If cultural diversity and pluralism lead to dissatisfaction, why do governments support these ideas?

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/bush-folks-happier-than-city-slickers-20090128-7rtp.html

http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/719/diverse-political-communities

Shouldn't governments focus on setting up smaller townships where people are like-minded, rather than massive, diverse cities that people hate living in?

'If cultural diversity and pluralism lead to dissatisfaction, why do governments support these ideas?"

Who, apart from you BD, said that cultural diversity and pluralism lead to dissatisfaction?

Both the articles you've linked to here contain plenty of evidence that diversity works and that a majority of people prefer it.

The Australian study concludes that it's social disconnection that lowers the well-being index, not the fact of an area having a high numbers of new Australians, as you'd have us believe.

The author states, quite correctly, that 'this signals to government ... that more resources are clearly required ... in terms of social interventions, about bringing people of different cultures together."

This is the direct opposite to the preference you've drawn for segregated or 'like-minded' communities.

(This study BTW was carried out by a private health insurance fund, so not sure how representative it would actually be.)

In the American study, a greater percentage of people surveyed, in relation to each of the four areas of race, politics, religion and socio-economic status (59% - 65%), stated that they'd prefer to live with diversity rather than homogeneity.

In reality though, as the study points out, America is becoming increasingly segregated. But who would ever look to America as a shining example of a cohesive and happy society anyway?

BD, we all know you'd like nothing more than to create your own little christian (and muslim-free) enclave, but neither of these links support your narrow view of the world. Or are you actually trying to initiate an open and balanced discusion?

Bronwyn - while this is obviously a troll I don't think that the erstwhile BD is behind it. The spelling and punctuation are too good, and there's an absence of shouting and gratuitous quotations from religious texts.

It's just another TRUTHNOW78 troll, and I predict that's the last we'll see of its author on this thread.

No more oxygen from me, either.

Dear Bronwyn and CJ,

So you think that BD is back?

Check out - Houellebecq...
The controversial writer "Michel Houellebecq"
was on trial for incitement to religious and
racial hatred, he was accused by Islamic organisations.
The following website might be of interest:

http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/Dissenters/houellebecq.htm
"The Religion Report."

CJ

Thanks for that. Now, I'm totally confused!

It was the following post of yours, on the 'Aboriginal Nation State' thread, that lead me at the time to believe that TRUTHNOW78 and BD were one and the same.

"Another troll from TRUTHNOW78, and look who's risen most readily to the bait. What's the bet that's the last we hear from the thread originator - until the next one? Boazypork - still using your sock puppet to flout your suspension, I see."

But I obviously misread that. I agree, the two styles, if not the hysterical content, are indeed different, which is something I should have checked for and picked up on myself.

I'm starting to see your point though about 'sock-puppets', second accounts, multiple IDs, etc, etc. At first I thought you were being a tad obsessive, but I'm really finding them annoying and off-putting too now.

I'll definitely leave the detective work to you though from now on! :)

Foxy

Now, I think you're being a little too opaque for the likes of me too!

I can't see the name Houellebecq linked to either of the articles in question on this thread, so I'm assuming you're referring to the poster who's turned up recently, and established an early habit of carping from the sidelines at you, CJ, myself and others. Another detective in our midst, Foxy! I'm impressed. :)

Yes, Islamophobia is alive and well, very much here on OLO, and too on the Internet more generally. An anti-Muslim email, based on the Denmark situation according to Islamophobes, Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, as far back as 2001, is still doing the rounds. I had a friend contact me just the other day who was taken in by its ostensibly reasonable tone, and thought it was current news and that there might be something to it.

How many more of these things are out there doing the rounds, over and over and catching new people all the time? I've got a Vietnam vet friend, with very different politics to myself, who frequently passes on emails perpetuating these same old myths, fears and hatreds. As you can imagine, he's been put straight many times, but I'm afraid it falls on deaf ears!