Multiculturalism

[Zephyr]

I'm unaware of any. Could you name a few?

The spread of Sati, oppression of women, homophobia (and I mean REAL homophobia, where gays have to fear for their lives.), honor killings, sharia law, and female circumcision

Oh, I don't know, various agricultural pracrtices, different perspectives on philosophy, developments in medicine/science, and so on.

Could we potentially figure out some of these things on our own? Yeah, but why postpone realizing them over disdain or fears for other cultures? Also, some concepts, I don't think could be developed eventually later on by one culture, as different cultures have different perspectives--like Native Americans with spatial time and Europeans with linear time, as an example that came immediately to my mind. When cultures have vastly different perspectives on the world, I really think some developments can't be realized by another culture, though other cultures could benefit to know of them and widen their perspective.

You know, you can still learn of these from other people without having to take in their culture.

Yes, if one does business in another country, that will involve at least some individuals from a different culture to meet in other countries, practically speaking. Also, wouldn't it be better to actually have some understanding the people you are doing business with, rather than some stereotyped charactature?

When doing business, all you really need is one thing in common: a desire to make money.

I think ethnocentrism poses a far greater threat than multiculturalism. I present as Exhibit A: ethnic-cleansing.

So we should embrace multiculturalism out of fear of ethnocentrism? Besides, the causes of ethnic-cleansing can be said to have come from multiculturalism. People see others ruining their country with their backwards culture, and take up arms.

We should learn as many languages as we can and appreciate the literature and music and cuisine of other peoples, or at least other peoples who don't eat bugs, blood, and eyeballs. Biscuits and gravy are nice, but imagine if you never got to try fasolakia or sauerbraten or pierogi or pad thai. Tennessee whiskey is nice, but so are vodka and slivovitz and amaretto.

Multiculturalism has its limits, though.

Hey I like black pudding! I support yummy recipes and good books being exchanged, but that doesn't mean we need to take in other aspects of foreign cultures.

Multiculturalism poses problems like these, but looking at the alternative, I'd rather these, generally, intellectual problems to solve than mass graves and a shattered humanity...

Once again, so we should embrace multiculturalism out of fear of ethnocentrism?

 

[Smoke]

Then another problem results in, who determines what is best?

We have to make sure that we do.

What standard is our measure?

Secular humanism, reason, and civil liberties.

 

[Sunstone]

Yeah, I can see that. Also, with different cultures having more "dominance" (at least numbers-wise) in different regions, we should see different values and perspectives crop up that wouldn't have elsewhere, and see what the value is in it and if it's something we'd like to adopt as a whole.

The only thing I always keep in consideration, though, is that one culture is dominant over all others by possessing the positions of power, by owning and/or operating the media/distribution of information/ideas, and in those ways shapes and determines the wider-culture without the people really getting a say or shaping anything--but perhaps that is impossible to avoid (or, optimistically, easy to overcome if we just decide to fix it)...

The traditional media channels are closing down -- becoming less liberal as they become owned by fewer and fewer corporations. But the internet is on the rise as a relatively democratic channel for information. Someday, they'll close down the internet in the same sense they've been closing down the traditional media channels. Then we'll need to invent some other way for the common people to have a voice.

 

[standing_alone]

You know, you can still learn of these from other people without having to take in their culture.

Where do you get the idea you have to take in their culture/practice it as your own? I call for merely educating oneself and removing ignorance. My position also is that going into a situation with a mind biased against people from other cultures (or holding one's own culture as superior) makes any actual possibility for learning strained and unfruitful and maybe even impossible.

So we should embrace multiculturalism out of fear of ethnocentrism?

No. We should avoid ethnocentrism because we've seen ethnocentrism and what it leads to. We should embrace mutliculturalism because destroys what keeps ethnocentrism alive: ignorance and fear. Multiculturalism is not some sort of "cultural-relativity" where anything goes and every aspect of a culture must be tolerated or embraced or adopted as one's own. Multiculturalism simply calls for understanding cultures on their terms, seeing what can be of value in them, seeing what is probably better discarded, and giving them respect where respect is due (at least, that is how I see it).

Besides, the causes of ethnic-cleansing can be said to have come from multiculturalism.

No.

Ethnic-cleansing comes from reactionary ethnocentrists. Ethnic-cleansing is a response against multiculturalism, yes, but that doesn't make multiculturalism the culprit. It isn't the multiculturalists that encourage conflict and atrocity and if ethnocentrics would learn to look past their own noses, maybe they would see where their fears are unfounded and where they have justified concerns, address them reasonably. But ethnocentrists refuse to even attempt to understand other cultures, and being reactionary, probably are, in turn, incapable of being reasonable.

People see others ruining their country with their backwards culture, and take up arms.

^ It is this sort of attitude that is responsible for ethnic-cleansing and not those who practice a different and/or subordinate culture.

 

[standing_alone]

We have to make sure that we do.

But who is we?

Secular humanism, reason, and civil liberties.

You certainly know I can go along with that.

 

[Smoke]

But who is we?

People of any nationality who embrace a secular government with broad civil liberties for all citizens. People who are prepared to carry the Enlightenment to its logical conclusion.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Like physical evolution, social evolution does best when there is diversity.

 

[gnomon]

Diversity in culture is fine. Culture is such a broad word, however.

It's the rule of law that matters.

Would multiculturalism mean that one group could establish their own law in a certain region of the country that supported an institution like...slavery...and the rest of the country would have to respect that?

I don't think so.

I think the world would be far better off if everyone got over their own culture .

 

[methylatedghosts]

I am very much in favour of multiculturalism. Integration and co-living with people all over the world teaches you as much about them as it does about yourself.

 

[withoutfaith]

Personally, I don't think it really matters how anyone feels about it at this point. The world is getting smaller by the minute, and it's nearly impossible to avoid other cultures and beliefs. Underneath it all though we're all just people, and people suck. Generally speaking of course.

 

[methylatedghosts]

Underneath it all though we're all just people, and people suck.

ooh...

An unfortunate point of view...

Why do you say this?

 

[Sunstone]

People of any nationality who embrace a secular government with broad civil liberties for all citizens. People who are prepared to carry the Enlightenment to its logical conclusion.

Communist!

 

[Don Penguinoini]

We should accpet it. It's great. It brings all the qualities people together.