Thursday, December 3, 2009

Multi-Cult In The Classroom — A Dismal Failure

Hiding our Canadian identity to avoid hurting immigrants' feelings and bending backwards in an attempt to accommodate aggressive cultures simply doesn't work:
In 2001 Miriam started teaching at a school largely populated by children of refugees, mainly from Djibouti and Eritrea, countries where there are no Jews but where hatred of Jews is deeply entrenched in the culture.

During the academic year of 2002-2003 Miriam started to encounter anti-Semitic taunts from students, such as "Does someone see a Jew here, someone smell a Jew? It stinks here." When she reported this and similar insults to the principal, the principal did not follow up. Indeed, the principal seemed more concerned about the students' sensibilities than hers.

The principal instructed teachers not to offend their Muslim students; they were not to look students in the eye, they were not to gesture with the forefinger to bid them approach and they were not to interfere with male students who were physically aggressive to male teachers.
Ok. I get it; they used to hate Jews in their home countries and they want to keep hating Jews here in Canada. And, for the sake of inclusiveness and accommodation of minorities, we must let them; if we refuse - that's going to hurt their precious feelings. I get it all right. But what's that passage about male students being physically aggressive to male teachers? Don't tell me they used to behave like that in their home countries...

I don't think I need to explain what the rules are in a deeply patriarchal society and what happens there to a youngster who is not being polite enough (let alone - physically aggressive) to an adult. Also, I don't believe that it's customary in their countries to be rude and aggressive to a man who gives them refuge in his house. So how come they act like that here in Canada? Here's the answer:
During the invasion of Iraq, moments of silence were held in the classroom. Cultural presentations involved only Muslim culture and no Canadian content. Students were allowed to leave assembly during the playing of the national anthem.
So, should we be surprised? If we treat our own culture, our own heritage and our own national symbols as if we were ashamed of them - should we be surprised that newcomers believe that their culture is superior? Should we be surprised that they and act as if it was us seeking refuge in their country and not vice-versa?

And another thing: how come today's understanding of multiculturalism means having no Canadian content whatsoever? Shouldn't multiculturalism be about peaceful coexistence of different cultures, including ours? So how come it's believed nowadays that multicultural events should include no references to the nation's founding culture - for the sake of sensitivity, tolerance and other nonsense?

Canada didn't participate in the war in Iraq. There was no way Canadian content (including the national anthem) could have hurt Muslim refugees' feelings. The principal or whoever was in charge of the "multicultural" event in that school could have explained the students that they should be proud of their adopted country that participates in peace-keeping missions, but chose not to get involved in that particular war. Instead he chose to let those students opt out of being Canadian. And the result is obvious:
His polling reveals only 29% of students attending Sikh, Muslim and other (non-Christian) religious schools would choose to live in Canada. That compares to a national average among Canadian teenagers of 54%.
In other words, more than half of the non-Christian immigrants' children don't consider themselves Canadians. Considering everything mentioned above - should anyone wonder why?

2 comments:

Osumashi Kinyobe said...

The same people who adopt the Trudeauian "principle" of multiculturalism, I find, have no real clue how the other half of the world lives. They would be shocked to find what behaviours are acceptable to many groups of people. I also find that the sort of people who refuse to sing "O Canada" and consider Jew-hating socially acceptable are the very sort of people who should be encouraged to accept diversity in all its forms. If multiculturalism means tolerating this kind of anti-Semitic nonsense then we can do without it.

Guillermo said...

Hi there...

I'm an immigrant my self also but not from Mid East but from South America. Let me tell you... the fault is exclusively canadian. Do not blame the immigrants (those immigrants) They just do what they think they have to do. If no one goes after them and make them understand what the rules are here... it's not their fault.

Sometimes Canadians are so afraid of hurting someone's feelings that you turn "wildly naif". Don't be afraid of telling the newcomer how things are. We need rules. We need to know. And do it before many of these guys take a Canadian passport, leave the country and go back to their country of origin only to remember their Canadian citizenship when they feel urge to run away from their misery (once more)

Thanks God... we are not all like these guys. many of us have adopted this country as our new land. We have learned the language, we respect your heritage and we will raise our children as truly, proud Canadians.

Cheers,

G