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10 Things More Likely to Kill You Than a Refugee

posted on: Jun 22, 2016

BY: Kristina Perry

WASHINGTON, DC: These are trying times for the United States as xenophobia threatens the underlying narrative of this nation of immigrants.

Throughout the 2016 campaign trail, the stump speeches of some presidential candidates have been sprinkled with references to the assumed threats posed by refugees, religious groups, and all the usual rigmarole. In various states, governors outright refused entry to Syrian refugees out of a misguided fear of possible extremist attacks. Add that to the usual anxiety surrounding immigration and we begin to see a slim film of fatty coagulation over our great American “melting pot.”

With the recent tragedy in Orlando, alongside the extremist attacks in France, Belgium and San Bernardino, fear has begun to grasp at our concepts of charity and humanitarianism. Refugees – a term that should invoke our better sides, has taken on a dangerously negative context. But of course, we must fear the refugees, right? Dislocated families, fathers trying to provide for their children, mothers crossing seas looking for a life free of war, poverty or persecution; are these not the agents of extremism? And don’t forget the children, their helplessness is surely a disguise for something far more sinister… right? Well no, actually. No, and moreover not even really remotely close to being right.

According to figures released by the Migration Policy Institute, the actual prevalence of extremism amongst the American refugee population since 2001 has been a paltry .00000375%. Paltry might not even quite capture the miniscule nature of this figure. Only 3 refugees out of the 800,000 admitted in that 15 year span has been connected to terrorist activities. Only one has actually been convicted.

In case you still want to stand on the bully pulpit and preach the dangers of the refugee population, out of a general concern for your citizen’s safety, then you better get ready to refuse entry to a few other things, as well.

Here are ten things that are far more dangerous than refugees. So if there must be a ban on refugees, then there should be a ban on these things, too.

 

  • Drinking Milk or Cows Themselves: Milk, a longtime promoter of healthy bones and frightening mustaches, is also a cold blooded killer. Studies have shown those who drink three glasses or more a day to be twice as likely to die premature deaths. But wait, should we stop there? What about the cows? Ban them too because they are the ones supporting milk behind the scenes! Not only that… Cows are responsible for killing about 20 people every year, too.

     

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    Champagne Corks: Next time Rick-Ross pops his vintage Dom Perignon just know that the cork flying off screen is more likely to kill someone that a “radicalized” refugee. These porous projectiles kill up to 24 a year.

  • Toddlers With Guns: A funny title, yet a sobering reality. Young children are increasingly likely to injure themselves or others when provided access to firearms. In 2016 alone toddlers have shot over twenty people at an average rate of over one shooting per week. Many of these shootings have been fatal. This problem illustrates the results of our political failure to address an issue more pressing than the threat of refugees: gun control.

  • Racism: The more racism there is in your life the shorter your lifespan. University of Maryland researchers found that rates of premature death increased by 5.7% in communities affected by racism. Of course, the anger behind this racism kills too, with anger linked to an increased risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

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    Riding Lawnmowers: An average 37,000 people a year end up in the hospital (with 95 deaths) thanks to these ubiquitous suburban vehicles. In October, a Grand Junction, Colorado landscape worker drove a mower too close to a tree and ended up with his neck pinned against a branch, according to a story in the city’s Daily Sentinel. Neighbors freed him with a chain saw. He arrived at the hospital in a coma but survived. That sounds way more horrible than having refugee neighbors.

  • Getting Struck By Lightning: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, over the last 20 years, the U.S. averaged 51 annual lightning strike fatalities, placing it in the second position just behind floods, for deadly weather. In the U.S., between 9% and 10% of those struck died of their injuries, with an average of 40 to 50 deaths per year.

  • Dog Attack: In 2015, 34 dog attacks resulted in human death: 14 children and 20 adult victims. The state of Texas had the highest number of dog bite-related fatalities in 2015 with 5 deaths. A refugee neighbor is far less likely to kill you than your neighbor’s dog.

  • Your Own Bed: Falling out of bed kills 450 people annually in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control, falling out of bed accounts for 1.8 million emergency room visits and over 400,000 hospital admissions each year. The very young and the very old are most at risk, and with decreased stability as we age, people over the age of 65 tend to fare the worst when falling.

  • Car Crashes: An average of 37,000 people die annually in the U.S. from car crashes, the majority of them teens and young adults. This number has also been increasing as older drivers start texting and driving, thinking that their experience as drivers makes them able to text and drive safely. Despite the growing risk of fatal crashes, people still put themselves behind the wheel of their car on a daily basis.

  • Choking on Your Food: According to Injury Facts 2016, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death. Of the 4,864 people who died from choking in 2013. 2,751 were older than 75.

  • Nonsensical? Of course this article was. But it digs at a deeper point. Our fears surrounding the possibility of fully vetted refugee committing a terrorist act are simply unfounded.

    There haven’t been enough cases to even qualify as more than an anomaly. So we have to ask ourselves, why do we fear helping those in need?

    It appears that as a society, we are more concerned with fringe modes of death than things which are actually a danger to us.