The problem is that there is lot of talk about "integration" but I think it's not something that will happen or that it's easily achieved. We already have a great example of ethnic group that really did not integrate well: romanis. They still pretty much live their ancient culture and refuse to integrate. Such strong culture background should be carefully remembered when talking about integration that possibly will never happen. I think this is also the reason why there has been problems with different ethnic/cultural groups.
Yeah, cuz' it's not like multiculturalism has been a part of human history since, like, forever. I mean, eras like the Hellenistic and the Migration Periods were certainly not marked by different cultures mixing, nosiree. In all seriousness, though, if certain early hominids had just refrained from migrating down from the trees, they would probably have saved us all a whole lot of trouble
To be clear, I don't think "integration" (in the sense that everyone living in a certain region must be assimilated into a common culture) is as important as being able to cope with your neighbors thinking and living differently than you. There are of course very real problems with things like forced marriages, but these are not solved by stereotyping, and most of the perceived "cultural clashes" just comes from not accepting that others choose a different lifestyle than oneself. So what if some Romani want to travel around, set up camp in the woods, play the accordion a whole lot, or whatever? (Krice's retort is probably that their culture is thievish or something, but the stereotype of Romani being child snatching thieves is just an untrue stereotype, it evolved in the Middle Ages along with similar prejudices against jews, and it's frankly shameful that European media is still persecuting them, as if we learned nothing in the aftermath of the Holocaust) Sure, I've had curses thrown after me in Romanian after not giving money to a beggar in the street – what a surprise to encounter unkind weirdos every now and then – but the (admittedly very few) Romani I've had any real contact with are just normal people, their brains wired exactly like my own, even if our cultures don't perfectly match.
If you put two [ethinc/cultural groups] in the same country it's either bad or very bad idea.
Well, that's one way of seeing it. Another would be to identify greed and powermongering as the real problem, and recognize how ethnicity has always been used as an excuse to divide, conquer and steal from the weak. But hey, whatever floats your boat, man
As always,
Minotauros
