Multiculturalism in Trouble

The PVV, an anti-immigrant party in the Netherlands, recently won the elections and participated in the negociations that led to a new government. As a result, this party has had an important direct influence on immigration policies. More indirect influence on policies have been achieved by anti-immigrant parties, which have recently gained 29 percent of the votes cast in Switzerland, 22 percent in Norway, 17 percent in Austria, 14 percent in Denmark and 5.7 percent en Sweden. (In the 2008 federal elections in Canada 6.9 percent of the vote went to the Green party and 18.2 percent to the NDP). In Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel caused a stir around the world when recently she said “Multiculturalism in Germany has failed”.

What is behind the growing public support of anti-immigrant parties and concern over multiculturalism in Europe? The ruling elites argue that the current economic crisis has activated the ever latent populist, extreme-right, racist and anti-Islam views held by a minority of the population. These elites expect that the anti-immigrant parties will lose support and the critics of multiculturalism will be silent once economic prosperity is returned. The validity of this assertion is doubtful in the light of the fact that anti-immigrant parties in Europe prospered well before the 2008 economic crisis.

A more plausible explanation of the growth in anti-immigrant sentiments in Europe is the public’s perceived threat to the very essence of their national identity and a sense of belonging, which are anchored in their cultural, social, religious and economic institutions. The threat is seen to emanate from immigrant communities that fail to integrate into the societies of their host countries and often challenge existing institutions, all encouraged by official policies of multiculturalism.

For example, the viability of Scandinavia’s generous social programs is threatened by practices of some immigrants who do not adhere to the traditional behavioural norms. Muslim minorities in several countries are demanding the selective application of Sharia laws, the acceptance of honour killings and head scarves for women. Practices of civil society, like queuing for services sometimes are disregarded by some immigrants. In Central and Western Canada, a number of criminal gangs dominated by members of immigrant communities engage in much publicized violence.

In several European countries the growth of anti-immigrant parties has prompted some changes in immigration and multicultural policies. In Canada, Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration released a new citizenship guide with very similar goals.

These new policies require immigrants to know or learn their host countries’ languages and to accept existing national laws, institutions and values rather than demand changes to accommodate their own cultural norms. The granting of citizenship will become conditional upon meeting these and other requirements.

These new policies basically represent a repudiation of multiculturalism, which had been created with the expectation that it would end strife and wars. I believe that this repudiation has a deep root. The need of human beings to belong to and unite behind a common culture, institutions and values is part of human nature. This need is hard-wired because of its survival value during evolutionary history. It cannot be overcome by government policies and coercion aimed at its elimination.

The world’s experience with policies designed to create socialist and communist utopias provides an interesting historic parallel. These policies were based on the notion that selfish behaviour of individuals operating in a capitalist free market system created income inequalities, economic crises, environmental degradation and other alleged pathologies. Policies to create these utopias ended in the face of persistent selfish behaviour that, like the need to unite behind a common culture is deeply embedded in human nature and is hard-wired because of its evolutionary survival value.

Canada has been spared the political turmoil that in Europe resulted from the creation and success of anti-immigrant parties. However, the public’s desire to preserve Canada’s culture, institutions and values has been growing and undoubtedly has played a role in the recent federal government’s issue of the citizenship guide for immigrants.

Some concerned Canadians are not satisfied with this guide and have created the organization Canadians for Immigration Policy Reform, which lobbies for more changes to current immigration policies and maintains a website to present facts and analysis of the issues. The government ignores at its own risk the public’s desire for the further modification of multicultural policies for the protection of Canada’s culture, institutions and values. 

Beauty without the Beast

Sitting down would be rather difficult in the merry scene I conjured up for you, but if you would like to think of yourself as the head of the table, that might work.

Who knows? You may spark a new controversy, a revolution in Quantum Mechanics from Schroedinger's Cat to Kappert's Ass.

Now as we enjoy our holiday season without Kappert's POSTerior, may we turn from our beastly ways to
Beauty's Way as I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, you too Kappert alone on your lonely isle:

 

http://thewayofbeauty.org/

http://www.secondspring.co.uk/articles/clayton.htm

 

 

 

that's nice

I'm really touched - sitting around a fire in a cold winter night - that's a very nice idea in accordance to the season. It mustn't be, though, in Narnialand. Peace and Health for you all.

Feast (2)

Further to Kappert's highly unoriginal and thoroughly tiresome 'Exmas vs Crissmas' spiel, I'd like to suggest she take a few moments to read the excellent essay by C.S. Lewis entitled "A Lost Chapter from Herodotus", before pontificating any further on this matter. Ho, ho, ho...

Feast

Enjoy winter solstice! Let the strengthening sun beams enlight your heart!

A Merry Solstice to All!

T'was the night before Sosltice and all thru the coven,
Not a creature was stirring not even a pagan,
The heads were all hanging by the fire pit with care,
With hopes that Kappert's would soon be there.

Canadian culture # 2

What could "aboriginal rights" possibly mean?  In fact it means 'special rights' that other Canadians do not enjoy.  So, it creates 'classes' of citizens, which amounts to cultural 'Europeanisation' of Canada.  Don't keep going there, Canada, don't go there!

canadian culture

The odd inclusion of Canada's NDP (LGBT rights, increase corporate taxes, aboriginal people's rights, legalizing recreational drugs) rises hope that there might grow something called 'Canadian Culture'. After all, the author himself is a well-assimilated immigrant. Go, Canada, go!

2008 Federal Election NDP and Green Party results

I don't know why Grubel mentioned the results of the 4th and 5th parties here in 2008.  Both the NDP and Green Party support multiculturalism and are inimical to anti-immigration sentiment.  Perhaps he confused Canada's NDP for Germany's NPD?

the multicultural gound

The world’s experience with policies designed to create socialist and communist utopias provides an interesting historic parallel. These policies were based on the notion that selfish behaviour of individuals operating in a capitalist free market system created income inequalities, economic crises, environmental degradation and other alleged pathologies.

In once sense, and within the economic semantic, this is true, and has been roundly criticized by the Austrian school.

However, one should not discount other factors, such as: the philosophical basis beginning with late medieval nominalism continuing through to the Enlightenment project leading to scientism; the modernist ground of historical thinking (that, for instance, Voegelin traced back to Joachim of Flora), but are most prominent in our mind with Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, and obviously Marx, a second rate thinker, but a good agitator; and the replacement of religion with pseudo-doctrines meant as substitutes, but lacking in authenticity.

Multi-culturalism is essentially anti-nature, in that it denies the natural political end of man in the classical sense--that is, man whose end is perfected within a nation comprised of like individuals sharing a commonality. Today, all this has been forgotten, and to even speak of it sounds fantastic.