Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

by confuzzled dude Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:44 pm

Reading a British tabloid newspaper in 2015, you might wonder if Europe was again at risk of being conquered by the Mongol Empire. The continent is under "siege," the papers report, facing an "invasion" from a "horde." Parts of Europe have become like a "war zone," they say, as "marauding" foreigners "swarm" the borders. The reality, of course, is that there is no army at the gates. The migrants that cause Europe such angst aren't arriving in warships. Instead, most arrive in a human trafficker's dinghy, if they arrive at all.

It's not hard to see that using sort of language could have a dangerous impact on the discourse surrounding migrants. "Words that convey an exaggerated sense of threat can fuel anti-immigration sentiment and a climate of intolerance and xenophobia," Alexander Betts, director of the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford University, told WorldViews recently. Critically analyzing the derogatory words used to describe migrants is clearly prudent, but some want to go even further: Last week, Al Jazeera English broke with other major news organizations to announce that it was ditching the word "migrant."

"The umbrella term migrant is no longer fit for purpose when it comes to describing the horror unfolding in the Mediterranean," Barry Malone, the online editor of Al Jazeera English, explained in a blog post. "It has evolved from its dictionary definitions into a tool that dehumanises and distances, a blunt pejorative." Instead, Malone wrote, his news organization would use the term "refugee" to describe those crossing the Mediterranean. "Migrant is a word that strips suffering people of voice," Malone concluded. "Substituting refugee for it is – in the smallest way – an attempt to give some back."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/24/is-it-time-to-ditch-the-word-migrant/

-> Interesting. Andhras settled in TelangaNa are also called migrants/settlers.

by Hellsangel Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:17 pm

Yes. Ditch it, Tovarisch.

by garam_kuta Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:26 am

poor sod..our resident 'kakka'asian sweats so much to 'name' & label folks here to slander...

tut. tut..tut.. it might have worked in the case of the self-ingratiating victim; but then one swallow doesn't make a summer, na?

by southindian Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:59 am

Yes time to ditch passport, embassy and borders all over the world.

by Sponsored content

Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

Re: Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

Re: Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

Re: Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?

Re: Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?