
What Refugees Bring When They Run for Their Lives - zdw
http://www.carryology.com/bags/whats-in-my-bag-what-refugees-bring-when-they-run-for-their-lives/
======
bordercases
On a personal note, I'm more likely to investigate anti-refugee arguments
because I feel like they're underrated. I agree with the sentiment that we
should understand that we're dealing with humans here, not numbers; but just
like statistics has its weakness in that it can cause us to over-generalize,
picking out the stories of individuals can allow a narrative to be crafted
that is overfitted away from the whole.

Big picture: most refugees going across the Mediterranean are Syrian, male
(like 72% male!), young, and poor.[0] Like unless they have families that
they're hoping to have evacuated (why didn't they bring them over in the first
place?), we're talking about a recipe for complete stupidity. Language
barriers exist, education barriers exist; I don't know how the Europeans
intend to get all of these refugee adults up to economic snuff at the same
grade of Europeans who were trained in the ways of the West from birth.

This is going to be a demographic shock to countries with more balanced gender
ratios, and in the case of Europe, upside-down aging pyramids. Men without
solid economic recourse and lack of cultural integration are going to resort
to crime. They will upset the local sex market through strong male competition
for women (rape town!). Politics in Europe will never be the same as the
majority of the young do not carry any of the previous generation's values.

I'm really open to being proved wrong, I really am. But I'm not counting on
it.

[0]
[http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php](http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php)

~~~
Squarel
I saw the data you linked, but I don't see the "poor".

From what I see, they make up a range of demographics and educational levels.

As to why they did not bring their families over in the first place? That is
usually because they want to make sure they have somewhere to stay before
bringing their families over.

Bigger picture. The population of Europe as a whole is 740 million or so. Even
if the entire population of Syrian pitched up in Europe (20 million or so), it
would be under 5% of the population. The actual numbers of refugees is around
5 million, so less than 1%. You are trying to suggest that 1% of the
population is a "demographic shock"?

The problem arises when the refugees are concentrated in a few countries, and
then other nations use the crowding and chaos there as an excuse not to take
any.

"Men without solid economic recourse", as per my previous point, these
individuals span the entire socio-economic range, and have a wide range of
skills. If they are able to gain employment (Many countries do not allow
refugees to work) then I do not see why they would not have solid economic
recourse.

~~~
vixen99
Why don't you mention the predominant religion of the migrants and culture
shock? Islam is a way of life not just a religion. Literally following the
Koran is not compatible with life in the West as indeed with the Christian
Bible. You soon get arrested in the UK for proclaiming statements from the
Bible (on homosexuality for instance). Interestingly, not so if the text is
the Koran. But that's another matter.

~~~
eru
Following the Christian Bible is not all that compatible with life in Europe,
either.

------
cel1ne
I'm from Austria. We have thousands of refugees crossing our border from
Hungary daily right now, since they are being treated like animals there. [0]

Civil society responded quickly: here in Vienna there are thousands of
volunteers providing food, shelter and medicine, even going into the camps in
hungary and rescuing people out from there, bringing them (probably illegally,
the situation isn't clear) across the border into our country. People who
drive there to bring them medicine risk being beaten and arrested by hungarian
police.

Or picking them up from the road. The kids have bloody feet from walking and
many parents almost breaking down from carrying them and the exhaustion.

Libanon is currently receiving most of the refugees: about 2 Million in a
country of 6 million. Imagine that. If a society is capable of this, surely
it's possible to distribute another 2 million into 25 EU-states.

In Austria, we have a population of around 8 million. In 1992 we took about
90.000 refugees. Since WW2 we apparently had 2 million refugees, 700.000
stayed here. [1]

We are one of the richest countries in the world. It works.

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoKpuXA9myw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoKpuXA9myw)
[1] [http://www.unhcr.at/english/asylum-country-with-
tradition.ht...](http://www.unhcr.at/english/asylum-country-with-
tradition.html)

~~~
usaphp
Yeah and then this happens because they don't want to integrate into European
counties because most of those immigrants still think west is evil and they
laugh at our values: [http://shoebat.com/2015/03/02/austria-makes-new-law-
muslims-...](http://shoebat.com/2015/03/02/austria-makes-new-law-muslims-can-
no-longer-speak-arabic-all-muslims-must-now-speak-german/)

~~~
cel1ne
That law basically states that muslim preachers in hospitals or who are
teaching at schools or universities have to BE ABLE to speak german, so that
the german-only speaking muslims, who exist as well, can understand them. The
concept is called "official language of a country".

Right-Wing parties in Turkey are criticizing the law. The muslim organisations
inside Austria are supporting it.

The law has nothing to do with the refugee-crisis.

EDITED: the muslim youth-organization in Austria oppose the law. The official
organisation isn't happy with some points, for example that the law forbids
financing their religious organisations with foreign money, but they state
that "It's a compromise, which seems to come close to both sides."

The law definitely isn't perfect, but it's a different topic.

~~~
phaer
I don't have a strong opinion on the that law, but it's just not true that
most muslim organisations in Austria support it. Their official
representatives, the IGGÖ are rather critical[1], the muslim youth of Austria
strongly opposed it[2]. Both links are in german, sorry.

But you are, of course, right that this law has nothing to do with war
refugees entering austria.

[1]:
[http://www.derislam.at/?f=news&shownews=1960](http://www.derislam.at/?f=news&shownews=1960)
[2]: [http://www.mjoe.at/articles/article/regierung-beschliesst-
an...](http://www.mjoe.at/articles/article/regierung-beschliesst-anti-
islamgesetz/)

~~~
cel1ne
You are right, I made an Edit.

------
ziotom78
Thanks for having shared this. I live in Italy, and in the last years we have
get accustomed to news like "four hundred refugees reached Sicily last night",
"50 Syrians died yesterday when their boat sank near the coast", etc. Reading
this helps in preventing me from thinking of these people as just numbers.

~~~
prawn
I agree.

I think it's a shame that governments (ours in Australia especially) play on
xenophobia for political point scoring rather than encouraging the population
to welcome new arrivals. We focus on differences like clothing, language and
religion more than we emphasise common ground such as support for our
children, love of food, sport, etc.

There's a food/cooking show in Australia called Food Safari in which each
episode focuses on a different cuisine. It's a great insight into the food
traditions each culture has brought with them. I often wish it was compulsory
viewing or at least broadcast on a more mainstream channel as cooking and
eating together is something we can all identify with.

I think we only increase the chances of ghettoes and other issues when we
react negatively rather than welcoming people. We push people to wall
themselves in, harden their cultural lines, we make it harder for them to get
jobs, etc.

~~~
bordercases
"Play on X for a political point" carries no information as anything can be
construable as a political point. One is just as liable to hear pro-refugee
stances be used as a "political-point" for the sake of votes as anti-refugee
stances.

All such policy decisions should be dissolved away from a political party's
frame of reference, and what should remain are guesses as to what the
consequences of a policy might be and whether or not it's good for the nation.

------
dschiptsov
Two ids (passport and driver's licence), some cash and two debit cards from
two different countries, because the world is already globalized and modern,
you like it or not. At least this is what I took intuitively when the 25th
April earthquake struck my room in Kathmandu. All other my possessions were of
least importance.

~~~
Dragonai
What followed? Did you have family who were affected alongside you?

I've been spending a lot of time lately reflecting on all the things I've
taken for granted through my life, and the lack or loss of a safe and secure
home is one of the things I would never wish upon anyone.

------
friendzis
I'm risking getting downvoted to oblivion here, but as an EU citizen I
strongly believe that the core reason we have this crisis in the first place
(as opposed to something controlled) is nonexistent border protection from
southern countries like Italy, Greece. Never have I heard of them employing
border patrols to veer off illegal boats.

I am by no means denying the need for help for actual war victims, if I could
say that, but current situation not only allows for, but actually encourages
everyone seeking "better life" (and having financial means to do that) to come
over. We call those [economic] immigrants and have rules. Now its wild west.
And in the news reports I usually see people toying with iPhone 5/6 and
wearing [designer] jeans/jackets. These may not even be the majority and quite
probably a lot of those people are with a pair of shoes, some clothing and a
mobile phone and food for a week is not included in the list of possessions.

I am all for growing a pair and actually declaring what is a war zone. Working
with UN/NATO to establish a peace there. We (EU first, UN later) can and
should establish "refugee camps" and _TEMPORARILY_ accept people fleeing from
previously declared war zones. After the conflict has been resolved, the very
same refugees should be helped to get back to their homes. For everyone else
we have rather clear rules on how immigration works. Because unless we do that
fast we are sending the signal that EU is accepting everyone, giving homes and
income. And in several years the crisis will be unmanageable. Oh, and do not
think that USA is the other end of the world - you are already struggling with
illegal immigrants from the south. Now just imagine the effect if whole
countries decided it was worth a shot at least attempting to "find better
life"?

~~~
jackvalentine
> And in the news reports I usually see people toying with iPhone 5/6 and
> wearing [designer] jeans/jackets.

Do luxury products somehow protect you from bullets, bombs and murderous
barbarians?

~~~
mverwijs
The point is, however, that a phone is not a luxury item. This article[1], in
Dutch, explains that in order to get anywhere a phone is a necessity. Maps,
GPS and communication. And not just texts (SMS), but photos and WhatsApp-
groups to organize shelter, food. Translation-device.

It is NOT a luxury device.

[1]
[http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/4130918...](http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/4130918/2015/08/28/De-
mobiele-telefoon-is-een-basisbehoefte-voor-een-vluchteling.dhtml)

~~~
Yetanfou
A smartphone, maybe. An iPhone? Never. That is - whether you like it or not -
a luxury device, priced as such. If it is phone, GPS, maps and translation you
want you can just get whatever Android is on sale - for a sixth to a tenth of
the price of the luxury iPhone.

------
junto
The bit that disturbs me is how the police in many of these "first landing"
countries have no qualms about knifing a rubber boat filled with people
including small children that can't swim. That's murder. This kind of thing is
going on all over the world. Refugees from Burma for example are also getting
the same treatment but the Thai's.

We in the west are niaeve. We think we can incite revolutions and civil wars
to overthrow the regimes that don't conform to our expectations of democracy,
without appreciating that those actions have long term and negative effects
upon ourselves. We have reeped what we sowed. Now we need to take
responsibility for our actions.

The real refugees should be given the opportunity to integrate properly. We do
not need cultural enclaves in our own cities. They lead to isolation and
foster extremism in those immigrants that only feel hatred from their
begrudging host countries' native populations. They need training and
education, especially so that they can speak the language of their host
country. For refugees moving to Germany that will be a challenge in itself.
The language is hard. I've been here as an internal EU immigrant for nearly
ten years and I still struggle with it.

The economic migrants, like those from Western Balkans, the near East and
African countries that are peaceful need to weeded out and sent back.

~~~
NietTim
What? I've never heard before of police deliberately sinking boats. Do you
have any source at all?

~~~
junto
Sources were Turkish, so they are no doubt biased, but this was what I was
thinking of:

[http://www.euronews.com/2015/08/14/turkish-fisherman-
claims-...](http://www.euronews.com/2015/08/14/turkish-fisherman-claims-greek-
officials-intentionally-sank-migrant-boat/)

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3225321/Pirate-
rogue...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3225321/Pirate-rogue-
element-Greek-coastguard-ROBBING-migrants-gunpoint-puncturing-dinghies-
Mediterranean.html)

Here's a Thai accusation: [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/23/thai-
army-attac...](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/23/thai-army-attacks-
boat-people)

------
reitanqild
"humanizing" in a weird way. Which is good.

I strongly believe most refugees should get help where they come from but
making sure they are treated like humans when they arrive can only help I
think.

------
zenlot
Just people from Syria are in the photos. I guess the authors spend really
hard time to find the ones from Syria, as the number of those is very very
small comparing to those illegal migrants from Pakistan, Iran, etc... Please
stop using word refugees. It has real meaning which in this situation 99 times
of 100 does not apply.

------
iaskwhy
Europe is a continent of diasporas[1], that should make it much easier to
accept refugees but sadly people don't seem to think much about it. Also, most
people in Europe will know someone or someone's family member who had to leave
the country due to wars and persecutions. For example, my grandfather was
tortured by it's own country's state police back in the 60s. Most people in
Europe know stories like his.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_diaspora#Contemporary...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_diaspora#Contemporary_European_diasporas)

------
ars
Looks like almost everyone took a phone, plus sim cards.

~~~
mverwijs
Phone? No. GPS device, translation device for every language in the western
world, detailed maps of every country, camera? Yes.

------
Too
I'm surprised to not see any food or water at all. While most food is heavy to
carry and it is easily restockable in most places, i imagine that you many
times would have to cross into remote areas to avoid border patrols, just
having some snacks to last a day takes you a long way. Maybe it was all eaten
already.

------
cko
It looks like most people took pills with them, while the pharmacist did not.
I'm a pharmacist and I would not take any. Maybe the sample size is too small
for me to say this, but it seems that laymen overestimate the power of
medicine.

~~~
ekianjo
The pharmacist's bag was very small, and n size=1 here is very irrelevant.
Medicines such as antibiotics can make the difference between life and death
if you get an infection.

------
sakri
How many people are there still left in Syria?

------
Peter_K
United States, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Britain, France and most vassal
European Countries should shoulder most refugees since the "American led
coalition" supports the head-cutting terrorists. See what happened in Libya
with the US supported Arab Spring(what a joke!).

By the way, most refugees are male at a very young age. If there are from
Syria, why don't they stay and fight for their country? The article did not
mention that most refugees have latest technology smart phones and they take
selfies when they cross the borders? Is this what a refugee is like?

Most refugees are going to work for peanuts so the capitalists will get
richer. Say goodbye to worker rights since someone who needs money to live and
is given government dough will never think to unionize.

TO AMERICANS AND WHITE EUROPEANS: Stop supporting the terrorists!! Stop
f#$king up this world! There would not be any refugees if the United States
and its vassal states did not bomb the countries!!

~~~
tremon
There would not have been any refugees if some of the Arab states (e.g.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt) would have intervened in Syria either.

It's not just "the west": no country made a serious effort to prevent the
escalation there. You could argue that any attempt at a serious effort was
thwarted at the UN level by the apathetic attitude of Russia and China, but in
that case your complaint against Americans and white Europeans is misdirected.

