February question #1: What is Progress?

February question #1:  What is Progress?

Henry David Thoreau's fears about societal encroachment into the natural world seem to reflect the current uncertainly regarding how much "progress" is too much.

Consider some of the most advanced technological changes of our time:  smart phones, drones, robotic technologies, electric cars, alternative fuel sources.  What would Thoreau have thought of them?  Be specific with your responses, especially since some of our most advanced technological changes are "green."

February question #2: Immigration

February question #2: Immigration

In an era of globalization, some academics argue that borders mean less than they did even just 10 years ago (think EU). As the world attempts to move toward more unification and cooperation, should there be fewer immigration restrictions? What, in your opinion, are reasons to deny people entry into your own country? Why? What is the best way to discourage/end illegal immigration?

Nativists of the 19th and early 20th century often complained of immigrants because they took away jobs from "native born" Americans, were uneducated (didn't speak English), poor, and utterly different (leading to discomfort of those already in America). Are such nativist arguments heard today in your own country? Is there any validity to such arguments?

Answers from Mr. Mulert's class for February question #2

Michelle Gindorf Feb 4

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1) In switzerland there was a large amount of immigration around the 1980s because there was economic trouble, but from 1990-2004 about, there were a lot of complaints about switzerland not being safe enough with all the immigrants. There would be posters around all switzerland about deporting immigrants.http://www.google.com/search?q=swiss+immigration+posters&safe=strict&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=swfxUvfHFZDB7Abm8IHYBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1362&bih=560#facrc=_&imgrc=RYPFXYs6TLBGVM%253A%3BLfskClaDZQc7dM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.telegraph.co.uk%252Fmultimedia%252Farchive%252F01752%252FPicture-2_1752355c.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%252Fnews%252Fworldnews%252Feurope%252Fswitzerland%252F8105745%252FSwiss-poised-to-vote-on-controversial-immigrant-law.html%3B460%3B288 andhttp://www.google.com/search?q=swiss+immigration+posters&safe=strict&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=swfxUvfHFZDB7Abm8IHYBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1362&bih=560#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=FTqWlrzZNe8LmM%253A%3BKvTJ_kMNMGeRYM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.geschichteinchronologie.ch%252Feu%252Fch%252Fkr%252Fcriminal-SVP-ENGL%252F08-minarets-etc-d%252F009-poster-SVP-2008-ravens-picking-at-Switzerland.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.geschichteinchronologie.ch%252Feu%252Fch%252Fkr%252Fcriminal-SVP-ENGL%252F08-passports-ravens-minarets-deportations.html%3B479%3B228

These are two posters that were placed everywhere. The translations are "improve safety" and "free entrance for all? no."


2) There should be a general law for immigrants, however there should be specific laws for individuals. For example depending on how they might be benefiting the country they are trying to immigrate to they shouldn't be denied, however if they are not really going to benefit the country and just take away jobs then they shouldn't be allowed into the country. Also people are complaining about how immigrants are taking away jobs, but the employers are paying the illegal immigrants lower wages than normal workers. In a way that does balance out though because the illegal immigrants don't pay taxes so by the end they keep the same amount of money as workers who get payed more, and legally, who pay taxes. If the benefit the country more than people who are citizens they should be allowed, otherwise i'm against it because each country should keep its culture and it shouldn't be affected by other cultures.

Paulina Gazin Feb 4

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1) As we discussed today in class, debates are still going on in the United States about what to do with the illegal immigrants. Ones who argue for the deportation of those immigrants will definitely use these arguments. Each one does have some validity, though it is erroneous in some ways as well. Immigrants agree to work for a lower wage so it is true that they take jobs away from people who were in America before them, but the Americans who call themselves native are actually immigrants as well. I personally agree that one negative impact of immigrants is that they are so different. It is good to have a culturally various country, but the American culture should not be overshadowed and English should remain the dominant language.
2) I believe that immigration restrictions are very important and even in an era of globalization, they should still be in effect. If people could go where ever they wanted, then countries would have no borders at all. That would lead to chaos, in addition to the country losing its identity. If a huge amount of people moved from one country to another, then that other country would lose all of its cultural importance. It is the immigration laws that give each country their uniqueness. It would be impossible to find the illegal immigrants that have already moved, but borders should become more secure to prevent it from happening to such an extent.

Nayara Tinoco Dondo Feb 4

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1.) Discussions and arguments about immigrants settling in different countries on the look for opportunity and jobs are common in most places around the world. My country, Brazil, unlike the United States does not receive many immigrants seeking new opportunities however I believe they are very welcoming to the newcomers. They receive them with warmth and do not create such fuss about their stay. However, I am not sure how they would react if there was a mass of immigrants replacing them in their jobs or creating less professional opportunities for them. I believe there is a certain length of validity to the nativist arguments. They are unsteady about the presence of foreigners for a certain reason that I could relate to. Immigrants create a more competitive market and when they cause that in a different country, the natives from those countries have the right to be uneasy towards their presence. Yet that does not give them the right to be disrespectful; I believe we are entering an era of unison of all nations and we need to learn how to cooperate with it.

2.) If an immigrants migrates to a foreign country seeking opportunity to enhance their lifestyle as hard as it may be to welcome them, we should all make an effort to. The immigrants also have to be considerate towards the nation they migrate to and also contribute to it. They may not expect to live there and not follow the laws or receive benefits because they're foreign. They should willingly pay taxes like any other citizen and contribute to the economic growth of the country. People should not deny others from reaching their dreams however they must all fairly collaborate.

Pietro Beyruti Guglielmi Feb 4

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1) In Brazil there was a huge immigration mainly of Italians together with other European countries. There were also many Asians especially Japanese, who by their part where one of the first groups to immigrate to Brazil. Now a days, these Asians are located in their own "communities", as the Liberdade (Liberty) area of my city. These communities are very good for commerce for they opened many small businesses of many types, being them restaurants or souvenir shops. This community is a very popular area for commerce and has helped Brazil a lot because it provides cheap and reasonable quality products to the lower classes in Brazil, which are extremely high in people who live in favelas or in small buildings. The Europeans were also essential to the development of our country in many ways. One of Sao Paulo state's biggest tourist attraction, Campos de Jordao, was very influenced by the Dutch and contains many of the Dutch architecture which make it such a great tourist attraction. Another example of immigration doing good to Brazil is that the Italians composed many of the culinary in Brazil, providing again cheap and reasonable quality food to all the population. Some arguments are heard in Brazil about how immigrants can be bad to our country but what makes their argument invalid is that a great part of Brazil is formed by immigrants and without them our economy would get worse and worse until it reaches a catastrophic limit.

2) I think that there should be much less immigration barriers and especially tourist barriers for two main reasons. First is that when immigrants go to a country they bring with them new ideals and cultures making the country more culturally rich. Also immigrants help the economy flow with their will to work even in the worst jobs and with their small businesses throughout the country. The most ridiculous thing is the restriction on tourists. Tourism is in many cases one of the most lucrative thing for a country to have, so these Visas everywhere even for tourism are an act of ignorance, for it is stopping the country from receiving more and more money. Just in 2012 I think, there was an estimate that only Brazilians spent about a billion dollars in tourism and shopping because the US offers better prices and quality, motivating big buyers from all around the world to come for shopping in your country, bringing you more and more money. The best way to discourage illegal immigration and encourage immigration is by setting the conditions much lower and allow most of the immigrants in because when they are a citizen they will have no need to be illegal, so they begin to pay taxes and to movement money, making your country richer and richer.

Frank Urbancic Feb 4

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In the United States there are millions of illegal and legal immigrants but I do agree with the illegal ones getting some form of amnesty if they do good for the country.
there should be less barriers when it comes to immigration depending if the country is in danger or being threatened or not. if there is less barriers especially in the tourism area it could lead to economic growth for that country. I think with the amount of immigrants in the United States today there should be a little form of limitations of who can enter the country.

Mateo Galvis Yamhure Feb 4

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1. There has never been periods in Colombia's history in which it has faced mass immigration such as the United States or other South American countries such as Argentina, where most of the people are of European descent. However, during WW2, there was some immigration from Europe and the Middle East, particularly Lebanon. Also, today, many people have come from Venezuela, fleeing the country's socialist regime. In this case, Colombia and Venezuela are culturally very similar, we are both ethnically very diverse, we speak the same language, and we have a common historical heritage, so tensions in that sense don't happen. People from Venezuela have actually been received quite well, because Colombia wants to be the one who "saves Venezuelans from its dictatorship-like government". But if it were the case that there was mass immigration in which a completely different culture took over the country, I would agree with the arguments. A country should preserve its cultural heritage and should keep the official language alive. It is good to have diversity, but to the point where one specific country and/or language overshadows the native one. This is a problem in the United States, where many argue that Latinos are taking over the United States, and it is a valid argument. If someone is coming to a new country, that person should integrate and adapt to that country's culture and should learn the language.

2. Ok, so, border control was removed in the EU because its countries are all very developed and there is very low risk of people from one country massively emigrating to another. Unfortunately, that is not the case in most parts of the world. All EU countries have democratic governments and offer a decent standard of living, so people don't need to go to other countries to find a better life. Being that the case in Europe, then there was no need to have border control and it was therefore removed. In other regions, for example the Americas, there is more inequality, which makes people from the poorer countries want to go illegally to the more developed countries. When illegal immigrants come to a country, first, they take away jobs from the native population and don't pay any taxes. This ends up damaging the country's economy. So yes, that is why the US has such a strict immigration process, especially with Latinos. It does it to protect itself. This doesn't happen when immigrants are legal, because they pay taxes. However, I don't think the root of the problem comes from the country that is receiving the immigrants. I think the opposite. If Latin American countries offered more opportunities and had a higher standard of living, there would be no need for people to illegally go the US, just like in the EU. 

Giovanna Cribari de Carvalho Feb 4

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1) I believe that the amount of illegal immigrants in Brazil, is much less than in the United States, but we have illegal immigrants as well such as people from Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, and China. They immigrated to Brazil with the same goal as any other immigrant, to obtain better quality of life and better jobs. Although I believe that historically, Brazil has always been a landing point for many nationalities. Our country has mostly been sympathetic to immigrants and compassionate. Even in 2009, our ex president Lula, stated that he wanted to humanize Brazil immigration status, and have great amnesty towards them.


2) I believe that restrictions barriers for immigrants are necessary even though its good to have different cultures in your country, it makes it more open minded and diverse. Although I believe that having it too much will pass an image to other countries that they are welcomed whenever they want. I believe that if they are hard workers, and they get a job in your country, even illegally, I wouldn't consider them stealing from others. Our country is offering them wealth and that is what matters. Although if the country is oftenly unsatisfied with its amount of immigrants stealing their jobs, and seizing their opportunities, I believe border security should be reinforced.

Roman Sokolov Feb 4

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Roman Sokolov
04.02.2014
US History Homework

Such an arguments are not heard in Russia. People argue about immigrants and dislike them a lot. They even ask government to depart back the immigrants to their countries. Even though people are strongly against immigrants, nobody argues about not enough working places and that immigrants take the jobs which are needed for the native russian citizens. I think such an argument would be valid and government would have to listen to people if they would rise up.

2) Thats true that borders mean less now, but that there should be fewer immigrant restrictions, i don't agree. I think now the restrictions are pretty good, however, some changes still can be made. Often, some people are not given a visa to enter some countries. For example, it is hard for Russian to get an American visa, because American government thinks that this people can be spies. I completely agree with US and that the safety of native citizens should come on the first place. However, if Russia would want to send spies, it wouldn't be a problem to get them to US and give them a fake Visa or citizenship. So, basically, US should give more visas to Russians. There are plenty reasons to deny the entry of immigrants. One of them is that if there would be many of them, government wouldn't be able to provide enough working places for everybody and either there would be many homeless people, either the native citizens would rise. Another reason, is the political tension between countries. This is happening to US and Russia right now. It really hard o get visas for russians to US and for americans to Russia. Thats completely understandable. Why would you let a friend or a relative of your enemy to enter your house, he might do something horrible to you. last reason is the fear. Many countries are afraid of Muslim immigrants and that is completely justified. Its not a secrete that most of explosions and terrorist attacks are made by Muslims and no government needs damages and deaths of citizens. If my tasks was to find illegal immigrants, the first thing i would probably do, is to send police to check passports, visas and citizenships of all the people who look like immigrants. If such are found, deport them and their families back to their countries. Also, to keep track of tourist or immigrants whose visas had be ran out of time. ( Mr.Mulert) Finally, i would strengthen the borders of my country and fill it with troops.

Svetlana Esmukhanova Feb 5

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1)As America, Russia is also a multi-cultural country. There are many immigrants coming to Russia in a search of a job from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan and e.c.t. They normally take jobs that Russians are unwilling to take, for low wages. Immigrants are strongly disliked by the Russian nationalist. They are accused of taking the job spaces and making Russia more criminal. In fact it is good for Russian economy to have those immigrants working since they bring lots of profit and most of the crimes in Russia are done by the Russians not by the immigrants. Also some Russians consider immigrants to be stupid and so they mock them and their accents in different comedy shows. Yes it is true that the immigrants should work more on their language skills and get more accustomed to the culture of the place where they live in but it is not true that they are stupid. In many cases they weren’t lucky enough to get a proper education.
2)I believe that there should always be border restrictions especially for rich countries as Switzerland and U.S. If there would be fewer border restrictions many people from the poor countries would than want to move to a prosperous country. A good example of this is Lugano. Fifty years ago it was a beautiful city, with a beautiful architecture with almost no immigrants. Nowadays the city is over floating with people. Tall ugly buildings are built in every free spot since everyone wants to like in this “wonderful” and “beautiful” place. Since most of those “clever” people don’t want to spend their precious money on a proper building they instead build an ugly modern box which they call a house. Those boxes look odd with the old buildings that were here long before and so those horrible modern products (I can hardly call it a building) ruin the whole view of once a beautiful place. The worst part is that those “clever” immigrants can hardly understand what kind of terrible dead they had done; it sometimes feels as if they are blinded by their own foolishness.
The best way to end illegal immigration is to allow only limited amount of people to enter the country and only if they have a certain amount of money on their bank account. The police should also control all the people that came with a tourist visa and see if they had actually left the country. If the tourist didn't leave he/she should be found and departed immediately. 

Andjela Miljkovic Feb 5

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1) There is not a lot of immigrants in Serbia. The ones who are there, have been there for many many years so we don't really consider them immigrants. Also, because of our whole history, it is hard to tell who is an immigrant, and who isn't;giving that we all used to be one country (Yugoslavia). Nonetheless, I still think that the natives have every right to rebel when it comes to jobs. It is never easy to find a job, and having a person who would be willing to work more for much less money than you, doesn't real help. Therefore, I believe that there is a lot of validity to what the nativists are saying. However, I don't think that this a problem in Serbia.
2) When people leave their countries and move to other countries, it is usually in the search of a better life. Weather it is because of poor education, low wages, war... the only way to stop the people leaving the country is for a country to fix whatever problems it is facing. Now, I know that is easier said than done, but I also believe that in the Long Run, almost everything is doable. Furthermore, in my opinion boarders should exist. Although I am all for world peace and all, I also believe that we all certainly cannot become "one country". The one thing that makes the world so special is the fact that we all have different customs and traditions, however without borders I don't think that would be the case. Instead of trying to all unify, become one, or whatever, they, or rather we, should first stop fighting wars, and start creating peace. I don't support illegal immigration now, however if somebody migrated illegally long ago, I think they should be forgiven, and given a chance to stay, since many of the rules today never existed in the past.

Francesca Pellas Feb 5

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1) this argument is unheard of in my country, because basically everyone is nicaraguan. Although, this is a valid argument, because Nativists do deserve jobs before immigrants, if they are fit for the position. Also forgieners may not speak the langue fluently of the land, which many cause frustration with customers and maybe within the company or business itself.
Each country has an individual and unique culture. By letting in to many immigrants it could change the culture.
2)~~If your visa expires you'll get deported, I think thats already taken care of.

Henry Flannery Feb 5

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1). America is a land of immigrants both legal and illegal. The controversy, however lies mostly with the illegal immigrants. Many say that illegal immigrants are stealing jobs from rightful American citizens, which is very true to some extent, however these illegal immigrants are taking the "dirty" jobs that most American citizens would not degrade themselves to take. So while yes, illegal immigrants are taking American jobs, they are taking the jobs that they are essentially forced into by employers who cannot find employees.

2) In America, immigration is not something that should be taken lightly, because particularly in Mexico there is a constantly raging drug war happening just beyond the border and it is foolish to think that opening border security would bring peace to Americans. Tightening border security is the only way to go for America because we certainly do not want to inherit the problems of our southern neighbor.

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Zach Mulert

Global Service Program Director

History Teacher

The American School in Switzerland

+41 91 960 5167

--

Zach Mulert

Global Service Program Director

History Teacher

The American School in Switzerland

+41 91 960 5167