[sandorski]

Multiculturalism is working fine. It has dramatically improved Our influence on the international stage. The instances of Immigrants taking Canadian cultural and social ideas and spreading them back to their homelands is quite high.

As for current Immigrants not assimilating like past Immigrants, that's just utter BS. Back when all those past waves of Immigrants were happening, many were making the exact same complaints you are, except about the Immigrants you hold up as somehow Different and Better than current Immigrants. It takes 2-3 Generations for new Immigrants to assimilate.

[gigs]

sandorski wrote:

Multiculturalism is working fine. It has dramatically improved Our influence on the international stage. The instances of Immigrants taking Canadian cultural and social ideas and spreading them back to their homelands is quite high.

As for current Immigrants not assimilating like past Immigrants, that's just utter BS. Back when all those past waves of Immigrants were happening, many were making the exact same complaints you are, except about the Immigrants you hold up as somehow Different and Better than current Immigrants. It takes 2-3 Generations for new Immigrants to assimilate.

Kenmore would disagree with you.

[Bruce_the_vii]

gigs is saying multiculturalism leads to assimilation. in fact the immigrants are probably being assimilated. it's a big jump from the third world to canada and most immigrants come here for the change.

[Bruce_the_vii]

EyeBrock wrote:

I'm doing fine thanks. And I was solidly working-class and under educated in my home country. I upgraded in Canada.

This is a very silly thread.

It's not a silly thread. The government open the door to the whole world in the 1960s and we now have 160 countries represented. So its big and to ask what people think of something like that is not silly, why would it be silly.

[EyeBrock]

How are the ethnic communities doing?

I'm an immigrant. It's a silly, very vague question that lacks focus.

"Ethnic"?

How are the humans doing? How are the trees doing? Oh look, a poor person...how are the poor people doing?

[EyeBrock]

Gunnair wrote:

EyeBrock wrote:

You wear a kilt all the time?

Yes.

Really? Why? Give the boys a bit of air?

[Gunnair]

EyeBrock wrote:

Gunnair wrote:

EyeBrock wrote:

You wear a kilt all the time?

Yes.

Really? Why? Give the boys a bit of air?

Just about sums it up.

[EyeBrock]

I just curious Gunnair, what are your Jock links?

My old fella was a piper in the Greys. He wore shorts off duty.

[Lemmy]

I just spent the day at the Eaton Centre in Toronto. It had been several years since I'd been there before today. It felt like a trip to Shanghai or Jakarata.

Ever noticed the changes in shopping mall food courts over the past 20 years? 20 years ago, there'd be a KFC, 10 different burger/fry joints, a Mr. Sub, a pizza place and a crappy Chinese food place. Now, there's one burger joint and 10 different Asian choices. One negative impact of multi-culturalism is the proliferation of bad Asian food at the mall. It's made the lineups at the A&W almost unbearable. Despite my love of Japanese food, I just couldn't work up the nerve to try pre-fabbed sushi served in a plastic container. It looked as bad as any highschool cafeteria fare.

[EyeBrock]

Bad sushi abounds in the GTA. Cold, dry and tasteless.

[Gunnair]

sandorski wrote:

Multiculturalism is working fine. It has dramatically improved Our influence on the international stage. The instances of Immigrants taking Canadian cultural and social ideas and spreading them back to their homelands is quite high.

As for current Immigrants not assimilating like past Immigrants, that's just utter BS. Back when all those past waves of Immigrants were happening, many were making the exact same complaints you are, except about the Immigrants you hold up as somehow Different and Better than current Immigrants. It takes 2-3 Generations for new Immigrants to assimilate.

Well, I won't agree 100% there. While I do agree that it takes a generation or two for immigrants to assimilate, there's a bit of a difference I think since the big immigration prior to the turn of the last century.

Not to put to fine a point on it, but even Italians, Ukranians, and Poles and Germans had ties through simply being European to the largely Anglo-Saxon communities of Canada. They were considered outsiders of course, and their arrival resulted in Ghettoization, but they at least shared a common continental history as well as a similar religion.

This time around, with numbers flocking in from China, India, SE Asia, and the middle east, the ghettoization is still ocuring, but the citizens of Canada do not have as much of a tie that binds with these new people. We don't share a common religion, we don't share common history, and we have some pretty chalanging cultural differences to get over. Whether we want to admit it or not, this results in a fairly low threshhold of tolerance for resistance to Canadian assimilation that borders on outright racism. This is where immigrants have to understand that assimilation is expected, and progress towards it must be sooner rather than later. Canadians, if they want the benefits of immigration, which is an increase to the tax base have to exercise a bit of patience, for the immigranst also do not have the ties that bind and are loath to give up their culture, especiually if they percieve that is what is expected from them in this 'multi-cultural' country.

Ultimately, the onus must be on the immigrant to exercise some common sense to assimilate as quickly as possible. That being said, I wouldn't be blaming the immigrants as much as all levels of government for not spelling it it out clearly and providing them assistance.

[Gunnair]

EyeBrock wrote:

I just curious Gunnair, what are your Jock links?

My old fella was a piper in the Greys. He wore shorts off duty.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/

[EyeBrock]

I don't mean web links. What are your links to Scotland? You are obviously an Uber-Jock.

Here's a nice piccy of Dad's Regiment. He's the Irish guy at the back.

[Gunnair]

Lemmy wrote:

I just spent the day at the Eaton Centre in Toronto. It had been several years since I'd been there before today. It felt like a trip to Shanghai or Jakarata.

Ever noticed the changes in shopping mall food courts over the past 20 years? 20 years ago, there'd be a KFC, 10 different burger/fry joints, a Mr. Sub, a pizza place and a crappy Chinese food place. Now, there's one burger joint and 10 different Asian choices. One negative impact of multi-culturalism is the proliferation of bad Asian food at the mall. It's made the lineups at the A&W almost unbearable. Despite my love of Japanese food, I just couldn't work up the nerve to try pre-fabbed sushi served in a plastic container. It looked as bad as any highschool cafeteria fare.

Well, we have a large Chinese community here, and fortunately, they tend to open good restaurant instead of operating bad mall eateries. For all the E. Indians here, there doesn't seem to be a lot of Indian restaurants. I must look harder.

Note: Excellent Veitnamese place up the street from the base, and a Thai place not much further. Beats out 'Canadian' McDonalds and Burger King any time.

Damn it, Lemmy, if you're going to poison yourself with shitty mall food, at least get the greasy MSG ladden noodles that aren't simply cow hooves and filler on a bun.

[Lemmy]

EyeBrock wrote:

Gunnair wrote:

EyeBrock wrote:

You wear a kilt all the time?

Yes.

Really? Why? Give the boys a bit of air?

I originally got my kilt and Highland dress for my wedding. These days, I wear mine to Lodge every month. I wear it to a couple of Scottish Festivals every summer. I've also got kiddie kilts for the boys to wear. It makes Grandma happy to see the kids wearing the traditional gear. I also where Highland dress to the Legion Robbie Burns supper every January and other occassional formal outings. I used to wear it to weddings but, these days, I have more friends getting out of marriages than into them.