What makes arguments like Trump and Vance’s seem plausible is a widespread failure to think in terms of systems. In reality, immigrants are not just consumers of housing; they’re also consumers of various other products, stimulating demand for more jobs for all Americans. And, of course, immigrants are not only consumers but also producers who help build housing and contribute to technological innovation.1
This quote made me think about the need for more visual and case-study specific illustrations of systems from a zoomed-out perspective, so U.S. voters (in my particular context) can see all the interconnected pieces of policy, and how they affect one another.
Some current “hot” issues this would be helpful for:
- immigration
- housing
- abortion laws—how hard they are to separate from general natal care and how big of an issue that is becoming for pregnancies.
Resources
https://inkythinking.com/illustrating-interconnected-complex-eco-systems/
Footnotes
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Demsas, Jerusalem. “Blue States Gave Trump and Vance an Opening.” The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2024, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-vance-malthusian-housing-views/680384/. ↩