Immigrant flood unleashes moral status competition, emotional incontinence and hypocrisy
The status war has finally broken out in earnest over the Syrian refugees. The first shot was fired by the glamorous blonde Icelandic blogger who offered to adopt a Syrian child and encouraged her countrymen to let out their spare rooms to the refugees. Around 10,000 Icelanders have responded positively to her Facebook campaign and her picture has been seen around the world as a result. Here’s a video of Dutch welcoming refugees with song.
Then the Finnish Prime Minister weighed in with an offer to let out his second house and got plaudits all around for this selfless demonstration. Again the Finns rallied around and the offers have been pouring in.
But now the big rollers have arrived. Sir Bob Geldof says he will put three Syrian families in his rambling country house in Kent and put another one in his London place. The publicity avalanche generated by this has been predictably huge.
It was very generous of Saint Bob but only fair as the humanitarianism business has been so good to him. Back in 1985 Bob’s pop music career had long fizzled out when he had the bright idea of a record and concert for African famine relief, the big cause at the time.
His business partner remembered that when they first dreamed it up in a greasy spoon café, Bob was so broke he couldn’t pay for his bacon sandwich. Today Geldof is one of the wealthiest men in the British media — thanks to Live Aid. He really did show that you can do well by doing good. Read more







