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[Truean]

Because a congressman was recently (i.e. yesterday or so) called out for calling our president a "tar baby," I thought I'd bring up an article for the term.  I've never known it used as anything but talking about a situation one makes worse by fighting about it (from its origins in Brer Rabbit, which I had read to me as a very little girl), so it seems absurd that it'd be used racially.

But here we are.

Positively sickening.... I don't know or care what the Army's problem with integrating is. Blacks, Latinos, Women, Gays, it shouldn't matter. I keep hearing about "unit cohesion." That should mean you suck it up if you have a problem with the soldier next to you and do your damn job. Tuskegee Airmen, WWII Rosie the Riveter, hell, let's say Achilles being gay, I see a problem, and it's with peoples' prejudices....

[RedKing]

While I don't dispute at all the "blacklisting" that gets done in public sector jobs (it's not just the Federal public sector, either), I do wish they provided a bit more context about the incidents they mention. In both where they give a tiny bit of context, I'm left seeing how they could be describing an unwelcome project instead of an employee. Still in racially unsensitive language, but with perhaps less malicious intent than is supposed. Or, they could be deliberately obfuscating so that they can be blatant racists but defend themselves by saying they're talking about something else. It's tough to say from what little we're told.

[Dsarker]

http://www.workpermit.com/australia/point_calculator.htm
http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/points-test.htm
http://www.workpermit.com/news/2010-11-12/australia/new-australian-immigration-points-test-july-2011.htm

Have fun with the above. Basically to gain a visa you have to score a certain number of points. You gain points for meeting certain criteria - doctors, teachers etc that speak english are desired. Those that in the Australian government's opinion would not contribute productively to society dont score enough points and are not welcome.

The UK (in fact, most of the EU) has had a serious issue with immigration (legal or otherwise) and asylum seekers (from north africa, the middle east and asia) over the last 10 years - dont really wish to elaborate any more on that point in this post, a quick search of reputible news websites would tell you all you wanted to know. Basically certain parts of the EU are percived a "soft touch" when it comes to gaining entry to countries - which IMHO seems not to be the case with legal migration into Australia...

Well, Australia has a problem with its vetting scheme for asylum seekers. For whatever reasons (and believe me, I don't know anything about them), we're keeping people in administrative detention for several years while we work out if they're okay or not. I really would wish that it was quicker. Even if it was a quick 'you have to be able to do X' or whatever, I'd prefer that they either got to Australia or got sent back home, not left rotting in a cell. I dunno. Maybe I'm being silly.

[Siquo]

The world has a lot to learn from the Australian points based immigration system if you ask me...

Yes, that's it not a good system. Oh, it's good for the country itself, but you create a "brain-drain" on less developed countries. If you're a doctor in Somalia, would you rather stay, help your countrymen, stay poor and probably die before you reach 50, or do you go "down under" to live the good life?

Net effect is that a lot of the smart people leave the developing countries, making it harder for them to... develop.

[Lysabild]

The world has a lot to learn from the Australian points based immigration system if you ask me...

Yes, that's it not a good system. Oh, it's good for the country itself, but you create a "brain-drain" on less developed countries. If you're a doctor in Somalia, would you rather stay, help your countrymen, stay poor and probably die before you reach 50, or do you go "down under" to live the good life?

Net effect is that a lot of the smart people leave the developing countries, making it harder for them to... develop.

Excellent point and not only this, most first world countries make it even harder by toll walls, I know the EU specifically make everything imported a million times more expensive forcing everyone in Europe to pay overprice to support the third world or pay normal price because some stubborn europeans won't stop farming.

In some african country, the local sugar producer was put out of business by Danisco, it was cheaper than the African farmers could produce.

Why are people for even a second bewildered the countries aren't progressing?

[scriver]

Many "third world" countries are developing. Nigeria and Rwanda are two of the prime examples.

[Africa]

Back to the bike things, my number one source of run-ins and conflict with drivers is when I do what the law allows and obligates me to do and take one full lane of any street with two lanes going in the same direction. A lot of drivers obviously don't know the rules of the road and either try to split the lane (buzz by me at dangerous distance and speed to pass me without fully changing lanes) or better yet, honk and curse at me for doing something wrong. Luckily I haven't had anything thrown at me but others have.  When the most offensive thing a biker can do is follow the law (and common sense) then we have a problem.

[G-Flex]

Many "third world" countries are developing. Nigeria and Rwanda are two of the prime examples.

"Some X are doing Y" does not mean that there are serious issues preventing most X from doing Y. Sorry. That's like the old "but I have a black friend!" excuse. You may be right or you may be wrong, but providing counter-examples doesn't disprove a trend, especially in a case like this, where not every example is perfectly analogous to the rest.

[MonkeyHead]

The world has a lot to learn from the Australian points based immigration system if you ask me...

Yes, that's it not a good system. Oh, it's good for the country itself, but you create a "brain-drain" on less developed countries. If you're a doctor in Somalia, would you rather stay, help your countrymen, stay poor and probably die before you reach 50, or do you go "down under" to live the good life?

Net effect is that a lot of the smart people leave the developing countries, making it harder for them to... develop.

Excellent point and not only this, most first world countries make it even harder by toll walls, I know the EU specifically make everything imported a million times more expensive forcing everyone in Europe to pay overprice to support the third world or pay normal price because some stubborn europeans won't stop farming.

In some african country, the local sugar producer was put out of business by Danisco, it was cheaper than the African farmers could produce.

Why are people for even a second bewildered the countries aren't progressing?

The NHS in the UK is a good example. Doctors with British nationality (my cousin for one - trauma specialist) find it very easy to get a job in the USA or Australia for better cash and less hours. To prevent understaffing, the NHS recruits a huge number of medical staff (doctors, surgeons, nurses) from Africa and Asia much cheaper and quicker than training direct replacements, which would probably be impossible in terms of number (and the fact that they then too would take thier skills elsewhere) - it is the only way such a huge and important organisation could remain any way affordable to run (it still consumes an unbelivable amount of cash) and have respectable staff numbers.

[scriver]

Many "third world" countries are developing. Nigeria and Rwanda are two of the prime examples.

"Some X are doing Y" does not mean that there are serious issues preventing most X from doing Y. Sorry. That's like the old "but I have a black friend!" excuse. You may be right or you may be wrong, but providing counter-examples doesn't disprove a trend, especially in a case like this, where not every example is perfectly analogous to the rest.

Yeah, true. Reading back after some sleep, I realise I wasn't even responding to what Lysa posted - I'm so used to hearing all this imperialist bullshit from all over western Europe, for example how Africans/Asians can't accomplish anything on their own and need European guidance and therefore it is right to constantly interfere with everything they are doing, that I jumped to conclusions about what he was saying.

I apologize, Lysabild.

[Lysabild]

Many "third world" countries are developing. Nigeria and Rwanda are two of the prime examples.

"Some X are doing Y" does not mean that there are serious issues preventing most X from doing Y. Sorry. That's like the old "but I have a black friend!" excuse. You may be right or you may be wrong, but providing counter-examples doesn't disprove a trend, especially in a case like this, where not every example is perfectly analogous to the rest.

Yeah, true. Reading back after some sleep, I realise I wasn't even responding to what Lysa posted - I'm so used to hearing all this imperialist bullshit from all over western Europe, for example how Africans/Asians can't accomplish anything on their own and need European guidance and therefore it is right to constantly interfere with everything they are doing, that I jumped to conclusions about what he was saying.

I apologize, Lysabild.

No worries, it's nothing I wouldn't have suspected from a Swede :b Besides, I am quite imperialistic, I am just so in a "Win them over with positive, awesome support."

In the same way I am a nationalist in the way that I believe we should be trying to make Danish culture attractive and sell it to people, show that we are awesome, so that others might want to be awesome like us, instead of isolating ourselves and being angry little white people because of some kebab and some mosques. 

To make clear: Outward influence is good, but the cultural assimilation of European culture and language that is happening through America(Hollywood especially) is a thing I very much dislike.

[PsyberianHusky]

As an American, I can say that at times I feel like Hollywood is one of our worst enemies.

[ChairmanPoo]

The NHS in the UK is a good example. Doctors with British nationality (my cousin for one - trauma specialist) find it very easy to get a job in the USA or Australia for better cash and less hours. To prevent understaffing, the NHS recruits a huge number of medical staff (doctors, surgeons, nurses) from Africa and Asia much cheaper and quicker than training direct replacements, which would probably be impossible in terms of number (and the fact that they then too would take thier skills elsewhere) - it is the only way such a huge and important organisation could remain any way affordable to run (it still consumes an unbelivable amount of cash) and have respectable staff numbers.

I dont know if this is true anymore. I had heard that getting a speciality training slot in the UK was (in the past) comparatively easier in the UK, but apparently they upped the numerus clausus of medical schools, and thus covered the deficit. Nowadays it's not as easy anymore (or at least, not easier than here, thus making it rather pointlesss). I hear that in Germany it's still like that, though....

[scriver]

In the same way I am a nationalist in the way that I believe we should be trying to make Danish culture attractive and sell it to people, show that we are awesome, so that others might want to be awesome like us, instead of isolating ourselves and being angry little white people because of some kebab and some mosques. 

To make clear: Outward influence is good, but the cultural assimilation of European culture and language that is happening through America(Hollywood especially) is a thing I very much dislike.

Wait, are you saying all influence is good in moderation, or that Danish culture is better and more awesome than American and that the spreading of Danish culture is good??

And I highly doubt this "cultural assimilation" is really happening. There has always been a interplay of dominant cultures influencing others. Same as French during the enlightenment, or German during the medieval age. I don't see why this is something to get upset about. Change is good and enriching.

[Lysabild]

Spoiler: Snip Snap Snude (click to show/hide)

In the same way I am a nationalist in the way that I believe we should be trying to make Danish culture attractive and sell it to people, show that we are awesome, so that others might want to be awesome like us, instead of isolating ourselves and being angry little white people because of some kebab and some mosques. 

To make clear: Outward influence is good, but the cultural assimilation of European culture and language that is happening through America(Hollywood especially) is a thing I very much dislike.

Spoiler: Krøllebølle (click to show/hide)

Wait, are you saying all influence is good in moderation, or that Danish culture is better and more awesome than American and that the spreading of Danish culture is good??

And I highly doubt this "cultural assimilation" is really happening. There has always been a interplay of dominant cultures influencing others. Same as French during the enlightenment, or German during the medieval age. I don't see why this is something to get upset about. Change is good and enriching.

First, and there is a difference between influence and replacing. And of course I like Danish culture better than American, as a side note I like Finnish and Icelandic culture more than Danish :b I just want there to be something called Danish or atleast Scandinavian after I die.

Change is fine, but at this rate we're all the same soon, and Denmark, Germany or Sweden will be the same, most will speak english and see the same movies and hear the same music. Already halfway there. I don't want to lose neither Denmark nor my neighbours to this.