When you’re scarfing down your stuffing and macaroni at your estranged and low-key racist aunt’s suburban home, don’t forget what Thanksgiving is about: taking in refugees.
We all know how the traditional story goes. Squanto had to teach the pilgrims how to survive in America, and they thanked the Native Americans by having a huge feast where everyone came together to celebrate the beginning of a new relationship. Obviously the “relationship” ended in genocide, and the Thanksgiving story our parents taught us was probably a rosier version than what actually happened.
But that’s all irrelevant. The Thanksgiving tale’s core point is about helping people in a foreign land because, at the risk of sounding like a humanist, it’s the right thing to do. We’re all thrown into this world together, and we’re stuck with one another whether we like it or not.
Instead of accusing all Muslims and all Syrian refugees of being potential terrorists, why don’t we all try this new and crazy idea of looking up facts?
The fact is the perpetrators from the Paris attacks were European nationals from France and Belgium. With an 18-24 month screening process, it’s harder for a terrorist to enter the country while posing as a refugee than to be someone who already lives there.
There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. If they all wanted to terrorize the world, they would have already done so. Look at how well Christians imposed their religion and customs on the world. If Muslims wanted to, they could do the same. But they haven’t because they aren’t going to.
Yet we have 30 sitting governors and nearly all Republican presidential candidates trying to stop Syrian refugees from entering the country. This kind of fear-mongering mentality crosses party lines. Fourty-seven Democrats in the House voted for an anti-refugee bill. Our newly elected governor wants President Barack Obama to temporarily halt the Syrian refugee influx. Sen. David Vitter, a man who ran on family values, wants us to stop accepting refugees.
Sure. Let’s ship all these people back to their war-stricken, ruined country with the possibility of dying. Let’s potentially tear families apart and put Syrian children at risk. Is this what we call family values in America?
We have some people running for president, like Ted Cruz, who want to only accept Christian refugees. Donald Trump implied he thinks we should keep track of Muslims via a national database.
These are the types of people running for president. These racist, Islamophobic people are vying for the most powerful position in the world. This joke has gone far enough, and we cannot encourage these types of people to run for office.
In the end, we all have a responsibility to care for each other. If we only look out for ourselves, then our Thanksgiving holiday is in vain. If we only look out for Americans, then you need to reevaluate what you call “morals.”
Cody Sibley is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Opelousas, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @CodySibley.