To believe that we can ‘embrace’ multiculturalism without any damage to our culture is like believing that you can pick up a turd from the clean end.*
If we are to have multiple cultures they have to be different from our culture. I suppose it’s possible that a culture exists that is superior to ours, but I haven’t discovered it yet. If another culture is superior to ours why would they want to move here? So, it is quite likely that any new culture that we might welcome to our country is inferior to our own. At least in our view — and our view is what counts.
The Church of Multiculturalism holds that embracing a different culture means that you don’t try to change them. You don’t try to assimilate them into our culture. If you do then you have to go looking for another culture to ‘embrace’. You must encourage them to stay the way they are which, remember, is inferior to our culture. If they don’t stay the way they are we can’t continue to enjoy their weirdness.
So, the pattern is clear. Welcome new backward cultures to our fair shores. Encourage them to congregate and establish their own communities in order to perpetuate their backwardness. Pretend that this is a good thing. Embrace them often — if you can find the clean end.
Seriously, I think that most of the people that come here legally are laughing up their sleeves at the multiculturalists. They come because they want a better life for themselves and their families. Sure, they might preserve some of their customs, but mostly they want to live differently than before.
*Adapted from I Can Plainly See.
October 18, 2006 – 11:21 am
The United Kingdom’s Telegraph has an interesting article: Multiculturalism hasn’t Worked: Let’s Rediscover Britishness. Looks like some of the Brits are starting to realize that ‘promoting multiculturalism’ is not such a great idea. They see that what you get is a fractured society and a lot of conflicting beliefs and practices. It’s time for us to rediscover Americaness. (via Hannah)
Update: A New York Times - Middle East article, Beyond Skimpy Skirts, A Rare Debate on Identity, describes the same kind of concerns, but this time from a Muslim country concerned about the invasion of Western culture. (via Ekawaaz)
Update: View from the Right has a post about the Brits uneasiness with Muslims: By Baby Steps, the Brits Seem to be Getting More Serious.
October 12, 2006 – 6:46 pm
By now just about everyone has heard the terms “celebrate diversity” and “promote multiculturalism.” I went to college too long ago to understand why we need or would want to do either.
There are several definitions of ‘celebrate’, including get drunk at a party and commemorate with ceremonies. But I suppose users of the term mean that we should extol or praise diversity. People have been different for as far back as we have knowledge that people existed. Trees are different too. Will we someday be called upon to celebrate that? I can understand the need to respect people that are different from us, but I don’t understand why we need to celebrate something that has been a part of nature for thousands of years.
In fact, it seems a little arrogant to me. Who is doing the celebrating? Do we have the consent of all ethnic or otherwise diverse groups to celebrate their diversity? I seriously doubt that the Amish people want to participate in the celebration.
I have similar reservations about promoting multiculturalism. In this usage, ‘promote’ means to help or encourage to exist or flourish. Now why in the world do we need to do that? I can understand the need to accept the fact that many cultures differ significantly from our own, and the need to treat them with the respect that they deserve. But there are plenty of different cultures in the world and in our country. I don’t see the need to create any more or help the existing ones to flourish. Again, this would seem a bit arrogant to me. If a culture can’t flourish on its own, then perhaps it’s time for it to disappear. Who are we to think that we can prop it up and help it survive? I believe that we should be promoting assimilation, not multiculturalism.
