AND DENMARK,
The UK,
Neanderthals,
and, Many MANY MORE Nations.


 In your OPINION.

Needles wrote on Yesterday at 08:28:53:


In Minn, the Swedes and Germans.
    DID ASSIMILATE
And QUICKLY !

This discussion is essentially about immigration, and there is a reason why it has become such a sensitive issue in Europe.

Looking back at the immigration policies of many Western European countries, economic interests played a significant role, particularly during the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Countries brought in foreign workers because their economies needed them.

Over the following decades, immigration policies evolved. Alongside economic interests, family reunification, refugee protection, and international obligations became increasingly important considerations.

The question, in my opinion, is how we strike a balance between economic interests, national sovereignty, and humanitarian responsibilities. Immigration policy is not simply about who we choose to admit, but also about the obligations a country has and the consequences its policies have for society.

Personally, I feel that immigration policies are increasingly out of balance with what society can realistically sustain. And enforcement in practice often seems to fall short.

It is painful to witness social unrest and crime involving young people with a migration background. But I also believe we must be extremely careful about assigning collective blame. Individual responsibility matters, but so do the social circumstances and political decisions that shape people's lives.

I am also deeply concerned about policies influenced by global economic interests and organisations such as the World Economic Forum. When commercial interests are presented as humanitarian idealism, I believe we have every reason to question whose interests are actually being served, and whether transparency and accountability are sufficient.

Every coin has two sides, or so we are told. But reality is far more complicated. It all depends on which side we choose to look at.

And this particular coin has many sides.

The war involving Russia has placed enormous demands on European resources, including military and financial support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, tensions and conflict involving Iran create further uncertainty around energy markets and the cost of living.

At the same time, we continue pursuing an energy transition whose affordability, feasibility, and consequences for European industry deserve far more critical scrutiny. And I haven't even mentioned the growing pressure on major industries and the risk of losing industrial capacity in Europe.

All these pressures are interconnected. Economic insecurity, political frustration, social inequality, and declining trust in institutions do not exist in isolation.

And when the pressure becomes too great, it is often the weakest link that breaks first.

Right now, I fear that some of the most vulnerable young people, including those with a migration background, are becoming caught in the middle of these tensions. Not necessarily because they created the problems, but because they are among those who may suffer the consequences.

Meanwhile, collective anger seems to be growing, and I see signs of it across the world.

So we should be very careful about whom we project that anger onto. Because tomorrow, you could find yourself becoming the weakest link, even if it is only through an angry outburst at someone who fails to return your greeting.

With tensions running so high around the world, I believe we all need to become more conscious of what drives our actions.

We can act automatically, guided by our convictions, frustrations, fears, and deeply ingrained patterns of thought. Or we can act with awareness, recognising those patterns before allowing them to determine our behaviour.

Life is increasingly confronting us with the consequences of our actions.

And that responsibility applies equally to the baker on the corner and to the leaders of the world.

During the Bosnian wars in the 90s, tens of thousands of Bosnian refugees were settled in St. Louis. I think it’s still true today that St. Louis has the largest populations of Bosnians outside of their native country, at least it was at one time. While there were some early hiccups for a couple of years, however, you wanted to define assimilation, it occurred relatively quickly. No one talks about the Bosnian population in a derogatory manner in St Louis today.

I was in Minneapolis for a week earlier this year and I can tell you the contrast between the experience of Bosnian‘s selling in St. Louis  and Somalians in Minneapolis is dramatically different.

Some cultures assimilate better than others I guess is the lesson to be learned. However, I’m not so sure everybody learned that lesson.

WebsterMark wrote on Today at 10:46:52:


"...Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 ethnic Somalis,
the largest community outside of Africa. ..."

"...Somalis living in Ethiopia, began arriving in the United States as refugees in the late 1980s..."

AND they STILL HAVE NOT Assimilated.

(However, they have learned
to NOT SHIT on the sidewalk)