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It's a good thing because it expands our ability to automate things. It rewards innovation rather than manipulating the immigration process. And you know why p
by blfr 11y ago
It's a good thing because it expands our ability to automate things. It rewards innovation rather than manipulating the immigration process.
And you know why people don't want Mexicans to flood America. I've seen you link to Putnam's study which shows that diversity destroys trust and communities. There are real externalities here.
- yummyfajitas 11y agoI generally care very little about psychological externalities, whether they be dirty Mexicans destroying trust or Halloween costumes at Yale being too scary. (Hat tip to Bryan Caplan who pointed out the parallel. http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2016/03/nativism_agains.html http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2016/03/nativism_agains.... ) I do, however, support your right to put up a "No Mexicans" sign and make your own house a safe space.
- blfr 11y agoThat's a bizarre stance. It's normal that people don't want to have, say, a brick factory built next to their house because it would impact their psychological well-being. Trust between members of society, however, is not a matter of individual psychology. It's one of the crucial differences between western countries where you can expect a level of fairness in dealing with strangers, and the third world where you have to rely on your family and clan. It's what enables the markets to work, the justice system, the bureaucracy. Not to mention making living more pleasant. And anyway, why would the "no Mexicans" policy be OK at a single house level, and not a gated community, city, state, country?
- yummyfajitas 11y agoBrick factories emit pollution. A much better comparison would be to a porno factory in a soundproofed house - I just don't like the thought of gay dudes fellating each other right next door, and I don't like to see them walking out to their car in their leather pants! With a functioning justice system, trust between members of society is something that can be outsourced. And if you are really worried about it, don't do business with Mexicans. I am sympathetic to the problem of political externalities - it would be terrible if the US were to be overrun by people who vote for Trump, Hillary or Bernie. I take issue with your "no Mexicans" policy when you threaten me with violence if I don't participate in it. Same issue I have with Jim Crow, really (remember that Jim Crow was a "must discriminate" law).
- blfr 11y agoI was thinking about noise from the factory, not pollution. We generally don't live in soundproof houses and even if you have some high-tech envelope building, you still might want to enjoy your backyard. With a functioning justice system, trust between members of society is something that can be outsourced. It's fiction. First, it doesn't happen. In reality outsourcing means third-world elites using western courts like Russian oligarchs settling their disputes in Britain or Latin American countries borrowing under US law. Second, because the justice system is too slow and expensive to be used in any significant number of transactions. Finally, rampant corruption renders it all moot in low-trust countries. I take issue with your "no Mexicans" policy when you threaten me with violence What about a private company? Should its owners be allowed to institute a "no Mexicans" hiring policy?
- flubert 11y agoWhat is your favorite historical example of a long-lasting multi-ethnic society?
- yummyfajitas 11y agoRome would be the obvious answer here.
- flubert 11y agoThanks. Are there any signs you'd recommend that we watch for in respect to decline-of-empire and Gothic invasion and immigration, in order to see if the U.S. is following along a similar path? Or is that the preferred outcome?
- yummyfajitas 11y agoThe Romans were multi-ethnic from pretty early on - Italians, Greeks, Africans, any ethnicity surrounding the Mediterranean was represented. Their first black emperor (Caracalla) about 200 years in was a nonevent. Overall I think 500 years/1100 years (western/eastern) is a pretty good run.
- EdHominem 11y agoThe study that showed pretty much everyone is, at heart, a bigot? Yeah. So? Strive to do better. Knowing your natural predisposition, counteract it. Help these Mexicans get jobs and in a while they won't be "diverse", they just won't look exactly like everyone. Even these purebred enclaves have got blondes and brunettes (right?) and society hasn't ripped itself apart. This is just another trivial difference they'll learn to ignore.
- blfr 11y agoThe study that showed pretty much everyone is, at heart, a bigot? Yeah. So? Not really but that's like concluding that studies on multitasking show everyone's lazy and they just need to try harder instead of focusing on one thing. "Knowing your natural predisposition, counteract it." Back in the communist days, there was a popular saying in Poland: "the system is fine, only people failed it." Obviously, it's silly to design a system for humans that doesn't work for humans because you otherwise like its aesthetics or it would work great if the people acted differently than humans normally do. Not that we don't do it in IT with certain regularity.
- EdHominem 11y agoThere are seven billion people - we can't all live in separate little groups. Obviously, it's silly to design a system for a world we don't live in.
- yummyfajitas 11y agoNo, that's not what the Putnam study said. That's what Putnam wrote at the end that he hoped would be true, but had no evidence for (in spite of searching for it for 6 years and delaying publication of evidence to the contrary).