Why multiculturalism doesn't work

I don't agree with you at all, it's too much of a broad thing to be able to say it simply doesn't work. There's thousands of cultures in the world, most modern cultures are mixtures of older cultural groups. Just because group A doesn't seem to be working with group B right now, doesn't mean that group A doesn't work fine with group D, group E and group F.

Most of the time multiculturalism works and nobody notices, it's only when there's a problem that you make a problem about it. The country I am from is by definition multicultural, we don't have a 'host' culture yet we don't have any major racial hatred issues or people not integrating. When I moved from that country to Britain, I didn't need to integrate. I already did 90% of things the same, changing the little things were probably pointless.

That definition you stated doesn't seem to be what anyone who has opposed the OP is referring to though. Everyone is referring to a 'multiculturalism' where people actually integrate into the culture of the host nation which isn't what is implied by the definition you've given. This definition implies that all aspects of the an ethnic group's culture are kept intact.


If someone could actually give an example of exactly where multiculturalism by the definition you've given (that is without these diverse cultures being compromised at all) with zero problems and complete harmony then I'd revise my stance.


But that's exactly the case! People are defining it differently (mostly to support their argument) and that is what is causing misunderstandings.

Wikipedia says: "Multiculturalism describes the existence, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultural traditions within a single jurisdiction". There's nothing there that specifies that these incoming cultures have to behave as personified overseas territories of their country of origin, it simply means that they are maintaining cultural traditions. Multiculturalism and integration are not mutually exclusive. If your definition of multiculturalism is literally that people expect to be able to behave in precisely the same way as they would in their homeland then sure, that's a problem, but that's fairly self-evident and it's not the definition that most people use.

It's completely true that the ease of integration will depend on individuals as well as cultural differences. However, once again, the fact that 15% of the British population was born abroad yet we still operate within a civilised, law-abiding society proves that different cultures are completely capable of coexisting. It is not asking for trouble. And in an increasingly globalised world where the incentive for international cooperation is very strong, there's a really powerful incentive for cultural mixing.

Assimilation and integration indicates that the host country is mono-cultural, not multicultural.

X

Well yes exactly.
Not sure what your point is though.

While its true that many these practices do take place, many of them do so ilegally and only within tribal areas of certain nations i.e. FGM,

If you're expecting assimilation and integration, then it's incorrect of you to say that multiculturalism has failed/doesn't work, when it clearly hasn't because we have a diverse range of cultures that exist in the UK.

If you are going to make blase arguments in regards to a topic that affects upwards of 8 million citizens, it would be helpful to at least get the terms right.

I've always known multiculturalism as coexistence. So, people from different backgrounds and different cultures working and living in the same communities and at peace.

I could move there for many reasons. I could have found a job there, or may have had relatives in the country. I could move there for the climate too if I were retired and such. Just because I move to a country doesn't necessarily mean I care or should care about the culture, provided I live within the law. And yes, France is quite Catholic.

So let's make a gross generalisation and talk about the 100,000-strong Chinese community in the UK. Do they maintain their culture and traditions in the UK? Of course. But I don't think I'm going to hear you start complaining about how we need to throw Chinese immigrants out of the country, despite the fact that they maintain their foreign cultural identity. So your problem isn't multiculturalism, your problem is specific cultures.

Read my edit.


Integration is the only way people from different ethnic backgrounds can exist with zero problems.

But do those cultures coexist peacefully? If it hasn't failed then there'd be no xenophobia or racism or constant complaint everyday from Tsrians saying that the culture of their country is being eroded. If everyone was getting along just fine there wouldn't be any ethnic tensions which there clearly are if you watch the news. People wouldn't complain about grooming gangs and child marriage in the UK. After all it's their culture and we're all one big happy family. Black women wouldn't be yelling abuse at Muslim women on buses. Slovakian gypsies wouldn't be threatening to rape British citizens.
Don't kid yourself

That's not the issue.

Ethnic tensions are there because people expect others to integrate/assimilate, which is something that is not necessary in a multicultural society.

That definition you stated doesn't seem to be what anyone who has opposed the OP is referring to though. Everyone is referring to a 'multiculturalism' where people actually integrate into the culture of the host nation which isn't what is implied by the definition you've given. This definition implies that all aspects of the an ethnic group's culture are kept intact.


If someone could actually give an example of exactly where multiculturalism by the definition you've given (that is without these diverse cultures being compromised at all) with zero problems and complete harmony then I'd revise my stance.


But that's exactly the case! People are defining it differently (mostly to support their argument) and that is what is causing misunderstandings.

That's not the issue.

Ethnic tensions are there because people expect others to integrate/assimilate, which is something that is not necessary in a multicultural society.

Why shouldn't people integrate?

I bet if some westerners moved to Saudi Arabia skimpily dressed, advocating gay rights and holding orgies every once in a while they wouldn't be greeted with open arms. A country like that won't tolerate the western societal values it deems disgusting and would expect everyone to integrate and comply with the Islamic laws.

This is a topic that has been on my mind for a long time and until today I've been too scared to voice my opinions on it for fear of backlash from my ethnic community.
I'm aware this topic has been done to death by european nationals that are experiencing the downsides of living in a society where they are being forced to get used to living with so many different people with societal values that are completely different to theirs in order to seem poilitically correct and tolerant despite the harm it's doing to their own society. But as somewhat of an outsider and as someone that this issue Europe ( The migrant crisis) is facing doesn't directly affect I'd like to share what I think of the issue. And my opinions aren't restricted to just Europe but to the world at large.
Will try to keep it short.



1. Multiculturalism is a catalyst to war and conflict. Lets take this scenario for example; In a chemistry lab, all the different chemicals are stored separately in their own special bottles specifically designed for the chemical that is being stored within. What happens when you decide to pour all those chemicals in one large vat? There's likely going to be an explosion that'd tear the roof off. Different places have different societal values and it's impossible to ask people to just 'respect' that. Some people can and some people can not. For example some cultures accept child marriages and think sex with minors is justifiable but becasue of my own upbringing and personal morals I just can't accept it and I never will. I personally can not even share a room with someone that thinks that that's okay. It's not difficult how to see how that could possibly lead to conflict and tensions between two groups. Which brings me to my next point.

2. Multiculturalism incites racial hatred. People would love to assume that being around people who are completely different to you culturally and scoially would cause people to become more tolerant but it does the exact opposite. It highlights the irreconcilable differences between the two groups of people and constantly being exposed to societal values tnat you don't agree with/hate will one way or another lead to believing that anyone who holds such opinions must be less than human and scum. It breeds an us vs them mentality. It's obvious that this will become problematic in the long run.


3. It affects the legal/judicial system in a country. Once a country's government starts changing it's laws in order to appease a minority rather than the majority then there's a problem. For example, a country in which child marriage is illegal laxing it's laws on child marriage in order to appease a small minority of people. There's no way that won't casue outrage. That's not how legal systems should work.


4. It dilutes the culture of the host nation. As much as people don't want to admit it, having so many different people coming to live in one place who must by all means take every aspect of their own culture with them, effectively erodes the cultural and national identity of the place they're moving to and it's not fair to the natives of that place. I sure as hell wouldn't want thousands of people to come in to my country and refuse to integrate thereby burying my country's rich cultural heritage..



After all that's been said, it's clear that multiculturalism is just a utopian fantasy that can't be fully achieved anywhere as much as it pains me to say. I can't think of one place where people of conflicting backgrounds and origins live together in perfect peace and harmony.
You even get family members and relatives calling you derogatory names for trying to integrate in the new society. (Ie south asians calling other well adjusted south asians 'coconuts'

By no means a solution but some advice:
When deciding to relocate to a new country you must make this decision. Are you going to be able to accept the laws, societal values and culture of the host nation? Are you going to be kind and respectful to locals even if you don't agree with their culture? Will you make an effort to learn the language of the host nation you are moving to? Are you going to try and integrate into the society and not form cliques and seperate communities that refuse to mix with others?
If the answer to all these is no then I think it's best to stay in your own country.

The only thing I can justify taking along with you are aspects of your culture that your host nation can actively benefit from (ie cuisine, entertainment etc)


Tldr: Multiculturalism doesn't work effectively anywhere


Conflicting opinions are welcome

The multicultralism they are refering to is called intergration, not multicultralism. They are quite different in many aspects.

Obviously we cannot live in a multicultral society with no problems at all. There's always going to be some sort of dispute between cultral groups, we can't stop it 100% but we can reduce it greatly so that any sort of dispute would only happen rarely.

Anyways that's just my view on this topic