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barefootbetsy's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
I have mixed thoughts and feelings about this book. While there are certainly things I agree with and appreciate, I really disliked the emphasis on IQ (which is a culturally biased measurement) and some of his points were at least bordering on being racist. IQ is also only one type of intelligence and I believe it does a disservice to place so much emphasis on that one measurement -- but USian culture does that already so... in context perhaps it was appropriate for him to address that concern.
I'm personally anti-capitalist so I think that some of my hesitation while reading this book was due to our differing economic ideologies.
In general, as I watch the current ramping up of anti-immigration sentiment and weaponization of immigration as a political issue (it is the end of January 2024 currently), I'm inclined to believe that it is more important than ever to re-examine our restrictive and outright CRUEL immigration policies. Even when I fundamentally disagree with someone who's pro-immigration about other issues.
I'm troubled also by the pro-consumption message in this book, but again I don't find that enough of a reason to dislike the book because the author is addressing USians primarily and we live in a society that is already built on over-consumption and capitalism.
In the end I give this book a 3.75 rating which will be rounded up to a 4 on Goodreads.
It was certainly a provocative and thought-provoking read.
I'm personally anti-capitalist so I think that some of my hesitation while reading this book was due to our differing economic ideologies.
In general, as I watch the current ramping up of anti-immigration sentiment and weaponization of immigration as a political issue (it is the end of January 2024 currently), I'm inclined to believe that it is more important than ever to re-examine our restrictive and outright CRUEL immigration policies. Even when I fundamentally disagree with someone who's pro-immigration about other issues.
I'm troubled also by the pro-consumption message in this book, but again I don't find that enough of a reason to dislike the book because the author is addressing USians primarily and we live in a society that is already built on over-consumption and capitalism.
In the end I give this book a 3.75 rating which will be rounded up to a 4 on Goodreads.
It was certainly a provocative and thought-provoking read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Violence, Child death, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, and Deportation
pink_distro's review
1.0
we definitely need to tear down the border regime of today, but this book is capitalist ridiculousness and has some serious problems. read "Border & Rule" by Harsha Walia to see why
the good: debunks SOME right wing anti-immigration talking points using statistics, and rightly describes the current world border regime as a system of global apartheid against the global poor.
now for the bad. first off, he's an economist and the entire book basically only uses statistics (and occasional hypothetical, abstract philosophy debates). this means that when hes discussing culture or politics or ethics, the insights are very shallow and just plain wrong. his ENTIRE conception of wellbeing and happiness in society is based on the fact that open borders would increase global productivity, producing trillions of dollars of more commodities and services before. obviously that would have many benefits, but he just takes it as a given that GDP = good & happiness. ignoring the fact that global northern / western hyper-consumption is hurdling us towards climate collapse.
second, he accepts so many horrible right wing premises and proposes that we try to 'soothe their concerns' through concessions he calls "keyhole solutions." some of his actual responses are essentially the following: 'too many people think immigrants are an economic burden? let's just tax them at higher rates and restrict their access to public benefits! do you think immigrants are savages who hate freedom? don't worry, they barely vote anyways, and we can always impose cultural literacy & english fluency tests. think immigrants will bring crime? we can just ban everyone with criminal records!' It's all so othering, condescending, and outright racist (it's particularly islamophobic as well). Not only is this "open border" proposal looking less and less open by the page, this is all a total ethical and political dead end. he claims that this would all be justified because it's MORE fair and prosperous than the status quo of global apartheid. ethically, even if that were the case, why TF is he so willing to compromise on basic equality & human rights for migrants? and politically, imposing a deeper domestic apartheid system to address the complaints of racists will NEVER WORK. it would just create a material system that deepens the divisions between immigrants and non-immigrants, and fuel racists' anti-immigrant hate even more.
third, he never once questions what caused the current global division of wealth. he rightly says that the border maintains that division, but never goes deeper. in reality, work by Harsha Walia and many others shows that borders are one enforcement mechanism in a matrix of global racial capitalism. western colonialism and enslavement plundered the planet, and now those countries use sanctions, coups, military hegemony, and institutions like the IMF and World Bank to ensure economic extraction from the global south continues apace. Walia explains this all beautifully in the book "Border & Rule" that is a must read. in this book he brings up the US' "national security" budget as an example of a benign social service, when it is a central part of maintaining the global apartheid system he claims to be against.
in this book he posits open borders as a capitalist's dream -- the ultimate deregulated market that would vastly increase productivity. and in a way it is. ultimately, capitalism always needs an underclass to toil away and produce surplus value for the owning class. in our current system, borders are an essential part of that division. faced with open borders, hundreds of millions of people would shuffle around. capitalist exploitation may likely decrease in its margins. but there would still be a few billionaires and millions who can hardly put food on the table. capitalists would still demand that sweatshops put somewhere. with open borders as Caplan sees it, perhaps less of those sweatshops would be concentrated in "Exclusive Economic Zones" in Bangladesh. maybe more would be concentrated in certain neighborhoods populated by non-citizen immigrants in the US, who pay higher taxes, can't get medicare, can't vote, and maybe even can't unionize — who knows what "keyhole solutions" he will accept next.
forget open borders, let's abolish borders. as Harsha Walia writes: "while open borders might mean freer movement across nations in a world otherwise still configured under the status quo, to abolish the border would mean emancipating ourselves from all the unfreedoms it upholds... Abolishing borders can secure these propositions: the freedom to stay, meaning that no one is forcibly displaced from their homes and lands [through climate disaster, free trade policies, settler-colonialism, gentrification, etc.], and the freedom to move with safety and dignity." https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/there-is-no-migrant-crisis/
the good: debunks SOME right wing anti-immigration talking points using statistics, and rightly describes the current world border regime as a system of global apartheid against the global poor.
now for the bad. first off, he's an economist and the entire book basically only uses statistics (and occasional hypothetical, abstract philosophy debates). this means that when hes discussing culture or politics or ethics, the insights are very shallow and just plain wrong. his ENTIRE conception of wellbeing and happiness in society is based on the fact that open borders would increase global productivity, producing trillions of dollars of more commodities and services before. obviously that would have many benefits, but he just takes it as a given that GDP = good & happiness. ignoring the fact that global northern / western hyper-consumption is hurdling us towards climate collapse.
second, he accepts so many horrible right wing premises and proposes that we try to 'soothe their concerns' through concessions he calls "keyhole solutions." some of his actual responses are essentially the following: 'too many people think immigrants are an economic burden? let's just tax them at higher rates and restrict their access to public benefits! do you think immigrants are savages who hate freedom? don't worry, they barely vote anyways, and we can always impose cultural literacy & english fluency tests. think immigrants will bring crime? we can just ban everyone with criminal records!' It's all so othering, condescending, and outright racist (it's particularly islamophobic as well). Not only is this "open border" proposal looking less and less open by the page, this is all a total ethical and political dead end. he claims that this would all be justified because it's MORE fair and prosperous than the status quo of global apartheid. ethically, even if that were the case, why TF is he so willing to compromise on basic equality & human rights for migrants? and politically, imposing a deeper domestic apartheid system to address the complaints of racists will NEVER WORK. it would just create a material system that deepens the divisions between immigrants and non-immigrants, and fuel racists' anti-immigrant hate even more.
third, he never once questions what caused the current global division of wealth. he rightly says that the border maintains that division, but never goes deeper. in reality, work by Harsha Walia and many others shows that borders are one enforcement mechanism in a matrix of global racial capitalism. western colonialism and enslavement plundered the planet, and now those countries use sanctions, coups, military hegemony, and institutions like the IMF and World Bank to ensure economic extraction from the global south continues apace. Walia explains this all beautifully in the book "Border & Rule" that is a must read. in this book he brings up the US' "national security" budget as an example of a benign social service, when it is a central part of maintaining the global apartheid system he claims to be against.
in this book he posits open borders as a capitalist's dream -- the ultimate deregulated market that would vastly increase productivity. and in a way it is. ultimately, capitalism always needs an underclass to toil away and produce surplus value for the owning class. in our current system, borders are an essential part of that division. faced with open borders, hundreds of millions of people would shuffle around. capitalist exploitation may likely decrease in its margins. but there would still be a few billionaires and millions who can hardly put food on the table. capitalists would still demand that sweatshops put somewhere. with open borders as Caplan sees it, perhaps less of those sweatshops would be concentrated in "Exclusive Economic Zones" in Bangladesh. maybe more would be concentrated in certain neighborhoods populated by non-citizen immigrants in the US, who pay higher taxes, can't get medicare, can't vote, and maybe even can't unionize — who knows what "keyhole solutions" he will accept next.
forget open borders, let's abolish borders. as Harsha Walia writes: "while open borders might mean freer movement across nations in a world otherwise still configured under the status quo, to abolish the border would mean emancipating ourselves from all the unfreedoms it upholds... Abolishing borders can secure these propositions: the freedom to stay, meaning that no one is forcibly displaced from their homes and lands [through climate disaster, free trade policies, settler-colonialism, gentrification, etc.], and the freedom to move with safety and dignity." https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/there-is-no-migrant-crisis/
jhd016's review
5.0
Brian Caplan presents a compelling, thorough, and clear case for Open Borders not just in the US but worldwide.
alexibarra's review
3.0
As successful as it is sparking curiosity into an unconventional perspective, the oversimplified arguments it presents might give readers the wrong impression that they've learn everything there is to know and just as easily dismiss them. A more balanced look of the counterarguments would have strengthened the thesis of the book.
dayseraph's review
4.0
I enjoyed this! A graphic novel is a good way to trick me into thinking seriously about immigration policy!
hamckeon's review
5.0
I found this book/argument very interesting. Even if you don’t agree with his argument/logic, it may just open up your mind to other possibilities. As he mentions in the book there are many possible solutions better than constantly restricting immigration.
annalisenak97's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Super educational and entertaining read. Makes a strong case for open borders, really destigmatized them and took the fear out of them. I learned a lot! The econ/philosophy side of things were still hard for me to follow, but the format of the book made everything easier. Comic books are the best way to learn anything.
cmorrisclark's review
5.0
I'm not an expert on open borders, and I've only read Caplan's arguments and not arguments to the opposite. But he convinced me! Open Borders was a fun, easy to read persuasive piece about why the US should open our immigration borders. I wish that this wasn't such a divisive, fear-driven conversation in this country. I think the US would benefit greatly from some significant policy change in this area.
rkiladitis's review
4.0
It's no secret that immigration is a hot-button - one of the hottest button - topics in current events. One one side, we have those who would welcome new immigrants, for cultural and humanitarian reasons; on the other, those who want to restrict the flow of people into the country, whether to protect the current citizenry, the culture, or the economic status quo. Economist Bryan Caplan has written Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration as a proposal to both sides. He argues in favor of open borders, noting that doing so could eliminate poverty worldwide, not spiral us deeper into it; raise the global education and skill level, and lead us - as a whole - into a new age of prosperity for all.
The book, masterfully illustrated by Zach Weinersmith, presents Caplan's argument using comprehensive research, communicated with a plain-English tone and artwork that's colorful, multicultural, and translatable to audiences who don't have a background in economics. The book is conversational and never preachy, and Caplan takes on reasons detractors have fallen back on time and again to argue against open borders, showing, using hard numbers, why open borders may be the next best way for us to advance.
This should be used in high schools and colleges: there are lists of resources and further reading; copious notes and references, and the straight-talk explanations, with clear illustrations, will really assist students, especially those who may stumble with pages of numbers, charts, and data. Once presented in the frame of a story, with a real-life, current events situation to anchor it, the numbers take on a life and meaning.
Open Borders has a starred review from Booklist. Author Bryan Caplan's webpage is a treasure trove of articles and information, including cartoons and role-playing resources(!).
The book, masterfully illustrated by Zach Weinersmith, presents Caplan's argument using comprehensive research, communicated with a plain-English tone and artwork that's colorful, multicultural, and translatable to audiences who don't have a background in economics. The book is conversational and never preachy, and Caplan takes on reasons detractors have fallen back on time and again to argue against open borders, showing, using hard numbers, why open borders may be the next best way for us to advance.
This should be used in high schools and colleges: there are lists of resources and further reading; copious notes and references, and the straight-talk explanations, with clear illustrations, will really assist students, especially those who may stumble with pages of numbers, charts, and data. Once presented in the frame of a story, with a real-life, current events situation to anchor it, the numbers take on a life and meaning.
Open Borders has a starred review from Booklist. Author Bryan Caplan's webpage is a treasure trove of articles and information, including cartoons and role-playing resources(!).