Let me start by saying this: I loathe Nicole Arbour. I think she’s a vile and despicable human being for the most part. So when I saw the video she made addressing the debate over bringing Syrian refugees to the US, I expected the worst.
Imagine my surprise at discovering that even she is more intelligent on this issue than GOP governors and right-wing supporters (as well as 47 Democrats in the House).
Before clicking “play” on the video, please know that it is not suitable for viewing at work or around small children due to strong language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF5-Bx5acXM
Yeah, I know, she slut-shames women and those receiving welfare in this video, and is a notorious fat-shamer, but at least some of her argument works.
Let’s summarize her better points:
- We’re lucky enough as citizens of the United States to have a military that protects us from experiencing what people in other countries suffer.
- Being white and born between an arbitrary border line does not entitle us to safety or life over others.
- Posting from your iPhone that you might lose a few tax dollars and that refugees are going to “take our jobs” as justification for being apathetic or even cruel enough to ignore the fact that people are suffering makes you a very bad person.
- Having brown skin and being born in the Middle East does not make you a terrorist.
- You are not, as an American citizen, exclusively entitled to the world’s resources.
- Helping people who need assistance in the United States and helping refugees are not mutually exclusive concepts, although the reasons why we choose not to help both American citizens in need and refugees are related: inequality and apathy toward it.
- People from other countries are not more dangerous than people here in the States.
- We can’t accuse the entire population of Islam of treating women unfairly and turn our head while women here are objectified, raped, and abused. We need to fix our own issues before pretending we’re better than others.
So congratulations, Nicole Arbour. Just this once, we agree. Too bad our elected leaders can’t understand this argument while even YOU can.
