Now you've got that off your chest, what do you think makes a good culture?

Does it have to be homogeneous ethnically or are common values more important? Why?

Come on mate, give us the benefit of your mind instead of your emotions.

LEGO: let's see if I have this straight. Are you saying that tendencies like criminality are genetically determined and have nothing to do with socio-economic circumstances?

Hi Anti, I would love to continue deprogramming you. but PhillipM has hit on an interesting question.

Hi PhillipM, what I am saying, is that both nature and nurture are far more important causal factors to criminality than socio economic circumstances.

In the past, people may have stolen both food to eat and goods to survive. But today, modern societies have extensive welfare services so that people need not commit criminal acts in order to eat and survive. If poverty caused crime, then every poor society on Earth would be riddled with crime, and every poor person would be a criminal. This is not the case. Here in Australia, some of our poorest areas are rural ones where guns are common, people do not lock their doors, and crime is almost non existent. Some small country towns in Australia have never had an armed robbery in their entire history.

That genetics does play a part in criminal behaviour is easy to prove, when you remember that 95-98% of prison inmates are male. Not just male, but primarily young males. The degree of genetic responsibility to criminal behaviour recognised by courts in every civilised society. Very violent offenders can appeal to the court that their propensity towards violent behaviour is something that they can not control, and they can get leniency from the court if they agree to undergo therapy.

Finally, the degree to which violence is accepted in any society as a way of solving personnel problems, is a reflection of cultural conditioning. Young men brought up in macho cultures where men have a medieval concept of personnel honour are very violent societies. For example, Mexico's homicide rate (per 100,000 people) is 30 per 100,000, while Australia's is 1.8 per 100,000.

Mexican culture is based upon the Inca culture which required the shedding of copious amounts of blood. This was mixed with Christianity, where the tortured and crucified Christ really struck a chord with the Incas. Nowhere in the world does Christ's blood flow more freely on his cross, or the crown of thorns cut more deeply into His head.

Yeah, I thought you'd squib it, LEGO. All those people with different skins terrify you, don't they?

On the subject of poverty and crime, it's got nothing to do with welfare benefits, but the sense of communality that is still strong in rural areas where people have to rely on each other because there are so few services provided for them and stealing would be betraying a friend.

I leave my doors open and I always have. Don't you get tired of having to open and close all the locks in your world?

I won't bother with the rest of your post other than to say that it's just more shadow-chasing. What a shame you can't find something better to do with that mind.

What you need, my dear Antiseptic, is a few thousand Lebs running around your town shooting each other, selling drugs, walking on your beaches insulting your daughter, screaming at your police, making your teachers lives unbearable, throwing rocks through your church's stained glass windows, and driving like complete lunatics. I see now why you love multiculturalism so much. Those most enamoured of this failed concept are the ones who live the furthest away from its consequences.

Returning to your original questions, a "good" culture is a successful, peaceful and prosperous culture which bequeaths unto its people personal freedoms never before experienced by humankind. And it is one which leads the way with scientific discovery which benefits everyone.

You can scratch the sundry Muslim cultures from that list, can't you?

As to your question as to whether a "good" culture needs to be homogenous or whether "common values are more important", I would point out that your question makes little sense. Homogenous societies are noted for their lack of internal strife because their common values mean that there is little difference of opinion as to what constitutes correct behaviour. It is the multicultural societies which are populated by competing groups with diametrically opposed concepts of right and wrong, which are not nice places to live and where human conflict is inevitable.

Now, I have answered your questions, please answer mine. Tell me why you advocate multiculturalism when it has been a noted failure in every country cursed with it? And why should it work in Australia when it has failed everywhere else?

" a "good" culture is a successful, peaceful and prosperous culture which bequeaths unto its people personal freedoms never before experienced by humankind."

Ah, you mean like this one?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim_empires_and_dynasties

"the Umayyad (and later, the Abbasid) Caliphates allowed merchants and scholars to travel easily through western Eurasia, bringing goods and knowledge which the Muslims greatly expanded upon through the Caliphate and outward to less advanced regions, such as Western Europe. In 751, paper-making from China made its way to the West through Muslims. Trade introduced Islam to the Africans."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_aspects_of_Islam

"Traditional political concepts in Islam include leadership by elected or selected successors to the Prophet known as Caliphs, (Imamate for Shia); the importance of following Islamic law or Sharia; the duty of rulers to seek Shura or consultation from their subjects; and the importance of rebuking unjust rulers.[1]"

Glad we got that sorted out.

"your question makes little sense. Homogenous societies are noted for their lack of internal strife "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_civil_wars

It really is a shame the way you're wasting that mind of yours.