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As with the author's other essay on his visit to Yemen, this was an enjoyable one. But this line isn't wholly true: "I don’t have the heart to tell him that th

by gms 12y ago

As with the author's other essay on his visit to Yemen, this was an enjoyable one. But this line isn't wholly true: "I don’t have the heart to tell him that there’s no future for him anywhere I’m from, either. In the US, being from Yemen is practically synonymous with being a terrorist. The world expects people like him to stay put and suffer in place." Trying to visit the US on a visa with a Yemeni passport is indeed difficult, and so is trying to emigrate there. But it's not impossible: there is a sizable population of Yemenis who have settled in the US and been very glad for how much better their lives are. San Francisco and Oakland both contain large Yemeni populations.

idlewords 12y ago
The US has been systematically confiscating passports from naturalized Yemeni citizens who go home to visit, leaving them stranded. So I stand by my hyperbole: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/yemeni-americans-us-embassy-sanaa-passports http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/yemeni-american... http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_25030451/oakland-man-stuck-yemen-fights-return http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_25030451/oakland-man-stuck-yem...
- gms 12y ago
  I know. It is reprehensibly capricious behaviour, to say the least.
bkeroack 12y ago
What he should have told him is: "Get to the US by any means possible--by hook or by crook. You don't have the luxury of waiting for a job. Once you're in, life will be very difficult at first but if you work hard, don't feel sorry for yourself and stay out of trouble, in a few years your life will be much better. If that sounds too scary or dangerous, stay here."
- idlewords 12y ago
  I think if I told a Yemeni guy to work hard, not feel sorry for himself and stay out of trouble, lightning would strike me dead on the spot. What a condescending piece of advice. It's tantamount to "abandon your entire family and live as a fugitive, or are you too chicken?"
  - bkeroack 12y ago
    How unfortunate in our hyper-PC world that telling someone to work hard and stay out of trouble is somehow bad or offensive. The point is--if he wants to escape his situation in Yemen it's going to take some risk and it won't be easy. If he's not willing to work for it, why should I feel sorry for him?
    - idlewords 12y ago
      It is offensive to tell someone to work hard and stay out of trouble when: a) they work harder than you do b) they face daily hardships greater than you ever have to face c) trouble comes at random It's easy to tell people to uproot their lives, and live as fugitives, on a nerd message board. It's nice to believe that we got where we are because of our superior drive, rather than random good luck.
      - bkeroack 12y ago
        I see. So the correct answer in your PC world is to silently feel some sort of existential guilt at having a better life than them. Sorry, I don't share that worldview. While a) and b) may be true ("b" more so than "a"), "c" is only true in certain circumstances. Would you assert that everyone in prison is there due to bad luck? A necessary precondition for a new immigrant to the US to ultimately prosper is to avoid criminal activity (despite the very difficult situations they might find themselves in). It's quite sad that people take offense to this.
        jessedhillon 12y ago
        You sound like someone who has never examined closely why they have the life they do, and are now steadily determined to persist on that trajectory. Nobody expressed or instructed you to feel guilt -- your mind immediately jumped to that because the idea that someone works harder than you and yet has less is deeply threatening, as it specifically points to how precariously and arbitrarily you're positioned in life. By painting yourself as the subject of a guilting, you can avoid confronting the real subject and change to a discussion about morality -- something nobody is asking for, but which allows you to dismiss the idea without considering it. What was suggested was that perhaps you should consider undertaking humility and circumspection.
simonebrunozzi 12y ago
Easier to get to Europe, and seek a job in Germany.

by gms 12y ago

idlewords 12y ago

The US has been systematically confiscating passports from naturalized Yemeni citizens who go home to visit, leaving them stranded. So I stand by my hyperbole: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/yemeni-americans-us-embassy-sanaa-passports http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/22/yemeni-american... http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_25030451/oakland-man-stuck-yemen-fights-return http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_25030451/oakland-man-stuck-yem...

gms 12y ago
I know. It is reprehensibly capricious behaviour, to say the least.

bkeroack 12y ago

What he should have told him is: "Get to the US by any means possible--by hook or by crook. You don't have the luxury of waiting for a job. Once you're in, life will be very difficult at first but if you work hard, don't feel sorry for yourself and stay out of trouble, in a few years your life will be much better. If that sounds too scary or dangerous, stay here."

idlewords 12y ago
I think if I told a Yemeni guy to work hard, not feel sorry for himself and stay out of trouble, lightning would strike me dead on the spot. What a condescending piece of advice. It's tantamount to "abandon your entire family and live as a fugitive, or are you too chicken?"
- bkeroack 12y ago
  How unfortunate in our hyper-PC world that telling someone to work hard and stay out of trouble is somehow bad or offensive. The point is--if he wants to escape his situation in Yemen it's going to take some risk and it won't be easy. If he's not willing to work for it, why should I feel sorry for him?
  - idlewords 12y ago
    It is offensive to tell someone to work hard and stay out of trouble when: a) they work harder than you do b) they face daily hardships greater than you ever have to face c) trouble comes at random It's easy to tell people to uproot their lives, and live as fugitives, on a nerd message board. It's nice to believe that we got where we are because of our superior drive, rather than random good luck.
    - bkeroack 12y ago
      I see. So the correct answer in your PC world is to silently feel some sort of existential guilt at having a better life than them. Sorry, I don't share that worldview. While a) and b) may be true ("b" more so than "a"), "c" is only true in certain circumstances. Would you assert that everyone in prison is there due to bad luck? A necessary precondition for a new immigrant to the US to ultimately prosper is to avoid criminal activity (despite the very difficult situations they might find themselves in). It's quite sad that people take offense to this.
      - jessedhillon 12y ago
        You sound like someone who has never examined closely why they have the life they do, and are now steadily determined to persist on that trajectory. Nobody expressed or instructed you to feel guilt -- your mind immediately jumped to that because the idea that someone works harder than you and yet has less is deeply threatening, as it specifically points to how precariously and arbitrarily you're positioned in life. By painting yourself as the subject of a guilting, you can avoid confronting the real subject and change to a discussion about morality -- something nobody is asking for, but which allows you to dismiss the idea without considering it. What was suggested was that perhaps you should consider undertaking humility and circumspection.

simonebrunozzi 12y ago

Easier to get to Europe, and seek a job in Germany.