Quote:
Originally Posted by Frownland
It's a strange policy to not want people to be close-minded to other cultures/xenophobic? It's obviously a two way street: immigrants should assimilate to the point that they follow the law and can communicate while the current inhabitants be understanding that people from different countries have a tendency to practice different lifestyles from their own.
My integration analogy still stands.
|
yes it is strange that when you import people from alien cultures on a massive scale and in turn you get a resurgence of nationalism, that you blame the inhabitants of the host country and don't call into question the immigration policy.
let us not forget that europeans have a long legacy of nationalism that has only recently come out of fashion in the region, and it took two world wars for that to happen. prior to that it was hard enough to convince european nationalities to get along with each other, let alone with people from cultures much different from their own.
of course assimiliation doesn't mean you abandon all aspects of your old culture. that is what makes it multicultural. your question, though, was whether assimilation matter beyond language. the answer is yes. there is more to the 'american' culture that we are expected to share beyond just speaking the language.