4 ms·

You're the one calling out people for lack of compassion towards the poor people in the article. Who's to say that they haven't decided to focus on the immigran

You're the one calling out people for lack of compassion towards the poor people in the article. Who's to say that they haven't decided to focus on the immigrants in their own states over the plight of the poor in those other states. There's limits to everything, right? Why are you the only one that gets to draw the line between those who do and those who don't deserve pity? Why are you the one that gets to decide that citizens of a state that voted for the treatment they're receiving are more deserving of our help and compassion than illegal aliens in our own states? Personally, when I compare someone that's come to a foreign country and fights to get by doing under-the-table manual labor with someone with an opiate addiction on government assistance, if I have to draw the line and help one and not the other, I'm helping the one that's making a positive contribution to the country instead of leeching off the government and voting for Republicans. I feel compassion for the plights of both groups, but if there are limits to everything and I've got to be pragmatic, well, I'm not spending my limited bandwidth caring about West Virginia. The Guatemalans fleeing the drug violence that's only engulfed their country because of the addictions and failed drug policies of the US are where I'm going to focus more of my compassion. They are the ones that I see on a daily basis and who's humanity is much harder for me to ignore. Citizenship is artificial, especially in an era where companies will ship jobs to wherever offers the cheapest labor. Suffering is universal, whether it's the Central Americans that are living in poverty in California, the Syrian refugees that I saw begging in the streets of Malaysia during my time there or the opiate addicts of West Virginia. And I have very little patience for people who try to draw a line between Americans and foreigners because suffering is somehow the normal state of being for brown people.

toomuchtodo 9y ago
> Why are you the only one that gets to draw the line between those who do and those who don't deserve pity? All humans deserve pity. A country has limited resources, and must collectively decide (by its citizenry) how those resources are spent. Citizenship entitles you to a vote. That's democracy! > Why are you the one that gets to decide that citizens of a state that voted for the treatment they're receiving are more deserving of our help and compassion than illegal aliens in our own states? See democracy above. Citizenship entitles you to decide the direction, actions, and fate (ideally, not always) of your country. > Citizenship is artificial, especially in an era where companies will ship jobs to wherever offers the cheapest labor. Clearly citizenship is not artificial if we're arguing the merits of it, and people who don't have it want it, and are willing to break the law for a close substitute. Good chat. We don't agree, but I enjoyed the discussion. Its always helpful to explore other viewpoints. Everyone wants to see the world a better place, its just the routes we argue over.
- curun1r 9y ago
  What I meant by citizenship being artificial is that I, a citizen, do not owe a greater allegiance to other citizens above non-citizens. Of course citizenship has its implications in the ability to vote, work legally and such. But its membership does not create an "us" that's in opposition to the non-citizen "them." If we're going to get tribal, I'm far more aligned with foreigners who share my worldview than I am with most Americans. I don't feel a greater tug on my heartstrings when reading the article we're discussing than I do when I read about the refugee crisis in Syria. I know more Syrians than I know people from West Virginia. It's like the difference between coworkers and friends. Coworkers are people you're grouped with for convenience sake. But you don't need to share any close bond with them. Friends are people you choose to associate with and for whom you care deeply. Coworkers can also be friends, but they don't have to be. My fellow citizens are like my coworkers. Many illegal aliens are like my friends. If I were to suggest to you that you should prioritize your coworkers above your friends, you'd react in much the same way that I'm reacting here when you tell me I should prioritize citizens over non-citizens.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

> Why are you the only one that gets to draw the line between those who do and those who don't deserve pity? All humans deserve pity. A country has limited resources, and must collectively decide (by its citizenry) how those resources are spent. Citizenship entitles you to a vote. That's democracy! > Why are you the one that gets to decide that citizens of a state that voted for the treatment they're receiving are more deserving of our help and compassion than illegal aliens in our own states? See democracy above. Citizenship entitles you to decide the direction, actions, and fate (ideally, not always) of your country. > Citizenship is artificial, especially in an era where companies will ship jobs to wherever offers the cheapest labor. Clearly citizenship is not artificial if we're arguing the merits of it, and people who don't have it want it, and are willing to break the law for a close substitute. Good chat. We don't agree, but I enjoyed the discussion. Its always helpful to explore other viewpoints. Everyone wants to see the world a better place, its just the routes we argue over.

curun1r 9y ago
What I meant by citizenship being artificial is that I, a citizen, do not owe a greater allegiance to other citizens above non-citizens. Of course citizenship has its implications in the ability to vote, work legally and such. But its membership does not create an "us" that's in opposition to the non-citizen "them." If we're going to get tribal, I'm far more aligned with foreigners who share my worldview than I am with most Americans. I don't feel a greater tug on my heartstrings when reading the article we're discussing than I do when I read about the refugee crisis in Syria. I know more Syrians than I know people from West Virginia. It's like the difference between coworkers and friends. Coworkers are people you're grouped with for convenience sake. But you don't need to share any close bond with them. Friends are people you choose to associate with and for whom you care deeply. Coworkers can also be friends, but they don't have to be. My fellow citizens are like my coworkers. Many illegal aliens are like my friends. If I were to suggest to you that you should prioritize your coworkers above your friends, you'd react in much the same way that I'm reacting here when you tell me I should prioritize citizens over non-citizens.