Let’s follow Japan on immigration
Dorcas believes that if a nation is to survive, citizenship should be granted only to indigenous peoples who have an historical stake in maintaining social and cultural cohesion, like the Japanese system.
"The trouble with us," says Dorcas, "is that like the Romans we gave away citizenship to people in foreign lands too freely and easily and in doing so we are now swamped and soon to be sunk by voracious immigrants."
"When all roads lead to Rome -- or London, Paris or New York -- what else can you expect but hoards of foreigners clutching citizenship application papers wanting to be where the action is?" asks Dorcas.
"At first it must have been novel for the indigenous Romans to have strange looking and speaking people making Rome their new home -- new cuisine, fashion, ideas and cheap labor must have been a good thing -- but over time, when more and more immigrants arrived, the indigenous Romans eventually became a minority in their own homeland."
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do, was not a maxim that the immigrants followed then or now," says Dorcas. "Immigrants, by their very nature, consciously or otherwise, steadfastly continue their old ways in new lands.”
"And let's not forget, too, that the immigrants brought their religions with them -- the most dangerous being Christianity," says Dorcas. "These days, we forget that the Romans had a state religion of their own that they had more or less adapted from Greek culture. At first they were tolerant of foreign religions, but the Christians were so militant about their religion being the only true religion that the Romans were forced to crack down hard on them."
"Throwing the Christians to the lions was a horrible thing for the Romans to do," sighs Dorcas, "but taken into the context of the times it is not more atrocious than some of the things we have done to each other in modern times."
"The Japanese immigration system is sensible and one that all nations should follow."
Read more by Dorcas on this issue:
social cohesion and survival
the empire strikes back
did roman citizenship cost the empire?
are all immigrants voracious?
"The trouble with us," says Dorcas, "is that like the Romans we gave away citizenship to people in foreign lands too freely and easily and in doing so we are now swamped and soon to be sunk by voracious immigrants."
"When all roads lead to Rome -- or London, Paris or New York -- what else can you expect but hoards of foreigners clutching citizenship application papers wanting to be where the action is?" asks Dorcas.
"At first it must have been novel for the indigenous Romans to have strange looking and speaking people making Rome their new home -- new cuisine, fashion, ideas and cheap labor must have been a good thing -- but over time, when more and more immigrants arrived, the indigenous Romans eventually became a minority in their own homeland."
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do, was not a maxim that the immigrants followed then or now," says Dorcas. "Immigrants, by their very nature, consciously or otherwise, steadfastly continue their old ways in new lands.”
"And let's not forget, too, that the immigrants brought their religions with them -- the most dangerous being Christianity," says Dorcas. "These days, we forget that the Romans had a state religion of their own that they had more or less adapted from Greek culture. At first they were tolerant of foreign religions, but the Christians were so militant about their religion being the only true religion that the Romans were forced to crack down hard on them."
"Throwing the Christians to the lions was a horrible thing for the Romans to do," sighs Dorcas, "but taken into the context of the times it is not more atrocious than some of the things we have done to each other in modern times."
"The Japanese immigration system is sensible and one that all nations should follow."
Read more by Dorcas on this issue:
Labels: citizenship, immigration, japan, romans
