Multiculturalism

What went wrong? When Trudeau first introduced this concept to us, I though how great–finally a way to diminish  racial, ethnic tensions. Finally we could get to know each other, get to trade our pasts, our values. Discuss these. Peace in our time.
I have for a long time contended that cultures are the cause of most of the trouble between groups. How nice, then, to discard those subcultures and accept the     Human culture, one based on known Human characteristics. I mean a culture  whose principles are     common to all and unique to none–a truly Human     culture.–(I know of no nation that does not proscribe     murder).

So Multiculturalism looked petty good, we could all get together and work for the common good. But we did not get altogether, groups remain aloof from other groups, clinging to old values no longer necessary in a Multiculturalists’ society. And now in Europe, in particular, we see this theory being effectively used to actually create hostility between groups.

What went wrong?

While there are many things to blame,  religion, in my opinion, proved to be the most effective blockage to the system. It turned out that people still wanted to keep their (to them) basic Right to be Offended as a defence when others criticized their basic beliefs, their most deeply held truths. They feel about this so strongly that they will not even enter into exploratory discussions if their  core affirmations are to be opened up and examined.  Indeed, some seem to have had these ‘truths’ so deeply embedded in their minds that they can become actually enraged when someone even jokes about  whatever premise they appear to hold more dear than their own children. Look at those Dutch Cartoons–just cartoons, yet look at the trouble  they caused.
Surely we must  eventually come to realize that we must retain the right to criticize anyone’s point of view, no matter how sacred it is viewed to be by its holder, no matter how strongly held that belief. Freedom of  speech has to be, in my opinion, the first  and most important right we have and we should insist that our laws so state it.
Cheer
Andy Mulcahy