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Sorry, none of those are ethnic groups, and where in God's name did I suggest that they constitute "races"? Dialects in Germany were hardly "slightly different" - most are not intelligible to someone who understands only "High German". You clearly know nothing about German culture, I'm not sure why you think you can convince me otherwise.
Well, why don't you explain to me about German culture instead of acting like a smug arse...
You're the one who mentioned races:
Quote:
Germans are not and never were a single unified "race" of people
I'm not trying to convince you of anything, I could care less. Please though, I'm curious about the previously multi-cultural Germany that was ruined by liberal democracy and Americanism--can you go into more detail regarding this?
Anyone who really understands German history and culture will know that it's long been a truly multicultural society - just not by the definition of post-colonialist leftists, who like to see large populations of "whites" as homogeneous rather than taking the time to actually understand the often very diverse divisions within that population.
I'm not sure what you're talking about.
Perhaps homogeneous "white" culture is what exists on the West Coasts of Canada AND the US, but on the East Coast, and in the Midwest and Central Canada - in cities like NY, Boston, Philly, Baltimore, Montreal, Toronto, Cleveland, and Chicago - the cultures of the European immigrants who settled in and help build them are still evident and celebrated. The many fabulous ethnic neighborhoods and enclaves are part of the fabric of these cities, and help them retain a certain Old World feel.
And having grown up in Southern Ontario, I'd say that easily one third to one half of my friends were, like me, children of immigrants from all over Europe, including various parts of Germany, and they spoke their respective languages at home.
Germans are not and never were a single unified "race" of people - I always find it funny how people outside of Germany still believe some of the myths created between 1933 and 1945. By the sounds of your answer, though, it doesn't seem like there'd be any point in trying to have a reasoned discussion about this. But I'll say this: liberal democracy and americanization has done more eliminate cultural diversity in Germany than anything done prior to the end of the war.
And people from other European countries weren't one single unified race of people, either. What's your point? And what are these "myths" created between 1933 and 1945 you allude to?
And people from other European countries weren't one single unified race of people, either. What's your point? And what are these "myths" created between 1933 and 1945 you allude to?
What is your beef, exactly?
I would imagine he is referring to the myth of the Germans as the masters of the 'Aryan' race. That was also the start of the Volksdeutsche.
We all know that multiculturalism failed in the UK, in the Netherlands, in Germany, as well as in many other countries that tried. Yet, until recently (and it's debatable whether it still works as it had), Canada was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, success of multiculturalism (or the most publicized) in the world.
So what did we do differently from other countries that at least attempted to implement multiculturalism?
I agree with other posters that multiculturalism does exist all around the world, it is not a failure. We may be constantly fed media reports about all the frictional situations (because that's what makes headlines) but there are many cultures living peacefully among each other all over the world, including Europe, that gets no airplay. That being said, I agree that Canada has been extremely successful in building a smooth or less frictional multicultural society compared to others. It's not perfect of course as there are issues but it generally works well for most.
I think it works well in Canada (and even the US for that matter) because of several factors:
-these are youthful countries that are more recently built by immigrants, the mentality is therefore more open and accepting of newcomers, whether they assimilate or not or end up somewhere in the middle
-being young countries also implies less established or entrenched cultures that may feel threatened by newcomers
-there have been solid economic fundamentals that have historically absorbed new workers into employment
-generations of immigrants assimilate into mainstream society (although assimilation is more quicker in the US than in Canada, but it still happens over time)
-systems provide opportunities for education, education and hence social mobility for new groups
-Canada and the US have stricter rules in terms of admitting educated immigrants (of the course the US has an illegal Immigration issue)
-Success in terms of human rights and equality issues have been at the forefront of society for the past few decades thus creating an environment of acceptance
End of the day, I think there has to be some degree of assimilation over time, in terms of both desire and opportunities, to make immigration work for both newcomers and a host country. Without it, you end up with issues like some Arab/Africans communities in France who become marginalized and this causes social problems.
Last edited by johnathanc; 06-02-2015 at 11:46 AM..
The intent of many of the colonists in western Canada at least, was never to integrate any more than necessary.
Perhaps some countries failed because they tried too hard to integrate new immigrants or otherwise couldn't achieve the conditions required for integration to succeed, even if they kept immigration under control.
Multiculturalism in Canada is an excellent thing which seems to work relatively well for most communities. No matter one is Canadian of Asian descent, European descent, Middle Eastern descent or African descent, etc we are all one great Canadian family.
We are all fiercely loyal to the country, true patriots to the land and the government. Multitude had taken an oath to be just that for our great nation the day the became citizens. The same also applies to many Canadian expats who are working abroad pursing a career outside. Our patriotism simply transcends world geography. That's part of the successful legacy of multiculturalism of Canada. We are united by a set of common values that is unique to Canada.
Multiculturalism suits perfectly to Canada mainly because it is a young country built by immigrants and mainly for immigrants. It will be 150 years old in 2017, practically a young teenager of nation, figuratively speaking. It is relatively free from many old rules and establishments that tend to keep its citizens from having an open mind to things outside its predominant culture.
We choose to take people from around the world as they are, and treat them with respect and dignity. That's part of our Canadian DNA. We are all exceedingly proud of our free and democratic country that diligently safeguard the human right of its people like a precious jewel.
True North Strong and Free
Last edited by R. Crusoe; 07-18-2015 at 10:58 PM..
Multiculturalism in Canada is an excellent thing which seems to work relatively well for most communities. No matter one is Canadian of Asian descent, European descent, Middle Eastern descent or African descent, etc we are all one great Canadian family.
We are all fiercely loyal to the country, true patriots to the land and the government. Multitude had taken an oath to be just that for our great nation the day the became citizens. The same also applies to many Canadian expats who are working abroad pursing a career outside. Our patriotism simply transcends world geography. That's part of the successful legacy of multiculturalism of Canada. We are united by a set of common values that is unique to Canada.
Multiculturalism suits perfectly to Canada mainly because it is a young country built by immigrants and mainly for immigrants. It will be 150 years old in 2017, practically a young teenager of nation, figuratively speaking. It is relatively free from many old rules and establishments that tend to keep its citizens from having an open mind to things outside its predominant culture.
We choose to take people from around the world as they are, and treat them with respect and dignity. That's part of our Canadian DNA. We are all exceedingly proud of our free and democratic country that diligently safeguard the human right of its people like a precious jewel.
True North Strong and Free
What I have noticed about multiculturalism in Canada is that Canadians typically described this as "melting pot", but new immigrants describe this as "cultural mosaic". Does that mean that native Canadians assume that new immigrants will blend into the Canadian culture, but new immigrants view themselves as part of patchwork quilt, where they can re-define Canada's culture?
What I have noticed about multiculturalism in Canada is that Canadians typically described this as "melting pot", but new immigrants describe this as "cultural mosaic". Does that mean that native Canadians assume that new immigrants will blend into the Canadian culture, but new immigrants view themselves as part of patchwork quilt, where they can re-define Canada's culture?
I've never heard Canada called the melting pot, that's the U.S.
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