…and I feel dirty for saying so.
His speech detailing the failings of multiculturalism at a security conference in Germany (which can be found here) made a lot of sense to me. In fact, the points made were fairly similar to the ones I made in an essay I wrote on multiculturalism in my first year of university.
Multiculturalism has not entirely failed. But it does need to be reworked and reshaped.
The problem with the multiculturalism we have in Britain is that it creates insular factions within society. Racial groups who live in bubbles where they choose to interact only with people and processes within their culture. This can breed racial tension, as these groups are deeply suspicious of other groups, as well as mainstream society. And in some cases, it can breed extremists.
I am not saying we should get rid of multiculturalism. The right to celebrate and honor one’s cultural heritage is a right that should always remain intact. What Britain needs , however, is a mixture of assimilation and multiculturalism. Different cultural and racial groups should recognize that they are also part of one society and culture; and that they also have a set of British cultural values that everyone adheres to and is proud of. A collective identity.
By doing this, we allow ethnic minorities to celebrate their own cultural background, but also feel they are part of British culture. This will invariably lead to more trust between different racial groups and less racism.
Here is an example to illustrate. Amongst my British Chinese friends, there are two different types:
- The well rounded British Chinese person. He or she has friends from many different cultures and racial backgrounds as well as friends from his or her own community. He or she also embraces British culture alongside Chinese culture.
- The insular British Chinese person. He or she lives in a bubble where they only interact with other Chinese. He or she does their best not to interact with other races or cultures and is deeply critical and suspicious of British culture, choosing only to celebrate their own way of life. As a result of this, they find it very difficult to fit in to British society and do not make many friends at, for example, work.
As a society, we need to be to be encouraging the first option.
I therefore grudgingly admit David Cameron is right.
