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Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 18, 2022

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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And the litany of other services? Are you really arguing that there is NO chance that an area in which migration is a constant featureswill have better infrastructure to deal with migrants than some dinky island 1500 miles from the border?

The news articles very clearly state that they were fooled into going, not that they were coerced. And, as for what they thought was in their best interest, that is irrelevant: the OP was about MV residents, and their views. If they are correct that the migrants best interests were not served by being sent there, then what is the basis for criticizing them.

So the steelman is that the MV residents want the immigrants deported ASAP due to lack of a Spanish language priest and teacher (the other services you mentioned), and also that the migrants are too dumb to make good choices for themselves. That's definitely less racist than thinking they are all carriers of scary foreign diseases.

Anyway, you are free to believe that this time the media isn't misleading you. You are also free to believe that every single migrant refused to show the info packet to reporters and reporters for some reason didn't think this was worth mentioning. But some of us actually know how to spot when they are very carefully not saying something.

So the steelman is ...

A disingenuous paraphrase of a steelman is actually a weakman. The steelman is exactly what I said it is: That migrants need services that are more readily available to them in border areas than in Martha's Vinyard.

also that the migrants are too dumb to make good choices for themselves. That's definitely less racist than thinking they are all carriers of scary foreign diseases.

I, of course, said neither of those things. Don't you have any self-respect?

The steelman is exactly what I said it is: That migrants need services that are more readily available to them in border areas than in Martha's Vinyard.

Weakman: "lack of a Spanish language priest and teacher"

Steelman: "local Spanish-language religious services"..."educational, etc, staff who are fluent in Spanish"

I, of course, said neither of those things.

Weakman: "too dumb to make good choices for themselves"

Steelman: "...as for what they thought was in their best interest, that is irrelevant: the OP was about MV residents, and their views. If they are correct that the migrants best interests were not served by being sent there..."

I think you are conflating "weakman" with "different mood affiliation".

Our only point of actual disagreement is that I consider your steelman to be as transparently racist as he thinks the typical MAGA voter is.