One of the nicest things in my life are the interactions I have with people of different culture, in business and socially. Most of my closest friends are from different cultures, I love it. Some of the saddest things in my life are the attempted interactions with people of religion, who have but one subject to discuss and do it badly.

We fix this, by starting at the bottom and changing our education system to a truly secular one, that doesn't teach religion except in philosophy and then on a historical factual basis. We tax religion, no more free ride. No support for private schools until all our public schools have the best facilities and standards available. We first educate children in life and how to live it responsibly and happily. How to be individuals yet part of society. Then once they know how to live, they learn what they need to make their life as they would like it.

We don't allow anyone to come or remain in this country that cannot speak adequate English. We don't allow any immigrant to stay, if they are out of work for more than 1 month in a year and we don't give them any welfare except health for the first 5 years.

All immigrants should be placed throughout the country with work and restricted from moving for 5 years. By doing this people will have to assimilate into the community and locals will know that these people will be a working responsible part of their community for at least 5 years. It would reduce crime, integrate people and improve our country. Rather than now it is destroying it.

Immigrants that commit crimes, instant removal after they serve their sentence, with no appeal to the removal. It should be 10 years before citizenship can be obtained. We must change the approach to educating everyone that grows here, or comes here.

“Culture is an evolving process - thank goodness!” Very true Scout, but religion is not an evolving process and thats the problem.

Hamlet,

You’re post above…

That is (exactly) how I feel as well.

Our secular freedom aims to leave ones decision on the fate of their soul in their own hands.

Democracy gives all people a chance at life. We are free to gain headway in Australian society or fall to victim status.

A poster recently said this to Ifran about his constant accusations we are nazi brown-shirts.

“Most of this group are not racist/nazi sympathisers etc but rather concerned about protecting a lifestyle they enjoy for themselves and their kids.
Suggestions are welcome about how to ease the fears of this group.”

A way to ease “fear” or resentment is to:

1 Not assume we are unsound or in need of “help” with fear, we do comprehend very well.

2 If we vote and win against PC and multicultural laxity, understand our decision to do so was not a flaw that needed fixing.

To stress my point further-

A delightful example of Australian democracy is the freedom it offers to the oppressed.
Under Aussie law, an Australian muslim woman has the right to:

1 throw off the black sack thingie.

2 strut in bikinis.

3 divorce and claim property.

4 charge a man for rape-battery.

5 have a career.

6 criticise, ridicule, draw, publish and sell pictures of allah, even naked ones with him posing in the arms of big fat cuddly pig.

7 have sex with anyone, male, female or in-between, even tie up, boss and whip naked men… as much and as varied as wanted.

8 Join Animal Lib and have pet pigs and dogs.

9 go to the pub and get rolling drunk…

All this is here in my culture, if she feels like diversifying.

PS

On the subject of probation for immigrants yesterday I was speaking to a Philippines friend. He is already on 2 years probation. So maybe this stuff is in place already.

I have friends and workmates from other cultures as well, and I appreciate their culture. I do not consider their cultures to be either superior nor inferior to mine.

I have heard and read immigrants stating that Australia did not have a culture prior to the post WW2 migrant influx.

To me this is insulting in the extreme. Australia may not have had the sort of culture that these people wanted it to have, but it did have a culture, one which marked out Australians as being different to to our Anglo cousins of English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, New Zealand and Canadian backgrounds.

The influx of people from different cultures has changed Australian society, in some ways for the better, in other ways for the worse. Australian culture would have continued to evolved without this influx anyway.

Australia in 1950 was a very different place to Australia in 1900.

Australia has always had a 'rich' culture, it is just that some people simply cannot see, or refuse to see, that richness.

The re-emeergence of Anzac Day as a commemoration is now not so much about the commemoration of war, but of the underlying culture that produced the heroes and heroines of 1914 - 1945.

Don't tell me that my culture needs to be 'enriched' from outside.

You may work towards changing it, that is your right in a democratically based society, but remember that you can only try to work those changes because of the pre-existing richness of democracy, rule of law, equality before the law and respect for individual liberties that you found when you arrived here, and which were probably the main reason for your desire to settle here in the first place.

Scout, you said

["Culture is an evolving process"] and
["We are experiencing change at an unprecedented rate"]

Did you realize that in both of your statements you expressed them in the passive ? a way which suggests we are just observing bystanders while all this 'un-orchestrated' change takes place around us.

Have you not noticed the sentiments being expressed by a number of posters suggesting that change requires our 'consent' ?

SOURCES OF CHANGE
It should be clear from a common sense viewpoint that no change just 'happens' it is caused to happen. It can be caused by highly motived interest groups, like the ETU with Dean Mighell having an 'anti racism' rally on Feb 9 at Brunswick town hall (in reality to gather support from the Arab Community for socialist objectives)...

Change can be brought about by government policy. (which itself can be initiated by the above highly motivated groups) Even by climatic change etc.

When Cruz Bustamente stood for the 'Hispanic Vote' In the USA elections, he was not representing the interests of the non Hispanics, he had an 'Hispanic-centric' agenda for CHANGE.

When the DEMOCRATS in the USA manipulated things so that non union workers would be SACKED, that was deliberate calculated 'change'.

But suggesting change 'just happens' is naivity in the extreme.
I suppose this is why you have the same "Its just happening" approach to the inroads of political Islam here. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I think you lost a lot of your already tarnished remaining credibility with that post. You seem disconnected from reality.

Hamlet & Meredith etc are correct. Australia did/does/and will continue to have, its own unique culture based on its foundation as a nation and its original ethno-cultural mix (74%) The other 26% are many many ethnicities, none of which is individually significant in terms of impact of the 74%. If they were, we have to ask 'Who' is pulling such strings.... and why ?

Hamlet, my confidence in the great things about this country is not so fragile that it only holds if I assume that we have attained perfection. Part of the reason our country is so great is that we have learned from others, both the good and bad. We have looked at the mistakes others make and tried to reject the worst of them, we have picked up on many of the good things happening elsewhere. That process needs to continue if we want to stay a great nation. It's no insult to look for further enrichment unless you assume that is only good if where you start from is horribly flawed, not a position I hold.

Likewise it is false vanity to assume that we are doing the best that can be done in every aspect of our nation and that there is nothing to learn from others. You need not assume that other cultures are in total better than ours to learn from them, rather assume that all cultures have strengths and weaknesses.

Enrichment comes through different idea's and diversity. It is no insult to this country to be willing to pick and choose from the best that the rest of the world has to offer.

Scout, thanks again. It does not often feel eloquent at this end of the keyboard.

Everybody on the cultural change issue. Cultural change in a free society is something which will happen to some extent regardless of our individual views. We may seek to influence the direction of that change but we can never stop it. In my view one of the best safeguards against extremism in cultural change is diversity, gather influences from a broad range of sources, not just those with the biggest budget to promote their idea's or those with the most radical agendas. Attempts to stifle cultural change are the mark of oppresive regimes, not the mark of this great country. Rather we should be seeking to ensure that the changes which occur retain the best of what we have.

R0bert

R0bert,

What is this diversity krap? and where did you get this waffle from?

Attempts to stifle cultural change are the mark of oppresive regimes, not the mark of this great country.

Have you some reference as to its integrity?

Your whole dialogue is reminiscent the cultural cringe, of a person with an inherent dislike of themselves; what you need to do is accept yourself for what you are.

Of course you may just be a camp follower of that great big melting pot!

Take a pinch of white man
Wrap him up in black skin
Add a touch of blue blood
And a little bitty bit of red indian boy
Oh like a curly latin kinkies
Oh lordy, lordy, mixed with yellow chinkees, yeah
You know you lump it all together
And you got a recipe for a get along scene
Oh what a beautiful dream
If it could only come true, you know, you know

What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough enough enough to take
The world and all it’s got
And keep it stirring for
A hundred years or more
And turn out coffee coloured people by the score

Rabbis and the friars
Vishnus and the gurus
We got the beatles or the sun god
Well it really doesn’t matter
What religion you choose
And be thankful little mrs. graceful
You know that livin’ could be tasteful
We should all get together in a lovin machine
I think I’ll call up the queen
It’ s only fair that she knows, you know, you know

What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough enough enough to take
The world and all it’s got
And keep it stirring for
A hundred years or more
And turn out coffee coloured people by the score

Coffee coloured people
Coffee coloured people
Coffee coloured people by the score