Post by Charles1952 on Nov 10, 2015 20:14:47 GMT -6
Many of you might now that I adopted the nickname "Mr. Confusion" back in the bad old days of TOS. I still use it from time to time because I'm more frequently confused than not.
I'm going to start an irregular series asking you to help me understand various aspects of life. I may be confused even at the start, so please correct me on absolutely anything.
Multiculturalism and the Benefits Thereof.
Let's start with multiculturalism. I see three parts: "Multi," "Cultural," and "Ism." I believe I'm on fairly safe ground with the opinion that takes "Multi" to mean more than one. But, is that the most precise definition? With "Bisexual," "Bicycle," and "Bimetallism," "Multi" nearly has to mean three at a minimum. I suspect it means many more than that.
"Ism," which I normally just ignore when I'm reading anything; "Communism," "Capitalism," "Socialism," etc., strikes me as a little odd here. I'm tempted to think it means "belief in" or "support of." But what sense does that make? Of course there are several cultures in the world, it's just a fact, you don't need to believe in it. "Multiculturalism" strikes me as similar to "Gravityism," it's there and parades, speeches, and political movements aren't really necessary. Also, no one is denying that there are many cultures or that gravity exists, so what can this "ism" mean? While there are scientists who are working on overcoming gravity, I don't know of anyone (with the exceptions of American Pop Stars, and Muslim Jihadis,) who are actively working to get rid of cultures or destroy their own.
Compounding the fact that I don't understand "ism" as used in this word, I don't understand the use of the base word "culture." Does culture mean the same as nationality? It really can't. America, according to all the reports that I've seen, has several different cultures. And try telling someone from Quebec that Canada has only one culture.
It's not religion either. The Catholic Church is bursting at the seams with different cultures, which is what you'd expect from a group of over a billion people. Islam, without adding some qualifiers, isn't a culture. I remember the fun we had at the last Shiite - Sunni sock hop.
My guess is that culture is the set of attitudes, values, and actions, held by the great majority of the people around you and that you have contact with. If that's the case, "Multiculturalism" is reduced to a kind of "Duh!" belief.
People who live on small tropical islands will eat fish and whatever they can grow on the island. They won't have any use for furnaces, or heavy coats. In some, probably delightful, instances they won't have much use for 98% of the clothes that we in Minnesota use. There will be little emphasis on the military, science, or even books (assuming that they have a written language).
People who get their food primarily as hunter-gatherers, will roam over vast spaces. Permanent homes, agriculture, the idea of nations or borders, will probably be absent from their "culture."
Labor-intensive societies may depend on slavery or it's modern equivalent. Advanced societies may rely on the internet or social media to avoid contact with people in "real life."
This all makes me believe that a "culture" is beneficial in a particular time and under particular circumstances. But if a tropical islander's (male or female) custom is to go around wearing only a diaper, the people of Tampa will be quick to point out that that particular culture needs some serious amending quickly, at least before they come in front of the judge. And, no, you can't buy a herd of goats and turn them loose in Central Park to insure you have dinner ready.
So, in terms of multiculturalism, is culture just what we are used to? If so, it's another truth of life that people are flexible, they can adapt and get used to new things. In effect, then, their culture changes (as well it should).
What are we to make of people who proclaim, "But they mustn't lose their culture, it must be preserved?" Times and circumstances change, so too, for many, their country of residence changes. That would seem to me to mean that their attitudes and behavior should change as well.
I would argue that the belief that everyone should keep their culture whole and complete is dangerous, especially to the people who are carrying their previous culture into new circumstances.
This is Mr. Confusion, reaching out to the brilliant minds of our Hernandos for clarification and explanation.
I'm going to start an irregular series asking you to help me understand various aspects of life. I may be confused even at the start, so please correct me on absolutely anything.
Multiculturalism and the Benefits Thereof.
Let's start with multiculturalism. I see three parts: "Multi," "Cultural," and "Ism." I believe I'm on fairly safe ground with the opinion that takes "Multi" to mean more than one. But, is that the most precise definition? With "Bisexual," "Bicycle," and "Bimetallism," "Multi" nearly has to mean three at a minimum. I suspect it means many more than that.
"Ism," which I normally just ignore when I'm reading anything; "Communism," "Capitalism," "Socialism," etc., strikes me as a little odd here. I'm tempted to think it means "belief in" or "support of." But what sense does that make? Of course there are several cultures in the world, it's just a fact, you don't need to believe in it. "Multiculturalism" strikes me as similar to "Gravityism," it's there and parades, speeches, and political movements aren't really necessary. Also, no one is denying that there are many cultures or that gravity exists, so what can this "ism" mean? While there are scientists who are working on overcoming gravity, I don't know of anyone (with the exceptions of American Pop Stars, and Muslim Jihadis,) who are actively working to get rid of cultures or destroy their own.
Compounding the fact that I don't understand "ism" as used in this word, I don't understand the use of the base word "culture." Does culture mean the same as nationality? It really can't. America, according to all the reports that I've seen, has several different cultures. And try telling someone from Quebec that Canada has only one culture.
It's not religion either. The Catholic Church is bursting at the seams with different cultures, which is what you'd expect from a group of over a billion people. Islam, without adding some qualifiers, isn't a culture. I remember the fun we had at the last Shiite - Sunni sock hop.
My guess is that culture is the set of attitudes, values, and actions, held by the great majority of the people around you and that you have contact with. If that's the case, "Multiculturalism" is reduced to a kind of "Duh!" belief.
People who live on small tropical islands will eat fish and whatever they can grow on the island. They won't have any use for furnaces, or heavy coats. In some, probably delightful, instances they won't have much use for 98% of the clothes that we in Minnesota use. There will be little emphasis on the military, science, or even books (assuming that they have a written language).
People who get their food primarily as hunter-gatherers, will roam over vast spaces. Permanent homes, agriculture, the idea of nations or borders, will probably be absent from their "culture."
Labor-intensive societies may depend on slavery or it's modern equivalent. Advanced societies may rely on the internet or social media to avoid contact with people in "real life."
This all makes me believe that a "culture" is beneficial in a particular time and under particular circumstances. But if a tropical islander's (male or female) custom is to go around wearing only a diaper, the people of Tampa will be quick to point out that that particular culture needs some serious amending quickly, at least before they come in front of the judge. And, no, you can't buy a herd of goats and turn them loose in Central Park to insure you have dinner ready.
So, in terms of multiculturalism, is culture just what we are used to? If so, it's another truth of life that people are flexible, they can adapt and get used to new things. In effect, then, their culture changes (as well it should).
What are we to make of people who proclaim, "But they mustn't lose their culture, it must be preserved?" Times and circumstances change, so too, for many, their country of residence changes. That would seem to me to mean that their attitudes and behavior should change as well.
I would argue that the belief that everyone should keep their culture whole and complete is dangerous, especially to the people who are carrying their previous culture into new circumstances.
This is Mr. Confusion, reaching out to the brilliant minds of our Hernandos for clarification and explanation.
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