(Part 3 of 3)
Meanwhile, most of that South African diaspora consists of white people. And before someone says that these must be the racists upset at the overturning of apartheid, let me reassure you that at least three such immigrants I know fought to end apartheid.It is just that the government of South Africa, currently, is not color blind, and that there is very little future for white South Africans.
And the truth is that no one even implied that the people of South Africa, whatever their color, are sh*tholes. Only that the nation itself is a sh*thole.
The government of South Africa then engaged in tu quoque pointing out that there is racism and homelessness in America. I haven’t seen that segment (apparently on CNN) but it was reported to me and to a good friend of mine, Dave Freer, who is an immigrant in Australia, from South Africa. His reaction to this commentary was the following:
My friend Sarah Hoyt pointed me to a self-righteous fury spewing from the South African ANC (the political party which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid) about the idea of South Africa being a shit-hole and how bad America was. I was born there, and eventually migrated to Australia, of which I am now a proud citizen, and which I love, and try my best to pay back for its enormous generosity in taking us in. Now, South Africa is a beautiful country, with some fine people… but the ANC have presided over it now having one of the highest murder and rape stats of any country in the world not at war. Corruption is endemic, and racial hatred – both white on black and black on white – if anything is worse than at the end of apartheid. Public Health is in a sad state, and education isn’t much to write home to mother about, principally because ‘writing’ might be challenge, and mother (adult education is a neglected disgrace) still can’t read. There are squatter camps, squalor, mud huts without toilets in the bush. Electrical grids are failing, potable water is a major problem. There are good patches of course. There are things which have improved. But it’s only not a shit-hole when compared to places like Zimbabwe. Any criticism from it is like a serial child rapist and murderer complaining about you saying ‘shut up’ to your kid.
Then there is the icing on the cake: a bunch of people from those alleged sh*tholes bragging of their accomplishments in America.
Note that they are no longer in their countries of origin. If those are so wonderful, we invite them to go back.
The U.S. is not a charity, forced to take anyone who wants to come here because their need is great. We are a great country, and thriving like none other in the history of this sorry world, but even we can’t give shelter and opportunity to everyone who wants to come here to escape the mess their countries have become.
We get to pick and choose, and while we have traditionally given refuge to those in dire need, economic hardship is not, by itself, dire need. Nor are we, for that matter, forced to give refuge if we think you’ll bring the mess back in your country of origin with you.
Do you want to come to the U.S.? Great. Splendid. Come because you want to be an American, not because you want to defend tooth and nail the sh*thole you left behind. We are not your mommy. We are not your daddy. We want you to leave your parents' basement and make your own way to American freedom and prosperity. If you can’t do that, go back to the sh*thole.
Fit in or f*ck off.
We don’t care what sh*thole you came from, we just care that you want to be an American.
And if you’re not here, don’t want to come here, and don’t want to be an American but are offended because your country was called names, don’t waste spit defending your pride. Prove us wrong by making your country one that people don’t want to leave in droves. And shut up about it.
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