Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees • Hacker News Board

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#141

Post by hourislate » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:02 PM UTC

jkestner wrote: post #114

hourislate wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you imagine if America spent 2 trillion (cost it spent trying to help Afghan people) on its homeless and poor. Could barely get them a fucking $1200 check after shutting down the economy for a year.

Wish it had even gone to the Afghan people: “Between 80 and 90 percent of outlays actually returned to the US economy.” Your tax dollars went to pay defense contractors, construction firms, anyone who pounced on an opportunity. https://whowhatwhy.org/politics/international/mission-accomp...

Well, since it was spent on bullets trying to protect them from the Taliban, it did.

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#142

Post by slumdev » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:31 PM UTC

jdavis703 wrote: post #60

slumdev wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It did until a few days ago.

At least legally, the US had no “rights” over Afghanistan. Afghanistan was not a colony, territory or state of the US. The government was “free” to kick out the US whenever they wanted.

I agree 100% in principle.

In practice, US foreign policy doesn't recognize international law and never really has.

The US could annex Afghanistan, and apart from the CCP doing a lot of complaining about it (primarily because they want access to Afghanistan's mineral wealth), nothing would happen.

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#143

Post by robgibbons » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:57 PM UTC

shadowgovt wrote: post #138

rmsaksida wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine that's what China is going to do. It's too good an opportunity to pass up.

I haven't seen China give any indication that it wants to touch the graveyard of empires for any reason.

There have been plenty of indications in the news, if you've been paying attention. It is in China's security interest that its neighbor does not fall into chaos. The CCP have already met with a delegation of Taliban leaders.

China will reportedly offer infrastructural investment in exchange for a modicum of peace. There are also many natural resources which China is eyeing.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232262.shtml

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#144

Post by Shindi » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 1:57 PM UTC

remarkEon wrote: post #72

This is one of those things where lots of people, though judging from the thread maybe not as many as I'd expected here, will applaud. A wealthy, successful, American company is "stepping up" in a humanitarian crisis caused by the United States' misguided (to put it mildly) aspirations for a country that ultimately had little interest in western-style governance. And so it goes, these Afghan refugees will enter into…

I'm from a poor country, currently live in the US and my parents have astonishingly "old-school" beliefs to put it lightly - similar to your interpreter. While it's frustrating to see people not take advantage of the freedoms Americans have, and to squander their new opportunity, reject American values, refuse to learn English and integrate, etc, we should absolutely let these people in because it's their children that will benefit from their new homes.

I saw where my parents come from vs the US, and with the fresh perspective of a child absolutely realized how lucky I am.

Now I'm a high achieving worker, donates heavily to charity (EA ftw), and mentors similar people.

I really hope people have patience for refugees like your interpreter because while it's understandable very frustrating watching their life happen, please think of their children who will undoubtably appreciate the US a ton more.

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#145

Post by plexman » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:33 PM UTC

sterlind wrote: post #108

mayneack wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the parent comment is describing the humanitarian crisis going this far back, but the US is at least partially responsible for the pre-9/11 Taliban going back to the support of the Afghan mujahideen in the Cold War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_mujahideen#Relationship... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taliban#Foreign_inf...

I tried to untangle all this stuff, but it looked really complicated. Apparently the US encouraged radical Islam as a way of opposing Soviet occupation - resisting state-sponsored atheism and culture and all. But there were a bunch of mujahideen groups, spanning multiple ethnic groups and ideologies. After the occupation ended, a bunch of the groups signed onto the Peshawar Accord to create a government, but a few of…

I wonder how long it will take for the Taliban to do something about the Uyghurs...

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#146

Post by atatatat » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 2:44 PM UTC

sterlind wrote: post #108

mayneack wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the parent comment is describing the humanitarian crisis going this far back, but the US is at least partially responsible for the pre-9/11 Taliban going back to the support of the Afghan mujahideen in the Cold War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_mujahideen#Relationship... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taliban#Foreign_inf...

I tried to untangle all this stuff, but it looked really complicated. Apparently the US encouraged radical Islam as a way of opposing Soviet occupation - resisting state-sponsored atheism and culture and all. But there were a bunch of mujahideen groups, spanning multiple ethnic groups and ideologies. After the occupation ended, a bunch of the groups signed onto the Peshawar Accord to create a government, but a few of…

> Apparently the US encouraged radical Islam as a way of opposing Soviet occupation

Whoops.

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#147

Post by alkonaut » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 3:15 PM UTC

tomaszs wrote: post #119

The proper title should be: "Airbnb will ask hosts to offer accomodation" It is great initiative but Airbnb does not own locations .

Why would you say that? If I bought 1000 hotel nights for refugee wouldn’t it be me offering them free accommodation despite the fact that I own zero hotels?

The AirBnB spokesperson says

> ... we will be paying for these stays ...

So I think it’s pretty clear

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#148

Post by alkonaut » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 3:16 PM UTC

nostromo wrote: post #116

TulliusCicero wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably Airbnb is paying for the stays. The hosts are doing a nice thing too I guess, but it's also not too different from regular business, since they're, y'know, getting paid.

I don’t know the details of this program - but in the past Airbnb has asked hosts to “donate” their space for special causes - like medical workers during early Covid. In that case it was definitely the hosts making donations, not Airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/d/covid19relief

They say (it’s right there in the article!) that they are paying for the stays.

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#149

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

TulliusCicero wrote: post #104

shimon_e wrote: post #99

Airbnb doesn't own the properties. They should be giving credit to the hosts.

Presumably Airbnb is paying for the stays. The hosts are doing a nice thing too I guess, but it's also not too different from regular business, since they're, y'know, getting paid.

[deleted]

Re: Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20k Afghan refugees

#150

Post by remarkEon » Wed, Aug 25, 2021, 6:02 PM UTC

Shindi wrote: post #144

remarkEon wrote: post #72

This is one of those things where lots of people, though judging from the thread maybe not as many as I'd expected here, will applaud. A wealthy, successful, American company is "stepping up" in a humanitarian crisis caused by the United States' misguided (to put it mildly) aspirations for a country that ultimately had little interest in western-style governance. And so it goes, these Afghan refugees will enter into…

I'm from a poor country, currently live in the US and my parents have astonishingly "old-school" beliefs to put it lightly - similar to your interpreter. While it's frustrating to see people not take advantage of the freedoms Americans have, and to squander their new opportunity, reject American values, refuse to learn English and integrate, etc, we should absolutely let these people in because it's their children th…

Frankly, my patience has run out. If spending a year with Americans, in a war, isn't enough to divest oneself of deeply held cultural beliefs like this then it's time to admit reality. He doesn't belong here.

>please think of their children who will undoubtably appreciate the US a ton more.

Why do you think this is assured? If he were to marry and have children here in the US it would be with someone who holds views culturally proximate to his. I think this event is unlikely, but it's not impossible. Is your claim that US cultural propaganda is so powerful that children will ignore their upbringing? It seems like you're saying the children will appreciate the US relative to the experience of their parents in their home country. But if they have no experience of that home country then what are they comparing it to?