Londoners - how has diversity enriched your life?

It's made you aware but are you honestly interested to learn more? And are the people (from cultures different to yours) willing to share their culture with you?



True. It's hard to stick out in London. Racist views still exist in London but it's less overt nowadays and has been confined to views behind closed doors e.g. family members.

It has made it one of the greatest cities in the world. Take away the diversity and it will drop FAR down the list. See for yourself the greatest cities have the greatest diversity.

If we fail to attract the best talent we fall behind. Basic economics 101.

Having lived both in London (diverse), a relatively diverse but highly segregated town and also in probably one of the most exclusively white (and relatively poor) areas of the country - I would say that it does make a massive difference. You say people are segregated in London, but in the town I grew up I could probably draw cultural/ethnic lines for you on a map. People lived only within their own communities. There are some trends and the odd exception, but London is actually REALLY mixed and non-segregated in comparison. And compared to the rural area I lived in where everybody was white - well, you can't really be any more suspicious of 'different' looking people being untrustworthy than if you've literally barely ever seen them in real life before. I moved there having lived in aforementioned segregated town and was shocked at the difference. Some of my friends who weren't white came to visit and literally got stared at like zoo animals, people could not contain their curiosity in the street!

Basically I think you don't realise how any sense of segregation and so on that you may be feeling is actually really minor in London. It is very much more unified than anywhere else I've lived, people live so close together that you get people of all sorts around you all of the time. And whilst you may not all join together in a happy cultural sharing scheme, you end up with a far better idea of each other's cultures and are far more likely to get to know a diverse group of people which in turn colours the open-ness of your own world view. The main obstacle, in my opinion, isn't the geographical segregation which coloured the town I used to live in, but just the fact in London nobody is friendly with each other regardless x__X

But then again it might be just because I live in a very diverse part of London.

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Also, the south Asians seem to multiply like bunnies.... London is nothing but agony nowadays because the streets are just way too crowded

Yeah, people always talk about the global cuisine when asked about the advantages of diversity. In fact, in the cases I've encountered, the variety of food is only thing they can think of.
The thing is, I don't think you need a highly diverse population in order to taste food from around the world.



I disagree. Look at Tokyo, 98% of its population are Japanese and it's one of the best cities in the world despite not being the most diverse.
It's also a lot cleaner and safer than London. People are lot more respectful and you're less likely to get jumped on walking around at night. A big part of the reason these positive attributes exist is because there's less diversity among Tokyo's population. Since they're culturally similar, most people tend to obey unwritten shared cultural rules resulting in society which functions with fewer problems.

And your opinion assumes that the majority of London's diverse population are highly educated, specialists when that isn't the case. You blindly assume that endless diversity can only be good thing whilst ignoring the problems it introduces.

Gun and knife crime, the rise of FGM, the resurgence of particular diseases,human trafficking, higher birth rates,an increased strain on infrastructure/housing and are some of the problems that have either been introduced or exacerbated by London's increased diversity.
People that champion diversity usually like to conveniently gloss over the bad bits.

Society feels less cohesive today because it's hard to gain cohesion in such a diverse environment. We might live and work among each other, but London is incredibly culturally segregated.
Like I said, I think diversity is good to a point. But after a certain point the negatives start outweighing the positives.

Yet ignorance exists across vast areas of London's population. Diversity has done nothing to change this. People don't go around wanting to learn about another person's culture and likewise people don't want to share their culture with people outside their own ethnic group.

Most of my cultural awarness has come from the web and not being among people that are different to me. The idea that people in a multicultural society go around actively wanting to learn about the cultures of their fellow citizens is an illusion.

What do you expect from a major city? London really isn't that packed. If you've been to Los Angeles, Paris, HK or Singapore and actually had the experience of being in another global city you'd know.

London is the only megacity in Europe with a population significantly greater than Paris.

If you look at density, then it's a different story.

It's the other way around. People come because London is the world's second global city at the very worst.

You imply that increased reproduction by ethnic minorities is the reason London has some of it's issues. This is not true, most ethnic minorities do not have more than two kids. In fact, ethnic minorities may even bring up their kids better and these kids eventually contribute to society. Ethnic minorities do not make up the whole of gun or knife crime. Or rape and the sexual abuse of children for that matter.

how convenient. Look at the highly skilled labour force and tell me where they are from.

In several minority cultures - particularly south Asian (Pakistani and Bangladeshi) and African ones, having a large family is actively encouraged for various reasons including prosperity, safety and importance.
That's not to say that all families from these minority groups always have lots of children but it is something that is culturally encouraged.

More people means a greater strain on infrastructure and services.

Gun and knife crime in London is predominately commited by black youths of African/Carribbean descent.

As a Londoner, I'm aware that phrases such as "cultural melting pot", "multicultural","cosmopolitan" and "diversity" are often associated with the capital.

People I've come across tend speak of London's diverse population in a postive manner and are quick to highlight it as one of the capital's strengths. But they rarely say how specifically living in such a diverse environment has enriched their lives.

I don't really see the cultural and social advantages of living in such an environment anymore.I feel that London's increased diversity has lead to society becoming fragmented and less trustworthy. Yes, I am surrounded by many different types of people, but I've also noticed that ethnic groups (this includes white groups) tend to congregrate in insular communities which nullifies the supposed benefits of living among different people.

I also feel the varying degrees of difference leads to a level of friction among people that you simply wouldn't see in a less diverse environment. This usually results in flashpoints of violence and confrontation - fuelled by the vast cultural differences that emerge from London's high levels of diversity.

When you have such a broad gamut of cultural difference, there's less social cohesion. There's less respect for your fellow man or woman. And I see the effects of that frequently in London.

I believe the actual cultural benefits of living in London's multicultural society are an illusion. I live in a borough where they is a high population of black (west African and Carribbean) people and oriental (Chinese and Vietnamese) people and yet I feel like I have gained very little (culturally) from living among them.

Now, I'm not saying that I'd rather live in a a small rural village where everyone sports an English pudding face - I think diversity is good to a point, but I feel the high level of diversity that exists within London has lead to a society that feels incredibly culturally segregated and untrustworthy.

How has London's diversity enriched your life?

Maybe it hasn't and you can identify with the thoughts above.

Share your opinions.

For me it just makes me feel more at home - I'm originally from Birmingham so Ive always felt uncomfortable living in areas with no/few ethnic minorities - Bristol for example.

Things I love about living in multicultural areas other than a sense of home are:
a) the foood!!!
b) food
c) also food
d) Usually less UKIPPY/conservative than white areas
e) more friendly/community feel
f)usually perks like markets/independent food shops
g) (for Lewisham at least) people think theylle get shot so rents stay lower
h) when you're younger you get a better knowledge of different cultures and the world as a whole
I) its just overall more interesting. Larger variety of experiences really.

On other black youths of Afro Carribean descent though. It's bad, but you're very unfortunate if you get caught up in it.

Although if you're a youth of Afro Carribean descent it must suck balls.


Also re lots of children - that usually stops after a generation or two. You just have to look at us Italians for that - couple of generations back it was a very insular culture, huge families, Italians married Italians, now most are the Britishest people you'll ever meet, and my Dads an only child.

Agreed, being mixed race like me is horrible in London because everyone is segregated by ethnic group and you don't belong anywhere. We need to stop encouraging 'diversity' and focus on what we have in common regardless of skin colour or religion (there's even some scientific evidence that this leads to a more harmonious society).