The Challenge Of Tolerance Within A Multicultural Society

Within a single culture there are differences based on religion, politics, nationality, race, and ideology that go largely unassumed by its members. This leads to people defining others in ways that are entirely inaccurate. Members of these imagined communities who live without their identities being recognized by the larger majority are very similar to the subordinate, more “primitive” cultures that exist in the world in the sense that most of the time, they go unacknowledged by larger, more advanced powers. When these subsidiary entities are unable to make themselves known, they simply become easily influenced by higher powers since they tend to become “a quiescent, ignorant, manipulable electorate” (Pratt, 510). It is vital that these marginalized peoples learn to make themselves heard, for there are many principles and ideas that can be learnt from them.

There is no doubt that communities and cultures have been exposed to one another over the course of time. This interaction is known as the “middle ground” where different groups come in contact for various reasons either accidentally or purposely. This interaction and mixture of communities has the potential of creating a good or bad relationship between the two different groups, depending on the circumstances and their intentions. The reality is that there is fear towards many different communities which is mostly due to the lack of knowledge and lack of comprehension there is for these groups. Communities and cultures cross borders because they want to create a just society; we continue to live in a world full of unjust treatment, the drive to help others and fight for a fair society explains why communities and cultures cross borders. Crossing over of these communities leads to understanding and

“conflict occurring between individuals or social groups that separated by cultural boundaries can be considered “cross-cultural conflict.” But individuals, even in the same society, are potentially members of many different groups, organized in different ways by different criteria” (Avruvh, 1998, p.6).

A fine line is drawn between whether a person is “right” or “wrong”, “innocent or guilty” solely based on one factor. When people interact in a social environment, they tend to be tense and anxious around those from another racial group. To which having a mentality of posturing an inappropriate comment or action may cause offense or discomfort to the other. Those who take part in another person’s culture will later express fewer prejudices toward members of that ethnic group. To what is considered a “black sheep” in a herd, they are often ostracized from society and are not wanted; however, some people accept differences in individuals for the good of society to the extent of achieving tolerances as seen by Atticus’ interactions with Tom Robinson in Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, along with Juror 3’s viewpoint of the jury in Rose’s 12 Angry Men, and Sergei’s dilemma in What, of this, Goldfish, Would you Wish? by Keret.

“If we have no common faith and are divided by morality and cultures, and are separated by ethnicity and race, what holds us together? Especially in light of Putnam’s report that ‘diversity’ dilutes ‘social capital’, erodes community, and engenders mutual mistrust.” (Buchanan 472)

In the essay, “No Place like home” by Neil Bissondath argues that although multiculturalism has emphasized differences it has also created a divide. Canada is seen to have a record of racism, that shows an ongoing separation in Quebec. This would also include sexism, and various forms of discrimination that are tied in with racism. Till today, people are discriminated on their physical appearance. As multiculturalism grows in Canada racism becomes to be a problem to some. Bissondath goes on to say that although there is a damage of multiculturalism, many Canadians need to, “pursue acceptance of others-not mere tolerance of them” (Bissondath, Page 307). What is meant to be said by that quote is, Canadians need to learn to accept other’s rather than parting ways due to someone’s color, race, or their appearance. However, Will Kymlicka says in his essay, the more multiculturalism the better. Kymlicka says that immigrants are supportive and that they have

People should be accepting of different individuals, because in doing so there will be more people in society. If everyone gets along, then there will be more people available to work together and advance. In doing this the human race can achieve more than before. For example, science and technology have advanced to the point they have today only because scientists all over the world are sharing their results and collaborating with each other. The breakthroughs that happen in medicine only happen because chemists from China to the US work together. If every chemist worked only within their respective countries, then it is very likely that diseases such as smallpox, malaria, polio, and measles would still be running rampant. This

The blending of ideas and beliefs of people from different cultures has posed a challenge to the social construct of many cities and nations for thousands of years. Comparing the ideas of Michael Schwalbe and Thomas Sowell as it pertains to sociological adaption between the members and beliefs of different races and cultures could pose a difficult task for some, but after reviewing each of their thoughts in regard to this subject, one’s own beliefs will sway them either to support Schwalbe’s view or Sowell’s view and the one that they, as individuals, are likely to agree with will determine their position on this subject. Schwalbe’s view focused on being mindful of other differences so that there can be more social equality amongst all people and that this equality could only come about over time by people treating each other with more “respect and compassion and refusing to participate in recreating inequalities even in little ways”. However, Sowell’s view seemed to be a bit more realistic as it centered on the notion that differences amongst people are somewhat of a catalyst for change and the change that these differences bring about can still be used as an advantage for all mankind. If society was to truly become equal and society’s differences were a thing of the past, some may say this would create a Utopia, I feel that instead of a Utopia, this could lead to our demise.

The “Eyes on the prize” is about how African Americans fought for their rights and freedom. African Americans held a boycott for blacks to have the rights to sit in front of the bus. The pain and suffering that they went through paid off because we still have those rights today. In today’s society African Americans have the right to sit wherever they want.

One of the greatest difficulties in intercultural relations is the acceptance of others due to the perceived threats and anxiety produced. The threat being that one will lose their culture, language, and ‘race’. These feelings give rise to the issue of racism, prejudice, and in some cases violence. With this in mind, we can begin to see why it is hard for some members of a host country to be accepting of immigrants. In Canada, 16% of Canadians believe immigrants take away jobs from locals (Ward & Masgoret, 2006). The increasing migration of immigrants has a strong impact on the host countries; one such impact is an incident in which a Sikh truck driver was physically assaulted in Canada despite Canada being portrayed as a cultural mosaic. Understanding

It is important to understand our diverse Americans because our country is full of unique people from across the world. Our society is built with people that celebrate their religion In their own way and our country lets us embrace our religion. Our society is an environment where people can exercise their religion without persecution of religion, unlike in other parts of the world where individuals aren't free to practice their religion. In addition, there will always be that Americans will respect you no matter what your background is, unfortunately there's also a small portion of Americans out there that will disagree with you and the choices you will make. As of right now there aren't many places to go without witnessing diversity at

This journal provides insight into diversity and tolerance in regards to the social contract. Providing evidence to support one’s claim that people don’t define the social contact because not all voices, ethnicity, religion, or culture maybe represented.

Today more than ever, individuals and societies are built as an integration of different cultures and carry different characteristics that construct their unique identity.

Many political leaders in Europe have declared that their attempts on multiculturalism have failed, “In October 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel proclaimed that a multicultural approach had ‘utterly failed’ in Germany. In February 2011, French President Nicolas Sarkozy also called multiculturalism a failure, and British Prime Minister David Cameron indicted his country’s policy as of multiculturalism for failing to promote a sense of common identity and encouraging Muslim segregation and radicalization.” (Bloemraad, I. 2011, page 1). Not only do political figures of European countries believe that multiculturalism has been a failure, but citizens of many European countries believe the same impression, as stated in Kenan Malik’s text ‘What is wrong with multiculturalism? A European Perspective’, there are three myths about immigration that have grounded the present-day view that multiculturalism as a political process has been unsuccessful. The first myth being that “European countries used to be homogenous but have been made diverse by mass immigration”, the second myth is “the claim that contemporary immigration to Europe is different, and in some eyes less assimilable, than previous waves” and the third myth is “European nations have become multicultural because minorities wished to assert their differences.” (Malik, K. 2012, pages 1 and 2). Malik then

Have you ever glanced at a person who appears to be different and immediately averted your gaze to avoid eye contact? Of course you have, we are all guilty of this. Was this based on the person’s race? The way the dressed perhaps? Or maybe it was neither of these, but yet for some reason you felt as though you could not trust them. This concept of trust is the motivating factor for this paper. You will find that there are numerous ways that you interact in situations which require societal trust without even knowing. It begins at the very top, with our governments and policies, and then funnels through every network of the public sphere down to the diverse individuals whose identities are determined by differing levels of trust. Multiculturalism is found at the very centre of this. The appreciation of others and respect for other cultures is the premise of multiculturalism and is intended to prevent racial divides and conflict from arising. When executed correctly, it has the power and ability to allow for trust among one another, which is pivotal for a cohesive and ethnically diverse society.