Benefits of Multiculturalism
Discussion
SpeedMattersNot said:
as that the OP's question, though?
I don't know if he identified whether he meant a benefit to the country, or to himself.
I can't speak for the country and to be honest, I don't think anyone could. But personally, some of my best friends, work colleagues, fellow students and neighbours have been from different cultures and the fact they're given equal importance is very important and something as a Brit, I feel very proud of. Whether it be my friend who is Muslim, our Greek neighbours, Hungarian work mates, University peers from Mexico and Dubai...I feel my life has been enriched by knowing them.
I also remember at school we used to celebrate Diwali and Ramadam and they also do this at the school I teach at. This is a great way of expanding your mindset without actually having to travel to different continents.
As long as other cultures are considered equally as important, without being at the expense of our own culture, I genuinely can't see any problems with it.
Also, petrol stations being open at Christmas is awesome.
I'd be interested to know more about the area in which you live. When I think of Bedfordshire and immigration my first thoughts are the Muslim issues in Luton. I'm assuming you don't live in Luton, or that what I've read about the issues there are complete lies.I don't know if he identified whether he meant a benefit to the country, or to himself.
I can't speak for the country and to be honest, I don't think anyone could. But personally, some of my best friends, work colleagues, fellow students and neighbours have been from different cultures and the fact they're given equal importance is very important and something as a Brit, I feel very proud of. Whether it be my friend who is Muslim, our Greek neighbours, Hungarian work mates, University peers from Mexico and Dubai...I feel my life has been enriched by knowing them.
I also remember at school we used to celebrate Diwali and Ramadam and they also do this at the school I teach at. This is a great way of expanding your mindset without actually having to travel to different continents.
As long as other cultures are considered equally as important, without being at the expense of our own culture, I genuinely can't see any problems with it.
Also, petrol stations being open at Christmas is awesome.
The points you've made are great. It would be so much better if everyone's interaction with immigrants was similar. Sadly, I think your story is probably a minority view.
Benefits? The MILFs at school pick up time for one, especially the Eastern European Mums, they make the home grown ones look like wobbly sacks of potatoes. I don't know if Poland just decided only to export 6ft slim blondes or whether that's just what they produce as a standard model over there, but I've yet to see a short fat one. At any rate they're more than welcome here, and frankly I'm rather jealous of the young lads growing up today who will get to date their daughters.
woowahwoo said:
SpeedMattersNot said:
As long as other cultures are considered equally as important, without being at the expense of our own culture, I genuinely can't see any problems with it.
Why should other cultures be seen as 'equally as important' or equal full-stop? That is just the dogma that surrounds the topic. It's rubbish. Cultures need to be criticised using the values we want to uphold, wherever they originate from.Why shouldn't we treat other equally?
wiggy001 said:
I'd be interested to know more about the area in which you live. When I think of Bedfordshire and immigration my first thoughts are the Muslim issues in Luton. I'm assuming you don't live in Luton, or that what I've read about the issues there are complete lies.
The points you've made are great. It would be so much better if everyone's interaction with immigrants was similar. Sadly, I think your story is probably a minority view.
I live a 10 minute drive from Luton and it's an awful area. At one of the secondary schools (the good one!) they have two police officers on site...and that's not because of immigrants. It has a large Muslim community and those that haven't managed to integrate are a problem...as the only "Brits" they typically encounter are also from Luton, who are to put it politely, mostly feral. Those Muslims such as taxi drivers, shop owners and younger ones who went to a mixed school are just normal people. The points you've made are great. It would be so much better if everyone's interaction with immigrants was similar. Sadly, I think your story is probably a minority view.
The sad moment was, when sat in on a PSR lesson at school, the kids carried out a small questionnaire on immigration. One question was "Should we allow immigrants into the country" and out of the 17 in the class, 11 answered no! When further asked why, the general theme was because of ISIS/ISIL/IS etc. To me this was incredibly upsetting, that at the ages of 13-14, teenagers thought immigrants could only come from Syria and surrounding areas. These are views that should've been flushed down the toilet before they get to this age, but no doubt these are views held by their moronic parents, too. One lad, genuinely couldn't understand that the Polish kid in the class was an immigrant...
I enjoy talking to people from different cultures, often more so than those from my own. The car cleaners at my old garage were nearly always from Africa. One of them explained how the tribes work over there and why Isaka, another cleaner had scars under both eyes. I also enjoy talking to taxi drivers, the last one to drop me off when out in Bicester was from Albania and we had a good chat. He seemed quite surprised I was interested in his story...says a lot about how they perceive most British people.
It's not all joy, after 9/11 the Turkish Muslim kid in our Year 12 class made an announcement before the 2 minutes silence. "I'll pay my respect to the innocent people who died, if you all pay your respect to the hijackers for their bravery.". It still sends shivers down my spine thinking about it today.
But on the whole it is a benefit to my life and I appreciate the friends and family I've got from different cultures...even the Irish ones
SpeedMattersNot said:
live a 10 minute drive from Luton and it's an awful area. At one of the secondary schools (the good one!) they have two police officers on site...and that's not because of immigrants. It has a large Muslim community and those that haven't managed to integrate are a problem...as the only "Brits" they typically encounter are also from Luton, who are to put it politely, mostly feral. Those Muslims such as taxi drivers, shop owners and younger ones who went to a mixed school are just normal people.
It's interesting you mention Luton. I was watching the One Show last week where Nadiya, the winner of The great British Bake Off, revisited her old school. Every single girl in the class (and I mean every single girl) was wearing a hijab.It reminded me that multiculturalism isn't simply about having a diverse population, it's about having an integrated , diverse, population. When you end up with pockets of cultures within a country (regardless of any historic reason) then that's failure and I cannot see any benefit.
woowahwoo said:
Countdown said:
Rich (or even middle class) people don't commit as many crimes mainly because the risks don't justify the rewards. Being locked up means you lose your job, then your house (if you have a mortgage), then possibly your wife and kids.
The biggest factors in avoiding a life of crime are Education ---> Job ---> House ---> partner..
Do you have a source?The biggest factors in avoiding a life of crime are Education ---> Job ---> House ---> partner..
Lots of things that I won't bore you with (unless you want me to) but one of the things that I was told about repeat offenders by a Chief Probation officer - the reason they keep offending is that they don't have a stake in society. i.e. they have nothing to lose and quite often prison is better for them that what they have on the outside. For most of us we have family/jobs/housing that we have worked hard for which would be significantly impacted if we went into prison. Thats why most of us don't "go postal" when somebody cuts us up on the road or spills our pint in the pub. Because the risks of having even a criminal record, let alone having to serve prison time, outweigh any rewards.
So, to stop people drifting into the cyle of "offend-locked up - released - reoffend" you need to give them the tools to GET a stake in society. In order to get a partner they need to get a job. In order to get a job they need education/skills. In order to get education/skills most of us have parents that kicked our backsides if we didnt go to school and try our hardest. That is where intervention needs to take place to try and stop people offending.
Going back to the original point - the factors that cause offending aren't related to colour. They're more a factor of your upbringing, your education, your socio economic background.
Countdown said:
So, to stop people drifting into the cyle of "offend-locked up - released - reoffend" you need to give them the tools to GET a stake in society.
Getting a stake sounds very similar to being integrated. Clearly, the act of an immigrant becoming integrated is a rather complex, two-way street, which requires both the desire to integrate and the desire of the indigenous population to assimilate the immigrant.
Sam All said:
Ben Carson did say that it's OK if people in the UK like it. And it seems we do for it is catching.
Who cares what Ben Carson says?Other things Ben Carson has said include his claim that the pyramids, rather than being mausoleums for the pharaohs, were constructed as grain stores by Joseph and that he doesn't believe in evolution.
Carson may be a skilled surgeon but that doesn't mean we have to listen to his views on anything else.
Benefits of Multiculturalism.
My friends at school were Indian, Chinese, Jamaican, Irish and only a couple of White English. My mum used to call us the united colours of benetton. I used to regularly go round my Indian friends house for dinner, great stuff!
The problems at my school primarily focussed around the Muslim kids, they bullied and intimidated others regularly, including myself. They were never British, even though born here they were Pakistani, and they made a point of letting you know it.
If you have not grown up in an inner city area and mixed in close circles with other cultures, how can you honestly comment?
Positive cultures are great, medieval cults are not.
My friends at school were Indian, Chinese, Jamaican, Irish and only a couple of White English. My mum used to call us the united colours of benetton. I used to regularly go round my Indian friends house for dinner, great stuff!
The problems at my school primarily focussed around the Muslim kids, they bullied and intimidated others regularly, including myself. They were never British, even though born here they were Pakistani, and they made a point of letting you know it.
If you have not grown up in an inner city area and mixed in close circles with other cultures, how can you honestly comment?
Positive cultures are great, medieval cults are not.
jcremonini said:
It's interesting you mention Luton. I was watching the One Show last week where Nadiya, the winner of The great British Bake Off, revisited her old school. Every single girl in the class (and I mean every single girl) was wearing a hijab.
It reminded me that multiculturalism isn't simply about having a diverse population, it's about having an integrated , diverse, population. When you end up with pockets of cultures within a country (regardless of any historic reason) then that's failure and I cannot see any benefit.
The whole point of 'multiculturalism' is that it removed any suggestion that integration was a positive force and with it any need to assist people to integrate. As such I find it difficult to identify any benefits at all.It reminded me that multiculturalism isn't simply about having a diverse population, it's about having an integrated , diverse, population. When you end up with pockets of cultures within a country (regardless of any historic reason) then that's failure and I cannot see any benefit.
Out of curiosity, the people who see no benefits at all, do they not know anyone that isn't as Britain First call em, native British?
This has to be the thread on PH that upsets me the most. My family tried extremely hard to integrate when they came over from st Lucia. My father told me he was safer in numbers in his teens, which meant growing up and doing everything with his brothers. That didn't stop them getting into scrapes with people who didn't like them, including an uncle getting stabbed, my dad losing his front tooth, and untold run-ins in between. This is an example of why "they" might stick to their own.
I feel the people who don't see benefits or don't know many, or anyone of other race, colour, creeds etc, probably don't want to see benefits in the first place. That may be down to where you grew up, or what generation you're from I suppose. Integration can only happen when both sides let it happen. Lumping blacks and Irish on the same level as dogs can't have helped in the first instance.
This has to be the thread on PH that upsets me the most. My family tried extremely hard to integrate when they came over from st Lucia. My father told me he was safer in numbers in his teens, which meant growing up and doing everything with his brothers. That didn't stop them getting into scrapes with people who didn't like them, including an uncle getting stabbed, my dad losing his front tooth, and untold run-ins in between. This is an example of why "they" might stick to their own.
I feel the people who don't see benefits or don't know many, or anyone of other race, colour, creeds etc, probably don't want to see benefits in the first place. That may be down to where you grew up, or what generation you're from I suppose. Integration can only happen when both sides let it happen. Lumping blacks and Irish on the same level as dogs can't have helped in the first instance.
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