Public discourse about asylum seekers has taken a dark turn.
We have recently had to delete or hide 600+ hate-filled comments on our Instagram and TikTok posts. Disturbing terms like “rodent” and “enemy of the nation” are being used to refer to asylum seekers have shown up in the comments sections of our posts, both new ones and old ones. We’ve never had to police our comment sections like this.
A lot of the incendiary misinformation these people are spouting is derived from statements made by people in powerful public positions like New York’s mayor, the chief of the NYPD and a former president. Their ridiculous fear-mongering claims have been debunked, of course, but that doesn’t erase the original untruths. Everything lives forever on the internet, even debunked lies.
The shocking language and insinuations used by Mayor Adams and others echo those used by authoritarian groups and governments throughout history. Comparing human beings to rodents and monsters? Assigning criminal impulses to migrants? Pretending that plentiful resources are too scarce to share so that newcomers will be resented and pushed out? All are old strategies from a tried and untrue playbook.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the current immigration issues. But what is not up for discussion is that these people — being forced to leave their homes for political, environmental or economic hardships — are human. Every human is entitled to the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education.
Poverty is not a zero sum game. If a person gets a hot meal or a safe place to live, those things are not being taken away from you — you deserve them, too. The fear-selling politicians imply that poverty is like a competition for resources. Think about that: We live in a rich country, in a rich city, where the most powerful and wealthy people pay lawyers to find ways to dodge taxes and protect their savings from sharing. There are resources enough to feed children, to provide housing and school.
Don’t believe the haters.
This is part one of a three-part series.