Quote:
Originally Posted by ange7
Agree with that accept these lines...
"There is no requirement I am aware of for any immigrant to deny their own culture" ... correct... under current multicultural policies .... but under forced integration that isn't so true.
"multiculturalism has been interpreted by some to mean living as separate communities within society."
That immigrants become ghettoizing isn't the fault of multiculturalism. It happens when immigrants feel more safe living among them selves rather than more broadly through out a city. There are also economic consideration... newer arrivals to a city aren't going to have their pick of areas to live. This isn't anyones definition of "multiculturalism". There are streets in Sydney where you'd think you were in Hong Kong or Rome... they are wonderful. But 20 years ago when immigrant from asia and Europe were being hammered these areas were ghettoize and not pretty. Today now that those immigrant have been accept and are now an important part of Sydney culture those street are seen as "cosmopolitan" etc. Racism, intolerance, stupidity and fear are the problem.... not multiculturalism.
"Embracing and understanding their cultures is what immigrants ask us to do, so surely it is not unreasonable to request them to have the courtesy to embrace ours"
This is tricky here because I'm wondering if your talking assimilation or do you mean that some immigrants don't embrace the UK. What aspects of UK culture do you feel that immigrants aren't embracing but ought to. And is it a minority? eg extremist Imams hehe. ... but that isn't the case on the whole is it?
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There have always been areas in the UK that are to some extent "ghettoised" for the reasons you give, i.e. that it is natural for immigrants of an ethnic group to gravitate towards each other since they share predominantly a common language. This often happens when English people live and work abroad, forming their own ex pat community and seldom venturing outside it.
For example, I have cousins who have lived in Spain for over five years who don't speak a word of Spanish, and whose days revolve around mixing with the tight knit ex pat community in Almeria where they live. Because they do not speak the language, this hinders communication and integration with the Spanish community in which they live. When one of them was ill at Christmas they had to hire an interpreter to go to the hospital with them! They live in a country in which they feel separate and uninvolved with their local community because they have no means of communicating.
I maintain that the single most unifying factor in any society is to speak a common language because it facilitates communication, understanding and sharing of ideas. Therefore, I think the learning of English (certainy enough to get by with) is an important tool for all immigrants and more should be done to give them access to learning it. A basic understanding of English will enable immigrants to feel more in control and not dependent on interpreters, it will facilitate interaction with others outside their ethnic group, and promote mutual respect between people. As regards your comment about racism, intolerance and stupidity, I would point out that it is not a one way street - there is often inter-racial and inter-religious intolerance and again I emphasise that the fault often lies with the inability to communicate with each other. Without learning English how else would you suggest we communicate?
As regards the lack of housing which forces many immigrants into certain less salubrious areas of the country, this is not an experience unique to new arrivals from abroad. There is now a sharper divide than ever between the haves and have nots, and there are many areas of the UK that are economically out of reach of not only immigrants but vast numbers of the indigenous population. Not all English people live in nice houses in nice areas.
My main criticism of multiculturalism is not the presence of immigrants in the UK but the government's lack of foresight and planning in the provision of sufficient housing, schools, hospitals, doctors etc, in other words the infrastructure of society has not exponentially expanded to accommodate the numbers. The ongoing scramble for a share of the limited and often inadequate resources that are available is what causes the resentment, and feelings of marginalisation and unfairness, and I'm talking between ALL communities.