Author-Louis Gounden ‘18 Section-Opinion Pieces
Volume I • Edition I
The solution? Immigration. For the most part, refugees are young (54% of current refugees in Europe are 18-34), hardworking, and almost universally good for the economy, even in countries without a graying population, such as the United States. For Europe, immigrants are an absolute necessity in order to sustain any sort of economic growth. Europe needs to change its attitude towards refugees, if not out of kindness or compassion for other human being (given what we have seen, this seems very unlikely), then for its own self interest. Europe’s very survival depends on it.
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The way Europe has handled its influx of refugees is a disgrace to itself, its people, and to supposed European ideals of equality and tolerance. Instead of welcoming people who have risked everything fleeing from violence and oppression, Europe has branded them as violent and lazy, putting far more effort into getting rid of them than helping them. So much for tolerance... For a continent that prides itself on upholding human rights, there is some massive hypocrisy going on. Some European countries like Hungary have closed their borders and started building fences, while others horrifyingly refuse to take in refugees solely on the basis of their Islamic religion. This is nothing but undiluted islamophobia, plain and simple. It harkens back to 1930s Europe and the fascist attitudes towards immigrants and minority groups. Many countries cite security concerns, but these claims lack any evidence, do nothing but promote stereotypes of Muslims as terrorists, and are nothing but fear mongering. The irony here is almost laughable- these are people feeling from terror, and to now being accused of being terrorists themselves? Hardly. To this date, there have been no instances, nor has there been any evidence of a terrorist plot by any of the recent refugees entering Europe. On the note of fear mongering, based on the media’s coverage of the refugee crisis, one might believe that Europe is becoming submerged under a swarm of people. This is a gross misrepresentation. There are more than 500 million Europeans. Most estimates put the number of refugees expected in Europe in 2015 at around 1.5 million. Let’s put this in perspective. Lebanon, a country of 4.5 million has taken in over a million refugees. Jordan, with a population of 6 million, has almost a million refugees. Europe, you are truly drowning under a human tidal wave. How ever will you manage? The sad part about this crisis? Europe desperately needs these refugees. According to the Pew Research Center, Germany’s population will shrink by more than 20 million to around 60 million by 2050, with a senior population (65+) of at least 33%, putting the dependency ratio (workforce to nonworking) at a staggering 5:3. If this were to come true, it would be cataclysmic for Germany’s economy. Germany is not alone. Every country in Europe, with the exception of Albania and Macedonia, is facing an aging crisis.
The Podium | Opinion Pieces
A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing
February 2016
