Quote:
Originally Posted by HOZ
I added that because it shows how one community leader is so far outside the mainstream culture that he felt it was a-ok to say such garbage. The fact that this man recieved so little condemnation from his own community is one of the reasons FOR this march.
As for Multiculturalism...its' time had come and gone. It had noble ideals of bringing everyone closer while respecting our differences. Unfortunately that is not what it as done. It has created gated communities and government programs weighted in favour of ethnic minorities instead of being used for the greater good of all.
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Hence your admiration and picking up the language and values of Japan (where you currently reside, IIRC).
I resent slapping down multiculturalism on a number of levels - the biggest being the brain cramps and overt racism that underlies the thought "Immigrate and blend in you mother****ers". The people who say this will
always perceive difference in skin/religious colour, even if those who do are asked to integrate do exactly that. Besides, just who's ideal do you then squeeze into to become something you're not. I live here in Japan, speak, read and write the language, work in fairly senior position in a Japanese company here in Tokyo, and no matter how hard I try I will never be completely integrated into Japanese society. And that's fine for me - I never get to vote (Japan's a one-party state anyway), but that's a choice I made. To me, it's not about acting, looking or feeling a certain way, but it's about contributing something to society, or in a smaller sense, the company I work for. People I work for (in more senior positions) don't speak, read or write, but bring skills and perspective that contribute in a different, but no less important way to their communities, and our company. Friends of mine who teach at universities are prized for their differences and perspective. No diversity creates more misunderstanding in the long run. After all, if everyone we met shared exactly the same experiences, we'd never have a hope in hell of understanding anyone else in the world.
This is going to sound flaky - but multiculturalism is important to understand that there are differences between all people, and they should be respected, understood and tolerated insofar as they do what all good citizens do - obey the law and pay taxes (that's about it, really). If they can, they can do more. If not, what they do with the rest of their time is completely up to them.