To the Rohingya refugee crisis, Australia says nope

[Wokko]

They're happy to swing a big '**** you' our way whenever they feel the need. I'm sure there are some Iraqi or Syrian christians fleeing from ISIS death squads that we could accommodate. Let's keep our refugee intake to those who have fled away from death and violence and are trapped somewhere rather than those running TO a wealthy welfare state after purchasing tickets on a smuggler's boat.

[David]

What on earth makes you think these refugees were headed for Australia?

[Wokko]

If they don't want to come here then the discussion is even more ridiculous. Interfering racist lefties who think the white man has to step in to save all the noble savages who can't look after themselves.

[David]

That's such a load of nonsense, Wokko. What does skin colour have to do with it? There happens to be a humanitarian crisis in our corner of the world, and the wealthiest country in the region just happens to want nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter where 'they' want to go or where they are; if we have the means to help—and yes, help, not just throw a little bit of cash around—then I would think we have an obligation as a member of the international community to do so.

[Wokko]

Yes 'they', the third person plural pronoun. Cut the crap. Australia has no obligation to settle refugees that haven't come here, don't want to come here and in many cases are fleeing nothing worse than poverty (not a valid reason for refugee status). The government has said we'll help but not settle them, that's just fine and it's what the majority in this democracy would agree with.

[pietillidie]

^Spoken like a true religious fundamentalist: As if human reality functions on contracts and borders drawn up at the dawn of time by Jesus himself!

"Sorry, I've never read that in the US Constitution. Next topic!"

To be ignorant, detached and self-entitled is almost a unique Australian luxury. Of course, as David can already very easily calculate, and Hawke and Keating long before realised, if you don't lead where you can when you're a small power, you have no leverage when the shit hits the fan in the region that feeds you.

But that's a set of consequences too far for the average provincial, who thinks a thousand-dollar handout is of greater significance, for good or evil, than an increased statistical likelihood of having a high-paying job in a high-paying career in a high-paying industry in a thriving economy in a thriving region.

The other aspect that is not understood here is how eerily backward the "our borders" psychology is. Can you imagine folk with that sort of mindset working internationally? Being posted in Malaysia or Poland? Advising the Indonesian government? Dealing with an Indian team in Mumbai? Negotiating a green technology joint venture with Chinese capital? Not only is the ignorance and inability to relate immediately obvious, the mind and honed skills to negotiate, resolve disputes, work cooperatively, and so on, across differing peoples, just isn't there. Unless those with such a psychology have complete authoritarian control over "those beyond the border", they simply won't cope, and will join the ridiculous numbers of failed expats and burned companies.

In industries that pay, power is frequently distributed across teams all over the place, and especially in industries beyond the low end of the services sector; the future of decent salaries is already here, and is doesn't involve old white men lording it over the planet from traditional office towers.

The international economy doesn't really care who and where, just how and what. As a case in point, Satya Nadella working his way to CEO of MS—and his subsequent praiseworthy efforts to turn around its culture—is celebrated by many overseas as symbolic of crumbling economic barriers: International talent is finally conquering the older tech index powerhouses. This is becoming reality across the main centers such as Silicon Valley and Seattle, and beyond. Once Wall Street succumbs to the mass of overseas talent, all that the provincially-minded will be left with are oil wells in their backyards (a bizarre reality in suburban LA, BTW).

As I say, the gnarly Howard shop keeper will be left defending an asset the size of an outhouse. You can hear him now: "But it's mine, all mine, and they'll use it over my dead body!"

How it's possible that Hawke and Keating knew you had to actively lead, participate and adapt in the 1980s, and folk today think you can hide away and tow challenges out to sea, is beyond comprehension. The stupidity, laziness and irresponsibility is flabbergasting.

And the cacophonic refrain "but there are too many of them!" might be the greatest Freudian slip in known history. Indeed there are, which is why in a world heading towards 40M+ Aussies on a planet of ten billion citizens it is embarrassingly ridiculous to pretend it will all just go away.

"The voices with accents! The voices with accents! Someone stop the voices with accents! Help! Take away the voices with accents!"

For folks out there with kids, I hope to god you're not mis-educating them and mis-preparing them for global economic reality by filling their heads with pre-scientific ideas about racial superiority, and flat-earth notions about isolation that don't, cannot and won't hold. If you're struggling to cope with global change—and your harmful, mountains-cult attitude is rubbing off on your children—all you're preparing them for is a much greater statistical chance of life in low-paid work at the bottom end of the service industry. As if seriously wealthy people or hard-working, aspirational immigrants tell their kids that

[thebaldfacts]

[David]

[thebaldfacts]

[pietillidie]

[thebaldfacts]

[pietillidie]

[think positive]

When was the last time you were in Australia?

Why do you think you have a right to say what it's like here when you have not lived here for how long?

David wants us to just open the front gate to who ever wants to come here, for what ever reason.

The people in this thread don't even want to come here!

Should we all just open our wallets and pay their way, or pay of the government of the country they do want to go to, just because?

Maybe we can adopt the Muslim ways and traditions, then they might want to come here!

<snip - please don't engage in backseat moderation. Use either the report function or General Feedback forum for discussing these issues. Thanks, David for BBMods.>

[Skids]

Seems a big number of these 'refugees' are in fact Bangladeshi labourers, imposters who have been sent back anyway.

[David]

I support that, so long as it was established beyond doubt and done safely, with regard to international law.

Of course, that still leaves the problem of how to deal with all of the genuine refugees on those boats. Unfortunately, our government doesn't care about the difference between refugees and 'economic migrants'.