#jacky-the-nerd

I love you TOO

Some context for background: in November 2015, Kentucky elected Matt Bevin for governor. After the Paris attacks, he said he would not allow Syrian refugees in the state. Below is a wrathful article about why I disagree with Bevin and why such policies like the one he’s proposing are, for lack of better words, stupid, ignorant, and bigoted.

I write this in response to a report I saw on WBKO’s website. The report, in brief, stated that governor elect Matt Bevin has said he will not allow Syrian refugees into Kentucky.

The very idea that our governor elect has even considered preventing refugees from Syria entering our Commonwealth is ludicrous and inhumane. At the very least, it makes Kentucky--a southern U.S. state--fit the stereotype of being a bigoted, hateful, spiteful place full of bigoted, hateful, spiteful people. Also, I come from Bowling Green, and Bowling Green has a considerably diverse population. We have immigrants from Mexico, Bosnia, and other locations from around the world. Bevin's statement is offensive to me because I stand up for an America that takes and accepts the needy, the tired, the poor, and the hungry. I believe in a Kentucky (and a South, for that matter) that defies the negative portrayals and stereotypes of Kentuckians and Southerners as a whole. While recent news (such as the Kim Davis fiasco) doesn't help with that portrayal, I firmly believe that a better educated and more friendly Kentucky is possible.   Furthermore, there's very little to no legal grounds on which Bevin's ideas stand on. Logistically, the idea has no chance to be passed into law. Symbolically, the fact the governor elect of a state I call home and love with a great fervor would make such an ignorant and backwards statement cannot be underestimated. Syrian refugees are trying to escape violence, not cause it. They are victims of a four year long and very violent armed conflict. They want a safe place to live, work, and raise their families. On some final notes, Bevin and other governors (mostly from the South) pushing such policies show there is much work to be done in improving race, religious, and ethnic relations. Such policies proposed by Bevin and others are racist and xenophobic. Lastly, using the attacks in Paris to justify such policies does not show solidarity with our French allies and friends, but hocks and spits in the face of their grief and tragedy. Shame on you Matt Bevin. Shame on you for being fearful and hateful. Shame on your xenophobic and ungenerous attitudes. Shame on you for using a terrible tragedy to project meanness and nastiness upon an innocent and suffering people.

Signed,

As some of you may have noticed, I don’t sign on to tumblr much anymore. I mostly operate using wordpress, which is a much better platform for the kinds of blogs I like to build. Henceforth, this page will simply be titled “Jacky the Nerd’s Blog.” And be sure to follow me on Facebook, too!!