Yet, the media has led to many people being convinced of news stories with little or no factual evidence, which in turn led to more people having negative opinions towards refugees. An example of this is a news headline, “Migrants Rob Young Britons’ Jobs.” This is very deceptive, as; refugees only make up 0.18% of the total UK population and are willing to take the jobs we refuse to have. Ultimately, the media is allowed to share dangerous stories with the public, swaying minds of many people into thinking refugees aren’t welcome into the UK. Is it right for this to be happening in a time when people are now supposedly treated equally but refugees aren’t allowed to start a new...
Yet, the media has led to many people being convinced of news stories with little or no factual evidence, which in turn led to more people having negative opinions towards refugees. An example of this is a news headline, “Migrants Rob Young Britons’ Jobs.” This is very deceptive, as; refugees only make up 0.18% of the total UK population and are willing to take the jobs we refuse to have. Ultimately, the media is allowed to share dangerous stories with the public, swaying minds of many people into thinking refugees aren’t welcome into the UK. Is it right for this to be happening in a time when people are now supposedly treated equally but refugees aren’t allowed to start a new life in a new country?
What should be done to eradicate the strong hatred perception of refugees in the UK? The public may believe most media stories, as many with this perception have not been in the shoes of refugees. Should it not be illegal for the media to publish dangerous and unjust stories about refugees that are untrue? Unfortunately, the money refugees receive is not enough, especially if they have little or no possessions when they arrive. Teaching society that not everything they see and hear should be believed, is a good start towards creating a fairer society. A positive example of this being, the Scottish Refugee Council Scheme called “The Cup of Tea with a Refugee” who supply equipment for ordinary people to organize the event themselves and invite refugees as well as local people to communicate with each other. Allowing refugees a voice to share their own story with people who are interested in why they came to the UK. This is a way of empowering everyone to connect over a cup of tea and break common stereotypes of the term, the refugee.
The truth of the matter is, migration has occurred from the beginning of time. As the Glaswegian saying goes, “We’re all fae somewhere” so no matter who you are and where you’re from, remember everyone else was also from somewhere, just like you. Just imagine walking 1000 miles in a refugee’s shoes. How would you want to be treated?
