[extropy-chat] Re: riots in France

[Fred C. Moulton]

On Fri, 2005-11-11 at 13:19 +0000, Dirk Bruere wrote:
> All that means is that they haven't reached the critical mass that
> makes self segregation and non-integration feasible.

Are you actually claiming that there is some critical mass that would
result in the events of France happening in the Silicon Valley?  If so
then state exactly what is the value of this critical mass.  Is it 100
or 200 or 500 or 1,000 or what? Or is it some percentage? What is it
that you are claiming?

> Try importing half a million, nostly unskilled non English
> speakers, in the space of less than 20yrs and see what happens.

We have had and still have many immigrants coming in.  And many of them
have limited or no English skills.  Many of them are sneaking across the
border to work cutting grass, waiting tables, manual labor and picking
crops.  Many send money out of the USA back to relatives.  Some leave
the USA after a few years but many put down roots, either get permanent
resident status or become citizens.   This area has had immigrants of
all types; English speaking and non-English speaking, rich and poor,
educated and uneducated.  The factors why immigrants in the Silicon
Valley are not rioting and burning cars like they are in France are ones
that I and others have already mentioned.  Factors such as a dynamic
economy with fewer regulations, lower taxes and more entrepreneurial
opportunities in this area as compared to France.  Different government
policies concerning providing of government housing assistance in this
area as compared to France.

Thus I repeat that this almost fetishistic and exclusive focus on the
religion of the rioters shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the
dynamics involved.  The cultural and religious backgrounds of the
rioters are only one part of a complex and a nuanced situation.  And
based on my local evidence just being Muslim does not lead someone to
riot and burn cars.

Fred



> Dirk 
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