"We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values."
And it's not just him. Angela Merkel is coming around too.
Speaking to a meeting of young members of her Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel said the idea of people from different cultural backgrounds living happily "side by side" did not work.
She said the onus was on immigrants to do more to integrate into German society.
"This [multicultural] approach has failed, utterly failed," Merkel told the meeting in Potsdam, west of Berlin, yesterday.
The theory of a melting pot is only a myth in this day and age. Europe is not a melting pot, neither is America.
If anything, we are a mosaic, separate tiles formed together by force. No common connections, no blending of minds and/or spirits. No blending of colors like in an oil painting. No blending, period.
The two strongest nations that comprise Europe are finally getting the hint here. It's nothing to jump up and down about. But it is a start.
At least they are not afraid to talk about it.
8 comments:
Cameron and Merkel came up slap against a reality check, IMO. After all, in some sections of the UK and Germany, the situation is dire -- with no-go areas.
I disagree with half of what you say. Europe's approach to immigrants (and immigrants' approach to Europe) is completely different than what we have in America. Differences are less tolerated by "native" Europeans. Immigrants are expected to drop their identity and become "French" or whatever. Immigrants respond by cloistering themselves in enclaves intended to replicate the home country. Political correct "multiculturalism" was a way to rationalize this inherently imperfect system and to justify segregation and refusal by immigrants to accept the host country. That has most definitely failed.
In America, we still respect differences. Immigrants retain large amounts of their native culture while adopting American ideals of hard work, rule of law, freedom of religion and expression, etc. In my work, I have the pleasure of meeting many first and second generation immigrants (many of them from the middle east, btw) who love this country and all the opportunity if affords. In fact, they are some of the most successful people I know.
//Cameron and Merkel came up slap against a reality check, IMO.//
if we want to see a Europe in 20 years, they had better get real...quickly.
I have to agree with Greg on the differences between how Europe assimilates (or not) and the US, but agree with LA that we have many groups here who don't want to accept American culture.
Napolitano was saying today that the terror threat is as high as before 9/11, and many of those threats are homegrown (native-born Islalmic).
Greg,
I think you make a good point about there being some difference between Europe and the US.
I know some people from the ME too. Most of them are doctors. There are some who really are great people. Still, there are some that I simply do not trust...and with my military background, it's obvious they do not trust me either. (Which is fine by me.)
There are two other points I would add here.
1. Many from the Middle east assimilate physically. They do not live in separate neighborhoods or regions. They live among us all.
Even though they do spread themselves out more so here than in Europe, not all of them assimilate in their hearts. Like those who do not trust me, they keep to themselves and the people at their mosque. Remember, the ISNA is headquartered here in my metro area. They have many members at the mosque where they they base themselves in the suburb of Plainfield. Some of them are the doctors who do not trust me.
2. Dearborn Michigan is an exception. The Arabic population is growing there, they are now almost a third of the entire population and they are Muslim. I don't know about Boston, but LA and Philadelphia have some areas that are becoming more populated with ME Muslims.
One other thing I would add, over the years I have known many people from Syrian descent who have settled in the Terre Haute area in the early 1900s when the Muslims were chasing Eastern Orthodox Christians out.
So....you are right when you say that Europe has more of a problem with the separatist philosophy, that has created the stay out neighborhoods in big cities like Paris. But here, the separatist attitude prevents many ME Muslims from coming to a cookout at their Christian neighbors' houses.
//Napolitano was saying today that the terror threat is as high as before 9/11, and many of those threats are homegrown (native-born Islalmic).//
Some of these plots are possibly being hatched right here in Plainfield...at ISNA HQ. Who knows?
I just posted on this, sort of. The Education Secretary has come out against Islamic extremism in schools in the UK
Chuck,
There must be a healing in the land. People are rising up and walking without their chairs now. They are starting to verbalize what they have been thinking for some time now. But....is anyone listening?
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