What are your views on Multiculturalism in Ireland? - Threadbanned User List in OP

Okay so multiculturalism is a belief and nothing to do with actually experiencing a foreign culture.

Multiculturalism is a belief that any given culture in the territory which brought it forth lacks authenticity. This cultural authenticity must be supplied instead by foreign cultures - which themselves lack authenticity in their own territories by definition.

Basically multiculturalism is a sham to disguise ethnic enclaves created by mass migration. And ultimately the erosion of culture beyond consumption of product.

@[Deleted User] makes a fair point, essentially that the definition of multiculturalism depends upon who you ask. For me the idea of multiculturalism, while it is a belief or set of beliefs, is independent of discussions about host nations, natives or immigration, as the term relates to culture, and not nationality or citizenship.

The meaning given in the Standard Encyclopaedia of Philosophy is the one I’d be most familiar with for example -

The idea of multiculturalism in contemporary political discourse and in political philosophy reflects a debate about how to understand and respond to the challenges associated with cultural diversity based on ethnic, national, and religious differences. The term “multicultural” is often used as a descriptive term to characterize the fact of diversity in a society, but in what follows, the focus is on multiculturalism as a normative ideal in the context of Western liberal democratic societies. While the term has come to encompass a variety of normative claims and goals, it is fair to say that proponents of multiculturalism find common ground in rejecting the ideal of the “melting pot” in which members of minority groups are expected to assimilate into the dominant culture. Instead, proponents of multiculturalism endorse an ideal in which members of minority groups can maintain their distinctive collective identities and practices. In the case of immigrants, proponents emphasize that multiculturalism is compatible with, not opposed to, the integration of immigrants into society; multiculturalism policies provide fairer terms of integration for immigrants.

A good example of the idea of different cultures would be the differences between the type of education which is available in this country - most people favour the more traditional model of education (because of the type of education they had themselves), whereas a minority of people prefer the more liberal type of education available in ET schools (because of the type of education they had themselves).

The idea of the ET model was originally intended as an alternative to the Catholic education model (the predominant model of education in Ireland), but it’s become more synonymous simply with more liberal values, to the point where ET schools find themselves in situations where the majority of the student population are Catholic, because while their parents are Catholic, they also prefer the values of a more liberal form of education for their children, which conflicts with the values of parents who want a more traditional education for their children, just not in a school which promotes a religious ethos which is in conflict with their own, leading to examples of conflicting ideals, like this -

Or this -

Or this -

Or indeed, this -

It’s not so much predicated upon experiencing, or indeed absence of experience of foreign cultures, but rather it is anyones perspective of ideas which are foreign to them.

In Ireland different cultures aren’t nearly as polemic as they are in other countries is all, but there are pockets of it here and there where there are examples of bigotry and prejudice based upon beliefs about other people which manifests itself in unfair treatment of other people, and sometimes, in extreme circumstances - unlawful discrimination.

It may appear from the examples I’ve given above that I’m being unfair to Educate Together schools philosophy, but I’m not, I’m using those examples to make the point that multiculturalism isn’t simply based upon the idea of “natives vs immigrants”, it’s based upon culture, which itself is based upon the transmission of ideas -

It’s precisely because the phenomenon of multiculturalism exists, that it’s observers define it differently, according to their own values and beliefs and so on.

Yes of course not all crimes deserve a prison sentence, some deserve the capital punishment :)

No you said it.

I was commenting on what you said here, not what other people who are not here have said.

I do believe that every criminal offence should be punished by a mandatory prison sentence. Not for justice, not for deterrence, but simply to isolate the criminal element from the society, either temporary or permanent.

Yes.

And your notion of a “moment of madness” shows you understand very little of mental health.

That 55 year old woman obviously needs help and isn’t getting it from family. A prison - which doesn’t need to be Mountjoy - can be a pleasant property somewhere where the woman gets some mental health care.

That 18 year old who gets drink needs to be thought a lesson. Out of character is no excuse. Lock him up - again didn’t need to be mountjoy - in a place we’re he gets someone to show him to stop being a little **** and get him out cleaning the streets for a while. See how he likes it.

and in both those cases the woman and the boy pay for the accommodation, meals, etc. not you or me.