Multiculturalism is a blend of all cultures, different nationalities, sexes, sets of ethics, and values. One's culture is defined by oneself irrespective of these beliefs. Multiculturalism helps to promote unity but has had a reverse effect on us. Although the idea of multiculturalism is convincing, it cannot be fully applied. Even in the 20th Century, the generation is open-minded but still, there are cultural differences among youth. They still hesitate to adopt other cultures and show no interest in knowing about other customs and rituals. These cultural differences cause a lot of damage to life and property. For instance, cultural differences sometimes lead to terrorism and sometimes to personal controversies.
A person's behavior relates to the culture in which he/she is born and raised. Every country has its own culture and beliefs. In countries like India, the culture is altogether different. Being an Indian I can clearly state the culture of my country. India being a Hindu country respects the culture and traditions. Temples, churches, and mosques are worship places and are kept and adhere to cultures.
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For example, tourists visiting India should be given guidelines and they should learn about the culture and beliefs of India. Holy places of worship should be respected and any kind of nudity or acts that affect the culture should not be conducted. The same thing applies to everyone who is visiting other countries for a job, holidays, or studies. People should adapt to the respective country's culture. Another example - an article in the French newspaper Le Monde reported a case of 12 tourists who posted some nude photos taken on the summit of Mount Kinabalu in Borneo. They did not follow and obey the instructions of the guide and posted these photos on Facebook. After five days there was an earthquake and all these tourists died in that disaster. (M.D., 2015) This example illustrates that people blindly believe in their culture and follow it. These are mere myths and they connect this incident as a reason for the earthquake.
It’s all myths that are followed blindly because people are bound by the culture since birth and their perception is linked to their myths. It’s all superstitious beliefs and people do not like to go beyond these beliefs and think if they go against these myths some misfortune will happen. It is observed in my country too, where superstition is followed, and it is considered taboo to go against it. Some evil will happen if gone against it.
Multiculturalism affects all over the world. Even in Canada, there are positive and negative effects of multiculturalism. The positive effects include the person's ethnic involvement and overall life satisfaction. (Guest, 2010) Visible minorities in Canada experience inequality and often face indiscrimination. As a part of these experiences, they are less socially integrated in society than local Canadians. A country becomes unique with its culture and traditions.
Multiculturalism states that all cultures should be respected. “If we respect others, others will respect ours.” I am an international student and have easily adapted to Canada’s culture. Although it took a while, I easily gelled into it. The easiest way to understand a country’s culture is by interacting with locals. Their body language, gestures, and communication style will help to understand in-depth and avoid making mistakes. Before traveling to another country, one must be culturally aware of the preferences, characteristics, and circumstances. “Moreover, cultural awareness is important because behavioral patterns which are problematic in own culture can be the norm in other cultures.” For example, in Arab countries, nudity and other discretional behavior is considered an offense. Also consuming pork is ‘haram’ as their religious belief.
Culture is a wider concept and there is a lot more to discuss. Cultural differences occur in the workplace too. If a person from high high-context culture works in low low-context cultural place, they should learn the cultural behavioral pattern of the individuals working there. Working together as a part of a team will help to learn and adapt the ethics and values of that country. Cultural diversity and sensitivity make teamwork possible and allow people to improve skills and achieve extraordinary results. With the rapid advancement in technology where artificial intelligence and robots replaced physical labor, understanding and respecting others' cultures plays a vital role. Culturally diverse workers have different opinions, beliefs, trends, and traditions. One of the disadvantages or say negative points is cultural diversity in the workplace leads to interpersonal conflicts.
The language barrier is one of the most prominent disadvantages of cultural diversity. For instance, India is a non-English speaking country and when students prosper in higher education in first-world countries have to undergo an English proficiency exam. Students' academic background is not considered but language is given more importance and students are evaluated based on the language test. It's basically to judge an individual whether will adjust to English English-speaking country. Proficiency in the language of a country is very important and as English is widely spoken all over the world, judging people based on tests will be easier for them.
Because of linguistic and cultural problems, social tension can occur. (Button, 2018) For instance, in Europe tension between Muslims and other secular majoritys about Islamic and secular values. European Muslims are facing rejection in the employment sector due to a lack of educational opportunities. Due to these factors, people tend to spend more time at home rather than socializing with their neighbors and friends. Cultural diversity is related to income inequality where people have fewer interactions and are not politically involved. They are least interested in politics and don’t give importance. Immigrants face lots of problems when they are placed to work in a country that is not politically stable.
As discussed earlier, workplace issues are of bigger concern. It’s the management's responsibility that workers work together as a team without any differences among teammates. The workplace issues are majorly due to cultural diversity. Immigrants face racist remarks especially if they are Asian and working or studying in first-world countries. Likewise, white employees also face these while working in Arab countries and face discrimination. In America, Asians are always referred to as ‘brown’ and African Americans are referred to as ‘black’. These kinds of racial discrimination often lead to a negative impact on an individual who feels depressed and low. African Americans are more likely to resign from jobs as compared to white employees and female employees are twice as likely to resign as compared to male employees. Employee turnover can explain the level of discrimination in an organization. Effective cross-cultural communication is not just spoken but non-spoken too. Nonverbal communication is a sensitive part of communication that can often lead to misunderstanding and team members may feel offended which in turn leads to conflicts. Respecting privacy, making eye contact, and body language can be different in different countries. Co-workers from different countries bring different attitudes, behaviors, and values. Working with multicultural teammates will help to improve communication skills and also embrace the value of diversity.
The impact of multiculturalism has in so many ways added positively to the growth of Canadian society. Canadian population majorly contributes to immigrants and people from around the world who come to Canada to pursue a career and have a better life. Canada has and is still welcoming many immigrants and providing them with food, clothing, and shelter. With a vast number of immigrants, the job market is diverse and scattered all over. People from different cultures work together, although there are cultural problems but still all are one and working as a team.
Although there are advantages of multiculturalism there are a few disadvantages too. One of the disadvantages is an increase in hatred towards a culture, religion in particular. When people of different cultures work together there are high chances of abuse and threats. There develops hatred which often leads to war. For instance war between Israel and Palestine over the Jewish religion. Likewise, Indians have had a hatred towards Pakistan, since independence and vice versa. Whether it's sports, art, or movies Pakistan tries to overpower Indians but always fails as they are not technologically and financially competent. Pakistanis face rejection from every part of the world due to their involvement in terrorism. They are not competent and often survive in first-world nations' favor. Not only Pakistan but other Muslim countries often face these rejections because of their religion.
A person should be open-minded and willing to accept the culture without questioning or trying to abuse the culture. Respecting other cultures can always have peace and harmony. Migration is one of the major reasons multiculturalism exists. Migration is good but it also leads to a threat which is attracting refugees from around the world. Many people from Mexico often migrate to the US but are caught at the border. Mexicans think that their lives will be secured kids will get a good education in the US and they have a better life. But they are either caught or deported back to their country. These illegal immigrants or refugees bring drugs arms and ammunition inside the country which is a possible terror for the US. Not only the US, but India, Germany, Canada, and others are facing these problems. Muslims from the Arab world are also migrating to first-world countries for a better standard of living. They are facing discrimination in their own country. For example, people in Syria, Palestine, and Libya are in constant threat and are dying due to war. These countries have become a puppet of terrorism in the hands of some first-world nations. They escape and seek shelter in neighboring countries and become refugees. Migration is increasing at an alarming rate. Migration is good but there is always a negative side to every story. People just migrate for a better living. The world is becoming a global village and multiculturalism will continue to exist. Is there a way to escape from multiculturalism? Everything is left to time and time will tell because it's an ongoing process and will never stop. When people think that they are not safe in their own country they choose to migrate with their family. Some migrate for employment, education, or for the safety of their families. The link between migration and multiculturalism cannot be denied and cannot be stopped. I agree that multiculturalism is not good but it is a cycle and will go on. Multiculturalism is a myth but it’s a combination of different cultures, values, ethics, and norms which is very difficult to follow.
To conclude, no doubt multiculturalism plays a prominent role in today's era of globalization. But according to me, instead of promoting multiculturalism one must learn to respect each other and their ethics and values. Besides, we should encourage cooperative living. This will further promote peace and love irrespective of cultural and other differences.
References
- Button, A. (2018). The Disadvantages of Cultural Diversity. https://www.theclassroom.com/the-disadvantages-of-cultural-diversity-12082787.html.
- Guest. (2010). Social impact of diversity: Potentials and challenges in Canada. https://www.ideas-idees.ca/blog/social-impact-diversity-potentials-and-challenges-canada.
- M.D., T. D. (2015). The Effects of Multiculturalism. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psychiatric-disorder/201507/the-effects-multiculturalism.
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