Multiculturalism in Australia

**Note: this post may only be relevant to an Australian audience, or those interested in Australian politics.

I was going to write about how the return of Pauline Hanson into Australian politics makes my blood boil, you know pretty much assassinate her positions and her character. But then I thought to myself, 'what's the point?'. I guess there are too many personal memories that come to the surface when I remember the time she first came to prominence back in 1996. I was in Grade 3 at that time, about 10 years old and it brings back how unpleasant the social climate of that time could be. Instead I'll just write a little bit about how this thing called multiculturalism could... you know... actually be a good thing.

Multiculturalism?

Nobody ever said multiculturalism was an easy thing to pursue. Bring in different philosophies and cultures and you're bound to have some conflict. But the benefits of drawing from a rich, diverse pool of cultures by far outweighs any challenges it presents.

The benefits can be seen in both economic and social spheres. No one country, no matter how great it thinks it is, can survive in the modern world without pooling the resources of other nations. The fact of the matter is that some nations do particular things better than others. East Asian countries like Japan, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong are ahead of the game especially when it comes to regulating financial technology. Silicon Valley in the United States does innovation online better than pretty much everybody else. Germany is renown for being top of the game in the automotive industry. In the arts, think about how many great composers moved and found their creativity in another nation away from their homeland. Think about what composers like Dvorak brought to the United States, a country much younger than those in Eastern Europe. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you foodies what diversity does for your tastebuds. We pool and trade resources and talents, whether they be people, ideas or physical commodities.

So how do isolationists like Pauline Hanson and her party still manage to find their way into the Senate?

I guess I've just always thought that opportunity shouldn't be limited by your race, place of birth or passport. These aren't such revolutionary ideas, but with all the fear and irrationality being spread around, it sometimes seems like they are.

Bring back Paul Keating :)