Multiculturalism

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Doc
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Re: Multicultalism in decline?

Post by Doc »

Zack Morris wrote:
Mr. Perfect wrote:The highly regulated Public Schools are producing the worst outcomes in our history.

ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WHEN YOU SEE A PUBLIC SCHOOL RUN FOR YOU LIFE.

Private schools religious and otherwise compete with everyone for students, so there is no need for regulation whatsoever.
Public schools are highly dependent on neighborhood. On the whole, areas with well-regarded private schools also have public schools of comparable quality (certainly not an order-of-magnitude difference). Controlled for socioeconomic background, US public schools fare as well as other OECD nations on the PISA tests.

As a sample data point, I'm a product of the public education system, and I'm doing great!
http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... -academics
OECD and Pisa tests are damaging education worldwide - academics

In this letter to Dr Andreas Schleicher, director of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, academics from around the world express deep concern about the impact of Pisa tests and call for a halt to the next round of testing

The Guardian, Monday 5 May 2014

School children in Sichuan province in China. Academics say the OECD should develop alternatives to league tables and find more meaningful ways of reporting assessment, taking account of different cultures. Photograph: James Zeng Huang/Corbis Sygma


Dear Dr Schleicher,


We write to you in your capacity as OECD's (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) director of the Programme of International Student Assessment (Pisa). Now in its 13th year, Pisa is known around the world as an instrument to rank OECD and non-OECD countries (60-plus at last count) according to a measure of academic achievement of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science, and reading. Administered every three years, Pisa results are anxiously awaited by governments, education ministers, and the editorial boards of newspapers, and are cited authoritatively in countless policy reports. They have begun to deeply influence educational practices in many countries. As a result of Pisa, countries are overhauling their education systems in the hopes of improving their rankings. Lack of progress on Pisa has led to declarations of crisis and "Pisa shock" in many countries, followed by calls for resignations, and far-reaching reforms according to Pisa precepts.

We are frankly concerned about the negative consequences of the Pisa rankings. These are some of our concerns:


• While standardised testing has been used in many nations for decades (despite serious reservations about its validity and reliability), Pisa has contributed to an escalation in such testing and a dramatically increased reliance on quantitative measures. For example, in the US, Pisa has been invoked as a major justification for the recent "Race to the Top" programme, which has increased the use of standardised testing for student-, teacher-, and administrator evaluations, which rank and label students, as well as teachers and administrators according to the results of tests widely known to be imperfect (see, for example, Finland's unexplained decline from the top of the Pisa table).


• In education policy, Pisa, with its three-year assessment cycle, has caused a shift of attention to short-term fixes designed to help a country quickly climb the rankings, despite research showing that enduring changes in education practice take decades, not a few years, to come to fruition. For example, we know that the status of teachers and the prestige of teaching as a profession have a strong influence on the quality of instruction, but that status varies strongly across cultures and is not easily influenced by short-term policy.


• By emphasising a narrow range of measurable aspects of education, Pisa takes attention away from the less measurable or immeasurable educational objectives like physical, moral, civic and artistic development, thereby dangerously narrowing our collective imagination regarding what education is and ought to be about.


• As an organisation of economic development, OECD is naturally biased in favour of the economic role of public [state] schools. But preparing young men and women for gainful employment is not the only, and not even the main goal of public education, which has to prepare students for participation in democratic self-government, moral action and a life of personal development, growth and wellbeing.


• Unlike United Nations (UN) organisations such as UNESCO or UNICEF that have clear and legitimate mandates to improve education and the lives of children around the world, OECD has no such mandate. Nor are there, at present, mechanisms of effective democratic participation in its education decision-making process.


• To carry out Pisa and a host of follow-up services, OECD has embraced "public-private partnerships" and entered into alliances with multi-national for-profit companies, which stand to gain financially from any deficits—real or perceived—unearthed by Pisa. Some of these companies provide educational services to American schools and school districts on a massive, for-profit basis, while also pursuing plans to develop for-profit elementary education in Africa, where OECD is now planning to introduce the Pisa programme.


• Finally, and most importantly: the new Pisa regime, with its continuous cycle of global testing, harms our children and impoverishes our classrooms, as it inevitably involves more and longer batteries of multiple-choice testing, more scripted "vendor"-made lessons, and less autonomy for teachers. In this way Pisa has further increased the already high stress level in schools, which endangers the wellbeing of students and teachers.


These developments are in overt conflict with widely accepted principles of good educational and democratic practice:


• No reform of any consequence should be based on a single narrow measure of quality.


• No reform of any consequence should ignore the important role of non-educational factors, among which a nation's socio-economic inequality is paramount. In many countries, including the US, inequality has dramatically increased over the past 15 years, explaining the widening educational gap between rich and poor which education reforms, no matter how sophisticated, are unlikely to redress.


• An organisation like OECD, as any organisation that deeply affects the life of our communities, should be open to democratic accountability by members of those communities.


We are writing not only to point out deficits and problems. We would also like to offer constructive ideas and suggestions that may help to alleviate the above mentioned concerns. While in no way complete, they illustrate how learning could be improved without the above mentioned negative effects:


1 Develop alternatives to league tables: explore more meaningful and less easily sensationalised ways of reporting assessment outcomes. For example, comparing developing countries, where 15-year-olds are regularly drafted into child labour, with first-world countries makes neither educational nor political sense and opens OECD up for charges of educational colonialism.


2 Make room for participation by the full range of relevant constituents and scholarship: to date, the groups with greatest influence on what and how international learning is assessed are psychometricians, statisticians, and economists. They certainly deserve a seat at the table, but so do many other groups: parents, educators, administrators, community leaders, students, as well as scholars from disciplines like anthropology, sociology, history, philosophy, linguistics, as well as the arts and humanities. What and how we assess the education of 15-year-old students should be subject to discussions involving all these groups at local, national, and international levels.


3 Include national and international organisations in the formulation of assessment methods and standards whose mission goes beyond the economic aspect of public education and which are concerned with the health, human development, wellbeing and happiness of students and teachers. This would include the above mentioned United Nations organisations, as well as teacher, parent, and administrator associations, to name a few.


4 Publish the direct and indirect costs of administering Pisa so that taxpayers in member countries can gauge alternative uses of the millions of dollars spent on these tests and determine if they want to continue their participation in it.


5 Welcome oversight by independent international monitoring teams which can observe the administration of Pisa from the conception to the execution, so that questions about test format and statistical and scoring procedures can be weighed fairly against charges of bias or unfair comparisons.


6 Provide detailed accounts regarding the role of private, for-profit companies in the preparation, execution, and follow-up to the tri-annual Pisa assessments to avoid the appearance or reality of conflicts of interest.


7 Slow down the testing juggernaut. To gain time to discuss the issues mentioned here at local, national, and international levels, consider skipping the next Pisa cycle. This would give time to incorporate the collective learning that will result from the suggested deliberations in a new and improved assessment model.


We assume that OECD's Pisa experts are motivated by a sincere desire to improve education. But we fail to understand how your organisation has become the global arbiter of the means and ends of education around the world. OECD's narrow focus on standardised testing risks turning learning into drudgery and killing the joy of learning. As Pisa has led many governments into an international competition for higher test scores, OECD has assumed the power to shape education policy around the world, with no debate about the necessity or limitations of OECD's goals. We are deeply concerned that measuring a great diversity of educational traditions and cultures using a single, narrow, biased yardstick could, in the end, do irreparable harm to our schools and our students.

Sincerely,


Andrews, Paul Professor of Mathematics Education, Stockholm University

Atkinson, Lori New York State Allies for Public Education

Ball, Stephen J Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education, Institute of Education, University of London

Barber, Melissa Parents Against High Stakes Testing

Beckett, Lori Winifred Mercier Professor of Teacher Education, Leeds Metropolitan University

Berardi, Jillaine Linden Avenue Middle School, Assistant Principal

Berliner, David Regents Professor of Education at Arizona State University

Bloom, Elizabeth EdD Associate Professor of Education, Hartwick College

Boudet, Danielle Oneonta Area for Public Education

Boland, Neil Senior lecturer, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand

Burris, Carol Principal and former Teacher of the Year

Cauthen, Nancy PhD Change the Stakes, NYS Allies for Public Education

Cerrone, Chris Testing Hurts Kids; NYS Allies for Public Education

Ciaran, Sugrue Professor, Head of School, School of Education, University College Dublin

Deutermann, Jeanette Founder Long Island Opt Out, Co-founder NYS Allies for Public Education

Devine, Nesta Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Dodge, Arnie Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, Long Island University

Dodge, Judith Author, Educational Consultant

Farley, Tim Principal, Ichabod Crane School; New York State Allies for Public Education

Fellicello, Stacia Principal, Chambers Elementary School

Fleming, Mary Lecturer, School of Education, National University of Ireland, Galway

Fransson, Göran Associate Professor of Education, University of Gävle, Sweden

Giroux, Henry Professor of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University

Glass, Gene Senior Researcher, National Education Policy Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Glynn, Kevin Educator, co-founder of Lace to the Top

Goldstein, Harvey Professor of Social Statistics, University of Bristol

Gorlewski, David Director, Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, D'Youville College

Gorlewski, Julie PhD, Assistant Professor, State University of New York at New Paltz

Gowie, Cheryl Professor of Education, Siena College

Greene, Kiersten Assistant Professor of Literacy, State University of New York at New Paltz

Haimson, Leonie Parent Advocate and Director of "Class Size Matters"

Heinz, Manuela Director of Teaching Practice, School of Education, National University of Ireland Galway

Hughes, Michelle Principal, High Meadows Independent School

Jury, Mark Chair, Education Department, Siena College

Kahn, Hudson Valley Against Common Core

Kayden, Michelle Linden Avenue Middle School Red Hook, New York

Kempf, Arlo Program Coordinator of School and Society, OISE, University of Toronto

Kilfoyle, Marla NBCT, General Manager of BATs

Labaree, David Professor of Education, Stanford University

Leonardatos, Harry Principal, high school, Clarkstown, New York

MacBeath, John Professor Emeritus, Director of Leadership for Learning, University of Cambridge

McLaren, Peter Distinguished Professor, Chapman University

McNair, Jessica Co-founder Opt-Out CNY, parent member NYS Allies for Public Education

Meyer, Heinz-Dieter Associate Professor, Education Governance & Policy, State University of New York (Albany)

Meyer, Tom Associate Professor of Secondary Education, State University of New York at New Paltz

Millham, Rosemary PhD Science Coordinator, Master Teacher Campus Director, SUNY New Paltz

Millham, Rosemary Science Coordinator/Assistant Professor, Master Teacher Campus Director, State University of New York, New Paltz

Oliveira Andreotti Vanessa Canada Research Chair in Race, Inequality, and Global Change, University of British Columbia

Sperry, Carol Emerita, Millersville University, Pennsylvania

Mitchell, Ken Lower Hudson Valley Superintendents Council

Mucher, Stephen Director, Bard Master of Arts in Teaching Program, Los Angeles

Tuck, Eve Assistant Professor, Coordinator of Native American Studies, State University of New York at New Paltz

Naison, Mark Professor of African American Studies and History, Fordham University; Co-Founder, Badass Teachers Association

Nielsen, Kris Author, Children of the Core

Noddings, Nel Professor (emerita) Philosophy of Education, Stanford University

Noguera, Pedro Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, New York University

Nunez, Isabel Associate Professor, Concordia University, Chicago

Pallas, Aaron Arthur I Gates Professor of Sociology and Education, Columbia University

Peters, Michael Professor, University of Waikato, Honorary Fellow, Royal Society New Zealand

Pugh, Nigel Principal, Richard R Green High School of Teaching, New York City

Ravitch, Diane Research Professor, New York University

Rivera-Wilson Jerusalem Senior Faculty Associate and Director of Clinical Training and Field Experiences, University at Albany

Roberts, Peter Professor, School of Educational Studies and Leadership, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Rougle, Eija Instructor, State University of New York, Albany

Rudley, Lisa Director: Education Policy-Autism Action Network

Saltzman, Janet Science Chair, Physics Teacher, Red Hook High School

Schniedewind, Nancy Professor of Education, State University of New York, New Paltz

Silverberg, Ruth Associate Professor, College of Staten Island, City University of New York

Sperry, Carol Professor of Education, Emerita, Millersville University

St. John, Edward Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan

Suzuki, Daiyu Teachers College at Columbia University

Swaffield, Sue Senior Lecturer, Educational Leadership and School Improvement, University of Cambridge

Tanis, Bianca Parent Member: ReThinking Testing

Thomas, Paul Associate Professor of Education, Furman University

Thrupp, Martin Professor of Education, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Tobin, KT Founding member, ReThinking Testing

Tomlinson, Sally Emeritus Professor, Goldsmiths College, University of London; Senior Research Fellow, Department of Education, Oxford University

Tuck, Eve Coordinator of Native American Studies, State University of New York at New Paltz

VanSlyke-Briggs Kjersti Associate Professor, State University of New York, Oneonta

Wilson, Elaine Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Wrigley, Terry Honorary senior research fellow, University of Ballarat, Australia

Zahedi, Katie Principal, Linden Ave Middle School, Red Hook, New York

Zhao, Yong Professor of Education, Presidential Chair, University of Oregon
"I fancied myself as some kind of god....It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.” -- George Soros
manolo
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Re: Multicultalism in decline?

Post by manolo »

Zack Morris wrote:
manolo wrote: So, my view would be that multiculturalism has always been a bit of a non starter with English speakers and we have a lot of catching up to do as the world develops.
That's not too different from how Americans are. I'm not sure what multiculturalism means because it isn't a term that's commonly used in American political discourse except by far right extremists. These nativists have difficulty articulating precisely which aspect of the culture is being threatened by immigrants, especially when reminded that culture is constantly evolving. It's interesting that you mention Spanish because the current wave of anti-immigrant hysteria is directed exclusively at Latin Americans, often without the slightest hint of irony by people living in historically Spanish parts of the country, like Arizona and California. Given the shear number of Latin Americans, some of this push-back is understandable. But it's funny to think that anyone can seriously believe that English will cease to be spoken in the US when English as the global lingua franca is more powerful (and lucrative!) than ever.

Something interesting about die hard anti-immigration advocates is their relatively benign attitude toward Asians when there are blocks of West Coast cities where the signage is almost exclusively written in Hangul or Hanzi. Spanish signage or paperwork, on the other hand, is viewed as an open assault on the primacy of the English language.

I grew up speaking a useless language at home with my parents but am glad I know at least that. Proficiency in a second language increases primary language vocabulary and enhances understanding of its grammar. It also opens a window on an entirely different world because language strongly affects both culture and perception. To speak in another tongue is quite literally to see the world in an entirely different way.
Zack,

My post was not a criticism of multiculturalism (which I believe is alive and well) but it was a criticism of the tendency of some born English speakers to blinkered superiority. Our nearby city had a museum of 'The Empire' which was opened in the 1980s and permanently disbanded recently. It was all in there.

Alex.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Zack Morris »

Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.

I would say 'consumerism' but that's not really unique to America or even the West. So, two other things that I find especially irritating on a day-to-day basis are 1) the happy/positive/optimistic facade Americans put on, which I believe is a contributing factor to the difficulty some foreigners (especially non-Germanic Europeans) have forming close, meaningful connections with Americans, and 2) the rather impersonal and reserved relationships many Americans have with their families (as if they are something more than roommates but still less than family).
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by noddy »

Zack Morris wrote:Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.

I would say 'consumerism' but that's not really unique to America or even the West. So, two other things that I find especially irritating on a day-to-day basis are 1) the happy/positive/optimistic facade Americans put on, which I believe is a contributing factor to the difficulty some foreigners (especially non-Germanic Europeans) have forming close, meaningful connections with Americans, and 2) the rather impersonal and reserved relationships many Americans have with their families (as if they are something more than roommates but still less than family).
housing. every aspect.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Nonc Hilaire »

The perverse combination of nationalistic jingoism and egocentrism.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Hoosiernorm »

I'm shocked to see Mr. P say that multiculturalism doesn't work. I remember being told that when we invaded Iraq that we would be greeted as heroes and that they would give us bouquets of flowers. It was going to be the greatest cultural exchange in history and everyone there was all ready to join the western democracy club! Now he tells me that it doesn't work!!
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Typhoon »

Zack Morris wrote:Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.

I would say 'consumerism' but that's not really unique to America or even the West. So, two other things that I find especially irritating on a day-to-day basis are 1) the happy/positive/optimistic facade Americans put on, which I believe is a contributing factor to the difficulty some foreigners (especially non-Germanic Europeans) have forming close, meaningful connections with Americans, and 2) the rather impersonal and reserved relationships many Americans have with their families (as if they are something more than roommates but still less than family).
1/ The complex network of social rules, obligations, and constraints.

2/ 出る釘は打たれる。"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Parodite »

In the Netherlands I dislike the lack of natural unregulated environment, wildlife, mountains...
Deep down I'm very superficial
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Simple Minded »

Parodite wrote:In the Netherlands I dislike the lack of natural unregulated environment, wildlife, mountains...
:lol:

over here we have a shortage of dikes...... not the concrete kind but the female kind... :)
Simple Minded

Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Simple Minded »

Zack Morris wrote:Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.
- The complication of the tax code, which results from the use of the tax code as a tool of social engineering.
- The one size fits all mentality of central planners.
- The belief of current voters that since stealing from future generations is legal, it is also moral.
- Nation building (social engineering).
- People who profess to be able to read the minds of others.
- The belief that the state allows everyone to live at the expense of someone else.
- The sense of entitlement.
- The abandonment of personal responsibility in preference of group identity or victimhood status.

On further reflection, I can’t claim that any of the above are indicative of any specific culture. They all seem more aspects of human nature.

Hmmm… Once again the fault seems not to lie in our stars, "the system," or them, but in us or me.

Oh crap....maybe “I” have no culture…… :oops: :cry:
Last edited by Simple Minded on Sat Sep 27, 2014 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Simple Minded »

noddy wrote:
Zack Morris wrote:Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.

I would say 'consumerism' but that's not really unique to America or even the West. So, two other things that I find especially irritating on a day-to-day basis are 1) the happy/positive/optimistic facade Americans put on, which I believe is a contributing factor to the difficulty some foreigners (especially non-Germanic Europeans) have forming close, meaningful connections with Americans, and 2) the rather impersonal and reserved relationships many Americans have with their families (as if they are something more than roommates but still less than family).
housing. every aspect.
Please elaborate.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Zack Morris »

Parodite wrote:In the Netherlands I dislike the lack of natural unregulated environment, wildlife, mountains...
But that's a geographical constraint rather than an element of Dutch culture, isn't it? Is there anything about the Dutch way of life, view, or attitude that you dislike?
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Parodite »

Zack Morris wrote:
Parodite wrote:In the Netherlands I dislike the lack of natural unregulated environment, wildlife, mountains...
But that's a geographical constraint rather than an element of Dutch culture, isn't it? Is there anything about the Dutch way of life, view, or attitude that you dislike?
Forgot the tongue in cheek (the other one) ;)

Sometimes I find the Dutch a wee bit too stoic. Immigrants especially intermarriages with southerners like Moroccans bring good spice to the gene pool. My wife is from Moroccan-Portuguese-Jewish origin I do my best.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Doc »

Hoosiernorm wrote:I'm shocked to see Mr. P say that multiculturalism doesn't work. I remember being told that when we invaded Iraq that we would be greeted as heroes and that they would give us bouquets of flowers. It was going to be the greatest cultural exchange in history and everyone there was all ready to join the western democracy club! Now he tells me that it doesn't work!!
Take the blinders off.

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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by noddy »

Typhoon wrote:
2/ 出る釘は打たれる。"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome

unfortunately not a japanese speciality :/
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by noddy »

Simple Minded wrote:
noddy wrote:
Zack Morris wrote:Here's an interesting question to ponder: what aspect of your culture do you dislike most (and would like to see changed)? Things that you perceive as cultural imports don't count -- let's focus on your indigenous culture, whatever you perceive that to be.

I would say 'consumerism' but that's not really unique to America or even the West. So, two other things that I find especially irritating on a day-to-day basis are 1) the happy/positive/optimistic facade Americans put on, which I believe is a contributing factor to the difficulty some foreigners (especially non-Germanic Europeans) have forming close, meaningful connections with Americans, and 2) the rather impersonal and reserved relationships many Americans have with their families (as if they are something more than roommates but still less than family).
housing. every aspect.
Please elaborate.
every aspect is its own elaboration ;)

"housing and holes" is the cynical viewpoint on australias economy, we build ever more expensive houses and the change the rules to protect the prices of those houses.

we fund it via holes in the ground (mining)

all our middle class and baby boomers have invested most of their money in housing and the super funds and banks (which are meant to be the diversity of their savings) have also invested most of their money in housing.

its one great big overpriced sucking blackole on the economy causing much hardship to the younger generations and lower middle class who arent on the mining gravy train.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Mr. Perfect »

Hoosiernorm wrote:I'm shocked to see Mr. P say that multiculturalism doesn't work.
Where did I say that.
I remember being told that when we invaded Iraq that we would be greeted as heroes and that they would give us bouquets of flowers. It was going to be the greatest cultural exchange in history and everyone there was all ready to join the western democracy club! Now he tells me that it doesn't work!!
What does that have to do with multiculturalism. Perhaps we can enumerate some of obama's failed predictions/promises and you can tell us why you didn't object to those.
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Re: Multicultalism in decline?

Post by manolo »

Zack Morris wrote: As a sample data point, I'm a product of the public education system, and I'm doing great!
Zack,

Me too. The state also covered my BA hons and MPhil. No complaints here. :)

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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Mr. Perfect »

When you bankrupt a nation hopefully someone got something out of it.

Why didn't you guys funnel any money to the poor non-whites though. I don't understand that part, unless it is the obvious explanation.
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Re: Multiculturalism in decline?

Post by Doc »

UN Report on ISIS Multiculturalism
Inside ISIS: Sex slaves and mass executions


Kendra Mangione, CTVNews.ca Writer

@kendramangione
.
Published Thursday, October 2, 2014 10:51AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, October 2, 2014 12:32PM EDT

Islamic State insurgents carried out mass executions, sold women into sex slavery and recruited child fighters, according to a United Nations report that paints a grim picture of the extremist group.

A 40-page report published by the UN on Tuesday details human rights abuses that occurred between July 6 and Sept. 10.

The report, based on 500 interviews with witnesses and surviving victims, was produced by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the UN Human Rights Office.

Kurdish peshmerga fighters stand guard on the front line with the Islamic State group, as they patrol in Rabia, northwestern Iraq, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. (AP / Hadi Mizban)

UN report details Islamic State human rights abuse
Islamic State militants pass a checkpoint bearing the group's trademark black flag in the village of Maryam Begg in Kirkuk, 290 kilometres north of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014. (AP / Hadi Mizban)

UN report details Islamic State human rights abuse
Syrian Kurdish wait for transport as thousands of new Syrian refugees from Kobani arrive at the Turkey-Syria border crossing of Yumurtalik near Suruc, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. (AP / Burhan Ozbilici)

UN report on ISIS
Kurdish peshmerga forces stand by their vehicles in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq, a day after they take control of the village from the Islamic State group, as they patrol on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. (AP / Hadi Mizban)

The UN said that the ongoing armed conflict in Iraq is taking a heavy toll on civilians, despite international humanitarian and human rights laws.

The report catalogued a "range of gross human rights abuses, including murder, physical and sexual assault, robbery, wanton destruction of property, destruction of places of religious or cultural significance, forced conversions, denial of access to basic humanitarian services, and forced expulsion."

Vulnerable groups including minorities, women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly are systematically attacked, the UN said.

"The array of violations and abuses perpetrated by (ISIS) and associated armed groups is staggering, and many of their acts may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said.

Gender-based violence

The report claimed that the extremist group treats women "particularly harshly." Female doctors, lawyers, politicians and other professionals have been killed by members of the organization, it said.

Women of different religions are being asked to convert, the report said. Married women who convert are told that their marriages are not recognized under Islamic law, and they are given to ISIS fighters as wives, along with unmarried converted women.

Women who refuse to convert are either given to fighters as wives or trafficked as slaves.

The UN report said that ISIS insurgents in Iraq herded between 450 and 500 women and girls of Yezidi and Christian minority to be given to soldiers in Syria as a reward or to be sold as sex slaves in July and August.

Some of the women are given or sold to young men in Mosul, Iraq and Raqqa, Syria as a means of recruiting them as fighters.

Forced recruitment and use of children

Some children are sent to orphanages, traumatized after watching their parents be killed in front of them, the report said. Some report being sexually assaulted by ISIS fighters during raids.

The UN said it had received numerous reports alleging that ISIS and affiliated groups are actively recruiting children as young as 13 as fighters. Witnesses told the UN they'd seen armed children wearing attire similar to ISIS fighters accompanying patrols. The children were seen carrying weapons, sometimes too big for them to hold up, witnesses said.

On Aug. 5, the UN International Child's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 25,000 children who had fled to Jabal Sinjar were in immediate need of assistance including drinking water and sanitation services. Several died from hunger, dehydration and heat.

Witnesses told the UN that some women are throwing themselves and their children off of mountains in desperation.

Survivors told the UN that ISIS fighters gathered all males older than 10 at a local school and took them outside the boundaries of Khocho village on Aug. 15. As many as 400 males were then killed, the report said.

Mass executions and targeted killings

On Aug. 10, Iraq's former human rights minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told media that members of Iraq's Yezidi community had been thrown into mass graves. Some of the victims were women and children who had been buried alive, he said.

According to the report, several mass graves have been found in Sinjar district, Sulaiman Bek, Tawakkul village, Diyala, Baquba and other areas. All the deceased died from gunshot wounds, mostly to the head.

In one instance, survivors told the UN they were confronted by ISIS fighters in Qiniyeh village as they fled their home towns. Reportedly, men, women and children were separated and robbed, then between 70 and 90 men were taken to a ditch, lined up and shot.

There have been reports of extrajudicial killings and summary executions as well, the UN said.

On July 31, 15 men were executed and reportedly hung from lamp posts in Baquba. Some told the UN that the men were part of a campaign of harassment of Sunni residents in the area.

The UN report said that at least 13 members of two displaced families belonging to an unidentified religious group were stopped at an ISIS checkpoint in Kifar al-Haloubi and executed.

Civilian impact

Sunni and Shi'a mosques, Christian churches and monasteries, Yezidi shrines, Kaka'e shrines and other religious sites have been targets of vandalism and bombings.

"(ISIS) has enforced codes of conduct on civilians living within its areas of control, which fundamentally abuse a range of basic human rights protected by international and Iraqi law," the report said.

Among the rights denied are freedom to religious belief, expression, assembly and association.

Villages have been seized, imams have been forced to pledge allegiance and schools have been hit by air strikes.

The UN estimated that at least 8,493 civilians have died in the Iraqi conflict so far this year, and 1.8 million have had to leave their homes.
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Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/inside-isis ... -1.2035430
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Mr. Perfect
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Multiculturalism

Post by Mr. Perfect »

I've always been ambivalent. I grew up in a school district where there were 2 non whites my entire school years through HS graduation. I don't remember any racism growing up. We saw plenty of non whites traveling around the nearby cities, mostly black folks. The Mexican invasion hadn't begun yet.

But 25 some years ago you started running into them a lot. In the last 15, Asians and Africans in the places I lived. 5-6 years ago I went to a gym on the edge of farmland, and out of 100 people in the gym there were 2 white people, and English was barely spoken.

There are many places you can live in America where you will never really see a person that isn't white, and will be that way for 100 years or until the Lord comes. There are places where you can live where you will rarely see a white person if you wanted to. And then you can break down some statistic. America is a big place.

So my question these days is who benefits. I've never had a racist cell in my body, I'm largely unaware of it in my daily life, until recently. Seems as though there is a strong correlation between race and culture/politics these days.

I've never minded immigration but been really irritated with illegal immigration, based on the law and order argument. Allowing illegals is a dramatically inefficient way to deal with poverty, is deadly, and rewards people who consciously break the law. Etc. Liberals are willing to let people die just to get votes down the line.

Multiculturalism as the left practices seems to be a celebration of foreign cultures and a derision of the native culture, which obviously is not actually multicultural.

So what is it? What is the goal. Who benefits. Who is driving it. Japan is 98.5 ethnically Japanese, nobody lectures them on missed out on diversity or xenophobia. Everybody likes them. Contrasted with the US which is among the more ethnically diverse places on the globe and liberals seethe about the racism and xenophobia. How can rational people respond to this.

The US is becoming a balkanized ghetto under liberalism, there is a black ghetto on one side of the Chicago/Detroit/Baltimore, an Hispanic one somewhere else, then the whites all live in another place which is separate from the Asians. Why did liberals set this up. And how.

If we decided to stop immigrants from the ME, it would literally be no skin off my nose. If New Zealand wanted to refuse Americans I likely would never even cognate it. If Japan continues to not allow in Americans I will still like Japan. I will feel bad it is a failed state, because I like ninjas, the gardens and skyscrapers and whatnot. I actually am Japanese on many days. When I'm not an Apache. Being Apache/Japanese can be a little confusing. Tiger Woods would call us "Japanache".
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noddy
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Re: Multiculturalism

Post by noddy »

multiculturalism is a weasel word.

sometimes it means 'my culture isnt in power so i want more cultures in power'

other times it means multi racialism and different foods in the foodhall but dont you go actually having a different culture with odd ideas about things or ill flicking kick you in the face you anti-somethingist.
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Typhoon
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Re: Multiculturalism

Post by Typhoon »

Canada, from what I recall, has an official policy of "multiculturalism" whatever that means.

I thought it rather brilliant as by not forcing people to abandon their heritage, there is no backlash against repression.

The 2nd generation all want to be Canadian.
May the gods preserve and defend me from self-righteous altruists; I can defend myself from my enemies and my friends.
noddy
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Re: Multiculturalism

Post by noddy »

australia has been largely simmilar on those levels, most cultures have melted into the general population without fuss over a couple of generations.

i personally dont like the word multicultural,at best it means nothing at worse, its confusing - canada and australia are multi racial places but they most definately have one set of laws and one of the most important aspects of culture is the rules that get you in trouble :)

india is perhaps one of the only properly multicultural places im aware of, with different legal systems and rules for different groups, and that appears plagued with complications and the ugly side of identity politics which my country would be called racism

tolerant, open, liberal - their are plenty of words for societies that allow for many differences and still have one set of rules for everyone.
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Typhoon
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Re: Multiculturalism

Post by Typhoon »

noddy wrote:australia has been largely simmilar on those levels, most cultures have melted into the general population without fuss over a couple of generations.

i personally dont like the word multicultural,at best it means nothing at worse, its confusing - canada and australia are multi racial places but they most definitely have one set of laws and one of the most important aspects of culture is the rules that get you in trouble :)
Having the same laws apply to everyone, blind to ethnicity, religion, and so-called race, is key to a successful society.
noddy wrote:india is perhaps one of the only properly multicultural places im aware of, with different legal systems and rules for different groups, and that appears plagued with complications and the ugly side of identity politics which my country would be called racism
A recipe for resentment.
noddy wrote:tolerant, open, liberal - their are plenty of words for societies that allow for many differences and still have one set of rules for everyone.
A labelling issue, however, I see your point.
May the gods preserve and defend me from self-righteous altruists; I can defend myself from my enemies and my friends.
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