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Multiculturalism creates Ghettos

I have always considered myself an open-minded person, but when a fellow classmate said these words, I was surprised.

I believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion. I may not always agree, but they do have the right to control their own thoughts. This statement was made during a discussion about Canada’s national identity. The beginning of the discussion was about if Canada was actually just a compilation of many unique backgrounds or its own unique identity. Our country’s history is full of immigrants settling here. We are one of the most beautiful and peaceful countries. We pride ourselves on sharing our backgrounds, cultures, and our lives. We befriend people of different races, we love people of different cultures, and we become family by joining our differences together.

I am not going to stand on the top of a hill and scream “I am Canadian”, but I am also not going to sit by and let someone say something so ignorant as “multiculturalism creates ghettos.” I am not mad at this individual. I am surprised. I am surprised that someone at this level of education could believe something like this. I am disappointed by it. We have been subject to so many opportunities to learn how others live.

This classmate also mentioned that he does not want his tax money to go toward any multicultural events, community centers and groups. I know this individual is not alone in his beliefs, but I wonder how, as a white male, he would feel to be dropped in China, for example, and told that he is the reason there are ghettos, (that) he is not a real citizen because is not the majority, he doesn’t speak the language, and because of that has trouble finding a job and holding down employment. I wonder how long it would take him before he seeks out other white males. So now in this new Chinese environment, where is he going to find his other white males for that much needed safety net.

Oh wait there isn’t one, because the Chinese citizens didn’t want their tax money to go toward those white males with no jobs, and who barely speak the language.

Genevieve Pelletier
Ottawa, Ontario