can anyone translate wakatak's rant for me please?

is this a dig at PM (MOS) John Howard?

Linguistically diverse is at the heart of the Challenge: Australia can be proud of its liberal, democratic, humanitarian and egalitarian, culture, until you touch and recognise the issues impacting the reality for "the creation of minority groups". A separation of our unique Australian values stare down at you, face to face.

Being politically correct is a barrier among most administrations in Australia. Among services, be they Community NGO or Government, rather than an action. Hence the clones working at all levels that produce systemic forms of "mono culturalism". Silo based networks that shelter themselves from pathways that could otherwise advance a greater productivity through social cohesion. It is a battle between civic society and the formal society. A gap alive. If anything we understand [about labels] such as linguistically diversity in mainstream, it is a key area where our social capital needs true, pro-active growth.

Multiculturalism has a pluralist liberal-democratic ethos at its core. I believe it is about humanity, civilizations, an effort to unify respect and wellbeing of ourselves alongside others, who may or may not have different cultural experiences, between sectors and it is about emotional intelligence when it comes to understanding these diverse views.

The problem is amid what we flag as common ground and not common ground. If I looked at the socioeconomic factors causing disadvantage I find the heroism within mainstream directly contrasts with our understanding of ordinary. No matter the cultural aspects. The gap becomes about linguistically diverse information. Where the capacity to understand the information required about ordinary things concerning ordinary peoples lives becomes "to much information". As the fast lane waged and working is driven by boxes and concisely printed forms, classifying, processing and ticking-off all that is depersonalized other then themselves, it expands the gap we work to actually close.

I liked the reference to the many playing at the swimming pool and Australia's appreciation of mixed spice and food.

Love is through the tummy isn't it.

It is also at the heart of human rights and ecological sustainability.

The matter for all is to make the small steps count.

http://www.miacat.com/

I would have thought that anyone with decades of experience in aboriginal affairs, in Australia, would have been far too ashamed of their total failure to admit it, let alone claim it gave them some right to further input.

Australia is a nation grown out of immigrant settlement from its early history. It is this diverse mix that actually gave Australia the values we cherish and it is this diverse mix that has made Australia the country that she is today. Perhaps the author needs more education and be encouraged to practice less fear mongering. But then, I guess it's to be expected - when you look at some of our politicians who while denying even that racism exists, give it tacit approval and support through policy, whether this policy is on refugees, security, or on Indigensous affairs. All rather sad really.

The majority of migrants have come to Australia because of what it represents and its values. They have accepted that they are part of a community and have accepted its values with their own cultural flavour.

The danger is when a particular culture sees itself as separate from the rest of the community, and strives for ideals imported from far away and long ago, and contrary to the welfare of the community in which they live.

Multi culturism enriches us all, but there are certain core values that have to be shared or else society cannot function.

This is an interesting article, although I disagree with its fundamental conclusion that multiculturalism is not always inherently good.

In the first place, this article fails to distinguish between different ways in which multiculturalism has been practiced, even in an Australian context.

Secondly, and more problematically, the author fails to connect 'multiracialism' which she supports without reservation, to multiculturalism. One important thing to note is that in our society race and culture are frequently used synonymously, and, rightly or wrongly, people from different races are assumed to have different cultures. Therefore the acceptance of interracial relationships and 'multiracialism' is intimately linked to multiculturalism. One could not exist without the other.

To have a successful multiracial society like the one this author supports, we need to more than simply 'look past' skin colour. Being colour-blind is not a good thing, because it ignores difference and diversity and envisions everyone as 'just like us', where 'us' is the white, middle-class, heterosexual majority. Cultural differences exist - they exist between races, religions and nationalities, even between socio-economic classes and geographical regions within Australia. Without respect for these differences and the fact that they exist, how could we as a nation possibly respect individuals enough to cross these boundaries, boundaries that were once seen as insurmountable, in our personal and day-to-day lives?

On a separate matter, this article demonstrates ignorance and fear of muslims and also a lack of understanding of the sexism that exists within Australian culture already. Although I agree that the doctrine that requires women to remain covered because men cannot control themselves is degrading to both, and oppresses women, how is this so different to women in rape trials facing questions about what they were wearing, whether they were drunk, and 'were they asking for it' by being in a certain place, at a certain time? Sexism and other forms of oppression should always be challenged, but it is wrong to suggest that only immigrants are the problem here - they are perhaps just the most visible, and their manifestation of sexism is different to our own.