Yabby,
Yes I noticed that as well in the 2nd episode.

Remember to nice Burmese people living in the flat in Malayasia, well we don't get them here on boats because they simply do not have the money to pay.

The programme did not mention the fact that the Afghans and Iraqies fly to Malayasia, then overtake the Burnese people who are queueing patiently, and pay a smuggler far more than the air fare to get them to Aus.

I think we should accept some refugees, but not the 'illegals' that have the money to push others out of the queue like is now happening in Malayasia.

There is a huge difference between refugees and the 'illegals' that come by boat.

I'll not be watching any more of the programme in question, because it is an intellectually dishonest, manipulative polemic.

Its whole premise is founded on a strawman argument: that the "average" (read: white, suburban, working-class, non-Green voting) Australian is opposed to asylum seekers entering Australia unauthorised, because they are opposed to Australia taking refugees (and, it goes without saying, racist).

This is not the case at all. Research has demonstrated that Australians make a clear distinction between unauthorised arrivals and refugees, and they are overwhelmingly positive to the latter, while hostile to the former.

What the argument is *really* about is two very simple principles: does Australia have the right to control its borders or not? Is people smuggling an illegal activity that should be stopped?

Yabby

<< ... what about those poor Burmese women and children and why are they left behind whilst healthy young males with enough money from Iraq and Afghanistan come in first? Does your empathy not include them? >>

Not sure if this program has really provided you with food for thought, Yabby, or whether you're just point scoring as usual, but anyway. There's nothing to be gained by setting one group up against another. We can empathise with both. Australia has the capacity to give due consideration to asylum claims from both groups.

The plight of the Burmese is particularly heart-wrenching. Thousands are stuck in jungle camps for years on end, crammed in together in unsanitary disease ridden squalor, eating grass to survive. They have little hope of any nation being able to do much for them. They're certainly one group I'd like to see included in our humanitarian intake.

The young males from Iraq and Afghanistan are no less deserving of our empathy. They are not desserting their families as you imply. Most families can't afford to pay people smugglers, so they work in with others, pool their assets and sell what they can to get one person to safety. A young male is usually the fittest and most able to endure the gruelling hardship of the journey and besides they are often the ones most at risk of being killed in their homelands in the first place.

Your comments here are as cringe-worthy as those of the Australian on the program tonight who asked the heartbroken Iraqi lady what she thought of her son leaving her behind in Iraq!

SPQR

I didn't watch 'Immigration Nation', so I won't respond to your comments. I will respond to any 'half truths and full on distortions' you can find in 'Go back to where you came from' which is after all the topic of the thread.

Lexi

<< I think we're being had folks. >>

What's new, Lexi! I've just scrolled through the rants and looked for the comments relating to the program. What did you think of it?

*Your comments here are as cringe-worthy as those of the Australian on the program tonight who asked the heartbroken Iraqi lady what she thought of her son leaving her behind in Iraq!*

Not really Bronwyn, because one of the greatest things I learned
to do is to think what about I feel and why. It is the emotionally
engulfed who have the problem.

Fact is that Australia cannot save the world, you cannot argue with
that one. So best we help the most deserving.

The programme sure tried to push buttons, but also revealed some
statistics. Yes 100'000 people died in Iraq. But the war is
essentially over. Bombings are down by 90% and they are losing
about 200 people a month, if I remember correctly what the
American general said. That would not be that far from the
Australian road toll. Another interesting statistic I once read,
something over 20'000 a year were dying in Iran from traffic
accidents. So IMHO based on the figures, things are clearly not
that bad anymore in Iraq.

Feel free to quibble with the figures if you wish.

Yep, Yabby, things are pretty good in Iraq. The three Australians on the show tonight must have put on bullet proof vests and helmets and been driven through Bagdad in an armoured vehicle just to look good for the cameras. Silly Me. I thought they were doing it to avoid being shot at.

Yes, 100 000 Iraqis have been killed in the American lead invasion and occupation of their country, the majority of them civilians, and just as many again horrifically and permanently maimed as we also saw tonight. A pretty good reason to have fled the country I would have thought. And a pretty good reason for Australia to have accepted their claims for asylum too, considering we were part of the invading and occupying force.

I hope you're right and that soon Iraqi asylum seekers can return to their homeland, which is after all where the majority would prefer to be, but we need to be sure first that they will be safe. According to UNHCR there are still over 1.8 million refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq so a huge resettlement and rebuilding task ahead and too soon to be returning too many just yet I would think.

@Bronwyn,

Ok Bronwyn, now we’ll look at * Go Back To Where You Came From*
Here’s a few off the top of my head:

--Doctor Dave in episode 1 makes the claim that for the asylum seekers escape is the prime motive, destination is of little concern —WRONG
Both the Afghanis and the Tamils have specifically schemed and planned to get into affluent western nations –you might recall the Viking Princess hijackers and their shopping list of Western nations.
--In episode 1 –with the little boat fire skit ---we are led to believe that boats catching fire are the function of old-unseaworthy vessels & overcrowding ---WRONG
Boats fires are mostly the doing of their crew who deliberately torched them, on sighting Aust coast guard shipping.
--In episode 1 when interviewing the Iraqis – they say, “we got to Malaysia “ –no attempt is made to find out HOW they got to Malaysia.
It would spoil the effect SBS is trying to create by revealing that they FLEW into Malaysia . A country whose immigration gives passengers arriving from Muslim countries easy access..
--- In episode 1, Villawood is described as Australia’s "most notorious” and implied to be a hell hole. No mention is made of the apple laptops & wide screen TVs that were part of the modern facilities, much of which was later destroyed by the asylum seekers dummy spit.
---In episode 2 when talking of the “refugees” in Malaysia, there is deliberate attempt to blur “asylum seekers’ and general illegal immigrants.
Malaysia has tens of thousand of illegal work-seekers from Indonesia and the subcontinent –none of these are seeking asylum –these were all lumped together

And PS : when Dr Dave finishes with * Go Back To Where You Came From*
He is assured of a future as part of the coaching team on The Biggest Loser, he has all the right lines and mannerism.