Photo by hollandevans via Pixabay
I’m done trying to bargain for a shred of empathy when (mostly white) Germans insist on playing the victim.
I’m done with having every normal, daily conversations be ruined by hateful speech about anonymous migrants in the abstract; a broad brush painted over people whose lives we do not know.
You know how when you have that one friend, and every time you get together, all they do is bitch and moan about person X, until eventually you think to yourself, MY GOD, get a grip?? Yeah, you sound like that person.
I’m vetoing every conversation that goes anywhere near this topic. Why?
Because these conversations are often devoid of any factual evidence of what causes and “controls” migration (mostly the illegal variant is implied here). And because in these “conversations”, scapegoating and ire tend to steamroll basic human empathy. It’s tiring.
Migration is not a problem nor is it a solution. Migration is part of humanity. Migration is part of my personal family history; without it I would not exist. It might even be part of yours. Are you a “bad” migrant, or a “good” one?
I’m tired of completely self-unaware people getting on their soapbox to display how uncritically they think about the social issues affecting us, instead opting to make other disadvantaged peoples their abstract enemies.
I’m tired of these people displaying their lack of self-awareness in how their emotions have been instrumentalised by centrist and right-wing politicians, hijacking their fear and anger.
I am done having this conversation with you, (mostly white) Germans, because you bring up this “issue” every single time, out of the blue, without anyone asking you to.
I will block every single one of your attempts to make this a subject, and I will tell you that it frustrates me and please can we just get on with it — unless you can come back with solid facts.
Perhaps read the work of Hein de Haas, a sociologist who has studied migration for over three decades and knows a lot more on this topic than you and I.
Until you’ve nearly drowned in the Mediterranean, scrubbed toilets in hotels or harvested tomatoes for the whole of Europe under scorching heat — I am not talking to you. Please just shut the f up.
(Edit: obviously migrants are not just doing “back-breaking labour” that Germans are less likely to do; we have labour shortages across the board that migrants help fill. See also: elderly care as well as our health system, STEM, hospitality, etc.)
And in the mean time, when we’re not talking, I will fight for the issues I care about. Right under your nose.
You can talk about me then.