Empowering Stereotypes, Not People. - A note on immigration

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http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/clas
h/Imm_KKK/Immigration%20Pages/
Immigration-page2.htm

Immigration is more relevant than ever, with borders opening and a explosion of the press coverage on the topic and it hasn't ever been more alarming. Since our slow recovery after the credit crisis, many people feel vulnerable and as a result people have become even more xenophobic in society.
But as stereotypes build, more and more people become hostile to foreign persons and anything that concerns itself with immigration.

Indeed jobs are scarce and money may be short but anger towards immigrants or even anyone that is 'different' is not a just person to blame, they are merely a scapegoat that has been generated by stereotypes and fear.

Let's take this from another perspective, person X is worried about their job security and fear that immigration would lead to people losing their jobs. However, lets assume that immigration into the UK boosts the demand for goods and services, lowers labour costs (as immigrants may do jobs many of us would rather not) and boosts efficiency. The effect creates more jobs and expands the labour market so that those with UK workplace skills benefit from the immigration of foreign workers.
So in actual fact we may benefit more from immigration than the benefits given to those who come to work. The standing stereotype that immigrants are benefit scroungers and job stealer's are completely false, many immigrants that we view as hostile (i.e those from countries with a lower GDP) are not custom to receiving benefits and therefore do not but merely fill a gap in the job market that would otherwise not be filled.

So you may not be convinced that this may not be the case and fair enough, but what happens if we do not encourage the prosperity of all persons regardless of where they were born but rather encourage the stereotypes?

Well the truth is that this has happened before and this consensus of anti-immigration has led to a system of protectionism. If we simply start to refuse to engage in a free and mobile society, we refuse to cooperate with the rest of the world, prosperity would never come back and every person would simply be an island. This I argue is alarming and dangerous and therefore, as long as it is properly managed, immigration is beneficial to society.

"Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens." -Thomas Sowell

'Google goes through your emails.' Is it a step too far?

Recently, Outlook has performed an attack on Google's reputation by exposing it as a privacy intruder. However, like always I am sure that Google or whatever company that comes into question will just throw up its terms and conditions in an attempt to smokescreen the situation.

It may seem they have a point, if we accepted their terms then we must abide by those conditions. Although, the big BUT here is that terms and conditions may have lots of legal jargon that can protect these companies but the real fact is, Google is the one in control. By establishing a large, loyal and regular users into their Gmail, YouTube Blogger and +1, they have been able to hook us into a advertisers goldmine.

But people can surely just move can't they? Just abandon Google?
No, because Google have integrated all their programs, blogs, videos, accounts and even their social networking together we cannot just opt out of Gmail going through our emails. It's not just controversial but it is a violation of a person's right and this angers me. The fact that they are using this blog, my emails, your searches and what you liked makes me angry, surely they have breached the our trust. While I thought what you posted on Facebook being used for advertising was crossing the line a little, this 'blows things out of the water' so to speak . Our privacy is being used for wealth, our interests and vulnerabilities exploited.
You can use your Terms and Conditions, but you cannot ignore that people have privacy rights.

Hopefully this post will protect our Freedom of Speech on the internet and keep our private messages, private.

Anksthay orfay eadingray!

(If you don't understand... http://www.keepyouremailprivate.com/)