White South African gets Refugee status in Canada

[Riverwind]

While I'm not a refugee claims expert I believe those two criterion, which could easily be argued to apply in South Africa, would form the basis of a successful refugee claim in any circumstance.

Variations on those claims have been used to justify acceptance of Mexican and Roma refugees.

If one good thing will come from this case is the publicity should make it clear to people how absurd the criteria for refugee status has become.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Riverwind

[jbg]

Lookit mrcan jumpin all over hisself to welcome immigrants ... as long as they are WHITE (and preferably racist).

I'm not surprised you think only whites can be racist. Typical double standard.

[Remiel]

I suspect the phrase "African South African" is the product of a Canadian mind who is uncomfortable using the word "black", and figured that if blacks in the United States are "African Americans", then black South Africans must be "African South Africans".

Indeed.....I am expecting to eventually read the even more nonsensical......"visible majority".

I posted about this a couple time before, though I do not think I ever got a reply.

Why do you think it is wrong to try and move away from describing people as "black" and "white"? I assume you do not refer to your Asian friends as yellow, or your Native Canadian friends as red. But those terms are more or less the same as "black" and "white": A method of trying to describe someone by their skin colour. Maybe describing people by ethnicity is not that big a step up in the long run, but a step up is a step up. I mean, the system was ridiculous enough that a further incredibly ambiguous term "brown" was added in order to cope with its shortcomings. So why not get rid of it altogther?

[bush_cheney2004]

..... Maybe describing people by ethnicity is not that big a step up in the long run, but a step up is a step up. I mean, the system was ridiculous enough that a further incredibly ambiguous term "brown" was added in order to cope with its shortcomings. So why not get rid of it altogther?

Agreed...but that will be very difficult, as there are many entrenched comparisons and benchmarks that inevitably preserve and hold sacred that which is "white" at all costs...we can see evidence of this neurosis here at MLW from some members. Today, South Africa represents the culmination of their greatest fears about "immigration" (code word).

[waldo]

apparent world pressure has the Harper Conservatives appealing... or are there other reason(s)?

Canada to appeal 'racist' refugee ruling for white South African

Alykhan Velshi, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, confirmed the government will ask the Federal Court to review a contentious Immigration and Refugee Board decision, which has made headlines around the world and has been widely denounced as racist.

[Smallc]

Why would they look at an appeal? This is stupid on their part. They shouldn't be second guessing the decision because some people have the misconception that people with white skin can never be discriminated against.

[Argus]

apparent world pressure has the Harper Conservatives appealing... or are there other reason(s)?

Canada to appeal 'racist' refugee ruling for white South African

Gutless decision, but we've seen for years now that the Conservatives, and before that, the Alliance, were terrified by any allegation of racism, however idiotic, and more than willing to fall all over themselves to "prove" otherwise.

[g_bambino]

Why would they look at an appeal? This is stupid on their part. They shouldn't be second guessing the decision because some people have the misconception that people with white skin can never be discriminated against.

Indeed. The whole affair is certainly starting to show some of the classic signs of "reverse" racism (odd term that that is); Cabinet intervetion gives more than just the impression that the only wrong thing here is the colour of the refugee's skin.

_[+]

Edited September 4, 2009 by g_bambino

[kimmy]

apparent world pressure has the Harper Conservatives appealing... or are there other reason(s)?

Canada to appeal 'racist' refugee ruling for white South African

One possibility is that this review is being done as a courtesy to the South African government.

The second possibility is that the accusation of racism is sufficiently upsetting to the government that they feel Canada's reputation is being harmed.

I think the situation is similar to attempting to criticize contemporary policy in Israel. You might get branded an anti-Semite, and reminded of the Holocaust. Well, apparently criticizing South Africa's current government can get you branded a racist, and Apartheid is a lot more recent than the Holocaust.

-k