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William Pfaff: Europe pays the price for its cultural naïveté
International Herald Tribune | Thursday, November 25, 2004 | William Pfaff

Posted on 11/24/2004 9:10:36 AM PST by Ginifer

PARIS In the realm of European immigration, the damage done by the political correctness of the past is only now beginning to be felt.

In several countries, notably in Scandinavia, a policy of unquestioning tolerance of cultural differences was adopted because to demand assimilation was thought to imply a "racist" claim to superiority, with the inevitable comparisons with Nazi Germany.

In Germany itself, where nationality was long considered ethnic in origin, immigrants originally were excluded from cultural or political assimilation, with the fiction that they were all "guests" who would eventually go home. Instead, their families followed them to Germany, and they now demand citizenship.

France believed in immigration in principle, but pretended to itself that its Muslim North African immigrants would eventually go away. Now, of course, this substantial minority poses a great problem, which the French are belatedly trying to deal with through efforts to integrate the younger generations.

The troubled case of the Netherlands is the most interesting, however, because the Dutch - like the British - said their aim was a multicultural society composed of equals. This was a convenient illusion, or form of hypocrisy, because the Netherlands, like other West European countries, never ceased to believe in the superiority of its own society and to indulge in a high-minded denial of the power of national cultures and religion.

The Dutch gave immigrants the benefit of their generous welfare system. They took for granted the social discrimination and economic disadvantages that immigrants suffered. Their notion that the Netherlands would eventually become a peaceful multicultural society, in which its large immigrant population would melt away, becoming successful, if exotic, Dutchmen and women, was well intended but unrealistic.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 11/24/2004 9:10:36 AM PST by Ginifer
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To: Ginifer

Nothing new here, except that this is being said by William Pfaff, a NY Times staffer writing for the Uber-left International Herald Tribune.

Maybe the leftist elite are starting to wake up. Probably not, but this is a mildly hopeful sign.


2 posted on 11/24/2004 9:13:08 AM PST by Cicero (Nil illegitemus carborundum est)
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To: Cicero

We'll have to wait until the Muslims directly attack abortion, homosexuality, and atheism - the central tenets of the leftist faith.


3 posted on 11/24/2004 9:20:20 AM PST by expatpat
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To: Ginifer

Europe has forgotten the lessons taught to them by the Muslims in the period from 900AD to 1815AD when successive Muslim invasions were turned back.

Now the Muslim point of view is that they are trying to 'recover' lost Muslim lands such as Austria, Spain, Portugal, the Balkans, & etc. Recent fatwas also state that anywhere a Muslim has settled is now "their" land.

Make no mistake that Islam is on the march and they are the next threat to world peace.


4 posted on 11/24/2004 9:21:58 AM PST by PeterFinn ("Tolerance" means WE have to tolerate THEM, they can hate us all they want.)
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To: expatpat

True that.


5 posted on 11/24/2004 9:22:29 AM PST by PeterFinn ("Tolerance" means WE have to tolerate THEM, they can hate us all they want.)
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To: Cicero

"Nothing new here"

Bingo. It's like these people are just coming out of a long, ideological sleep and realizing that one of the foundational pillars of their socialist theology is....wrong.


6 posted on 11/24/2004 9:32:03 AM PST by Owl558 (Don't tread on me!)
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To: Ginifer

Most European countries have distict idiosyncracies that make it hard for immigrants to integrate. For some reason, both the US and Britain have been successfull in integrating immigrants. Immigrants in the US that I know love this country. Perhaps it is the quality of the people coming. Hispanics are socially conservative and Christian.


7 posted on 11/24/2004 9:33:47 AM PST by mgist
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To: Ginifer
"They took for granted the social discrimination and economic disadvantages that immigrants suffered."

Would that be more or less "social discrimination and economic disadvantages" then they would of found in their home countries?

Or would it be more appropriate to say,

"They took for granted that the opportunity they sought would be given to them with no change on their part?"
8 posted on 11/24/2004 9:35:36 AM PST by Anvilhead
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To: Cicero
Nothing new here, except that this is being said by William Pfaff...

No kidding - I had to check the byline twice. Are eyes opening over there or did he simply fail to find a way to blame the United States?

9 posted on 11/24/2004 9:40:37 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill

It's Bush's fault.


10 posted on 11/24/2004 9:52:21 AM PST by karnage
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To: Owl558
"realizing that one of the foundational pillars of their socialist theology is"

And that would be that no culture is Superior to any other. It takes mind boggling ignorance to believe that. But amazingly many do, or say they do. Cultures no more advanced then a wolf pack are said to be equal to Anglo Saxon culture which derived from Roman culture with derived from Ancient Greece culture with borrowed heavily from Ancient Egyptian culture. yea right.

The tenet of multiculturalism is so wrong that it's failure is soon revealed. But Political Correctness prevents the truth from being spoken. Unfortunately, by adhering to Political Correctness, by not debating and discussing the hard issues of our day we open the door to a potential demigod. I will be surprised if a demigod does not rise to power in Europe by bashing multiculturalism/homosexual-ism/and all the other isms being forced on society by clueless, bored, do gooder elites.

11 posted on 11/24/2004 10:02:51 AM PST by jpsb
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To: Ginifer

Europe can go to hell for all I care.


12 posted on 11/24/2004 10:04:01 AM PST by FredWolfe
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To: Cicero
"Nothing new here, except that this is being said by William Pfaff, a NY Times staffer writing for the Uber-left International Herald Tribune."

Yes, it seems he's singing a new tune here; he's always been one of the Europe-is-better/smarter-than-the-USA crowd.
13 posted on 11/24/2004 10:12:56 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: jpsb
"The tenet of multiculturalism is so wrong that it's failure is soon revealed."

Truer words were never spoken, jpsb.

The direction of the migration is a testament to which culture is, indeed, superior. With the exception of the likes of the poor, misguided John Walker Lindhs, you see very little migration from a nominal Christian country to a moslem country.

All of the movement is from moslem countries to those who are, or were, based on Christian values. It's just that the PC types don't allow the host countries to attempt to defend their own culture because that would be "intolerant."

The starry-eyed liberal idea that all religions are equal is as wrong as wrong can be.

14 posted on 11/24/2004 10:38:52 AM PST by nightdriver
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To: jpsb

"I will be surprised if a demigod does not rise to power in Europe"

That certainly is in keeping with European history.


15 posted on 11/24/2004 11:35:13 AM PST by Owl558 (Don't tread on me!)
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To: expatpat
We'll have to wait until the Muslims directly attack abortion, homosexuality, and atheism - the central tenets of the leftist faith.

It is my opinion that socialism is the one and only true tenet of the left's faith. The rest are just poisons intended to weaken us so that we will accept socialism.

16 posted on 11/24/2004 3:26:28 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: PeterFinn

Please see my reply #16.


17 posted on 11/24/2004 3:27:58 PM PST by rogue yam
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