>>PERICLES. I'm noticing a 'pattern' .. you seem to have a 'thing' about seeing huge evil conspiracies and dark forces... Your repeated points about who will 'police' things.. tells a lot about your inner fears I think<<

Your ability to put words into the mouths of others is pretty illuminating too, Boaz. You can only respond to arguments that you dream up yourself, right?

If you check back through the posts, you will find that my only references to "policing" are in response to your brain-dead vision of Australian monoculturalism.

For example, the only time I have used the word "police" on this thread was in this particular interchange with you:

You had said:

>>Lets test that ? The threat happens to be a massive influx of Chinese capital buying up properties<<

To which I responded:

"This is a threat to whom?

Are you seriously suggesting that we should not sell houses to the Chinese? Could you please give me an idea how you would a) introduce such a scheme and b) police it?"

Each time you introduce one of your fatuous proposals, you will also need to find a way to support it in law. So, it will need to be policed, right?

There is no "fear" of policing involved. It is purely my way of pointing out that your suggestions are simply self-indulgent hot air, without the slightest will to actually enforce them.

And of course, they would in any case be impossible to implement in a free society such as ours.

Thus your idea that I am somehow concerned about "conspiracy" disappears in derisive laughter. I have far too much faith in human nature to worry that there might be the remotest chance that your sad musings will actually ever be implemented.

Take for example this particularly meaningless soundbite:

>>the alternative is: Assisting migrants of different cultural background to embrace Australian culture...<<

Exactly what form do you suggest this "assistance" should take, Boaz?

What would we do differently in Boazland?

Do tell.

Pericles,

You should do what already xenophobic Anglo-racists did, do and are doing in Australia- to sale houses and other their goods and services if any, to biologically inferior non-Anglos, Chinese among them, and deny so-called mainstream employment opportunities to all but only own Anglo-mates.

And one is wondering at growing islamist affluence in this rubbish English colony?

PERICLES.. 'assistance' in the form of education, and outreach by government to facilitate it. Plain and simple. The government has enough resources to work out ways of promoting the embracing (without rigidly excluding the beneficial aspects of other cultures) just like they currently have programs which support diversity.

SELF HATING RACISM .... yep..I experienced that last night. Quite strange really. Not really self hating either.. but self deprecating.
I attended a kickboxing tournament in Melbourne Town hall, and one of the fighters was a Cambodian bloke. He did pretty well, but lost on points to an Aussie. To me it was about a draw. But I was talking later to a Cambo bloke who was also observing. He was with about 3 quite robust looking Asians from Dandenong. We exchanged enthusiasms about the various competitors, and enjoyed friendly banter as blokes are known to do. But what quite stunned me, was when he suggested "Aussies are much stronger than Cambos" and he connected this to the food and even hinted at race etc.. but I disagreed about that. I suppose on an across the board comparison, Australians by racial heritage are generally bigger, but size for size, I can't see 'stronger'.

Anyway.. the point I really want to make is that there were many races present, and many of migrant background, and they tended to group in racially identifiable packs. Yet, there were noticable cross connections between them. Including my own interaction with various others. I asked one bloke if he was a kiwi (he looked like Duane The Rock Johnston, from wrestling and movie fame) but he turned out to be Greek.

What I most found appealing though, was that once I started conversations with noticably ethnically different people from myself, they really warmed to it. I believe there is a longing in all migrants to be accepted, feel included, and simple personal outreach is probably a very good step towards achieving this.

Here endeth the sermon :)

Boazy, every now and then you warm my heart (in between the non-believing despair you can engender).

What you described is to me Multiculturalism in action. Before you choke on your damper, what I mean is that with MC a person is allowed to be a tomato and be proud of it (or even apologetic) and because of that can talk to the onion, the lettuce etc. The one is not more important than the other, but part of the whole salad.

In this way we can converse with each other about what it means to be a tomato, etc. And as you experienced, discuss, acknowledge and disagree about misconceptions and experiences. This is how we learn as human beings. This is why it is interesting to be able to talk openly with someone from another culture as one Australian to another.

Our children will absorb and take on aspects of their parents' culture and those around them. I believe it is by acknowledging different cultural backgrounds we all learn that essentially as human beings we are the same. We want personal safety and a future for our children.

Previously cultural differences were hidden from 'mainstream' society and I believe this is what forms ghetto's and isolation. It is with 'your own kind' that you feel safe, there you will not be told 'when in Rome do as the Romans do', (I've been told this way back in the 70's, even though I might not have wanted to behave like a Roman-like getting blotto), and treated like a barely tolerated 'guest' in a 'host' country.

Often I feel that Political Correctness gets in the way, which has little to do with celebrating or respecting cultural diversity. Misplaced PC should not be confused with multiculturalism. We either all celebrate or we pussyfoot around in our own little corners feeling like victims.

Yvonne: "Misplaced PC should not be confused with multiculturalism."

Excellent point, yvonne. I also noticed that Boazy was verging on an appreciation of multiculturalism in practice, but of course he couldn't help expressing it in 'racial' (i.e. racist} terms.

I've actually just enjoyed a salad for dinner, comprised of lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes, (Lebanese) cucumbers, eschallots, celery, avocadoes and my secret dressing ;) My vegetarian partner reckons I make the best tossed salads in the world.

Lovely analogy, really. And crisp, rather than 'mushy' :)

Yvonne,

Multiculturalism is not my topic of interest. But just for once I cannot resist giving my 2-cent worth.

Do you believe if tomato, onion and lettuce were to have thinking minds, they would happily agree to stay together in a salad sandwich? Perhaps not. Perhaps each vegetable would prefer to impress the tastebuds of the muncher in its own right! But they do not have a choice, do they? For it is the sandwich maker who put them together.

Will the vegetables agree that together they make a tastier meal? I'm not convinced either.

Moral of my anecdote: Multiculturalism is futile, if it is only about putting different cultures together.

For it is not Multiculturalism that matters. It is OPEN-MINDEDNESS.

If Multiculturalism does not lead to open-mindedness... then hear this loud and clear - Multiculturalism is dangerous. The more of it, the more dangerous it will be.

Does Multiculturalism lead to open-mindedness? I seriously doubt it. I think not enough to justify Multiculturalism.

I do not even believe Asians (that look similar) are accepting of each other, let alone all races, all religions.

So how can we survive Multiculturalism without sufficiently gaining in open-mindedness? The key in fact, is to have a benign but yet dominant culture. The 'Anglo-saxon' culture has a critical role to play, the role of a sandwich maker.

The day when all minor cultures successfully clamour for dominance is the day this country is 'doomed' by Multiculturalism.

Worst still, the day when Islam culture gains dominance in Australia, you know the ENTIRE World is already doomed.