Merkel says multi-culturalism has absolutely failed in Germany

[M.Dancer]

I think it's great that Calgary has achieved this milestone for Canada.

What makes it a milestone?

[jbg]

MOVE TO INTERNATIONAL POLITICS PLEASE.

It's in Canadian Politics, I assume, because of the emphasis that Canada places on multiculturalism.

[jbg]

What makes it a milestone?

It's a kilometerstone.

[Michael Hardner]

What makes it a milestone?

It's probably several:

First big Canadian city with a Muslim Mayor.

First politically interesting thing to happen in Alberta.

First Harvard graduate to visit the Stampede...

I don't know... you add some...

[scribblet]

There's a good piece here with some explanations about Germany and some reason for the failure of multi-cult.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/august-6-2010/muslims-in-germany/6758/

DEBORAH POTTER, correspondent: Almost 90 percent of the students at Rainbow Elementary School in Berlin are from immigrant families, most of them Muslim. Fitting in can be tough, because a lot of them can’t speak German—even though many of their families have been here for decades.

HEIDRUN BOEHMER (School Principal): When I started being a teacher more than thirty years ago I thought that problem we won’t have in ten years. They all will speak German. But they don’t.

POTTER: Heidrun Boehmer has watched her students struggle to succeed. About 75 percent never finish high school—more than double the national rate. In school and the outside world, their chances are limited by a complicated mix of social and economic issues, religion, and history.

[Black Dog]

There's a good piece here with some explanations about Germany and some reason for the failure of multi-cult.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/august-6-2010/muslims-in-germany/6758/

Some points in there that belie the "multiculturalism has failed" premise:

Until ten years ago, immigrants could not become German citizens, and they still don’t have a chance at most government jobs. Integration just hasn’t happened.

But while religious freedom is enshrined in the German constitution, public schools are required to offer Christian religious instruction.

a new study by an international economic group says Germany does about the worst job of providing equal opportunities for immigrants and their children.

From this, one can conclude that Germany is only multicultural in the dictionary definition of the word. They’ve made no efforts to assimilate or accommodate immigrants and offered little incentive for immigrants to participate or become part of the broader social fabric. It’s a recurring theme throughout history that groups facing systematic discrimination and marginalization tend to stick together and retain their own After all, if your home country is only interested in your well-being inasmuch as you can serve as a source of cheap labour, what’s the incentive for you to leave your own traditions, beliefs and values behind?

[Saipan]

Stop the presses. You're an expert.... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Actually you are. You can use Google.

[Pliny]

Canadian multi-culturalism on display... please ignore those exploding head reactions to Calgary's mayoralty election results. From the center of the western Canadian, right-wing Conservative base, we give you Naheed Nenshi... the son of an immigrant family, an ethnic minority, non-white, an academic, left leaning... and... Canada's first Muslim mayor. Oh my!

Left leaning in Calgary? I guess he hasn't assimilated. But I can guess his priorities are Bike lanes in the downtown district, chickens in the back yard and the condemnation of Fort MacMurray- even in an oil town. Now that last would prove he hadn't assimilated.

[waldo]

Left leaning in Calgary? I guess he hasn't assimilated. But I can guess his priorities are Bike lanes in the downtown district, chickens in the back yard and the condemnation of Fort MacMurray- even in an oil town. Now that last would prove he hadn't assimilated.

Pliny, it looks like the described left-leaning Nenshi could use your astute political savvy... apparently, according to your list, Nenshi priorities don't match your guesses - go figure.

[msdogfood]

Can we bring this back to either Germany, Canada or both?

Merkel should never have made that statement at all!!!!.

see German history!

[Saipan]

Merkel should never have made that statement at all!!!!.

Yeah, she should lie instead. And say something politically-correct-and-feel-good.

[Pliny]

Pliny, it looks like the described left-leaning Nenshi could use your astute political savvy... apparently, according to your list, don't match your guesses - go figure.

He obviously hasn't consulted with other left leaning Mayors like the one in Vancouver.

[Argus]

Sure. I live in the most ethnically diverse city on the planet (the only city with a foreign born population higher than Toronto is Miami and most of those people are Cuban and Haitain) and I think it works incredibly well.

For a dirty city with horrific traffic problems perpetually on the edge of bankruptcy, you mean?

[Argus]

And yet the billion of them or so who stayed home - the ones currently dominating the world's economy - are enjoying their thousands of year old culture.

They stay home because they are without options. Life in China is not pleasant for most. Half the country still live as they did a thousand years ago, and most of the rest are wage-slaves without rights.

[Argus]

We need to have people that live at all levels of a society, to provide all the necessary functions. We can't all be doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. At the end of the day, someone has to mop the floor and clean the john.

We don't have difficulty finding people to do manual, unskilled labour. We have no need to import more such people.

[Michael Hardner]

We don't have difficulty finding people to do manual, unskilled labour. We have no need to import more such people.

Do you have a source for that ? I do tend to see a lot of those jobs advertised on the EI job board.

[Leafless]

Do you have a source for that ? I do tend to see a lot of those jobs advertised on the EI job board.

Those jobs probably originate from subcontractors who subcontract a specific job to another subcontractor or even further subcontracting with the final result of that job ends up paying very little.

Then again you do have employers that want everything but again pay very little for the multitude of services expected.

[Shwa]

They stay home because they are without options. Life in China is not pleasant for most. Half the country still live as they did a thousand years ago, and most of the rest are wage-slaves without rights.

And your sources are...

[ToadBrother]

And your sources are...

The majority of China's population still lives in agricultural/non-urban environments, and while the gap is closing, there is still a huge separation between income and standard of living levels of urban and country dwellers. China seems to be recognizing this, as its new five year plan suggests greater effort to be put into helping the vast agrarian population, in no small part to stem growing unrest in agrarian areas, which have thus far not enjoyed the great economic leaps forward that urban China has seen.

[Bonam]

China seems to be recognizing this, as its new five year plan suggests greater effort to be put into helping the vast agrarian population, in no small part to stem growing unrest in agrarian areas, which have thus far not enjoyed the great economic leaps forward that urban China has seen.

It's funny how benign the term "five year plan" is these days, compared to the horrors of what the original "five year plans" under Stalin entailed.

[ToadBrother]

It's funny how benign the term "five year plan" is these days, compared to the horrors of what the original "five year plans" under Stalin entailed.

Say what you will about post-Mao China, the one thing it's not any more is a Stalinist state. I think some day, people will probably see that Deng Xiaoping was probably one of the greatest rulers China ever had.

[Guest TrueMetis]

Since when has Germany been multicultural? Last time I checked they didn't even allow any real immigration until 1999, so pretty much everyone who came in was a migrant worker and not a citizen. They didn't have any policies to promote multiculturalism they just ignored it. Germany's immigration policy (or lack there-of) is what failed.

[Saipan]

I think some day, people will probably see that Deng Xiaoping was probably one of the greatest rulers China ever had.

Yes, people love dictators.

[bush_cheney2004]

Say what you will about post-Mao China, the one thing it's not any more is a Stalinist state. I think some day, people will probably see that Deng Xiaoping was probably one of the greatest rulers China ever had.

Some day? It is already so.

[Bonam]

Say what you will about post-Mao China, the one thing it's not any more is a Stalinist state. I think some day, people will probably see that Deng Xiaoping was probably one of the greatest rulers China ever had.

Sure, he was a great leader, and accomplished much for the betterment of China. Many kings and emperors were great leaders as well and accomplished many things to benefit their nations or empires. However, it doesn't mean that we should approve of an autocratic form of government, just because some dictators or monarchs do accomplish good things.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Bonam