I didn't see it as their neighbours not wanting them there. Where was that said? Sure, there was the initial disagreement right off the bat about them setting up in an area frequented by the refugee women, but that was a misunderstanding about how they would operate, and once it was clarified that no one would be filmed without their permission, all was forgiven. Aside from that initial incident: yes, the neighbours were curious as to why these affluent white guys wanted to live with them in the camp, but it wasn't out of not wanting them there, and judging by the many interviews I think many of these people caught on to the purpose of these filmmakers being there and opened up and really got into conveying that, just because they're Muslim, that doesn't mean that they're terrorists... they're moderate, sensible, hard-working people, capable of getting along with others who are different (there are aid workers with different beliefs, women workers without hijabs, no one appeared to be attacking them over those differences), just like most people all around the world, who don't want a war any more than most of us. They are just human.
As for the full immersion by living in the camp (or trying to, anyhow), I think it was to have a first-hand appreciation for how the refugees live, as much as possible, and connect with those living there as much as possible. Yes, it's these guys' schtick, like with Living on One Dollar, but it's one with a useful purpose. To eat what the refugees eat, sleep how the refugees sleep, experience the hardships that they do, as much as possible, in order to truly convey a first-hand experience to a Western audience like they did with Living on One Dollar, in addition to the personal stories of many of the locals with whom they interacted.
As for taking spots in the camp: I assume that they compensated the camp organisers for all resources, and while I don't know for certain, I would guess that these guys would have said that if it were down to a spot for them and a spot for actual, incoming refugees, that the camp organisers should oust them to give that space to Syrians fleeing the war. Given the UN and other high-profile non-profits involved, I'm sure that that would have been their policy, anyway. Camp security sure had no problem in telling the guys to leave because they didn't want to risk an incident of voluntary, affluent Americans being robbed at night by thugs (no doubt the news media would latch onto that story), I'm sure they wouldn't want a scandal of rejecting actual refugees to avoid evicting the optional Americans to get out, so they'd avoid having that happen.
On the whole, I think it was worth it. I've already been very liberal in my defence of the Syrian refugees, telling people that they are not this monolithic, big, bad Other, but people, just like us. Just like how there are moderate Christians and moderate Jews, there are moderate Muslims, and moderates of other religions. Me, I'm irreligious and atheist, but my problems are with ideologies, not people: a lot of people are moderate and don't adhere to every scripture, and as long as they don't force others to conform to their religious standards and can coexist in a multicultural society with a secular government and secular services, then I'm fine with them. Depending on the country in the Middle East, some Muslims have probably had to live under more fundamentalist, restrictive policy, but I'd bet that in their own thoughts, many are more progressive than those few who wield power over them. The documentary definitely gave me a stronger idea of how these camps function, and humanised these people even further, for me. Their lives in the refugee camps are less of an abstract concept, and now I have something to recommend to others, to help them better understand and humanise Syrian refugees and life in a refugee camp.
I hope that my country, Canada, opens up more spots to accept Syrian refugees. Our new Prime Minister is very liberal, and he committed to 25,000 in a matter of months from his party being elected, and I think in the past year it has reached something like 50,000. All of the stories I've read of these people coming here are of friendly, thankful people who just want to give back, who want to work hard (and you can see in the documentary how resourceful they got and how businesses and essentially a functioning city popped up, albeit in temporary shelters), who are neighbourly, who get out there and shovel the snow from their neighbours' driveways after a storm without having to be asked (which is soooo Canadian, too, so they fit right in), whose kids are excited to go to school and plan for their futures as doctors and architects and everything else (which gets me misty, reading about their excitement at just being kids, again). Many of these refugees left skilled trades and academic careers behind, in Syria, and are a valuable addition to our country and culture... and aside from a bit of cost for the few months worth of an adjustment period (which I just consider part of, y'know, altruism), they're not a drain on the system... and they don't "steal" jobs, because each person creates enough demand for goods and services that more jobs would be created, in general, to provide those things. It all works out. So I welcome them.
reply
share