angelikaschmidt http://angelikaschmidt.posterous.com Most recent posts at angelikaschmidt posterous.com Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:10:00 -0800 Give multiculturalism in Europe another chance! http://angelikaschmidt.posterous.com/give-multiculturalism-in-europe-another-chanc http://angelikaschmidt.posterous.com/give-multiculturalism-in-europe-another-chanc

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“Multiculturalism” is one of our favourite words these days, does it work as a concept, though? Angela Merkel does not think so. I don't share her opinion because it is a concept that has to be lived by the people, so there is still hope. In fact, migrants who manage to integrate into a foreign society seem to be invisible. In my kickboxing-club, for example, there are many Austrians with some migration background but we usually don't notice that. Moreover, people who come for economic reasons intend to stay and therefore learn our languages and try to get into contact with our cultures. The reason for this is that if you want a job, you need to know important things about the nation's culture. Most people, though, do not come here voluntarily, they often don't have another choice and don't care where they might end up as long as they find some peace. They need to familiarise with our culture before they can integrate. So, multiculturalism always requires two participants: the one who arrives and the one who was there before. Only when they interact can people overcome cultural differences.

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