The jobs that "they" do for us

On Sunday I was listening to the highly admired and very measured lawyer Carles Monguilod on El suplement, by Roger Escapa, on Catalunya Ràdio, regarding immigration. "When someone shows themselves to be against immigrants, I talk to them about everyday life," he argued. "Who will change your mother's diapers? Who will bring you food by bicycle on a rainy day?" he said, approximately. I understand his words and I understand the good they intend to promote. He is not the only one to have said them. I seem to recall that Isabel Díaz Ayuso wondered, regarding the same matter, "who would build our houses." Monguilod contrasted this, it must be said, with those who consider that immigrants "come to commit crimes."

However, I am not comfortable "accepting" immigrants because they clean up poop that I do not want to clean. This argument ("they do the jobs we do not want") does not help create an egalitarian society. To begin with, there are "locals" who also do these kinds of jobs. And I have been able to verify that they develop an enormous hatred towards these immigrants, because they serve as an ugly mirror to them. What more can we argue, then, if immigrants do the jobs we do not want? We are talking about a society with a sort of slaves, of beasts of burden. Like when there are those who tell you they cannot stand cats, but keep them at home "because they hunt rats."

I understand this reasoning, because it helps to meander through distrust, the mutual hatred derived from many differences, and prevention, but in the society where I would like to meander, cleaning behinds would be a very well-paid job and bringing food in the rain a job for when you are studying to be able to work (which is the most important part of your day) in something you like or something that has a good side or something that does not displease you too much.