Why is a multicultural society a good thing?

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   reinhardBeckposted 10 years ago

   Why is a multicultural society a good thing?

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   Besarienposted 10 years ago

   From a genetic standpoint, a multicultural society means a huge and varied gene pool  producing more healthy people. From a cultural perspective, it means a larger marketplace of ideas- more history, folklore, and traditions on which to build.
   
   From a completely selfish POV, it physically hurts me to imagine how dull American cuisine would taste without Asian fusion, Tex-Mex, Southern Soul, French Creole, NY Italian, and its many other delicious immigrant influences.

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      reinhardBeckposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      what about if you belong to a small ethnic group (Laplander lets say). Wont a multicultural society swallow you up and destroy your culture and your identity.  You might not want that.  Do  the Chinese benefit from eating burgers and watching Disney?

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      Besarienposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Burgers and Disney are hardly the pinnacle of non-Chinese culture. They have benefitted from capitalism as an economic model. The Chinese economy is now the world's largest. Farmers now can keep some of the profits from crops.

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   kbdressmanposted 10 years ago

   Being exposed to cultures and beliefs that differ from your culture and beliefs makes you more aware of what you believe.  This awareness can lead to changes that make us more well rounded or moral.  It can also call upon us to defend why we do what we do.  Without something to compare our thoughts to it's hard to evaluate the worth and beauty of our attitudes, beliefs, etc.

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      reinhardBeckposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Or it gives you more reasons to dislike other cultures.  I basically don't think the people like to get along and live and let live. Blood is thicker than water.

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   Tusitala Tomposted 10 years ago

   Many might think that a multicultural society is not a good thing.  For example, I recall reading many years ago that the Japanese certainly thought along these lines.    Indeed, before the Meiji Restoration period they even locked out the rest of the world on pain of death.
   
   In the short term multiculturalism has quite a number of drawbacks as well as its advantages, but in the long term it will solve a lot of Humanity's problems as we all become World Citizens rather than citizens of a particular nation.   
   
   I'm predicting that in a couple of hundred years time the concepts of nationhood and even racial identification will be just about a thing of the past and treated as something which used to happen before Humans grew up emotionally.

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      kbdressmanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You make a good point.  Multicultural marriages, for example, can be hard because of the difficulties in blending both cultures in a way that's pleasing to both partners.  The same idea would apply to larger groups of people as well.

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      reinhardBeckposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think so. Blood is thicker than water as they say.

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   cobrienposted 10 years ago

   A multiracial society encourages tolerance and acceptance and provides an intellectually stimulating environment by introducing others in the society to different cultures and value systems.

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      reinhardBeckposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Really?  knowledge of other people and their culture just gives you ammunition. I have a prejucide against group X. Now that I have learned about them I have the facts to back up my prejudice  & I now have plenty of  good reasons for hating group

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   liesl5858posted 10 years ago

   Multicultural society is only a good thing if each nationality can blend to other cultures without problems. But if there is racism and unacceptance in the society, it would not work. It is funny how other people don't accept other people because of where they came from, their religion and also because of their colour. I find that quite strange. I am pretty lucky to say that despite my nationality, I am accepted where I am at present. But there is always one that find something wrong in good people.

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      reinhardBeckposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Isn't that the sticking point...blending. Do people really want to do that? I think people fear that "blending" means they have to give up something. An Indian living in the USA blends into US society and becomes less Indian. He might not like that.

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