because "culture" to the snob is either "quaint peasant" or "deluxe aristocrat".
Shockadelic,
What is culture to a non-snob then ? Football ? Listening to Cricket 18 hours a day on the radio in the age of Television ? I think culture requires a degree of intelligence as well.

"The real problem is the collection of sociopaths and useful idiots that we laughingly call our politicians".(@ Divergence). All politicians should have some experience and understanding of environmental science and ecology. The thin-ness of their studies, of politics, power, and laws limits their understanding of the real world, and of our reliance on the planet's finite resources, and limits to growth.
The planet has never been at such as crucial stage as it is in now. There has never been as many people on it as there are now. Earth has been compromised by years of consumption levels never seen before, and ecosystems able to cope with it are now under severe pressure. One of the outcomes is "climate change" - and "peak" just about everything.
The no-brainer way to increase the size of our economy, GDP, is through raw population growth! However, such a scheme fails to take into account limits to growth, the costs of growth, and the long term implications. More and more Australia's so-called democratic system is being undermined by business groups and big company moguls who are able to buy political power and sway political policies for their own short-term monetary gain. The reason for Australia's increasing immigration rate, liberal selling of visas, and unlimited categories, is that the property market has become cannibalistic - and prepared to destroy the once "Lucky Country". We have too many politicians in Australia, captive to growth-ist policies, but very few statesmen.

What the SPA, the Unstable People Party and the Stop Population Growth via Armageddon Party fail to understand is that NOM is the addition (or loss) to the resident population arising from the difference between those leaving Australia and those arriving, either permanently or on a long-term basis (in the county 12 months or more over a 16 month period).

This includes long-term temporary entrants such as overseas students, New Zealand citizens, and Australian permanent residents or citizens returning home after an extended absence. Remember those Kiwis. They love us. God bless em.

The largest contribution to NOM in recent years has not been permanent migrants, but people entering Australia on long-term temporary visas, in particular overseas students and temporary skilled migrants.

Unlike the permanent Migration Program, temporary migration is NOT subject to planning levels or caps set by the Government. Government has no control over the numbers of Australian citizens and permanent residents leaving or returning to Australia.

I will leave you with those thoughts. You have some policy rewriting to do.

Individual “What is culture to a non-snob then?”

“Culture” is whatever beliefs, behaviours and activities are inherited and shared by a group of people.
It's however people live their lives *together*.

No, it doesn't have to be “intelligent” or exciting, decorative, spicy, elaborate, or anything in particular.

The notion of “multicultural” is a contradiction in terms.
What is not shared is not “culture”!

Even cultural rebellions (dada, punk) require an shared *context* to be comprehensible.
They can't just have no relationship to anything.

You can have a syncretic or complex culture, but not *multiple* cultures at once in the same group.

If people are living at odds with their neighbours, that's not “culture”, that's just personal “lifestyle”.

Our society allows significant leeway in that regard, but that's because the notion of private personal liberty is, drumroll, part of our “culture”!

“Football?”

Sumo?
Cockfighting?
Camel wrestling?

“I think culture requires a degree of intelligence as well.”

That's just what a snob would say.

Oh reeeeeaally! Well you shouldn't be supporting multiculti immigration then.
Some of those cultures are very obviously inferior in intelligence.

How about an IQ test for all immigration applicants?
Oh no, then we wouldn't get those quaint exotic people with the frilly skirts and spicy dishes!
Who will entertain the bored rich White snobs!? (and clean their floors).

Overloading Australia: Authors Mark O'Connor and William J. Lines

As a result of Jennie Goldie's article, I obtained from the library the book Overloading Australia. The facts the authors present are very thought provoking, and demonstrate the dangers of overpopulation not only for Australia, but for the rest of our world.

My 'bigotry' does not support illegal refugees being allowed to flood in. However I, along with many other Australians, would be in favour of [limited] legitimate immigrants. This last year in particular a large number of our refugee intake has been from Pakistan, which is a very strong patriarchal society, and this is at odds with the freedom women have in our society. A more diverse cultural mix would theoretically continue our - so far - multicultural and multiracial society's harmony.

At the same time, we should pay attention to applying a more stringent examination of would be immigrants. For varying reasons Australians have shown great concern regarding this subject.

The strong argument against increasing our population is set out very clearly in the book.

The subject of proposed population and its effects are too wide ranging to post here, but if one reads this book, it is possible to better understand the numerous ramifications of overpopulation.

I’m with you all the way, worldwatcher. Mark O’Connor in particular has been a great champion for a sustainable population for many years.

There are certainly big concerns with multiculturalism. Just like growth, it is a grab-bag of good and bad aspects, and it is just far too over simplistic and downright wrong to promote it as being an entirely good thing. We should indeed be much more selective with the immigrants we choose, for cultural, religious and ethnic and reasons.