Stagnant Space Race

Last week’s Becker/Rose Cafe about refugees began with spaceships. Professor Holly Case explained the Spaceship Earth world view, which concerns the use of limited resources and the world’s moral obligation to act harmoniously given those resources. A group currently in serious need of any and all types of resources is the Syrian refugees. This crisis has prompted many countries to open their borders to Syrians in need of new homes. However, the mass relocation has not come without controversy. The Hungarian government does not necessarily hold the Spaceship Earth ideology as it is unwilling to lend its resources to those non-Hungarians in need. Billboards have been made which tell foreigners to respect Hungarian jobs, culture, and laws. A significant point that was brought up by professor Case is that those signs are written in Hungarian, which means they are really meant for Hungarians to see and understand. The country’s government wants to instill in its people a jingoistic, cultural preservationist philosophy. Hungary should have the right to maintain its policies, but many people, even within the country itself, whole-heartedly disagree with the messages presented to them. The Two-tailed Dog Party is one such group of people that does not hold this belief in conservation. The so-called Party is a satirical faction that makes its own political posters, graffitis the streets, and, most importantly, pokes caustic fun at the government. They vandalize oh-so-important government billboards and spread a more accepting message. While back and forth discussions on these sorts of issues are important to have, people should not lose sight of who are in immediate need of help — the Syrian refugees. I think the administrative authorities have no right to enforce their xenophobia and must ultimately let the population decide on whether they think their past is more important than others’ futures.

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