Dear Chris,

This is for you:

Growing Up Double

At the end of their refugee journey,
the long forced pilgrimage, burdened
with the smallest and heaviest bundles,
they settle at last, uneasily,
in the wounded heart of a city
or its distant fringes beyond
the fashionable and complacent suburbs.

The small children learn
the unspoken rules of a double life:
Here, in the father's domain,
the old ways are preserved: chickens
slaughtered in the back yard, the mother
tongue enforced, though the children
are already beginning to speak it
with strange new accents
that grate on their parents' ears

Outside the father's door
in the streets and schoolyards of the new world,
the immigrant children soon speak like locals,
are re-baptized
by their new friends with new names,
They will respond to two names,
will carry them both
for separate occasions.

In the homes of their new playmates,
they see what they never see under their own roofs -
animals treated like people (dogs and cats at table),
or possessions treated with indifference
by those who never had to turn their backs
and walk quickly away
with only the suddenly precious
contents of their own pockets.

To be human, of course, is to adjust
to almost anything, and the children grow
into their double lives
gracefully and easily.
After all, it may not be
that much more difficult
to cultivate two identities than one - and
in the end, even
a little easier to see through.
(Al Zolynas).

I wonder if anyone has anything to say about Jews in Lithuania from the 4th Century up to the Nazi occupation. Or, are we allowed to discuss only 'nice' things? Any discussion would not be 'off topic' because it speaks to the origin of immigrants who make up 'multicultural Australia'.

I'm not going to elaborate because anything I say might be construed as 'abuse', and I'm constantly told that nobody takes any notice of me anyway. I'm a "typical thug bogan" apparently. But, for those interested, there is a lot of reading available on the subject, including that there was more local collaboration in the deportation and worse of Lithuanian Jews than in any other country occupied during World War 2. Israel hasn't stopped looking for war criminals.

I suppose I must state that I am in no way suggesting that Foxy's parents were in any way connected to genocidal activities in wartime Lithuania, but given her everything-is-lovely-about-Lithuanians gushings, I'm not sure that she deserves the courtesy. She is a leading exponent of wild generalisation herself, particularly on migrants, their contributions and their importance.

Chris,

Foxy said London is one of the great multicultural cities of the world.

Suggest you catch 'Peaky Blinders' TV series on Netflix to see an example of how successful the multicultural milieu has been in London, showing how a Jewish group, an Italian group and a group of British gypsies come together in 1919 for a celebration of multiculturalism.

No 'Kumbaya' but still compulsive viewing if you love film and historical dramas in particular.

the Arts things like history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, etc.,
Mr Opinion,
Going by the evidence all around, people aren't so much against these subjects, they're simply aware that these subjects are irrelevant to a great extent in everyday life. people make a living by working with & for each other. Debating the above subjects is something they do do to pass the time at parties.
People who don't have Public Service jobs have more important subjects to concentrate on.

individual,

You are missing the point.

It's not about whether you find the Arts things applicable to vocational pursuits but using the knowledge in those things to understand why things happen.

If you are only interested in work-related knowledge that's great. We need drones to meet all of our everyday needs.

What I think Mr Opinion is implying- a lot of people talk about things they don't understand- like history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, philosophy, etc. Often they underestimate their own understanding due to the Kruger Effect. While I agree- I don't think that people shouldn't have an opinion about things that affect themselves- even if they aren't educated in the subject matter. They have a duty to make the decisions that are in the best interest of themselves. Those that have this education are a resource of the nation- it's the duty of those that understand to use this knowledge for the benefit of the nation. Of course they should also benefit personally from this knowledge.

There are those that believe that we should leave our future to experts- as if they can be trusted absolutely- they can't be- as is shown by the anti- democratic self serving "education industry" and "citizenship factories" of contemporary universities.