If you have turned on the TV, computer or your smartphone lately, you know the world has really been a mess. One current hot-button issue is the Syrian refugee crisis. I've decided to address some of the common grievances that I have seen cluttering social media.
“There are too many”
As of right now, the U.S. has taken approximately 2,000 refugees since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. A quick chart to let you know exactly how many people are moving where.
Country | # of Refugees Accepted | Percent of the Respective Population | |
80,889,505 | 0.99 percent | ||
Jordan | 6,607,000 | 95.3 percent | |
Lebanon | 4,546,774 | 24.2 percent | |
Turkey | 75,932,348 | 2.89 percent | |
United States | 318,857,056 | 0.00062 percent |
The U.S. has barely taken any refugees. Even if they were to take 50,000 – as proposed by the end of 2015 – it would still only be about 0.01 percent of the U.S. population.
“It’s not safe to let terrorists in our country!”
Not a misprint, the chart is intentionally blank.
Perhaps if there was less overt racism and fear mongering about accepting refugees, the surrounding national security could be analyzed more in depth.
"But I saw on Facebook that..."
Ultimately, there isn't a particular right or wrong that can be said surrounding this issue. There are valid concerns about the involvement in a sensitive issue. Sadly, the bottom line is that most opinion posts are #nofilter. (If only half these people filtered their opinions as much as their selfies…) That being said, please check some credible sources before you share! Remember, anyone can post anything. Lastly, please don't confuse valid concerns with prejudiced fears.
