Michaelk “Australia does not have a fully developed Australia culture yet,”

Nowhere on earth has a “developed culture”. Every culture is continuously evolving. What we do have is an English based culture which, considering the results of every other nations colonial development, is one of the best things Australia has going for it.

Now open season on stupidity.

MichaelK “Irish? Scottish-or any other European racist fore-breads - local fascist party then members many of, used to dictation for passing a test on local citizenship?”

“Racist fore-breads”

Oh dullard, I think that should have been “fore-bearers” or maybe “fore-bred”.

As it is you have suggested something as silly as Marie Antoinette’s “let them eat cake”.

Of course, it could just be a racists attempt to request we slice the “whites”.
Seems to me Michaelk is being a bit of a loaf.

Next “dictation”
The local fascist party members requiring someone to take “dictation” before becoming a citizen?

As the boss said to the secretary, “Come here Ms Smith and take something down for me”.

I look forward to your next assault on the English language, Michaelk, with pickle (oops, relish).

The instigator of this topic, Yung Yong, has not been able to back up his assertion that “Multiculturalism in Australia has demonstrated that our diversity is a value that makes us unique and strong”.

The “unique-ness” is obviously wrong (perhaps emphasising the need for a language test), but the parroted claim that there is somehow ‘strength in diversity’ remains unanswered.

There is, of course, no answer. The idea that strength emanates from difference is totally incorrect. The mantra has been repeated so many times by multiculturalists that people too lazy to think for themselves have come to accept it.

Strength is possible only among people who speak the same language and have the same mores and ethos. Whether or not it is acceptable to have people of greatly varying backgrounds in Australia is one subject which will probably never be exhausted. But, to suggest that people from different cultures, wanting to live as they did in the “old country”, has any benefit for Australia is nonsense.

People who broach a subject should be able to support their own contentions on the matter before they put it up for discussion.

RaggedtyAnnie’s comment about Australia’s not having a “fully developed culture” is another scrap borrowed from the extreme left fifth - columnists. Read some history and find the truth!

The same goes for the tired old nonsense about every Australian except blackfellas being migrants or descendants of migrants. Well, Annie, the blackfellas came from Asia – so you would call them migrants, too – and it’s how the rest of us see ourselves that’s important. You will obviously always be a migrant. That’s your mindset. But there are people living in Australia who see themselves as nothing but Australian, even though they might be of first generation. Then there are people from Italy and Greece, for instance, who have been here for many generations who will always see themselves as Italian or Greek.

Australia, like any other country, needs people of similar backgrounds and beliefs.

Regrettably, progress brings about some new problems along with simplifying day-by-day living activities.

A good example of seemingly a positive process is MWin auto-correcting, which automatically changed letters in messages to “fore-breads” for instance.

And even much better example of bad bad bad is a proposed English-speaking test where as usual assuming follow citizens being under-humans or degenerates to the best, a following up London’s orders residing in Australia Anglo-elite consciously perverts superficially looking as not-so-bad idea of broadening a knowledge of a new place called Australia with passing a test in the most hard part of a language proficiency which is a verbal use of language.

This request is factually substantiating a very notion of being law obedient responsible citizens on merits of belonging to a particular language group only.

That is what perfectly presents mere explicit natural Anglo-racism, which might be to some extent understood in a nation’s cradle – England herself, but cannot be tolerated in the UK semi-colonies well existing on discrimination of non-Anglo-Saxon-Celtic population while established by stealing lands round a globe.

Leigh encapsulates the classic "integrate or stay away" complex of many posters here.

>>to suggest that people from different cultures, wanting to live as they did in the “old country”, has any benefit for Australia is nonsense<<

By that reasoning, the first European settlers here would be obliged to live by the same rules, and abide by the same cultural norms, as those already living here. What, exactly, is the difference in logic between the theories then and now?

If the answer is "ah, but our settler-ancestors developed the country, created its economy, and gave it its true identity", then exactly when did the country stop being an outpost of its Anglo-Irish heritage - the old country, as Leigh describes it - and become the Australia of his imagination?

Pick a date. Explain to us multiculturalists exactly what Australia was before that date, in terms of its makeup, background and culture, and what it was afterwards.

Or perhaps he is saying that by occupying the country as they did, all rights of the existing population became secondary to those of the invaders. If he supports this view, then I suggest he forfeits all right to objecting to the influx of people-not-like-him.

Perhaps because of my own history, foreigners have never been a problem for me. I don't fear them, as some folk here do to the point of hysteria (yep, that's you Boaz), nor do I resent them. I wish the hard-working ones well, and condemn the hangers-on as equally as I do those Australians who don't pull their weight.

Asking people to sign up for a citizenship test is, I would suggest, ultimately meaningless. Those who want to become citizens will study and pass the test (I got 85% on the equivalent US citizenship test with only general knowledge to guide me), those who don't, won't bother. It is simply another piece of government grandstanding to gather a few votes that otherwise might fall to Ms Hanson.

Pericles,
you make sense. I made a similar argument in another multicultural discussion some time ago about the rights of the existing population but it seems that many people in OLO are selective and only look at points that fit in with their own perspective. They forget that the indigenous people already had a developed set of laws and that the settlers developed Australia at the expense of the indigenous people’s freedom.

Leigh,
If you don’t find Australia unique and strong, do you find it a common and weak country?

I do find Australia unique as a multicultural country because it is, in number, the most multicultural country in the world; it has the most widespread diversity of nationalities and cultures.
Australia is really a microcosm of world traditions. Nowhere in the world do countries deal with a diversity of over 200 countries.
I find Australia, for that reason, very interesting and unique. I do love the diversity, the many interesting cultures and traditions, all being able to express their cultures (within the Australian laws).

I find Australia strong as well.
The fact that Australia has a good, basic and fair multicultural policy in place makes it a strong country in this regard. (Yes, Australia has its weaknesses as well, but we’re just focusing on multiculturalism here.)
Australia has an ability to accept and welcome many nationalities and their support of such a big diversity does make it a strong nation.
Continued below…

Expecting new immigrants to suddenly pass a language test is illogical and unfair, seeing that Australia has a literacy crisis in where, according to the latest figures of ABS, most Australians classified as illiterate are to be found in four groups: the indigenous; people with lower education attainment; over 65; and male.
To force new Australian citizens to be literate while not even being able to cater for the existing population is in my view, unfair and discriminatory.
I agree with Yung Yong that recourses should be invested in our educational system so all children including children from migrants can profit from a better education rather than one that is failing so many of our children. Of course, English classes should be available to migrants. We made use of the English for migrants course that TAFE was running and this was much appreciated.
Almost all immigrants from Europe now do know Basic English as it has been for some years, in most European countries, a compulsory subject at High schools.
That means that the white immigrants do have an advantage- and this is where a language test makes immigration unfair.

What I would like to see though, is for one main language to become a compulsory subject at High Schools all over the world so that it will become everyone’s second language and everyone would be able to communicate.