Brian Ross wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 5:35pm:


Well, not a Muslim, then, by definition.

An apostate, perhaps.

but who speaks for the Muslim apostates? Not you. You keep them in the shackles of Islam, you racist, bigoted old oppressor.  No matter how much they turn their backs on Islam, you still brand them as Muslims, you stupid, ruthless old commissar.

Brian Ross wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2017 at 3:32pm:


The government may have an official policy of equality, but no one personally believes in the equality of cultures, yourself included. Everyone judges. Everyone has their own interests, biases and prejudices.

Valkie wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 9:26pm:


Good 'cause you bored me from your first Islamophobic post.   We are therefore equally bored.   



Oh, dearie, dearie, me.  Valkie, why do you bother?  All you do is troll, use ad hominem and spread Islamophobia.  Tsk, tsk.   

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 11:07pm:


Maybe so but it is how we show those biases and prejudices and how we act on that knowledge that matters, CW.  Some, like Valkie, Geoff, Soren, Yadda, Moses, Herbie revel in them.  You?  You're just like the other Islamophobes, terrified of the "other".   

Brian Ross wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 11:47pm:


Okay, so now you agree that cultures can be unequal.

Quote:


Lefty slogans don't work on me. Additionally, I've not mentioned Islam. Read what I write. Do not infer.

Brian Ross wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 11:47pm:

Multiculturalism is a big, fat lie calculated to shut people up.

Cultural background of citizens is legitimate object of scrutiny
STEPHEN CHAVURA
The Australian12:00AM April 24, 2017

Cynics ask what are Australian values. Well, a good place to start is by asking what Australian institutions make us such an attractive destination for thousands of immigrants, and then think about what kinds of values Australians must have to keep them healthy. What kinds of values must citizens have for parliamentary democracy, liberal democratic rights, a welfare program, equal access to education, civil peace and a healthy economy to flourish?

It is reassuring to see citizenship tests back on the political agenda. Not because of what such tests are capable of doing on their own — basically nothing — but for what they signify. They are an admission that in the present national and global political climate the discourse of multiculturalism is at best irrelevant, and at worst counter-productive.

True, some politicians and many academics and professional activists still cling to the multicultural discourse but they look increasingly like Menzian Anglophiles did in the 1960s — hopelessly out of touch with a changing world that is rapidly leaving them behind.

Multiculturalism has always been a notoriously vague and amorphous ideal. Even its greatest theorists differ on exactly what it is and how it should influence policy. Is multiculturalism simply the absence of pressure placed on immigrant communities to assimilate? Is it the positive celebration and encouragement of cultural distinctiveness? Is it anti-multicultural to demand that immigrants use English in speech and advertising? Does multiculturalism demand some limited acceptance of sharia law?

As Mark Lopez showed in his classic study The Origins of Multiculturalism in Australian Politics 1945-1975, what began as an attempt to address the very practical problem of the economic and educational integration of European migrants in the 1970s soon became an ideological monstrosity far removed from the practical day-to-day needs of migrant communities. Multiculturalism went from trying to solve important issues such as employment and understanding the needs of migrant children at school, to ridiculous questions such as whether it is “intolerant” to force Muslim boys to interact with female teachers whom they consider their inferiors, and whether the curriculum makes all cultures feel included. Such is the fate of many practical causes once intellectuals get their hands on them.

So what is multiculturalism? Or better, what has it become over the past 40 years? Simple. Multiculturalism is little more than a rhetorical gag used to silence critics of immigration policy and its impact on Australian society. Multicultural discourse is about silencing any who would dare criticise the way immigration and integration have been conducted since mass immigration shifted from Europe to Asia and the Middle East in the mid to late 1970s.

Multiculturalism is less about reason and reasonableness than it is about the control of public debate regarding immigration and national identity. It does this by confusion and obfuscation, especially by confusing culture with race. Once culture and race are seen as the same thing then anyone advocating assimilationist policies is deemed racist, likewise with advocating cultural-sensitive immigration policy. Even criticism of Islam and mass Muslim immigration is now seen as racist.

The multicultural discourse has succeeded in demonising anyone as a racist who dares to raise any of these questions. Indeed, so successful has it been that people feel guilty just thinking such thoughts, privately telling friends in hushed tones that: “I’m not a racist but shouldn’t we be careful about who we let into our country?”

A nation is defined by its institutions and citizens, both of which shape the other in a perpetual dialogue that takes place in an ever-changing world. The quality of the institutions affects the quality of the citizens, and vice versa. Furthermore, the ideals and social ethos that animate the laws must be internalised by the people. For citizens to enjoy their rights to equality and freedom their fellow citizens must have the spirit of those laws in their hearts. This is why liberal democracy cannot exist in countries whose citizens are animated by ethnic hatreds, extreme intolerance and corruption. Parliaments will be seen merely as another means to carry on ethnic conflict and oppression. Think of the failure of democracy in most of the Middle East and Africa.

Frank wrote on Apr 24^th, 2017 at 6:25pm:


Oh, dearie, dearie, me.  English is your second language, isn't it, Soren?  Tsk, tsk.