Grease was the word for a while (I saw that film five times at the cinema when it first came out!) Then the word became Multiculturalism. Well, haven’t we all turned 180 degrees on that one?  Just how did multiculturalism change from a social ideal into a political dirty word? If you want my opinion, part of the reason ‘multiculturalism’ as an ideology failed was for the simple reason that it wasn’t 100% inclusive.Â
A friend of mine told me that he went to a school where the head stated that 60% of his pupils were multicultural.Â
Er… well, actually, 100% of his pupils were multicultural. Why did the head in question feel it necessary to exclude the 40% of school students who were white from that definition?
Surely multiculturalism by definition should include ALL cultures – black, white, Asian, whatever.  Multiculturalism was hijacked by those with a political agenda and used as a wedge to declare ‘We are all different. Let us focus on those differences and nothing else.’ Is it any wonder that we now live in a climate where very few people – white or black – feel part of a whole any more?
I believe multiculturalism should’ve been used as an opportunity to nurture and appreciate our similarities and to understand and celebrate our differences. But instead we’ve had a multitude of negative stories in the press about, for example, Christmas festivities being called something else so as not to offend anyone. Result? Such moves ended up pleasing no one and offending everyone. And what got the blame?  ’Multiculturalism’.
What a shame.
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