Headlines to be revisited

A quick glance through the online news site The Local left me with a list of news items worthy of some follow-up and thought.  Call this a feed for any one else interested in such things or an opportunity to share your thoughts. Mostly it's a way to keep track of the things that piqued my curiosity, for lack of a better phrase.

The Swedish court approved charging higher rent to refugees stating that this isn't discrimination.  Seems to me that if the argument is that damages are accrued and the apartment is left in unsatisfactory condition, money is taken from a security deposit rather than higher rent being paid.  I know that the whole "this is the way we do it in the States" thing gets old, but this seems like a pretty reasonable solution.  For instance, we have a dog and so we know that we may be expected to pay a larger deposit than a couple moving in without a dog. It's hard not to wonder what the hell is going on, quite frankly.  It doesn't help when people say: "But the landlord argued the higher rent was justified, explaining that refugees cause damage to apartments in a different way than 'taxpayers' do."  Need to read more about this but from what I can tell 1. this sounds like discrimination, and 2. there are other ways to address these concerns. 

The refugee population is all over the news right now.  Here's another one about a large proportion of Iraqui-refugees relocating because of threats and violence from lynch mobs in northern Swedish town.

Then there is the article about the neo-Nazi movement in Sweden and the prevalence of women on the "Neo-Nazi scene".  I don't even know what to say right now.  What I find most interesting so far are the comments from other readers.  A few folks have asked me about my experience with anti-semitism here in Sweden.  So far my exposure has been limited to articles and anecdotes, but it's time to learn more about this. The closest anti-semitism I have experienced here in Sweden was a comment that a Ukrainian made to Dave (not about me directly) from his Swedish for Immigrants class.  So far nothing from the Swedes. 

Comments

[Cassandra]

Human beings never fail to disappoint with their discriminatory practices. What amazes me is how much sense we think our reasons for discrimination make--"refugees" vs. "taxpayer" damages to homes! This is so sad.

[Mom/Eileen]

The neo Nazi thing is happening here as well. We just discovered graffiti for the Aryan Brotherhood (swastika with two 8's) under the bridge right across the street from us. It's facing/competing with graffiti for the Norteno gang. Petaluma is now 30% Hispanic and there's a lot of competition for jobs in this economy. So sad.

[rachel]

All of these are so sad. I don't quite understand the basis for charging higher rents based on immigrant status, either. I agree with you completely - while the "in the States,..." argument gets old, in this case, the remedy being a security deposit makes a lot of sense!