ahmadosman
Oct 16, 2010
Book Reports / "The Simplification of Culture" - is Bissoondath right? [2]
The Simplification of Culture
In my opinion the arguments made in the story, "The Simplification of Culture" by Neil Bissoondath, were right. Bissoondath criticizes the multiculturalism policies, stating that it "encourages the devaluation of that which it claims to wish to protect and promote" (Bissoondath, pg 32). He believes that by being a multicultural society, people are starting to forget the origins of their culture and adapting to the Canadian culture as a means of survival. When a woman in his English class talked about the unpleasant history of her country, Bissoondath proved that due to multiculturalism, it gave him no idea of her historical past. He wants to keep all nations separate so that they could maintain their culture together. It is more efficient when they work together and aim for similar goals instead of having to accommodate their lifestyle to goals they are not familiar with. The most influenced people in the situation of immigration are the children who were born or raised in Canada because the most crucial developmental part of their lives is their childhood. Although multiculturalism does not eliminate the cultural heritage of the immigrants, it promotes equality and the freedom for people to embrace their cultures. However, Bissoondath just like many others chose to follow the Canadian culture. Bissoondath saying that he was not of India, and choosing words such as our country to portray Canada, it puts into perspective how multiculturalism has affected immigrants. Bissoondath also shows pride and benefit from being Canadian, he doesn't show regret. He is an ESL teacher and his families are now lawyers and doctors. This shows that multiculturalism may benefit immigrants at the expense of the loss of their culture. When people are in an environment where progression is vital to keep up the standards of living, it provides a harder environment to sustain their cultural beliefs. Discrimination also affects the multicultural society, many people leave their culture behind and adjust to the new one in order to be accepted in the society. The government tries to avoid discrimination by providing a safe society where there is equality in workers rights and education however sometimes it does wrong in the process of creating equality. For instance, the designated groups of people chosen for jobs specifically to create an equality in the percentage of minorities in the work place. Also being given double the time for minorities to write an exam. Canada does this to make its point in accepting different ethnicities in order to gain their trust and make them want to be Canadian. In the long-term they benefit by increasing their work force. Multiculturalism is based on self-interest motives, which in turn serves the social-interest.
The Simplification of Culture
In my opinion the arguments made in the story, "The Simplification of Culture" by Neil Bissoondath, were right. Bissoondath criticizes the multiculturalism policies, stating that it "encourages the devaluation of that which it claims to wish to protect and promote" (Bissoondath, pg 32). He believes that by being a multicultural society, people are starting to forget the origins of their culture and adapting to the Canadian culture as a means of survival. When a woman in his English class talked about the unpleasant history of her country, Bissoondath proved that due to multiculturalism, it gave him no idea of her historical past. He wants to keep all nations separate so that they could maintain their culture together. It is more efficient when they work together and aim for similar goals instead of having to accommodate their lifestyle to goals they are not familiar with. The most influenced people in the situation of immigration are the children who were born or raised in Canada because the most crucial developmental part of their lives is their childhood. Although multiculturalism does not eliminate the cultural heritage of the immigrants, it promotes equality and the freedom for people to embrace their cultures. However, Bissoondath just like many others chose to follow the Canadian culture. Bissoondath saying that he was not of India, and choosing words such as our country to portray Canada, it puts into perspective how multiculturalism has affected immigrants. Bissoondath also shows pride and benefit from being Canadian, he doesn't show regret. He is an ESL teacher and his families are now lawyers and doctors. This shows that multiculturalism may benefit immigrants at the expense of the loss of their culture. When people are in an environment where progression is vital to keep up the standards of living, it provides a harder environment to sustain their cultural beliefs. Discrimination also affects the multicultural society, many people leave their culture behind and adjust to the new one in order to be accepted in the society. The government tries to avoid discrimination by providing a safe society where there is equality in workers rights and education however sometimes it does wrong in the process of creating equality. For instance, the designated groups of people chosen for jobs specifically to create an equality in the percentage of minorities in the work place. Also being given double the time for minorities to write an exam. Canada does this to make its point in accepting different ethnicities in order to gain their trust and make them want to be Canadian. In the long-term they benefit by increasing their work force. Multiculturalism is based on self-interest motives, which in turn serves the social-interest.