8 ms·
The international student bait-and-switch
- kyawzazaw 6y agoas an intl student, most of what is written is so true.
- pedroma 6y agoThey lose their immigration status? I thought they can return once their schools reopen?
- TeaDrunk 6y agoRe-applications have to happen...
- electricviolet 6y agoThey lose their status when the school goes online, since they are not currently enrolled in in-person classes. They will probably have to apply to reinstate their status in order to return. Even if those applications are likely to be accepted, dealing with immigration bureaucracy is an absolute nightmare and anyone who is even slightly an edge case is gonna go through hell.
- ta1234567890 6y agoIn addition to the big risk, hassle and cost of flying back to your home country and having to find housing for an uncertain amount of time, all amid a global pandemic.
- bruceb 6y agoHousing in many places is going to be a lot cheaper than the US.
- sneak 6y ago> Most fundamentally, I’ve always thought that the United States had a more profound respect for human dignity. It is always surprising to me that the US has been able to mostly maintain this image all while operating a global network of torture prisons and, now, domestic concentration camps for both adults and children, and while imprisoning 20x+ of its ethnic minorities, per capita, compared to China (which has, by various accounts, 1M+ in labor camps). Do people not generally know what conditions inside US prisons are like? Are the torture facilities not common knowledge? How is this level of spin even possible?
- duxup 6y agoThe bar world wide is not set very high. As for your traditional neutral nations not that involved in the world I don't consider that a good example. History is pretty clear what happens once you venture out. I think the moment you start playing the field in changing the world the world, even if you try to promote things that are 'right' things get muddy fast.
- pm90 6y ago> The bar world wide is not set very high. Erm, actually it is set a lot higher for almost every developed nation. Yes, European countries have been involved in some atrocious crimes but post WW2, the US is the only developed nation that engages in such things. Becoming a world venturing power does not imply that those atrocities are necessary, or justifiable. Most of these things are totally avoidable. Putting immigrant kids in cages, imprisoning minorities in large numbers and persistently denying affordable healthcare to citizens is something the US can absolutely choose not to do without compromising its status as a world power.
- duxup 6y agoI think much of the west for the latter half of the 20th century was happy to have the US do these things, while they kept their hands more or less out of it and could wave their finger when they wished... without having to worry about what would happen if they tried. Take a look at those nation's actions before that and you'll get abetter feel of how things go.
- ulfw 6y agoThe US is not a dependable partner anymore. Not on the international political stage nor on the personal stage.
- VWWHFSfQ 6y agois there a country that educates more international students than usa
- ulfw 6y agoNo. But that‘s the point. International students have no good reason to come to the US anymore when they can be kicked out at any second, won‘t get a visa for finding a job after an education that doubles in cost every couple of years. Btw you‘d be surprised how countries way way way smaller than the US have sizeable international student populations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_student#Destinations_of_foreign_students https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_student#Destinat...
- VWWHFSfQ 6y ago> when they can be kicked out at any second do you think that they really are just being flippantly "kicked out at any second"? or do you think it is because it's 2020 and the country is being ravaged by a highly contagious virus and every single american college campus is closed. Where are these students supposed to live? The dormitories are closed. How many college towns have enough available housing for 30,000+ displaced students. You know the American kids have to go home too.
- kerneltime 6y agoYour comment does not make any sense.. there is a difference in choosing where you will be while attending college vs. being required to leave the country. Many students do not avail of dorms post freshman year.
- ulfw 6y agoAnd yet, if they DO have a place to live, why are they still forced to leave the country and forced to travel during a pandemic?
- d_silin 6y agoSo glad I finished my studies before the pandemic... But, yes, universities do treat international students as if they are made of money.
- ColeyG 6y agoShouldn't International Students have to "pay a full ride"? I mean most of the stipulations with grants are intended to keep the knowledge and donations within the community. That seems entitled and very "woe is me" to me.
- paulgb 6y agoThe article isn't arguing against paying a full ride, it's saying they shouldn't be treated like political pawns after they do so. For context, the current administration is using international student visas as leverage to get universities open for in-person classes this year.
- ColeyG 6y agoYeah, I agree with that. I guess I just mean I think it distracts a little bit and makes the point weaker overall. No one should be treated like that though, and I wholly believe that there is suffering associated with that
- advisedwang 6y agoI don't think the author is complaining about that. He just brings it up to explain that they bring in cash for universities so targeting their immigration status is a point of leverage between the government and universities. He's complaint seems to be that the US is not treating immigrants with dignity.
- chvid 6y agoTo honest. The point of this article is unclear to me. It says: "American Colleges are Good, They Said" "You’ll Be Respected, They Said" "Life is Good, They Said" And then he spends time explaining why none of this is true. But in the end: "In a few months, I’ll be eligible to apply for my US citizenship ..." So just letting off some steam and not really explaining why given the above America is still so attractive?
- dzonga 6y agoas, a former international student in the us. I wouldn't recommend, anyone coming here to be an undergrad f1 student. PHD yes, everything else no. You can go to various countries and be better. though other countries might be expensive. I went to a state school, which by large was affordable. and just come to the us for things like Spring break or vacation i.e experience american life.
- duxup 6y agoFor many folks IN the US...that can be good advice as far choosing expensive undergrad schools, vs community college or more affordable options. Interestingly enough I've seen a surprising number of international students going to more obscure and affordable US colleges than in the past.
- Damorian 6y agoHate America, its government, and its institutions? Don't come here. This guy's entire series of complaints are largely worthless. Point out a better alternative and go with that, or provide constructive criticism in support. To tear down others because of politics is always going to be a bad take imo.
- thinkloop 6y agoHe was duped, did you never order something off instagram at 4am?
- nemothekid 6y agoDamorian shits himself Hey man maybe you shouldn’t shit yourself. Damorian: Hey if you don’t like it, leave. I will never understand this line of thinking
- kerneltime 6y agoAn excellent summary!
- aspaceman 6y agoCriticizing the institutions doesn’t mean you hate them. You’re making a cognitive error when you assume people hate the U.S. when they describe its problems.
- fzeroracer 6y agoAren't you tearing him down because of politics right now?
- MattGaiser 6y agoSeems like schools could just create: “International Students 223: In Person Cultural Learning.” And make all assessment digital. In practice it is an in person lab, but one nobody must show up for.
- Gaelan 6y agoI think I've read about several schools doing just that.
- aspaceman 6y agoMany schools are doing just this thing, except in much more subtle ways. The ICE policy made everyone I know just gape at the stupidity of it all. It’s not hard to work around.
- asciident 6y agoWhile I wholeheartedly agree with the intent behind this sort of protest, this moves universities into a more illegitimate category and jeopardizes their students' lives. It gives fuel to people who call universities as scams, and gives ICE an excuse to go after students and faculty for abetting this scheme. While this is fun to fantasize about on Twitter for Likes, universities are part of the countries' major institutions and are under major scrutiny so must follow the law to the letter.
- jrumbut 6y agoUniversities could pander and make the class on the US Constitution (a relatively short document) where the in-person component is an easy oral exam, given to each student individually so they do not have to gather in a classroom. Other options which may be a good idea to do anyway is a public speaking class or a discussion class (almost exclusively on zoom) where students are asked to reflect on their goals and future plans.
- asciident 6y agoThey already have classes like that. The only difference is they're at their standard level of rigor. So you're just proposing increasing enrollment and dropping standards.
- nitwit005 6y agoFeels like a fairly quick chat with an American could have dispelled some of the overly-positive ideas about the US they claim to have had.
- refurb 6y agoCertain Americans.
- greendave 6y ago> The whole point of moving to the developed world is to not have to deal with developing world problems. Tell that to the people living in Appalachia or on skid row in LA. Like most third-world countries, the US is a fine place to live, if you have money and/or access to power. But if you're not in that category, don't expect anything from public institutions.
- stickfigure 6y agoI moved from SF to rural Appalachia* for a year around 2012. It was actually pretty nice. People were very friendly. Rent for a cute 2bd house on half an acre, walking distance from downtown, was $425/mo. Kroger had all the same things you find in supermarkets everywhere. Great climbing was an hour away in the Red River Gorge. Hiking and outdoor activities everywhere. I pick banjo now. IMHO you should re-evaluate your priors. * Morehead, KY
- ethbro 6y agoThe whole point of moving to Appalachia is not having to deal with city problems. :)
- dublinben 6y agoIf you're actually interested in the migration patterns within the Appalachian region, this report may be helpful.[0] You'll find that even within this region, more people are moving towards the economic opportunities offered by cities, not to rural counties to get away from "city problems." I assure you the problems of rural counties are worse. [0]https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/EmergingPatternsPopulationRedistributionandMigrationinAppalachia1.pdf https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/EmergingPatterns...
- ethbro 6y agoI believe you missed the humor in my comment, as someone with generations of family in the region.
- blhack 6y ago
- techreviewon 6y agoWhat will this do to American competitiveness in the global race for talent? Most developed countries are doing a lot to attract and retain them. Talented people have good memories. They will remember this and tell their friends and people who go to them for advice for years to come. “Trump’s freeze on new visas could threaten US dominance in AI The president’s executive order to temporarily suspend H-1B visas exacerbates the US’s precarious position in the global competition for AI talent.“ https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/26/1004520/trump-executive-order-h1b-visa-threatens-us-ai/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/26/1004520/trump-ex...
- mattxxx 6y agoMaybe it will incentivize universities to grow talent locally
- lxe 6y agoI have a feeling schools will figure out a straightforward loophole out of this. I'm also thinking that the USCIS/DHS might not have the ability/will/power to fully enforce something like this.
- chvid 6y agoSeems to me that the international student business is about selling a path to American citizenship. How expensive can it get before the millions of students stop coming? How bad can the education be? How bad can the politics be? I think the answer is a lot worse. USA is still attractive to billions of people on the planet.
- jkaplowitz 6y agoOh we sell a path to American citizenship, but it's not the international students. It's the EB-5 visa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EB-5_visa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EB-5_visa The purchase price of US permanent residence is as little as $900k, and until last November 21 it was as low as $500k. Sure, the international students often don't pay that much, but in many cases they don't end up with good access to permanent residence either, let alone citizenship.
- HomeDeLaPot 6y agoThis article really hit home with me. My girlfriend is an international student, so I'm all too aware of the ridiculous things these people have to deal with even in normal times. With COVID-19 and current politics, the immigration system has gone from slow to glacial, and now they're trying to cut staff. We've had to worry about work authorization in the past -- i.e. that my girlfriend might not be able to get a job after college because the approval is taking so long and that she would be forced to leave the country if she couldn't get a job within the allotted time. Right now, she can't legally drive (!!!) because her work authorization renewal, which she applied for with ample time, hasn't come through yet. In a couple months, we'll be back to worrying about job loss and deportation... It's so stressful to worry about your transportation, your income & career prospects, your education, your friends & loved ones, and your entire life in the States being taken away because of politics that change with the whims of the current administration. My heart goes out to the people who have lost the chance to attend great universities, work at great companies, and live in the States because of this. Hurting them only comes back around to hurt us.
- EE84M3i 6y agoCould you clarify how her pending work authorization is connected to her ability to legally drive?
- quadrifoliate 6y agoAs an immigrant, your driver's license is often tied to the date on which your visa expires. However, you are also sometimes legally allowed to be in the US while you're in some kind of pending state -- for example, if your old visa/work authorization is expired but your new work authorization is pending and a decision hasn't been made about it yet. The DMV needs an end date in the future, so they won't give you a license without one. So you can be legally present in the US, but not able to legally get a driver's license.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago> We've had to worry about work authorization in the past -- i.e. that my girlfriend might not be able to get a job after college because the approval is taking so long and that she would be forced to leave the country if she couldn't get a job within the allotted time. Right now, she can't legally drive (!!!) because her work authorization renewal, which she applied for with ample time, hasn't come through yet. In a couple months, we'll be back to worrying about job loss and deportation... What if she were your wife?
- unishark 6y ago> International students, however, by and large, pay the full ride in most schools in undergrad and in master’s programs. Very few schools offer any scholarship to international students, and of those that do, the terms are often not as comparable. In my experience this is almost completely false. They do have to pay out-of-state tuition to public schools, and they generally aren't eligible for taxpayer-funded need-based aid. But we don't blink at giving scholarships to international applicants just as often as domestic. Often international students dominate the applications to master's programs, and get all the scholarships too.
- frequentnapper 6y agonot sure if this applies in states, but here in Canada, the graduate studies simply see more international students because local students are more interested in working rather than continuing education beyond an undergrad degree.
- unishark 6y agoYes this is exactly what happens in STEM. It is less well-regarded domestically as a vocation, while in many other countries it is considered as a pinnacle of achievement (not to mention a stepping-stone to residency). So our top students go into medicine/law/business or whatever instead, while top students from other cultures come for STEM grad school.
- bitxbit 6y agoI agree with this 100%. US higher ed is largely funded by tax (direct and indirect). International students paying full tuition, even if true, is insignificant. I think there’s been a misguided focus on admitting international students over the past two decades. Some of the reasons behind it are valid such as diversity and globalization. However, it’s also contributed to skyrocketing tuition costs.
- toby 6y agoSorry, what? How do international students, being an "insignificant" amount of the total, contribute to skyrocketing costs?
- mxcrossr 6y agoI guess I just don't believe the notion that ICE made this decision to try and force universities to reopen. It just makes so little sense. I understand that this administration's is interested in returning to normalcy, but surely university's aren't high on their priority list? Meanwhile, we have now four years of evidence that at every moment where they can reduce the number of illegal immigrants to the US, they make that decision. Whether it's banning people based on their religion or kicking out people who have been legally living here for decades as refugees. It just makes far more sense that the administration's real goal here is to reduce the number of foreign students, not to force universities to reopen. The director of homeland security just doesn't want to admit it.
- pm90 6y agoIt can be both. The focus is on the coercion because the Federal Government has very little direct coercive power over Universities; other manners of coercion (like withdrawing funding) would likely get stopped by the courts. But this threat is one way that the administration can hit Universities where it hurts.
- mavelikara 6y ago> Meanwhile, we have now four years of evidence that at every moment where they can reduce the number of illegal immigrants to the US, they make that decision. Did you mean "legal immigrants"?
- mxcrossr 6y agoThat was a typo, thanks for the catch!
- ggm 6y agoAustralia: we want more international students. you are worth $16b+ to us annually. (some estimates go to $30b of on-value) Also Australia: Oh, covid: no money for you, indigent peons! Basically, if you cannot afford to eat, as a displaced international student its begging, or starving. No help. Truly amazing lack of insight into future study outcomes here. We used to have a strategy called "the colombo plan" which was free tertiary education on a requirement to go back home and this built links into emerging economies which liked us. Now, our strategy is to milk international students dry, keep the ones who can survive exclusionist immigration policy, and screw everyone over if the risk-side tanks. Great plan!
- FridgeSeal 6y ago> Now, our strategy is to milk international students dry, keep the ones who can survive exclusionist immigration policy, and screw everyone over if the risk-side tanks. Great plan! Whilst at the same time ignoring local students almost completely. It's a loss-loss!
- ggm 6y agoten points to gryffendor!
- refurb 6y agoHey! We’re criticizing the US here. Let’s stay focused.
- jp0d 6y agoI'm an immigrant in Australia. When millions of citizens and residents are out of jobs, I think asking the govt to provide free money to international students might be asking a bit too much. I don't think any other country is doing it. From a humanitarian point of view I can totally understand, but for policy makers that wouldn't be a high priority especially after the catastrophic bush fires this year.
- CarbyAu 6y agoIt feels to me as though the US Government and Financial sector got stuck in the 80's or gone backwards. Don't get me wrong, the Silicon Valley bubble has clearly impacted around the world, which is why I qualified with "largely". But, cheques, spending more then 20 minutes at the DMV, charging ridiculous amounts for electronic transfers, healthcare, gun (lack of) reform. As a first world country you can't even get drinking water right - for years!? To paraphrase, any country would be mad to invade the US as every has a gun. Honestly, any country would be mad because... why would you want to?
- refurb 6y agoCheques? Really? That’s your criticism?
- CarbyAu 6y agoCherry picking a single word? Really? That’s your criticism?
- qppo 6y agoStop thinking of the US as a monolith, we have a shared language and history and some amount of shared culture but we're stratified socially, politically, and geographically. There are plenty of places in Europe you can write the same comments about individually, just as there are places in the US where little of them hold water.
- CarbyAu 6y agoYeah, my comment does seem to depict America as a monolith. I mean, no one in the world thinks Silicon Valley is lacking in relevance. And no doubt many other places have their crap sorted out too. But my point remains, America on the whole needs to do more "developing" than sitting on it's laurels as a "1st world country". Just because someone, somewhere in America is doing ok doesn't mean you should give up drinking water/healthcare/education/sensible-financial-services for other people. Also - as you say - not like America is alone in this, and far from being the worst place to live in the world - even with Trump. But being media-wise very visible in the world we seem to see a lot more "America is wonderful." than acknowledgement of the flaws. My own country - Australia - largely digs up dirt for it's economy, also has a history of ignoring experts, has it's own dark history, etc etc. I am so disappointed in my own country too.
- softwaredoug 6y agoSoft power was always crucial to US success. US as a cultural juggernaut in the 20th century was a key reason the US won the Cold War - not hard power. Projecting “liberal values” out to the world was part of it. Since the Iraq war, the emperor has increasingly had no clothes. Instead of moral progress to realize those ideal, things have increasingly devolved and the bottom keeps dropping out... I have optimism that even now the majority of Americans hold to some ideals to aspire to, and that eventually given a generation, things can change. But I won’t hold my breath!
- refurb 6y agonot hard power What? There was a massive military build up in the US during the 90’s including things like SDI.
- hedora 6y agoThe cold war ended in the 80’s.
- Gibbon1 6y agoYeah after 1980 or so the 'cold war' was just about siphoning taxpayer money to the military industrial complex.
- refurb 6y agoI'd love to hear how you arrived at that conclusion (that somehow military spending before 1980 wasn't the same as post-1980).
- Gibbon1 6y agoEasy because I grew up in the Valley during the 1960's and 70's. If you believed the muttering of military and aerospace engineers and the occasional ex-soviet engineer, or the girl material science engineer I knew that spent a year studying in the Soviet Union. Well you knew the war was over and the Soviets lost. Or you could believe the usual propaganda. I am amazed how many people still choose to believe the propaganda.
- steve76 6y agoIt's easier to win an election by pushing out voters who have high standards: "I'll vote for you if you bring me customers. I'll vote for you if you cure my cancer." and bring in the voters who can be bought on the cheap: "Don't arrest me. Spend money on me. Don't deport me." That's all this is. The world is an extremely cruel competition, other people the cruelest. It doesn't matter what you do. In politics you will have opposition regardless. In debate, they often switch sides of the same issue and keep arguing. It's a fight over power, and someone else's fight, not yours. Here in the USA, a lot of the top leaders are breaking off, for all efforts forming their own autonomous nations, and leaving behind the poor and wounded who fought for them and gave them their chance. A lot of the world is very rich, richer than the USA, using everything we invented and built only to cheer on our murder and cheat us every chance they get. Perhaps give America something it really wants? Plenty of undergrads with degrees who are now on welfare in the USA. Plenty of knowledge which is documented and shared across the world for free and will soon be researched and automated faster than you. Create jobs. Care for the elderly. Educate inner cities. Sober people up. That's what we really need today. Worse thing is when you try to do something good, you will be torn to pieces by horrible people, here in America included. Kindness is weakness to people living life to rape as many children as they can with suicide as their endgame. Real evil, angry at the world, seeking destruction. Close to a hundred years now, Yamamoto warned the world not to wake a sleeping giant filled with a terrible resolve. No one does desperate fights to the death better than we do. All that righteous anger building up over generations. This time, I will kill us all. The entire planet, and make it so nothing ever lives again, the entire universe. I know how to do it. Go through life lessening enemies please, not creating them.
- ponker 6y agoHoping that some colleges pull a fast one, like having one in-person lecture a week that are widely known to be shams and not for actual attendance, perhaps a lecture about a Simpsons episode, to maintain the “in-person” eligibility while having nobody attend, and then litigate the issue in court when the government tries to call them on it.
- dmode 6y agoThis ruling on international student is just plain cruel. I know how much hard work I had to put in to secure an F1 visa, and then had to invest in lease, buying a car etc. with very meager means. To come in the middle of that and tell everyone pack up and leave is just straight up evil. The next strategy will be deny visas for anyone re-applying for F-1, drastically reducing student numbers
- koheripbal 6y agoWill it really reduce student numbers? There are usually more than enough Americans on the wait list for US schools.
- adchari 6y agoUS schools can't exactly support all those American students without income, and international students are that source of income. My university (UIUC) heavily relies on international student tuition to provide facilities, pay teachers, and give financial support to students who need it, despite the fact that it's a public university; they simply don't get enough funding from the state.
- novok 6y agoWaitlists are based on state funding in many ways, and international students don't take up that funding allotment, and in many ways increase the number of subsidized students. If it's a place like stanford which hasn't increase it admission count much since the 1960s, that is a completely different issue.
- zozin 6y agoI too am an immigrant to the United States and it's frustrating to read this, and not because the reasons most people might think. I came here as a child and I am reminded every day of the privilege American residency and citizenship affords me. The family that I left behind in my home country is still struggling to make ends meet, while I was, as recently as Feb. 2020, making nearly $200K per year as an attorney. I lost my job due to Covid-19, but I am optimistic that my future is bright, mostly because America is still a land of opportunity, unlike the vast majority of the world. Mr. Duruk's thought's are frustrating to read because he assumes his privilege. He assumes he's owed an easy and straightforward journey to citizenship, that his future as a foreign-student shouldn't be jeopardized in the least by the political whims of the local population, as if the ravaged parts of THIS nation which screamed out and democratically elected a protectionist president do not deserve to be heard at the international's community's expense. America isn't perfect, no country is, but having lived here for twenty years, having experienced life in other places, and having traveled internationally, I wouldn't chose another place as my home--and apparently neither would Mr. Duruk. While I do not agree with this administration's immigration policies, I have enough perspective to realize that immigration policy is ultimately beholden to the local population. That is what democracy entails. Nobody owes anybody anything in life, complaining as if you are owed something reeks of privilege and a sense of entitlement.
- neokrish 6y agoJust posted my thoughts, sharing the same sentiments. This totally resonates with me.
- 0x8BADF00D 6y agoReading your comment and the original post really made me thankful for what I have. It goes to show that you have very little control of things in life. There are countless headwinds that influence the decisions you make. Some are invisible.
- screye 6y ago> He assumes he's owed an easy and straightforward journey to citizenship, that his future as a foreign-student shouldn't be jeopardized in the least by the political whims of the local population, as if the ravaged parts of THIS nation which screamed out and democratically elected a protectionist president do not deserve to be heard at the international's community's expense. I don't think that's it. What the person seems to begrudge is them breaking the implicit deal. No one will ever willingly pay $200k to a university if vastly improved career prospects were not promised at the end of it. Countries are expected to have a cohesive foreign policy across Govts. When the world most 'credible' country starts changing policies based on which side of the bed the president woke up on, it can get quite irritating for those stuck in the midst. > I wouldn't chose another place as my home--and apparently neither would Mr. Duruk Being better than a rapidly Islamizing Turkey under dictatorial rule isn't a huge positive. Also, it might be a coincidence, but it can rub people the wrong way that immigration is significantly easier for predominantly white Europeans (no visa needed to visit in practice (for audition, interview) and no waiting periods for immigration) as compared to people from Islamic countries (single entry visas) or Asia (infinite waiting periods). > I have enough perspective to realize that immigration policy is ultimately beholden to the local population. Agreed, as long as the country doesn't pull a, "I've altered the deal, pray I don't alter it further". I have always maintained a "reject them at the gate" policy. Don't welcome them with open arms, and then leave them to drown in the deep end.
- neokrish 6y agoI’ll be the devil’s advocate here. US as a country of choice for education, work and life is unbeatable. The author himself is looking forward to getting the citizenship soon. US also has a lot of structural issues, as any country and any structure of government does. US educational institutions and the teaching will still hold appeal and after Covid settles down, it’ll still continue to attract international students. While international students pay full price, international students also receive scholarships and the student loan crisis of (mostly) American students shows that American students are not as subsidized as the author claims. Economy is interlinked - international students end up in tech sector jobs, earn exorbitant sums (PM in a FANG company is earning $400K while average American wage is closer to $50K), possibly joining social media businesses (morally challenged business models) and further straining the social fabric in the US. This is my conjecture, based on my experience. I’m an international student and studied in a premier US university and have all my friends working mostly in SF and NYC. Of late, I’m starting to judge things on the basis of what heals US and avoid picking things in isolation. In summary, I see that the immigration rules have been harshly implemented, but again, it’s covid and I’m not sure what a measured response is anymore. US is well within its right to control immigration as it feels like, internationals like US because there is something about US that’s hard to unpack, but as a whole, something to cherish and love. In my opinion, the author is fair to call out the immigration rule implementation, everything else feels like a rant and I have a hard time buying into the criticism.
- balozi 6y agoThis too shall pass. Ask the people that had the misfortune of being in foreign student status on the morning of September 11th, 2001.
- howdyhere123 6y agoThis whole piece reads wrong for me. The United States has been disenfranchising its own citizens for decades particulary economically. Students from around the world should be allowed to stay but this world view is so foreign, pun not intended, from my perspective as a mixed man from a broken background.
- vmception 6y agoThanks for writing that. > all I can feel sometimes is that I’ve bet on the wrong horse This is a very American experience, where there is no safety net for being wrong if you run out of money on the bet, but we do have convenient bankruptcy laws when you run out of other people's money on top of that. > The whole point of moving to the developed world is to not have to deal with developing world problems The only unique thing about America is having the resources to do better, it just doesn't. so I am pretty thrilled that people are being forced to reconcile the difference between Hollywood propaganda and real life. Most other major economic unions were forced to become more inclusive and empathic, by invasion and reeducation. The US has never been forced to reconcile any part of its culture, it is populated by people with incompatible extremes of ideologies wherever they came from, and it promotes those extremes for temporary unilateral control of US resources. Your writing was very insightful, I hope this helps you patch your understanding of what America is and gives you a more objective way to use it as a tool.