Obviously wants to know some benefits of diversity. I have many positive examples from my own life, which I have documented elsewhere and will repeat again below if requested.

But for this occasion, I am going to use Obviously as the example.

Obviously considers his own suburb to be the gold standard by which all else should be measured. This is narrow-minded.

Obviously slags off the entire cultures and nations he has never seen and knows little or nothing about. This is ignorant.

Obviously strikes up paeans of praise to a time in Australia before he was even born and about which he has no direct knowledge. This is foolish.

Narrow-minded, ignorant and foolish. The chief benefit of diversity for me is that I didn't turn out like Obviously, obviously.

Obviously, it's not too late. Soon you'll be able to move out of home. My advice to you is stop listening to what your parents tell you about Australia in the 1970s and how great your backyard is.

Benjamin is no maggot, people. Calm down.

But Benjamin - sure it is not racist to point out the distribution of ethnic groups in different jobs. However it is absolutely racist to ascribe characteristics to ethnic groups based on their occupations, which is what you have done repeatedly. You infer that Asians, Indians, Afghanis and middle-easterners lack civic pride as Australians because of low participation rates in certain occupations. I'm afraid the shoe fits Benjamin; you are racist. It would be just as racist to conclude that Indians and Asians and Middle-easterners are smarter than Anglos because so many of them are doctors, scientists and engineers. Or that Anglos are filthy people who can't drive, because so few of them are cleaners and taxi drivers.

When I went to try out as a Naval officer in 2002 (found out I was colour-blind, dammit), the room was full of young Australians from Asian and Indian and middle-eastern families. Not sure why so few of them ended up being selected. Would you care to enlighten us with some racial theories Benjamin?

Well, this will draw the crabs, but here goes nuffink...

Banjo, I've been racking my brains trying to think of a reason why the SA govt. felt it necessary to ban eating dog meat. I can't be bothered wading through the Hansard (perhaps you’re having a lend of me?), and it's much more fun to ponder this directly. I can think of all the reasons it couldn't be....

It couldn't be out of concern for animal welfare, otherwise the live sheep export trade would be banned.
It couldn't be because they're endangered, since dingoes are already protected.
It couldn't be for reasons of public health, otherwise they'd ban alcohol and tobacco too.
It couldn't be because of disease, or we'd have banned chickens yonks ago.
It couldn't be because they're pets, otherwise we'd ban eating rabbits, guinea pigs and carp.
It couldn't be because it's cruel to farm dogs, because it's no less cruel to farm pigs, which are just as intelligent and social as dogs.
It couldn't be because of ethical concern, because the ethics of eating dog are no different to that of beef, lamb, chicken, kangaroo or fish.
It couldn't be because there's a massive unregulated black-market industry because, well, there isn't.
It couldn't be to protect our other meat industries from the competitive threat of the unbridled surge in demand for dog meat because, well, there isn't one.
It couldn't be because the stout burghers of Adelaide are worried about their foreign-looking neighbours dognapping and eating their pets or because they're a bit suspicious about that Chinese take-away they had last night; because we live in progressive, tolerant Australia where we've all moved on from that, haven't we?

So, I'm at a loss. What WAS the reason?

Sounds like just another nanny-state law. Fancy passing a law to tell me what animals I can and can't eat. I'm quite capable of making up my own mind. Provided it's cruelty-free, properly controlled for health & safety, and ethically farmed, it's on my own head what I eat and it's not the State's or anybody else's business.

Mercurius said: "Fancy passing a law to tell me what animals I can and can't eat."

There are many animals you're probably not allowed to eat:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

In some states in the USA, it's illegal to eat roadkill. Dunno about Australia.. if it's fresh, why not?

'Finger lickin' good..'

Back on topic though, questioning the policy of 'multiculturalism' is not 'evil', as the author suggests..

Mercurius,
I really do not know why SA passed the law. I read it in a national newspaper. Just a small article. You know a gap filler.

I was curious enough to inquire to NSW Health Dept, as to if we had the same law or not, but got no reply. I asked at the Health Dept of my local council and the receptionist was shocked that anyone would want to eat dog meat. My inquiries revealed nothing.

Anyway as far as I know that is SA law. I do know that landowners can get permit to cull kangaroos in NSW, but each killing must be tagged and left to rot where they fell and one cannot use the carcase for any purpose. what a waste!

On topic. Do you not think we are hypocritical in claiming multiculturalism when we do not allow so many aspects of other cultures? I think we simply tell prospective migrants we ARE multicultural and the poor buggers are not informed differently untill they get a visa.

Wow not a single positive argument for multiculturalism except “I like multiculturalism because it’s nice.” Or “it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy” How this policy of united in diversity remains would be a mystery if it were not for loud mouth minorities.

All you people who are pro MC I am surprised to see you posting on the weekend. I would have thought you would have all been taking part in one of your other favorite pastimes down in Melbourne of violently protesting and attacking the good people of the Vic police force! Maybe you put down your petrol bomb and anti Australian banner just for a minute to go on to OLO huh?

Sneekeepete – “Personaly I like to think of myself as eventually being mere compost for the crop that is to come - we will all be past over soon enough, turned into the ground and provide food for civilsations to come - we are showing signs of decay already as a society - like fruit rotting in a bowl, desperate for some housewife to chuck us out - only to be reborn in the civilisation that will floursih from out of our rotting carcasses” ………………….. Amazing! you have just cancelled yourself out of any meaning full discussion for the future of this country. Maybe your contribution to Australia should be chucked out sneekee but you should speak for yourself I hope to contribute greatly to this great nation.

Of course western culture/civilisation is superior and everybody knows it. They would not be risking there lives in the millions to move to a western country if that was not true. To argue this point is like trying to argue the earth is flat. But hang on a minute maybe some of you people think the earth is flat after all you do think that Australia is the cultural equal of Iraq

I was talking about what is to come Easy times - I expect to be around for a while to come but gladly accept what ever fate history and this life vomits up for me - the sneekemeister still has buckets to contribute - high quality stainless steel type buckets - full of snide wit - innuendo - sarcasm - bitterness - sneering leftist contempt - you know, the usual stuff - even though I am caught, for now, in a slightly nihilistic frame of mind I will never stop. And I must admit I liked that paragraph you so kindly gave more air time - I am if nothing a shameless self promoter -

Our culture is not superior - let me make that perfectly clear. The assumption that it is pretty much just a delusion of granduer held by the fearful. I will not embellish on that assertion overly much - mainly because I cant be bothered today. And really what is the point? Because as we all know paranoia is often associated with such delusions of granduer - and there you have the link between fear of multiculuralism and culture - reason will never shake off such a delusion. So I wont even try any harder.

We have what a lot of other places do not have - space - stuff in abundance (unless you count water and tolerance)- and a certain amount of freedom - that is why, in part, people often flock and sometimes float to our shores, like flies to a cow pat - not because their culture is worse than our - they just want a bit of what we have.

How do you explain ex pat Brits or Yanks - they all swim in the same culural swill that all westerners bathe in - Am I right?- and yet they come here in droves