Why Do You Think European Countries Generally Dislike Immigrants?

[TheGravemind]

First off, before we begin the discussion, let me just request that there be:
1. No racism.
2. No flaming another poster or attacking another poster, but rather attacking the argument presented if deemed necessary.
3. A civil discourse and mutual respect between all participants as this is a sensitive and controversial topic.

Now, as everyone who keeps up with the news might have heard, there have been quite a number of notable incidents within greater Europe of anti-immigration extremism. Even Anders-Breivik, the mass murderer of Norway, can be construed as an anti-immigration extremist as in his neurotic manifesto of hatred, he stated that he wanted to attack the left-wing of his country for being pro-immigration and thus, in his view, anti-Norway.

This stance is echoed by the increasingly active and militant neo-Nazi groups in countries such as Greece, Russia and Germany. Greece even seems to be allowing neo-Nazis into the mainstream (as evidenced by recent announcements by some municipalities in Greece for victims of crimes to report them to their local neo-Nazi branches.) This shift of law enforcement to political parties is frighteningly similar to what happened in both Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia before the two regimes in each of those countries reached the zenith of their respective power.

There have also been a number of anti-immigration crimes, such as random beatings of migrant workers in Russia by neo-Nazis, the annexation of whole towns in Germany by neo-Nazis, and lastly the proclamation of Greek neo-Nazis in its parliament that "all immigrants should be deported and that Greece should be surrounded by land mines to ward them off," (source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ork-camps.html) [period]

Also, recent polls by various groups, including the BBC, show that in terms of public opinion, anti-immigration feelings have been on the rise according to most trends. This seems to coincide with the toughening economy. Furthermore, it suggested that Europeans of many countries (the U.K. seemed to differ here) seem to not view foreign ethnic minorities as fellow countrymen. Overall, it is evident that Europe is slumping towards an anti-immigrant stage in the 21st century and that is alarming to anyone who has analysed history to a far enough extent to realize what comes next.

Why do you guys think this is?

Personally, I think this is because of quite a number of reasons. The first of these reasons would be that I think most European countries simply don't have as an immigration-friendly culture as their North American counterparts. They seem to be, even to an objective outsider such as me, more tight-knit in that they are not as accepting of outsiders, especially those who look different. It must also be more difficult to adapt and assimilate into European countries that do not have English as their national language (again, this may be why the U.K. is somewhat of an anomaly of this European trend) since immigrants must actually generally learn those languages upon arriving there as opposed to how many immigrants may already know English since it is the global language.

To contrast this, however, we have the United States. The United States is essentially, in the 21st century, but it also was into the mid to late 20th century, the most immigrant-friendly country in the entire world, and certainly the west. In its national ethos, it is repeatedly stated that it is a land of immigrants. To accentuate this, there's also a great number of visible minorities within the Great American Melting pot which makes arriving here as a new immigrant probably less alienating and disenfranchising.

[semaphore]

Why do you think Texas and other border states generally dislike immigrants?

[TheGravemind]

Why do you think Texas and other border states generally dislike immigrants?

Uhm...

they don't dislike immigrants. Have you ever been to Texas/California/Arizona/New Mexico? I've been to every one of them except for N.M.

[Sky High]

american here so feel free to tell me to shove off but i was under the assumption that it is a combo of all those points. increase in crime rates among poorer demographics, in the case of muslims have a vastly different culture and social set up. and again with these immigrants not, as we would call in the states: "americanizing". my two cents.

[Mad_Murdock]

Touch call. It's obvious that as Humans we all have a certain bias towards anyone not like us. Even in the same country\state\City. There are difference biases and attitudes. Being raised in the Farmlands. We didn't trust or like people from the city. Mainly because they always had a smug, you're a dumb hillbilly attitude. People from one state don't like people from another. I'm sure people in New York City wouldn't like if a bunch of farmlands people stated moving into their town, changing things (whatever that might be). They talk funny, they eat differently, they have different values and beliefs (some big and small) and that's people in the same country that could look identical.

Now you add in people who look different and speak different languages and it gets worse. Hell look at this video game. Horde\Ally players hate Ally\Horde players and insist there is some kind of real difference between the two. When in Reality, your next door neighbor who you may really like, plays the opposite faction and is a "bad".

There seems to be endless reasons why people don't like each other. I think people who assimalate into their new enviroments tend to have a easier time, then those who try to maintain their heritage identity in a forgien land.

[MC4l]

'murica! Fuck yeah!

<Infracted>

[BreakingBad420]

The United States is a huge melting pot, as opposed to most European countries where for the past millennia have not had as much of a culturally diverse society. It will take time for them to be okay with this, as it was when the Irish came to the U.S, the Chinese, etc. Give it a hundred years and things will have cooled down.

[TheGravemind]

Touch call. It's obvious that as Humans we all have a certain bias towards anyone not like us. Even in the same country\state\City. There are difference biases as attitudes. Being raised in the Farmlands. We didn't trust or like people from the city. Mainly because they always had a smug, you're a dumb hillbilly attitude. People from one state don't like people from another. I'm sure people in New York City would like if a bunch of farmlands people stated moving into their town, changing things (whatever that might be). They talk funny, they eat differently, they have different values and beliefs (some big and small) and that's people in the same country that could look identical.

Now you add in people who look different and speak different languages and it gets worse. Hell look at this video game. Horde\Ally players hate Ally\Horde players and insist there is some kind of real difference between the two. When in Reality, your next door neighbor who you may really like, plays the opposite faction and is a "bad".

There seems to be endless reasons why people don't like each other.

That seems to be an overly cynical view of things in my opinion. Immigrants get along with non-immigrants perfectly fine in countries like the United States and Canada, so why not in Europe? That's what I'm wondering.

[semaphore]

Uhm...

they don't dislike immigrants. Have you ever been to Texas/California/Arizona/New Mexico? I've been to every one of them except for N.M.

Yeah because Arizona totally didn't pass that infamous racial profiling bill. But actually I was going for, "well same for Europe".

[TheGravemind]

Yeah because Arizona totally didn't pass that infamous racial profiling bill. But actually I was going for, "well same for Europe".

That racial profiling bill is not explicitly racially profiling anyone, but even if it was, it has a specific provision that outlaws using it to justify any racial profiling whatsoever. Either way, a little racial profiling bill in a border state that has an issue with illegal immigrants and drug cartels is very different from a mainstream European political party calling for the country to be surrounded by land mines and for all immigrants to report to forced labor camps.

[semaphore]

That racial profiling bill is not explicitly racially profiling anyone

Just quite implicitly aiming at Latinos.

a mainstream European political party calling for the country to be surrounded by land mines and for all immigrants to report to forced labor camps.

Who? Insane Greek politicians aren't very "mainstream European".

[Mad_Murdock]

That seems to be an overly cynical view of things in my opinion. Immigrants get along with non-immigrants perfectly fine in countries like the United States and Canada, so why not in Europe? That's what I'm wondering.

I don't think it's cynical. It's based on what I've experience in my life first hand. I moved to Washington, DC at 18 and it wasn't anythign abusive, but their attitudes of country people was interesting to say the least. Like many people they have stereotypes in their heads about people and they tend to act off those stereotypes.

Amazon.com opened a big warehouse in my hometown and imported a large number of workers from Seattle and Delaware. Young people who like to color their hair blue and red and whatever and they had trouble adapting to the farmlands life and they were vocal about it and they did different things to try and change rules and local laws to better suit them. How do you think the lifelong residents feel when people move into your town and tell you it sucks and want to change it ?

Again, no riots or mass murders going on. This is just a small scale example of how like people have trouble meshing at times. Now bring in people who want to make more radical changes an do things you may strongly disagree with. I was in Houston once and there was an middle eastern couple and the woman was walking 10 paces behind the man. It was none of my business, but I really just don't like that and I imagine if you moved to my home town and people saw that, they would let you know "That's not how we do things here" whch you may in turn be offended and resent them telling you how to do things.

That's not even touching the hot button issues like Anchor babies and wanting schools to teach classes in both English and spanish.

[Laize]

The irony of a Texan questioning why other nations might dislike immigrants is too much for one internet to bear.

[Deleted]

Some countries are not in a position to bring in more immigrants. Take a look at Malta (and other mediterranean countries), where north africans frequently arrive by boat in the dozens, a single illegal immigrant coming into malta is the equivalent of 1500 coming into Sweden, they are not sustainable.

I think that we in the EU need to help each other protecting our borders to prevent them from pouring in since they are ultimately every member-state's problem due to the schengen agreement.

[TheGravemind]

The irony of a Texan questioning why other nations might dislike immigrants is too much for one internet to bear.

I'm so shocked that yet another stereotype is wildly inaccurate.

jk i'm not

[Aqua]

I don't know maybe it's to do with the fact that we're next to the alot of the people we're all are WAR with at rather than just our more impoverished (but improving it seems) Spanish neighbor.

Puts people a slight bit on edge, especially as it's how most of the 'in country terrorism' happens on the backs of them bringing sects of their desperate religious group into the country and then roping impressionable members of their country who might not have been there for that reason into helping.

Me? I don't care about it so much, I know 99% of them just want better lives, but that 1% ruins it for them.
I do wish the government regulated it properly as many immigrants do take jobs that younger generations sorely need to get started in life for shady pay and underhanded organizations. And that's really infuriating. Illegal immigrants imbalance the census the government can make so they can't accurately make a call of 'oh shit we're over capacity... better stop.'

And their refusal to integrate into the culture can sometimes rub people the wrong way. Coming into a country for a better life and then demanding that country to fit your ideals and practices of your former home? Little bit... egh. I'm all for introducing your customs in a positive way, (celebrations, groups, etc) but don't bring your negative shit that directly counteracts significant changes that people in that country have suffered for to abolish (I'm looking at you sharia law) and demand that we accept it. That's not how it works. You joined our club, now start learning how we do things before you introduce your own ideas at change.

[MC4l]

I think that we in the EU need to help each other protecting our borders to prevent them from pouring in since they are ultimately every member-state's problem due to the schengen agreement.

Please tell me you're not serious... :/

[Deleted]

Please tell me you're not serious... :/

May I ask you why?

[TheGravemind]

May I ask you why?

The tone of your post suggested something along the lines of "immigrants are the largest problem in each European country," and so the rational-minded MC4l was naturally alarmed at this assertion and pleaded with you that you not be serious.

[Ret4resto]

I think raciam/ignorance are partially to blame.

However I find it amusing that historically europeans never had an issue going into other countries/continents and destroying/oppressing the native population, but when other groups move into european countries europeans become mentally unstable, hypocritical and belligerent.