“Afghan Lovers Begin an Asylum Odyssey in New York” is about two would-be legal immigrants who are currently in New York City: “Even if they win asylum in the United States, both are illiterate, with little experience living or working beyond the potato fields of their home in Bamian Province.”
The same newspaper runs stories just about every week about excessive income inequality in New York City, i.e., expressing shock that a Goldman Sachs partner earns more than someone who is illiterate.
“‘Reality control’, they called it: in Newspeak, ‘doublethink’… To hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them… to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again: and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself. That was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed.”
Yes, but unlike a Goldman Sachs partner, at least a potato farmer makes a positive contribution to society! I’m prety sure they grow potatoes in New York state.
Cheap shot. A GS partner will pay a lot in taxes to NY and will probably be involved in lots of philanthropic activities. Because of his work GS will also pay a lot in taxes.
@Jack Since when does “amount of tax paid” = “positive contribution to society”? The value the finance sector should bring to society is the efficient allocation of capital.
If your best argument is that a Goldman Sachs partner siphons money from the private sector and hands it to government, then that’s not a particularly glowing endorsement!
Tom – If my tax money isn’t ‘positive contribution to society,’ I’ll be happy to keep it to myself.
Not only illiterate, but likely mentally and physically defective. Fun fact: the average IQ of middle-Eastern refugees is 83 (75 is considered mentally retarded). This may have a genetic component due to the generational practice of inbreeding among first cousins. That would explain why research for BBC2’s Newsnight in November 2005 showed that British Pakistanis accounted for 3.4% of all births but 30% of all British children with recessive genetic disorders.
@ The Truth Hurts I am no fan of the Muslims and I want to build the wall, but even I was offended by your social darwinism “ideals”.
In what way is The New York Times, that you seem to blame for… something, responsible for the presence of these two would-be legal illiterate immigrants in the state/ country?
Besides, left to their own survival devices, these two, who already demonstrated TONS of resourcefulness and resolve just to get from Afghanistan to NYC, probably would turn to their compatriots, and with their help s.l.o.w.l.y find their way to a better life. That is, assuming that they’re not effectively made wards of ever so well-mening and nanny-state’ish agencies/ institutions/ etc for which they themselves in turn will constitute a pair of valuable raison d’être’ish clients.
PS. the majority of all poor immigrants to the USA, ancestors of present day Americans, must’ve been illiterate or barely Bible-literate—because it shows.
@Sam So you believe that the main contribution that private enterprise brings to society is in providing tax dollars for your wise leaders to spend? Maybe you should move to Venezuela!
Sam and Jack
It’s not called the giant squid for nothing.
This is probably missing the point completely, but I’ve been to both places. I’ve been to both Afghanistan and to New York City.
I would prefer to be a homeless person in Manhattan than a home-owner in Afghanistan. Its pretty much the same deal. You have to worry about violent people attacking you and its hard to get running water, but easy to get hooked on heroin. But being a homeless person in Manhattan is somewhat safer and you get better cash flow.
That doesn’t mean that we should let everyone in Afghanistan come live in New York or anything, its just I can understand why Afghanis would try to do that.
One interesting part of the story: they managed to save $5k up as potato farmers. That’s more than the net worth of many Americans.
@Toucan Sam, the show that The Truth Hurts was referencing can be read about at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4442010.stm
To the powers that be, bringing in illiterate refugees or immigrants is the ultimate self licking ice cone.
The “huddled masses” pose no threat to the house organ of TPTB and can be written about endlessly to sustain the narrative.
It’s a beautiful thing, really.
Carl Yastrzemski’s father was a potato farmer on Long Island.
– Tom – No I didn’t say I “believe that the main contribution that private enterprise brings to society is in providing tax dollars,” I said if my tax dollars aren’t contributing to society, I may as well keep them.
– Toucan Sam – Are you arguing with The Truth Hurts’ facts as presented or his presentation/interpretation of said ‘facts’?