"..........get on a plane. Personally, I prefer Western culture.
Posted by Dresdener, Wednesday, 15 August 2007 11:08:01 PM"

Off you go then!

"Once again the fallacious 'Australia has no national culture' mantra is invoked as a justification for multiculturalism.

Dresdener, maybe you are not familiar with Australian history, but people immigrated here from all over the world.

"Less than 50 years ago, Australia was very secure in its national identity, and had been so for some time.

No more so than it is now. Focussing on your identity is a sign that you are insecure over it.

"The population was homogenous, mainly Australian-born of Anglo-Celtic descent.

We have never had a homogenous population since Europeans arrived.

"At the time of the Second World War only 2% of the Australian population was of non-English speaking background.

BS.

I imagine that Dresdener and his fellow (plane?) travellers will be pleased with the announcement that Pauline Hanson is registering a new political party to contest the forthcoming Senate election, whose main platform will be the expression of xenophobia.

Are snide remarks and puerile half-baked witticisms the best you lot can do?

Ginx appears unable to comprehend a simple sentence (Australia was a Western country last time I checked). Freediver responds with rhetorical gems like 'BS' and 'you are not familiar with Australian history'. Who needs to bother with opposing evidence when you've got that level of dogmatic certitude? And finally, CJ Morgan swings past with the usual air of superciliousness, launching ad hominem attacks against all those who dare oppose the sacred ideology of multiculturalism. And of course, if one even wants to discuss multiculturalism and the adverse effects it may be having due to foreign cultures not assimilating into Australia's national culture, one is called a Hansonite. But why be so polite? Why not throw 'fascist', 'racist' and 'xenophobe' around aswell? CJ, you know you want to.

To those who claim multiculturalism is not divisive, please confute this:

Ethnic diversity 'breeds mistrust'

ETHNIC diversity seriously undermines the trust and social bonds within a community, according to important new research that casts a gloomy shadow over optimistic theories about the benefits of the social melting pot in immigrant societies such as Australia.

The worrying findings about the effects of ethnic diversity were developed by Robert Putnam, a Harvard University political scientist whose previous research on community dynamics has been highly influential among policymakers in the US and cited by Australian prime ministerial aspirants Peter Costello and Mark Latham.
Professor Putnam has delayed releasing the results of his research for fear of the impact it could have on politicians and other policymakers, but he revealed its thrust yesterday in an interview with London's Financial Times newspaper.

His extensive research found that the more diverse a community, the less likely were its inhabitants to trust anyone, from their next-door neighbour to their local government.

People were even more wary of members of their own ethnic groups, as well as people from different backgrounds.

....

Professor Putnam, who is now working in Britain, told the Financial Times that, after several years of research, he had held off publishing his results until he could develop suggestions that might help compensate for the negative effects of diversity, saying it "would have been irresponsible to publish without that".

His most important finding was that "in the presence of diversity, we hunker down".

"We act like turtles," he said. "The effect of diversity is worse than had been imagined."

His research was conducted in the US but he believes its findings are likely to be mirrored in other countries.

It will be studied closely in Australia and most European countries, where governments are increasingly struggling with the political and social fallout of immigration and ethnic and religious diversity.

Professor Putnam found that trust was lowest in Los Angeles, "the most diverse human habitation in human history", but his findings also held for rural South Dakota, where "diversity means inviting Swedes to a Norwegians' picnic."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20554070-2702,00.html

I standng at a Bus Shelter the other day waiting on a friend from Interstate who hates flying.
I saw a Muslim lady wearing her dark head gear. I am a friendly person by nature and as we stood there it was pretty warm.
I said to her. Dont you find that gets really hot? How do you stay cool?
She didnt answer me for a while but then she said- You will be wearing one soon so you had better get used to it!
I felt frightended by her and upset.

Who do these people think they are. I dont want any more in my country.

AT ALL!