Welcome to Sex and the State, a newsletter about power. I’m a writer working on decriminalizing and destigmatizing all things sex. I use evidence and stories to interrogate existing power structures to propose better ways of relating. To support my work,
Immigration is another one of those complicated issues that lends itself to distortion and fear mongering by unscrupulous politicians. People -- especially those under economic stress -- want someone to blame for their plight. So immigrants are a handy scapegoat.
Never mind all the evidence to the contrary, we’re easily swayed by a good scary story about an illegal immigrant who commits a crime. Successful politicians like Trump know how to play to our prejudices and worst instincts. And it works every time.
It’s also disappointing to see someone like Britt, who I’ll assume knows better, adopt positions that are not just contrary to fact, but actually harm the people they’re supposed to help.
It’s sad. I personally know smart and insightful individuals who have gotten into politics and then adopted stupid policies that they know are wrong. They do it because they know it will help them win, and maybe that’s understandable. But it’s not leadership.
Perhaps this is an overgeneralization on my part, but it seems that every argument in favor of restricting immigration and the rights of immigrants is a rationalization of xenophobia. I sometimes feel that no argument showing the positive impact of immigration will sway these nativists, since xenophobia ultimately boils down to prejudice imho.
Immigration is another one of those complicated issues that lends itself to distortion and fear mongering by unscrupulous politicians. People -- especially those under economic stress -- want someone to blame for their plight. So immigrants are a handy scapegoat.
Never mind all the evidence to the contrary, we’re easily swayed by a good scary story about an illegal immigrant who commits a crime. Successful politicians like Trump know how to play to our prejudices and worst instincts. And it works every time.
It’s also disappointing to see someone like Britt, who I’ll assume knows better, adopt positions that are not just contrary to fact, but actually harm the people they’re supposed to help.
It’s sad. I personally know smart and insightful individuals who have gotten into politics and then adopted stupid policies that they know are wrong. They do it because they know it will help them win, and maybe that’s understandable. But it’s not leadership.
Perhaps this is an overgeneralization on my part, but it seems that every argument in favor of restricting immigration and the rights of immigrants is a rationalization of xenophobia. I sometimes feel that no argument showing the positive impact of immigration will sway these nativists, since xenophobia ultimately boils down to prejudice imho.