productive.