Multiculturalism Has Corrosive Effects on Society Assignment

Multiculturalism Has Corrosive Effects on Society - Assignment Example Blurred Boundaries† (ALBA, 2005). Alba talks about the existence of bright and blurred boundaries that separate ethnic groups from the mainstream society. For example, the Muslim Turks in Germany may be seen as a group with bright, clearly defined boundaries that distinguish them from the non-Muslim European. The religion, the culture, the dress, the language of one group all are seen as clearly different from that of the other. An individual can be a member of one group at one time, which suggests a clear lack of assimilation. On the other hand, Alba gives the examples of Mexicans in the US, who are also immigrants but their social distinction is classified by blurred boundaries. He writes, â€Å"This could mean that individuals are seen as simultaneously members of the groups on both sides of the boundary or that sometimes they appear to be members of one and at other times members of the other†. This implies that the differences between the immigrants and the host nat ion are not as clearly defined as was in the case of the Muslim Turks. Even so, the exclusion of the Mexican immigrants from mainstream American society does exist, mainly because, even after generations of living in America, they are not essentially American. This mindset leads to the creation of factions that weaken a society, preventing it from seeing itself as a whole. Multiculturalism, especially when backed by state ideologies, corrodes a society since it in effect supports a policy that encourages people to see themselves as separate from the whole, leading them towards extremist ideologies in a desperate urge to belong. Multiculturalism then becomes a... The researcher states that the establishment of relations, that are based on trust and care that is a feature of small communities is absent in the multicultural river of the modern day metropolis. Moreover, there is a clear lack of belonging amongst such multicultural centers, where each cultural group has a unique identity of its own, but fails to associate itself to the greater identity of the city they are living in. Although multiculturalism may promote a healthy exchange of knowledge and ideas, however, it corrodes the very foundation of a society since it creates factions, leads people to extremism and is the cause of nonexistent interpersonal ties amongst fellow community members. Multiculturalism, especially when backed by ideologies, corrodes a society since it in effect supports a policy that encourages people to see themselves as separate from the whole, leading them towards extremist ideologies in a desperate urge to belong. Multiculturalism then becomes a program aimed towards â€Å"giving recognition to ethno-religious groups†. A society characterized by multiculturalism is also dominated by weak interpersonal relations, where fellow community members live and interact as little more than strangers, which weakens the social ties upon which all societies are based. The researcher then concluds that multiculturalism corrodes the individual as well as the society by giving no one their due share of belonging and acceptance within the society, and promoting feelings of mistrust among members of the same community.