Cultures aren't equal

[Bonnie]

Michael Barone

August 8, 2005

Anyone who has been keeping up with British opinion since the July 7 bombings will have noticed that "multiculturalism" is under sharp attack.

Multiculturalism preaches that we should allow and encourage immigrants and their children to maintain and celebrate their own culture apart from the national culture. Society should be not a melting pot but, in the phrase of former New York Mayor David Dinkins, "a gorgeous mosaic." That mosaic, of course, looks less gorgeous as people surveyed the work of the British-born-and-raised bombers.

In the past, Tony Blair has spoken favorably about multiculturalism. But on July 7, he struck a different note. "It is important, however, that the terrorists realize our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause the death and destruction of innocent people and impose their extremism on the world."

Sadly, the muticulturalist policies of Blair's Labor government and its Conservative predecessors gave refuge to preachers of Islamist hate in what some have called "Londonistan."

Even before the bombings that prompted second thoughts, the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality said, "We need to assert that there is a core of Britishness," and the home secretary introduced English language tests for citizenship. Now, the Blair government has moved to expel Muslim clerics who preach hatred and terrorism, and the left-wing Guardian fired a writer who was a member of Hizb Ut Tahrir, a radical group that advocates a "clash of civilization" and urges Muslims to kill Jews.

Writers in other tolerant countries have been noticing the blowback from multiculturalism. The Dutch novelist Leon de Winter wrote that as traditional Calvinist discipline frayed and Muslim immigrants rejected Dutch tolerance, "the delicate mechanism of Holland's traditional tolerant society gradually lost its balance."

In The Age of Melbourne, Australia, Pamela Bone wrote, "Perhaps it is time to say, you are welcome, but this is the way it is here." The Age's Tony Parkinson quoted the French writer Jean Francois Revel's Cold War comment, "A civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself." Tolerating intolerance, goodhearted people are beginning to see, does not necessarily produce tolerance in turn.

The conservative Telegraph of London ran a series of articles on extolling Britishness and placed on its website the contributions, positive as well as a few negative, of dozens of citizens. The nonagenarian W.F. Deedes, a journalist since the 1930s, perhaps summed it up best: "The reputation we have in distant lands, I have learned in my travels, is higher than we give ourselves. They admire us for our social stability, our parliamentary and diplomatic experience, for fair play, for tolerance, for a willingness to help lame dogs over stiles, as well as for some of the qualities Shakespeare sang about in his plays."

When I was in Britain for the election in May, I was surprised to hear nothing from Tony Blair (or other politicians) about Britain's positive contributions to the world. Now, they are being heard.

Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures, but in certain specific times and places -- mostly in Britain and America, but also in various parts of Europe.

In America, as in Britain, multiculturalism has become the fashion in large swathes of our society. So the Founding Fathers are presented only as slaveholders, World War II is limited to the internment of Japanese-Americans and the bombing of Hiroshima. Slavery is identified with America, though it has existed in every society and the antislavery movement arose first among English-speaking evangelical Christians.

But most Americans know there is something special about our cultural heritage. While Harvard and Brown are replacing scholars of the founding period with those studying other things, book-buyers are snapping up first-rate histories of the Founders by David McCullough, Joseph Ellis and Ron Chernow.

Mutilculturalist intellectuals do not think our kind of society is worth defending. But millions here and increasing numbers in Britain and other countries know better.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/michaelbarone/printmb20050808.shtml

 

[Abbey Normal]

Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse.

Have you noticed that some of the same people who are in favor of burning the American flag, will have an "Honor Diversity" sticker on their bumpers, and be against Christmas displays? Just an idle thought I've had for a while now...

 

[Bonnie]

Have you noticed that some of the same people who are in favor of burning the American flag, will have an "Honor Diversity" sticker on their bumpers, and be against Christmas displays? Just an idle thought I've had for a while now...

LOL I notice it everywhere!!!
Liberalism= diversity for everyone BUT.. Conservatives, Christians, Republicans, patriots.............

 

[Gunny]

LOL I notice it everywhere!!!
Liberalism= diversity for everyone BUT.. Conservatives, Christians, Republicans, patriots.............

They ARE quite the hypocritical bunch. You just need to have some abnormality in your behavior that you wish to force on everyone else and you'll be okay.

 

[Bonnie]

They ARE quite the hypocritical bunch. You just need to have some abnormality in your behavior that you wish to force on everyone else and you'll be okay.

The ironic thing here is that Christians are swiftly falling under the category of oppressed people's so does that mean they now qualify under oppressed status needing to be protected under that broad unbrella that is Liberalism?? :huh:

 

[Gunny]

The ironic thing here is that Christians are swiftly falling under the category of oppressed people's so does that mean they now qualify under oppressed status needing to be protected under that broad unbrella that is Liberalism?? :huh:

You must have missed Dishonest Argument #6,437: Whites and Christians are STILL the majority; therefore, cannot be victims and/or oppressed.

Never mind the fact that the only PC jokes at anyone's expense are about white people and Christianity is under legal attack at every turn. You aren't supposed to notice that.

 

[William Joyce]

Well, well, well. All of a sudden, ol' William Joyce isn't looking so crazy anymore, is he?

 

[kurtsprincess]

They ARE quite the hypocritical bunch. You just need to have some abnormality in your behavior that you wish to force on everyone else and you'll be okay.

Made me laugh Gunny!!!!

 

[Gunny]

Well, well, well. All of a sudden, ol' William Joyce isn't looking so crazy anymore, is he?

No, you're STILL crazy.

 

[Shattered]

No, you're STILL crazy.

Damn. That was my reply word for word, and you stole it!

 

[Gunny]

Damn. That was my reply word for word, and you stole it!

That's because not only am I ...how did you put it? ....an evil bastard, but quicker off the starting block!

 

[Shattered]

That's because not only am I ...how did you put it? ....an evil bastard, but quicker off the starting block!

I don't *think* I used the word bastard, but I could be mistaken. :halo:

 

[Gunny]

I don't *think* I used the word bastard, but I could be mistaken. :halo:

You could be.

 

[Shattered]

You could be.

Oh.

Heh.

Whoops.

I blame...your wire cowboy.

 

[Gunny]

Oh.

Heh.

Whoops.

I blame...your wire cowboy.

You're going to make me have to go back and kick his ass.

 

[Shattered]

You're going to make me have to go back and kick his ass.

You lost the last time..What makes you think you'll win this time? :dev1:

 

[Gunny]

You lost the last time..What makes you think you'll win this time? :dev1:

Hey! I was sneak attacked by a garden decoration. Could happen to ANYONE ........ :finger:

 

[Shattered]

Hey! I was sneak attacked by a garden decoration. Could happen to ANYONE ........ :finger:

<i>**just f*ckin' dies**</i>

:rotflmao:
:rotflmao:
:rotflmao:

 

[Gunny]

<i>**just f*ckin' dies**</i>

:rotflmao:
:rotflmao:
:rotflmao:

Woman, you just ain't right.

 

[Shattered]

Woman, you just ain't right.

Whyzat? I thought it was freakin hilarious, and just gave up responding because I was laughing too hard..