Does diversity have a future any longer?
The standard of multiculturalism has long been accepted as the preferred avenue for the world's future. After all, the Earth is covered with multitudes of different customs and races, religions and philosophies. The idea of purity which motivated entire political regimes through time is now seen as backwards, and the fascism of the Nazi Party fled into cellars and KKK newsletters. While ethnic cleansing is a reality for many parts of the world including Africa, the Balkans, and the
The War on Terror has given new fuel to those who question the Age of Tolerance, however. A new wave of anti-immigration ideology took hold in the United States, and fueled a foreign policy born from hard-line xenophobia.
After all, how does one tolerate jihadists whose all-consuming purpose is to destroy everyone who is not them?
Others staunchly defend the precept of tolerance. We must try to tolerate everyone and remain nonjudgmental, these advocates say.
As usual, these extreme polarities are the lingua franca of today’s media, dominating political sites, channels, and commentaries. Two fictional camps are posited and attract very real supporters:
The Far Right wishes to root out and destroy anything that’s different, fueling this intolerant society with militant nationalism and jingoistic conformity.
The Far Left wishes to tolerate everything, and claims we have no right to judge other cultures. A great example of this is Della Sentilles, the co-author of a feminist blog at Yale, who insisted, after former Taliban deputy foreign secretary Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi was inducted into Yale as a student, that, “As a white American feminist, I do not feel comfortable making statements or judgments about other cultures, especially statements that suggest one culture is more sexist and repressive than another.” (Ms. Sentilles should try living in
The correct stance is one of moderation. And aside from a small percentage afflicted with the fanatic’s pathology, most people agree with the moderate stance.
Consider the Dutch, who famously embrace other cultures, but have finally been forced into a hostile defense against radical Islamists. Their parliament recently legislated a countrywide ban on wearing the burqa in public. Says Jan Wolter Wabeke, High Court Judge in
“We require that [Muslim men] send their daughters to school, and we demand they stop bringing in young brides from the desert and locking them up in third-floor apartments.”
This clash of civilizations in
The truth is that multiculturalism isn’t an absolute. If someone’s trying to kill you, you have an obligation to survive. If someone’s culture teaches them to incinerate your neighbors, then you have an obligation to not tolerate them.
I’ve pointed out before that this clash of civilizations isn’t between Islam and the West. Not really, and not in the final iteration. It’s about the fundamentalist and the progressive. Certainly, there are Jewish, Christian, and even Hindu leaders who subscribe to fundamentalist mindsets. It is this mindset which must not be tolerated. Freedom and fundamentalism are not equal; the latter is opposed to the former. If we value the former, we must deal with the latter.
Multiculturalism and pluralism are and have long been the lifeblood of America; that they will be the standard of tomorrow is an inevitability. But if radical perspectives don’t like freedom of speech, then they must change. They must accept it. In the end, they won’t be given a choice.
Multiculturalism is not unique in history; the cross-pollination of progressive cultures has given history its grandest Golden Ages. The intercourse of
Multiculturalism does indeed have a present and future, if implemented in accord with sound humanistic principles. But the jihadist and fundamentalist does not fall underneath that banner. It falls, and should ultimately be crushed, beneath the wheels of progressive civilization.
For more articles by Brian Trent, you can check out http://www.populistamerica.com/brian_trent. For
Comments
Multi-culturism is live and will increasingly become a greater part of the norm.
No doubt, the extreme left and the right do cause changes in the society, in fact they are the ones that clash in preserving the status que and or stretching out. While the majority, which is more than 95% of the society, simply become spectators and follow the winner of the duel.
Since WWII, America has led the world in every expression of culture, be it the movies, every film made in any part of the world is either one year or at most 50 years behind in what Hollywood does.
The hair styles, the singing dancing musicals, the romance, living single, living together, divorce, single moms, dads, gay and lesbian, Jeans, hamburger, coke, Pepsi, disco, rock-n-roll, the music, business, customer service.
Whatever America does, the world follows; they are all on the same trajectory that stems from freedom and independence.
Multiculturism is alive and will remain a part of life
Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net
Brian – I know in you’re article you are trying to be fair about multiculturalism, but your poisoned tentacle of hate is visible by attacking the Muslims as troublemakers. Remember that most evils in the world are done by countries with predominantly Christian religion. Remember recent Balkan wars, Ward War I and II, Holocaust, the 1st nuclear bomb in Hiroshima, Savage exploitations of Africa, India, Middle East, Australia and America where the civilized Christians used the most vicious policy towards the natives in the 18 and 19th century to subjugate them – and thanks to all that killing, stealing, and viciousness they did, the most of the Western Europe (England, Holland, France to name few) are still filthy rich - even now.
p.s.: How come nobody talks about Albania as the only predominantly Muslim country in Europe, with its Christian elected president, with its international airport named after Catholic nun - Mother Teresa, and Christmas, yes Christmas, declared as a national holiday! And everybody is off on that day. – Imagine that - in a country where 70% of its people are Muslim. Now that is what I call multiculturalism.
Brian – I know in you’re article you are trying to be fair about multiculturalism, but your poisoned tentacle of hate is visible by attacking the Muslims as troublemakers. Remember that most evils in the world are done by countries with predominantly Christian religion. Remember recent Balkan wars, Ward War I and II, Holocaust, the 1st nuclear bomb in Hiroshima, Savage exploitations of Africa, India, Middle East, Australia and America where the civilized Christians used the most vicious policy towards the natives in the 18 and 19th century to subjugate them – and thanks to all that killing, stealing, and viciousness they did, the most of the Western Europe (England, Holland, France to name few) are still filthy rich - even now.
p.s.: How come nobody talks about Albania as the only predominantly Muslim country in Europe, with its Christian elected president, with its international airport named after Catholic nun - Mother Teresa, and Christmas, yes Christmas, declared as a national holiday! And everybody is off on that day. – Imagine that - in a country where 70% of its people are Muslim. Now that is what I call multiculturalism.
Enver, dude, Trent was attacking fundamentalists of Islam and Christianity. He's saying that if any fundamentalist of any religion or party is opposed to free speech or civil rights then they are the ones with the problem, and we shouldn't let either one rule us. What is so wrong with that?
You're the extremist you accuse others of being. The far right does not want to destroy everything different than themselves.
Bankrupt hospitals and overburdened social programs equates to xenophobia to you. Pathetic. You're as liberal as they come. You have no self-preservation, a sure sign of it.
pub,
Everyone is a liberal to a neocon.
Comments deleted per policy violation.
That anyone can read this column and think that it is supporting either extreme liberalism or extreme conservatism is just more proof what a sad state this culture is in.
From the article: "As usual, these extreme polarities are the lingua franca of today’s media, dominating political sites, channels, and commentaries. Two fictional camps are posited and attract very real supporters."
No kidding! Doesn't it raise an eyebrow that an article on moderation and balance gets attacked as being too liberal for some, and too conservative for others? Welcome to the Divided States of America!
Multiculturalism has failed in every society it has ever infested. If you don't believe it, read the history people. Actually multiculturalism destroys diversity. Think about it, if everyone becomes mixed where is the diversity of seperate races and cultures. Take a look at Brazil which is probably the poster child for multiculturalism. Brazil is infested with third world poverty, astronomical murder rates and other violent crimes, filthy squalid living conditions etc. Now compare Brazil with a homogeneous country like Japan. Look at the crime-living conditions-standards of living-wealth etc., there is no comparison at all. Multiculturalism also goes against our basic nature despite what some hypocritical limo-liberal tells you from his gated community confines. Don't believe me, then go into any school cafeteria and observe how whites sit with other whites, blacks sit with other blacks etc.. It is healthier and more natural for races to associate with their own kind. Multiculturalism is another liberal hoax.
Dirty Harry,
Your comments indicate a real lack of experience. I have been in many schools, and have seen numerous races sit quite comfortably together. You should avoid absolute statements like "go into any school cafeteria and observe how whites sit with other whites, blacks sit with other blacks etc." Where are you observing this? Give me a name and location, please. Better yet, have you observed this at all... or is it a convenient anecdote?
Besides, multiculturalism has indeed existed in earlier societies. Rome had a diverse population, as did Alexander's empire. So did the Ptolemies, and Alexandria was a powerhouse of multiculturalism. They were quite successful.
I'm happy to discuss it, but please don't be a troll. Let's keep it civil and avoid the same partisan blathering (i.e. "liberal hoax" references made without documentation) that is so common elsewhere.
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