Multiculturalism as propaganda

Any social science professor worth his salt would reply by asking the student, “What is virtue? What is vice?”

The student, believing these to be worthwhile questions (the fact that Socrates asked them over two millennia ago is not on the website) would try to give his own opinions about them. In the end, he would be told that these are all value judgments and that science can not prove that virtues are preferable to vices.

“Is the truth worth pursuing?” a bright student would ask.

“Scientifically speaking? No!”

If given an opportunity to engage in a debate with the copyright owner from the web site, another student might ask for proof that cultural diversity and tolerance can co-exist, as claimed.

The copyright owner would smile triumphantly and point to where the web site says: Coexistence of people from diverse cultures is feasible when there is common agreement about basic principles such as respect for the rights and property of others, a commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law.

Then the student would say, “I’m confused. Co-existence depends on a common agreement about four issues one of which is the rule of law. Why shouldn’t the rule of law be the rule of Sharia law? And why does the agreement have to be about democratic ideals? Are they better than the ideals of Sharia?”

The copyright owner’s face would smile again. “Look at the website where it says ‘Human rights are not granted by others or governments but come by virtue of birth. They are not the preserve of minority groups. They are not privileges of majority groups. Human rights transcend all borders, cultures and notions of difference’.”

The student would ask, “If they are not given to us by other humans, do they come from God? And who discovered these human rights?”

A little shaken, the copyright owner would point to the website: Over the past 300 years European societies have developed a set of ideas about right that have now spread throughout the world.

The student (not knowing that it was not human rights but natural rights given by God as stated by The Declaration of Independence), would shake his head and say “These rights, then are only Western European rights, part of European culture. Aren’t you forcing your Western rights on other cultures and contradicting your multicultural policy?”

These are the sort of questions that enquiring students might ask if they were given the education with which the Board of Studies NSW ought to be concerned.