Comments Elsewhere

Sheldon: “The discussion has proceeded as if they have no rights in the matter but we do. We will let them come here if and only if we have a use for them. And “we” doesn’t refer to a group of free individuals, but rather to a collective Borg-like entity with rights superior to any held by its constituents.”

Yes. Thank you. Precisely.

A while back I had a discussion with Jason Kuznicki over his statements on immigration policy (which were more liberal than his interlocutor’s, but not in favor of open borders, and which spent a lot of time on the completely irrelevant subject of “assimilation”). I suggested, among other things, he was being presumptuous and condescending when he tried to talk up his willingness to “let nearly all of [the Mexicans] enter who wished” as if he were doing Mexicans some kind of favor.

He seemed pretty baffled about the suggestion, and since I was more interested in discussing other points I didn’t press the point. But I think this is a fine explanation of why the rhetorical posture grated on me, even from someone who favors a policy outcome that’s substantially more liberal than the current regime. Jason asked what he was “supposed to do with them, if not let them through?” I think the right answer is that you’re supposed to stop pretending like the American ambiguous-collective gives you some kind of authority to stand as a gatekeeper on property that doesn’t belong to you.