I love how the ‘respect our culture’ thing only usually works one way.
If I go to saudi arabia I can’t drink, among many other things, and women are ‘encouraged’ to dress appropriately and wear head coverings. You are in their country so you respect their traditions even though you may think they are silly and backwards.
However, when they come to western countries they immediately expect us to change our customs and laws to conform to their cultural norms. Huh?!
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I believe the drink thing is the law. They can’t come here and stone adulterous women, either.
[quote=meadandale]
France is learning a tough lesson. Their decades of welcoming all these people with open arms is crushing their country. We’d be wise to learn a few lessons from their experience.[/quote]
France is paying for the imperial past. They welcomed their allies from North Africa the same way the U.S. allowed allied Vietnamese to immigrate. It turned out not every Arab that came over is Zizou, but it shows how long-term cost of imperialistic policy can be crushing.
Anyway, I support the idea of pulling people forward, but I am not totally convinced it will work. After seeing the descent of dominantly Muslim former Soviet republics back into their happy middle-age I’m starting to doubt that the Enlightenment can be enforced upon groups en masse. Voltaire and Rousseau need to come from within.
