Germany edition

Conservatives suggest intelligence tests for immigrants

Published: 28 Jun 10 08:40 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100628-28141.html

Conservatives said on Monday that humanitarian concerns should no longer be the only criteria in accepting immigrants into Germany and suggested they also be required to take an intelligence test.

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Peter Trapp, domestic policy spokesperson for the Berlin chapter of the Christian Democrats, told daily Bild that the country needs new immigration rules.

“We must define immigration criteria that really serve our country,” he said. “Besides a good education and professional qualifications, the benchmark must also be intelligence. I am for intelligence tests for immigrants.”

The idea should no longer be taboo, he added.

Markus Ferber, a member of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party the CSU and a member of the European parliament, echoed Trapp’s concerns, and pointed to alleged Canadian immigration policies as an example.

“We need a unified policy in Europe,” he told Bild. “Canada is much further ahead with this and requires immigrant children to have a higher IQ than native-born children. Humane reasons such as reuniting families cannot be the only immigration criteria in the long term.”

The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

09:15 June 28, 2010 by Prufrock2010

I favor intelligence tests for politicians. That would reduce their numbers dramatically.

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09:43 June 28, 2010 by whatzup

How about an intelligence test for posters to the comments area of the thelocal? I can tell how intelligent a poster is by whether or not he or she agrees with me.

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09:52 June 28, 2010 by auniquecorn

I agree with both these comments.

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11:12 June 28, 2010 by steamy pony

lilplatinum - that'll be faulty claims/lack of fact checking by Feber, who makes the assertion about Canada's policy, not The Local.

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11:15 June 28, 2010 by saar

Some of the local posters won't pass this test.

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11:36 June 28, 2010 by Joshontour

Feber was talking about Canada's point system which does require independent immigrants to be more qualified than other immigrants ( refugees, families,...) this is just slanted reporting. That being said, I agree with Prufrock.

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11:43 June 28, 2010 by Clapoti

That guy should check his facts... no such thing exists in Canada.

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12:50 June 28, 2010 by snorge

So when do they start measuring noses and forheads for ethenticity authentication?

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12:58 June 28, 2010 by trevzns

Another example of the modern European cultures addition to a God complex.

History has recorded the level of intelligence the Romans discovered in Britannia and among the various Germanic tribes of Europe. The IQ test or intelligence Scale is a modern European invention.

Was there such Immigrants IQ test when the Immigrant invaders introduced the Alphabet, agriculture, Urbanization, Industry and architecture still apparent today?

The good news for humanity is a God Complex is a mental health disorder and treatable. Mr. Markus Ferber, members of the CDU, CSU and others that share this ideology have to first recognize their illness and seek treatment.

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#10

14:03 June 28, 2010 by JohnnesKönig

Seems obvious that the posters here are auslanders... I agree that will always be an abundance of ignorant politicians. But there needs to be some immigration reform.

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#11

14:24 June 28, 2010 by marimay

Are they sure they want to do this? They might be disappointed in how smart they really are compared to their own, lol.

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#12

15:10 June 28, 2010 by trevzns

@ JonnesKönig, @ swimmer,

When has there ever been a period when there were no Auslanders in Germany or Europe?

Be careful what you desire, resent history in Germany had shown what happens when ignorance and xenophobia has popular support and state policy.

P.S.

@ swimmer,

I agree, South American hottie?'s are Hot! :-)

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#13

16:45 June 28, 2010 by HollyMacarony

Are this news from 1930s ???

Germany didn't learn a lot from its past it seems... this is unbelievable

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#14

18:19 June 28, 2010 by NYsteve

History test for citizenship.....Yes

Culture/Local Customs test......maybe....might be helpful

Intelligence test...NO F*^@'ing way.......

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#15

20:16 June 28, 2010 by oink

another populist move ...

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#16

01:19 June 29, 2010 by Hechicera

So, if I'm smart I should emigrate to Germany before this test?

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#17

02:43 June 29, 2010 by FayeFaye

Canada has a IQ requirement for immigrants?? 0_o What the f*ck Canada, you were supposed to be the friendly country that everyone likes.

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#18

03:32 June 29, 2010 by interested

Well I guess the introduction of the IQ Tests is ok. As usual politicians can't see beyond their nose. If there is an influx of the super intelligent people into the country I guess it then makes it harder for the locals to compete with them. Hasnt life taught anyone anything???? the key is a balanced policy...not greed for wealth and power!

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#19

07:21 June 29, 2010 by trevzns

@ Lakey, @ Nathaniel, @cinzia, Just a brief reply,

The US has No such policy.

Eligibility Requirements for U.S. Citizenship.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=86bd6811264a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=86bd6811264a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

The U.S., Germany and Britain have their organized groups, citizens and politicians that attempt to use immigration policy as a distraction to promote their own selfish advantage and well-being without regard for others.

Ignorance leads to the fear of losing identity and secure a presumed purity, all are forms of xenophobia.

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#20

08:13 June 29, 2010 by JAMessersmith

I'd call this a compromise. Usually conservatives demand that there be no immigrants at all...

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#21

16:19 June 29, 2010 by HollyMacarony

How about we implement ''BLONDNESS TEST''.

Our beloved Deutschland is becoming very Brown lately... we cant have this!!!

Only people with BLUE HAIR AND BLUE EYES are welcomed in my beloved Deutschland.

We need Eugenics back!!!

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#22

17:47 June 29, 2010 by Der Grenadier aus Aachen

Whether or not an intelligence test is a good way to go about it is for smarter people than I to decide. However, I do think a nation has every right, and should, prefer emigration of intelligent people over morons. That's plain common sense.

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#23

19:45 June 29, 2010 by Prufrock2010

I think the emigration of morons is a splendid idea. It's the immigration of morons that's at issue here.

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#24

00:57 June 30, 2010 by Prufrock2010

The Arizona law to which you refer is patently unconstitutional and will, I predict, be enjoined before it ever goes into effect.

That said, your analogy is cogent and on target. The xenophobia sweeping the western world is truly alarming and toxic.

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#25

09:29 June 30, 2010 by whatzup

The Arizona law has not yet been tested constitutionally. Yes, some legal residents may be checked but its a price that has to be paid in my opinion to regain control of the horrific situation in the state now that the federal government refuses to act. The analogy of Americans in Germany breaks down when you consider that a lot of Americans died saving Germany from itself very recently. How many recent immigrants would volunteer to die for Germany do you think? Islam is another question of course which is part of the reason why the current state of affairs is dangerous.

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#26

09:38 June 30, 2010 by Talonx

Brief History of IQ testing*:

-Frenchman, Alfred Binet, establishes test to find and help children of 'estimated, lower mental age'. He did not think 'intelligence' was one construct or number.

-American, Goddard, makes up category of intellect, 'feeble minded' and 'moron'. Motivated by eugenical fervor he advocates that test results inform U.S. immigration policy. He would eventually recant, from his eugenical claims

-American, Terman, popularizes IQ testing and proposes, in a circular fashion, that people have the job they should have given the intelligence that they do have. He later recants.

-American, Yerkes and his crew, exact the army mental test. They conclude, based on the shoddiest of methods and a priori conclusions that blacks and foreigners have low intelligence. Shoddy methods include, using a non-literate version of the test that asked you to write letters sorting groups to take a particular kind of test based on what they thought was true already. Immigration policy is tweaked in the U.S. to keep out southern and eastern Europeans, Jews, and non-whites; due to findings from this study.

*my summary is of history and analysis documented be Stephan J. Gould. in his book "The Mismeasure of Man".

Conclusion,

IQ testing has its benefits, especially when utilized to find children that need special help (which is its only use currently in Germany and the U.S:), but it is generally not usuable as a test across cultures, it is not a test for high intelligence, it measures environment more than anything, and it is easily reified to the benefit of crypto-fascists like Markus Ferber.

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#27

11:40 June 30, 2010 by Tuti

What I find funny about all this is that Germans want all foreigners should adopt 100% to German work culture and German language. So far so good but as soon it come to Germans working in a foerign country like India it is just opposit. They want to capture Indian market with their German work culture and no knowlwdge about Indian local regional languages and no idea about Indian work culture. Indians still offer Germans very good top jobs to Germans like Taj hotel manager a German lady, Tata motors ceo a German and many others but if an Indian might become ceo of Deutsche Bank then it would be the first non EU/non Swiss/non US) manager in conservative German industry/society. I cannot imagine if German industry would ever give chance to a foreign lady a chance in top management as Indians did ( Taj hotel) or USA Pepsi hired an Indian lady.

Globalization and German industry/society are two opposit things if you see the real thinking of a society. At least Peter Löscher is the only manager of a German company who understands real globalization is trying to get Asians for Asian market and so on.

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#28

12:50 June 30, 2010 by Prufrock2010

whatzup --

Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the constitutionality of the Arizona law. It is not only invidiously discriminatory because it is based on ethnic and racial profiling, it also facially unconstitutional because the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution invests the federal government with exclusive jurisdiction over immigration issues. It is also impermissably overly broad and vague, because it provides citizens with a private right of action against local law enforcement if the citizen "believes" that local law enforcement is not enforcing the law adequately. For these reasons it should be enjoined.

Beyond that, its blatant racist underpinnings are abominable. Of course it was drafted by a white supremacist, so its racist underpinnings should come as no surprise.

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#29

14:11 June 30, 2010 by claudegaveau

What about intelligence tests for those who make the intelligence tests? There are differing forms of intelligence, so who is to decide what form of intelligence is what Germany needs and what it doesn't need?

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#30

16:55 June 30, 2010 by whatzup

Well lets hope the AZ law holds up under the assault from the pc crowd. Then folks down there can look for a bit more protection from illegals and the attendant violence no matter what ethnicity the aliens are, hispanic included.

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#31

17:27 June 30, 2010 by Prufrock2010

You'll notice that the American right-wing teabaggers who are always ranting about defending the US Constitution only believe in the Second Amendment -- their unabridged (in their minds) right to bear arms without restriction. Anybody who has actually read the US Constitution and supports it in its entirety is part of the "pc crowd." That's why it's impossible to have a rational dialogue with these people.

This kind of blind stupidity is also what is driving the right-wing racism and xenophobia in Europe -- not just in Germany -- and is behind the asinine comments of the politicians quoted in this article.

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#32

17:54 June 30, 2010 by whatzup

If it is xenophobia thats causing the drug and illegal alien related violence in AZ then that would be news to a lot of residents on the border. I love it when some left winger cries discrimination when citizens down there try to protect themselves but you don't hear much from the pc folks about the right of citizens to a life guaranteed under the rule of law. There's a war going on down at the border and the left is pushing to make sure that border remains as porous as possible no matter what the danger. If they don't wake up very soon this issue will do as much to hurt the Dems reelection chances as much as the oil, banking and health care disasters.

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#33

19:08 June 30, 2010 by Prufrock2010

Don't confuse me with a left winger, bubba. It's the right-leaning growers, farmers and sweatshop owners who have opposed, and continue to oppose, any meaningful immigration reform in the US because they rely on a steady supply of undocumented workers to do the backbreaking work under virtual slave labor conditions in order to increase their profits. This has been going on the the American southwest since at least the 1920s. The current drug war on the American-Mexican border is a sidebar to the real issue. The drug traffickers are not seeking work in the US. Repeal the senseless drug laws and the problem goes away.

You still have not addressed the constitutional issues I raised, which I invite you in a civil way to attempt.

By the way, the oil, banking and health care disasters were all created by the Bushies. Such a short memory span some of you have.

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#34

14:02 July 1, 2010 by whatzup

Constitutionally speaking Prufrock2010 I'd rather be alive in AZ and have some relatively minor issues about hurt feelings over ID checks. If the constitution is not interpreted as to allow for a state's paramount duty to protect its citizens then then it becomes irrelevant. I agree that the problem is the lack of tough and enforced sanctions on employers of illegals. Put those in place and most of the people that shouldn't be in the US would go home. Additionally what America needs now is a time out on almost all immigration.

Germany might do well to examine that concept too before its culture and way of life completely submerge in the human onslaught from the 3rd and 5th worlds. No matter how tightly it controls the height of mosques or how painfully it seeks to support the dying state religions Germany, with its adoption of democracy and its authority as an anchor of western civilization, will slowly and inevitably drown beneath the rising sea of cheap labor.

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