The Gray Monk

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November 17, 2004

Multi-cultural dead end?

I think we all need to be concerned about the backlash now in progress in the Netherlands. Two murders of prominent members of the "enlightened" end of the popular spectrum - a gay politician and a controversial film maker - have highlighted the deep well of intolerance in certain sections of that community, particularly the immigrant muslim population. As two newly encountered blogs show, there is some thought needed in addressing this and other issues related to the way we address our "society" in future. Both blogs, The Dipolomad and Strange Women Lying in Ponds give a couple of interesting perspectives on the background of policy development [do take the time to discover the origin of the second blog's title which is found in the left navbar]. Perhaps the multi-cultural dream has met its nemesis in the Netherlands, but somehow I suspect that the promoters of this lunacy will find someone or something else to blame.

Multi-culturalism is a high-sounding but completely impractical ideal. It presumes that all cultures are equal, that there are no aspects in any of them that cause offence in any other, or that by "regulating" against the offensive bits in one or another, the ideal state of equality can be attained. It fails for the obvious reason that there must, in any society, be a dominant culture. Creating a void is rather like creating a vacuum - something rushes in to fill it. As the Dutch have discovered - and we in Britain have the same problem, but not quite so publically visible due to selective reporting - is that the void created by this multi-cultural, all cultures are equal charade invites intolerance, and it invites extremists.

The killing of the film-maker for causing "offence" to Muslims is merely the tip of a very large iceberg. The backlash from the extreme right - who have been waiting for an excuse for ages - was equally forseeable to any but the ideologically blinded. There is an urgent need to bring the promoters of this nonsense to their senses and restore a balance. For once I am in agreement with the French - if you wish to live in France, then there are only two ways to do it. Be forever a fringe minority - or adopt French culture and be French. Your choice. Don't complain if you choose the first option - if you don't want to live like a French man or woman in France - don't live there!

Perhaps the events in the Netherlands will give us a wake-up call. Perhaps they won't. There is none so blind to reality as he who espouses ideology in place of reality. Politics is the science of living and compromising, something liberals and left wingers seem to have forgotten. Time to remind them, perhaps, before our society is engulfed in the flames of intolerance and hatred.

Posted by The Gray Monk at November 17, 2004 02:08 PM

Comments

Posted by: Ozguru at November 22, 2004 10:01 AM