There’s a progressive propaganda backlash that’s very disturbing. The push is to make people who are against allowing Syrian refugees appear to be racists. It’s not the mainstream media narrative that scares me. It’s the fact that citizens are really pushing this agenda on social media in a form of shaming that can actually have an influence over perspectives.
It’s being turned into a question of absolutes. They are trying to brand anyone who is against the blind acceptance of immigrants from countries with major radical Islam terrorist influences as racists, bigots, and fearmongers. This is so far from the truth and polls demonstrate this, but the narrative remains. This should scare us. This is a very dangerous trend.
Not all Muslims are terrorists, but some are. Not all of the people who are against refugee resettlement in America are racists, but some are.
I’m a minority. I’ve experienced racism just as every minority in America has if they’ve been here long enough. I do not approve of racism one bit, but I would never allow a fear caused by political correctness to shift policy in a way that endangers American citizens. There are solutions available to help the refugees in need without taking unacceptable risks in the process.
Looking at opinion polls is something that I always take do cautiously since they are always inaccurate and invariably motivated by agendas, but the recent Bloomberg poll on the subject supports my contention that being against unsafe refugee practices is not necessarily racist. In the poll, only 28% of respondents wanted to “proceed with the plan to resettle 10,000 refugees without religious screening.”
#NewPoll Just 28% would keep admitting Syrians w/ screening process as it NOW exists https://t.co/79Y6QQibGn http://pic.twitter.com/EtL8G5xHwU
— Tom T. (@VRWCTexan) November 18, 2015
But… but… that’s racist, right? No. It’s prudent. It makes sense, particularly following three separate terrorist attacks in the last month. The other part of the survey conveys this message that believing we must be smart about the refugees does not mean that we’re necessarily racists. Only 28% believe that “Islam is an inherently violent religion, which leads its followers to violent acts.
The majority of Americans believe we should be careful with how we handle the refugee situation and the majority of Americans believe that Islam is inherently peaceful but that “there are some who twist its teachings to justify violence.”
In other words, the majority of Americans are smart on these two subjects.
The problem is that those who are loudest about defending the liberal talking point are trying desperately to turn the narrative on its head. They say that if you’re against allowing the refugees to resettle as President Obama has planned (and I use the word “plan” loosely when it pertains to the President), then you must be a racist. Just on my Facebook and Twitter timelines alone, I see both sides spouting very polarizing responses. I’ve seen threats to unfriend anyone who expresses opinions against the refugees. I’ve seen threats to unfollow anyone who even mentions the possibility that what happened in Paris could happen here. I wish it were anecdotal, but I’ve gone through the various timelines exhaustively and I can say with certainty that it’s a trend.
The greatest weapon that progressives use is the racism/bigotry/discrimination label. They hurl it around at anyone and in nearly all political situations. If you believe in traditional marriage, you’re a bigot. If you believe in protecting our borders, you’re a racist. If you want to be careful about allowing refugees to come over from countries where it’s very possible they’ve been influenced by radical Islam, you’re discriminating.
This really isn’t a right versus left issue, though it appears to be on the surface. It’s a battle between those who think through individual circumstance and those who follow only their political party’s talking points or those who have unacceptably extreme ideas. Some who oppose refugees are racist. Some who embrace open borders are anti-American. These are perspectives we will not be able to change. I’m not worried about the extremes. I’m concerned about the thinkers in the middle who can be swayed by the use of the racism/bigotry/discrimination weapon.
Normally, I accept that liberal perspectives can have merit, but not in this case. There’s one proper thought that should be universal: we cannot discriminate against Muslims but we also cannot blindly allow tens of thousands of refugees to resettle without a plan that truly protects American citizens.
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