Hello Everyone!
Normally Craig would be greeting you all this week, but unfortunately he became very ill at the weekend and has been in hospital for the last few days. The good news is that he is on the mend and will be back to tell you all about it next week. I am sure you will all join me in sending him lots of love; get rested and well soon Craig!
Filling in for Craig also gives me an impromptu chance to get something off my chest.
The word immigrant has been bandied about in the media over the last few weeks and not in a very positive way; although my beef with the term’s current popularity is that it is most often being used incorrectly. Presidential candidate, Donald Trump has got into a fair amount of hot water over some of the recent comments he has made on this topic. I find this astounding, particularly as if you take a quick look at his ancestry you start to wonder if he has been misquoted. Turns out he is just misguided, as he doesn’t seem to count people like his Scottish mother or former Czechoslovakian wife as immigrants. I doubt it comes as a massive surprise to you that I am an immigrant – and I am sure many of you are too. I can almost picture us all going to hear Mr Trump talk and standing up to announce this like a scene out of the film Spartacus. I am very proud to have migrated, but saddened and perhaps slightly self-conscious , when I hear it mentioned in such a derogatory way. I have occasionally pointed out to people that “I am an immigrant’ (in response to their negative comments) but not surprised when the response is “I don’t mean people like you’. This thinly veiled racism is unacceptable and I don’t want to be a part of it.
Is this why the Brits often choose to refer to themselves as ex-pats?
British Prime Minister David Cameron helped feed the fire when he referred to the ‘swarm’ of migrants descending on the UK. Not only is this kind of language extremely inflammatory, but he is another culprit of deliberately using the wrong term and lumping people of various circumstances under one label that doesn’t sound as serious as refugee or asylum seeker. It is particularly dangerous when you are in such a position of power. People will never understand the difference between refugees and economic migrants, if prominent politicians can’t, or choose not to….
Surely it is common sense to realize that when one is fleeing for their life that they are not just migrating? Sadly it seems it will take many more lives like that of Aylan, the three year-old Syrian boy whose drowned body was washed up on a Turkish beach this week, for the world to sit up and take action. We have to realize it is all of our moral responsibility to do as much as we can to help. There is no immediate solution to the conflict in Syria, so it is really crucial for all countries to step up and start accepting refugees. I am not a religious person but ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ seems particularly apt this week. Thankfully it seems that there are some compassionate world citizens who have taken this matter into their own hands. If you do want to help in a small way, my friend Dawn O’Porter has set up a Help Calais & Greece wish list on Amazon, visit this link to see what is neeed: tinyurl.com/HelpC-G. If you know of any charities or organizations that are set up to help this current crisis, feel free to drop us a line and we can share their info on our social pages. The Independent newspaper has also compiled a decent list of charities that are currently asking for help with the refugee crisis. The link can be found HERE
If you have any questions or comments, you can always email us at BritsinLA@gmail.com.
Don’t forget our Tuesday Weekly Breakfast Club has switched to Saturdays for the next 3 weeks. We are still at Cecconi’s but they are closed weekday mornings (open at 11.30 am) until September 20th whilst they have a little work done….this is Hollywood after all!
Visit www.Britsin.LA for all the details.
Cheers
Eileen
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