The Problem With Multiculturalism

There’s a problem with multiculturalism—and no, it’s not that every critic is a raging racist.

Not only is multiculturalism solely imposed on Western nations, but it operates on the baseless assumption that all cultures share the goal of “diversity in harmony.”

In reality, they don’t.

That’s why it’s been said that multiculturalism is a unicultural phenomenon, largely unique to post-World War II Western nations.

Since the beginning of civilization, virtually all people groups have viewed their own cultural norms as superior, including those that now aspire to the ideals of multiculturalism.

Even within self-professed multicultural societies, the dominant host culture will invariably suppress, restrain, and regulate cultural practices that conflict with the prevailing norms.

For example, in the Christian West, practices such as polygamy, female genital mutilation, slave labour, public nudity, animal sacrifice, incest, and child marriage are outright banned despite the fact that these are accepted cultural practices elsewhere.

But what happens when an imported culture that doesn’t subscribe to the ideals of multiculturalism begins to gain dominance over the host culture, either through mass immigration or a higher birth rate?

As this new “monoculture” increases in influence, it will inevitably begin to redefine what that society deems acceptable behaviour, and that includes undermining the multicultural commitment from within.

The problem is only exacerbated when the host nation welcomes migrants who have no intention of assimilating with the host’s culture, religion, or way of life. The more “foreigners” that are imported, the less likely it is that they’ll integrate and adopt the Western “multicultural” ideal.

As a result, the increasing prominence of non-Western monocultures within nations that claim to be multicultural is a significant concern for many Westerners. One needs only to consider that there are currently around 30 Sharia “courts” in the United Kingdom.

At present, these Islamic councils cannot overrule the decisions of UK courts or make decisions contrary to UK law. But could that change? If that’s what the dominant culture demands, then the question is, why not?

Multiculturalism can only survive as long as the dominant culture is committed to the goal of “diversity in harmony.”

The fear many have expressed is that multiculturalism could potentially lead to cultural and national suicide if there is nothing preventing any monoculture, indifferent to multiculturalism, from becoming the prevailing force that will not only dismantle multicultural ideals, but also completely eradicate Western culture.

Left unchecked, the notion of “multiculturalism” is inherently flawed, and as such, it risks becoming a gateway not to diversity in harmony, but to suspicion, societal division, and cultural erosion.

Wanting to preserve for his grandchildren the way of life he inherited from his grandparents doesn’t make a man a racist. It’s the aspiration of every people group, and in a society where all cultures are striving for equal dominance, that’s the problem.