Quote:
Originally Posted by Jel
thread devolved into that almost immediately, but was not about that  |
yeah, I know
and when the Muslim-bashing is left out I don't think it's an inherently negative thing to talk about how societies need to change to adapt to changes in migration patterns. it's actually vital.
in looking at population density and immigration it makes more sense to look at smaller geographic areas though, specifically urban centers. the reasons being that a) looking at an entire nation can skew stats (eg, Canada has a low population density overall but it's higher in cities where most people live) and b) most immigrants tend to settle at least initially in more urban areas
when looking at some of the most livable cities in the world (Vienna, Zurich, Toronto, Vancouver and Tokyo for example), the population density is higher than many urban centers in the UK. y'all have some room to grow still =)
along with that needs to come infrastructure to support population growth as well as effective settlement services, but if done right high density centers can be environmentally friendly places that peeps actually want to live
for most peeps though I don't think the concern is population growth. it's the 'other' invading a space they perceive to be their own
it's interesting the back and forth above about who's the worst. none of us are responsible for the past but we do have to acknowledge that we (and our economic foundations as pointed out above) are products of history. those of us who have benefited from the legacies of oppression (colonialism, slavery, etc) and the vast transfers of wealth that occurred therein can at least own that. it doesn't cost anything or make anyone guilty of anything, rather simply a matter of recognizing a value-neutral fact.
from there it would be cool if we all started thinking about how we've been left to deal with the messes made by our ancestors on all sides. maybe instead of continuing to pass down the same shit we could start fixing it. welcoming and supporting people fleeing a nightmare might be a good start