Bissoondaths Attitudes on Multiculturalism - Essay Example

Bissoondath’s Attitudes on Multiculturalism Throughout his article “I’m not a Racist But …”, Bissoondath criticizes the legislation of multiculturalism because he says most of the people who use racist language are not doing so out of malice. “We like to think, in this country, that our multicultural mosaic will help nudge us into a greater openness. But multiculturalism as we know it, indulges in stereotype, depends on it for a dash of colour and the flash of dance” (Bissoondath: 76). Restricting language only reinforces the stereotypes people have about other groups of people by eliminating it from the public dialog. Questions about others cannot be asked without fear of causing offense at the same time that opportunists seek to make a profit on an offhand remark and the legislation helps create a larger problem than the one it is intended to solve. However, Bissoondath’s arguments are not well-supported nor are they well-defined. With support from other writers, though, his arguments regarding the result of multiculturalism being a closing of racial interactions, its tendency to produce fear-mongering opportunists and its propensity for creating a larger problem seem to be valid. The first problem with multiculturalism, according to Bissoondath, is the restriction it places on individual communication between people of different cultural backgrounds. Despite any attempts otherwise, there are inherently misconceptions held by people of other backgrounds that only interaction can counteract. The author relates the example of a man who felt all East Indians revered cockroaches and was happy to have his East Indian neighbor once he learned this was not so. “It is difficult to recognize one’s own misconceptions” (Bissoondath: 75). Wayson Choy uses himself as an example of what the absence of multiculturalism did for him. Rather than understanding terms such as ‘banana’ become a negative racial slur as it is defined today, Choy saw this identification in the tradition of his own culture: “the term actually follows the old Chinese tendency to assign endearing nicknames to replace formal names, semicomic names to keep one humble” (Choy: 78). In other words, the term was not a racist slur but a badge of identification with others of similar mixed heritage. Examining the lives of mixed marriage couples in Toronto, Andrew Cohen cites Yann Martel’s description of Canada as ‘the greatest hotel on earth’. “A perceptive and apt description, it imagines a Canada in which every one is a visitor, occupying a room, a floor, or even a wing, depending on his means. No one stays for very long be­cause no one wants to make an extended commitment” (Cohen: para. 7). This ‘just visiting’ mentality encourages individuals to associate only with those they already know or are forced to come into frequent contact with through school, work or religious affiliation. The concept of media exploitation is perhaps the weakest of Bissoondath’s arguments in terms of supporting evidence. Having briefly introduced the subject, he briefly warns “We must be skeptical about those who depend on conflict for their sense of self, the non-whites who need to feel themselves victims of racism, the whites who need to feel themselves purveyors of it” (Bissoondath: 76). Bissoondath’s argument is supported by the way in which Choy illustrates how the whites felt themselves purveyors of racism. Through the prime-time television programs he watched, the white culture was emphasized while the Chinese culture was presented as being somehow less than or less advanced, encouraging the Chinese Canadian youth to “cooperate with English-language magazines that showed us how to act and what to buy” (Choy: 79). It wasn’t until his 40s or 50s that he discovered that he began searching for his Chinese roots and discovered that “these ‘between world’ struggles are universal” (Choy: 79). The concept isn’t as clearly stated in the Cohen article, but the idea is conveyed in his discussion of the effects of alienation occurring in the cities despite, or perhaps because of, multiculturalism. “If Canadians don’t redouble their efforts to integrate and promote a secular society, ‘we risk creating a fragmented nation, divided into 21st century religious and racial tribes, suspicious of each other and longing for the home we left behind” (Cohen, citing broadcaster Tarek Fatah: para. 10). The way in which media and individuals exploit issues of racism thus contribute to the creation of greater problems. This idea of multiculturalism creating problems with race is the final argument presented by Bissoondath. Not only is the issue exploited through the media and those seeking personal gain as already illustrated, but these exaggerations of true issues also begin to blind us to the realities existing all around us. For example, Bissoondath mentions several organizations that have identified themselves in terms based almost exclusively on race that are not universally permitted. These include The Association of Black Nurses, the Association of Black Artists and The Congress of Black Jurists, all of which would incite instant opposition if the word ‘black’ were replaced with ‘white’. “Let us be frank, racism for one is racism for others” (Bissoondath: 76). The very concept of the ‘banana’ nickname discussed by Choy represents the need to associate with a specific culture, which, in this case, emerged into its own classification as “the generations who assimilated so well into North American life” (Choy: 79) as opposed to the grandmothers and grandfathers who continuously felt the need to remind the children that they were Chinese and the parents who urged the children to adopt the English ideals as a means of surviving. Cohen discusses how multiculturalism, by discouraging assimilation into the greater society threatens the unity of the nation by dividing it into multiple unrelated factions. “The danger is that ethnic nationalism will trump civic nationalism, instead of the other way around … In inviting new Canadians to remain much as they are after they settle here … we are in danger of reducing our Canadianism to a quaint, antiquated, 19th-century attachment, like English fox hunting” (Cohen: para. 11; 13). By defining and increasing awareness of various stereotypes, the various races become further divided and further entrenched in their concepts of uniqueness. Bissoondath, Choy and Cohen all express similar issues with the concept of multiculturalism. Bissoondath’s argument seems relatively straightforward and direct with very little to support the claims he’s making and little indication of the depth to which he believes the claims he’s making. Choy’s account of his own experiences growing up as a Chinese Canadian before multiculturalism became a matter of public policy illustrates how society as a whole has been moving in the wrong direction in terms of race relations. While his own childhood was not perfect in this respect, encouraging him to reject all association with his Chinese heritage until well into his adulthood, it was not outside of the realm of possibility for him to explore the differences between the cultures and identify himself in the end with something in the middle, not better or worse, just different. Finally, Cohen makes a similar argument to Bissoondath in that he feels multiculturalism is introducing more harm into the community than benefit. He cites several other authors and researchers as a means of supporting his argument and thus gains greater credibility. However, it becomes clear that Bissoondath’s claims, however well or poorly made, can be considered valid when taken in context with Choy and Cohen. Outline Introduction Thesis Statement: With support from other writers, though, his arguments regarding the result of multiculturalism being a closing of racial interactions, its tendency to produce fear-mongering opportunists and its propensity for creating a larger problem seem to be valid. Body 1: Restriction of racial interaction Bissoondath Choy Cohen Body 2: Media exploitation for personal gain Bissoondath Choy Cohen Body 3: Multiculturalism actually creates racial issues Bissoondath Choy Cohen Conclusion Works Cited Bissoondath, Neil. “I’m Not a Racist But …” The Mercury Reader: A Custom Publication. Comp. M. Rubens. Toronto: Pearson Custom Publications, 2006. 74-76. Choy, Wayson. “I’m a Banana and Proud of it.” The Mercury Reader: A Custom Publication. Comp. M. Rubens. Toronto: Pearson Custom Publications, 2006. 77-80. Cohen, Andrew. “Diversity Dilemma.” National Post. (April 2007). Read More