Immigration has become a major political issue in both the US with the rise of Donald Trump and in the UK with the growth of the U.K. Independence Party and the crucial role it played in the EU referendum.
For the most part, discussions of immigration are largely taboo and considered "politically incorrect" due to its association with racism, but is also accepted as part of the process of globalisation, free trade and the development of multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-faith societies. Insistence on equality on the basis of race and religion, whether this is the legal equality endorsed by centre right and centre left positions or socio-economic equality by the far left, the issue has gone largely ignored by mainstream parties and has become a major pull factor in far-right politics in Europe and the US.
Given this, it is necessary to break the silence on the issue and discuss it frankly. We have to admit there is a problem if we are actually to solve it, but there are very different ways of approaching the issue and therefore framing what solutions we would consider. Political correctness, whatever its intentions, has not achieved its goal of eradicating racism in society, but instead has simply buried the issue of immigration and its related problems. This silence has meant that far right narratives go unchallenged and the issue recieves great attention in the tabloid press often with little consideration for the evidence in order to make sensationalised headlines. The electoral pull of the far right may arguably be down to how globalisation and immigration have challenged traditional conceptions of national identity and fostered insecurity both economically in terms of job but also culturally as groups with different customs collide (notably in the case of fears over Islam and Arabs). So these problems will it disappear simply by being quiet about them.
As someone who until recently shared the view that the immigration issue was untouchable due to its taboos, I have voted "don't know/not sure" in the poll irrespective of my own feelings and ideological inclinations on the issue. Immigration has now become a major political issue in both the UK and US and we need to understand it and find alternative narratives to understanding the issue to resist the far right, recognising the legitimacy of some of people's fears and coping with the challenges of living together in a globalising world.
The poll is very broad and I have tried to avoid specifics. Feel free to vote other if you wish and expand your own views as it will hopefully add to a discussion which seems to polarise people rather deeply.
For the most part, discussions of immigration are largely taboo and considered "politically incorrect" due to its association with racism, but is also accepted as part of the process of globalisation, free trade and the development of multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-faith societies. Insistence on equality on the basis of race and religion, whether this is the legal equality endorsed by centre right and centre left positions or socio-economic equality by the far left, the issue has gone largely ignored by mainstream parties and has become a major pull factor in far-right politics in Europe and the US.
Given this, it is necessary to break the silence on the issue and discuss it frankly. We have to admit there is a problem if we are actually to solve it, but there are very different ways of approaching the issue and therefore framing what solutions we would consider. Political correctness, whatever its intentions, has not achieved its goal of eradicating racism in society, but instead has simply buried the issue of immigration and its related problems. This silence has meant that far right narratives go unchallenged and the issue recieves great attention in the tabloid press often with little consideration for the evidence in order to make sensationalised headlines. The electoral pull of the far right may arguably be down to how globalisation and immigration have challenged traditional conceptions of national identity and fostered insecurity both economically in terms of job but also culturally as groups with different customs collide (notably in the case of fears over Islam and Arabs). So these problems will it disappear simply by being quiet about them.
As someone who until recently shared the view that the immigration issue was untouchable due to its taboos, I have voted "don't know/not sure" in the poll irrespective of my own feelings and ideological inclinations on the issue. Immigration has now become a major political issue in both the UK and US and we need to understand it and find alternative narratives to understanding the issue to resist the far right, recognising the legitimacy of some of people's fears and coping with the challenges of living together in a globalising world.
The poll is very broad and I have tried to avoid specifics. Feel free to vote other if you wish and expand your own views as it will hopefully add to a discussion which seems to polarise people rather deeply.
