The Barista Fallacy
Why you can’t create immigration policy based on your friendly Muslim neighbor
Social media is awash with Muslims in Western Europe doing and saying murderous, incendiary things. On the other hand, Mohammad, who makes me coffee every day, is a really friendly, good guy. How should I reconcile hordes of angry, threatening Muslims with my barista and other chill Muslims I know, especially as it relates to immigration policies?
Muslim jihadis—of which there are many—who live in the West, usually on public welfare, while screaming about death to the West and sawing the heads off of infidels, are obviously not representative of all Muslims. But what about my barista? Is he representative of all Muslims? And should the answer to this question influence my stance on immigration policy?
