A multicultural society is one of the burning issues of today. People talk a lot about this concept without having a clear definition of this term and without an understanding of various elements of this complicated matter. As a rule, people are afraid of everything new. In this respect, the concept of multiculturalism has involved many debates over it and made the global community discuss the advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism for society from various perspectives. However, it is necessary to state that this concept is mostly beneficial for contemporary society regarding those people that are objective and non-prejudiced. Multiculturalism brings great benefits to society in terms of political and economic stability as well as education.
One of the major benefits of multiculturalism in society concerns the economic advantages of different countries. Besides, the primary level of the economy of the country does not matter because the benefits would sharply increase it and improve the effectiveness of performance. The largest economies are believed to have already benefited from multiculturalism in society; for instance, Australia successfully uses the opportunities provided by the concept of multiculturalism and implements theoretical decisions and principles, as claimed by the National Multicultural Advisory Council. [1] In other words, it is necessary to use the best practices offered by multiculturalism. The same problem appeared when people became aware of the Industrialisation and Industrial Revolution which has benefited greatly to the overall progress of global development. Technological advancement can be, in these terms, compared to the multicultural society that had been approached rather negatively, though global hostility has been gradually transmitted into negotiations over this issue and had stepped a brand new level.
The level of perception of multiculturalism is very high in contemporary society due to the generation of people that avoid prejudices and seek more information and experience. People manage to do well with each other gaining more knowledge and developing some skills; as stated by Trickey, “this generation embraced multiculturalism and diversity like never before, making discrimination in the workplace against women and minorities illegal”.[2] It is true because various legal issues are aimed at protecting the groups within-population that were prosecuted a hundred years ago. Racial and religious discrimination are still urgent issues, though the members of the global community d everything possible to embrace the concept of multiculturalism and all its principles and use those for good.
The religion and culture of various ethnic groups all over the world have different traditions and different levels of adherence by the community members. Some nations are considered to be more religious than others. However, the multicultural aspects should be regarded in terms of religious impact on the diversification of other cultures within a single one. As suggested by Hamilton, the issues of multiculturalism are often confused with the ones of the purely religious aspect. [3] In this respect, it is necessary to recollect the religious teaching of Kabbalah known to have been introduced first by Madonna, this system of religious beliefs and traditions got a widespread all over the world. The most obvious impact of religion, as well as all other elements attributed to multiculturalism, can be traced regarding celebrities. [4] When people try to copy the actions and the lifestyle of celebrities, they implement the multicultural issues in their own lives and get rid of prejudices and ignorance concerning this issue without realizing.
Economic opportunities are one of the benefits available in terms of embracement of the multicultural concepts. Different countries could have established business relations with their territorial neighbors a long time ago, though this would not happen without understanding. The understanding concerns the multiculturalism and numerous opportunities it provides in terms of working experience, results of researches, recruitment, and deliveries. The business sector is the one that is claimed to benefit greatly from embracement of the multicultural concepts. For instance, Australia regards Asia as an appropriate partner in economic relationships; “While there are different views in the community about the overall issue of multiculturalism, the Council believes that multicultural principles and practices, as outlined above, have served Australia well.”[5] Territorial neighborhood enables these two communities to cooperate on mutually beneficial projects without spending too much cost on shipment, delivery, and other aspects and terms of transportation regarding the cooperation with other countries o the global community.
As a rule, multiculturalism is regarded positively in the political sector of international cooperation. When people find themselves in a different country, they can act as though they were still in their native country. This misunderstanding gives rise to many international disputes, especially taking into account countries that seem to neglect the concepts of multiculturalism as well as those of tolerance, international peace treaties, and human rights as a whole. Naturally, people try to find some ways to communicate with people in other countries, though cultural diversity presupposes a different degree of understanding of this concept for various nations. When people are attacked, it is the issue of the foreign policy of the country and should be solved on the international level. When politics are aware of the peculiarities of certain cultures in terms of behavior, it is easier for them to negotiate concerning those citizens of their country that fail to understand the cultural diversity.
Knowledge is a great power that helps us to adjust to certain circumstances and avoid international debates. It is even better when the global community has a common goal of embracing the principles of multiculturalism and implementing the information in practical tasks. Education is rather affordable nowadays. Besides, one can choose any country and any educational establishment. Multiculturalism enables educators to see the relationships between students from different cultural environments and encourage others to develop their knowledge and perception of the main principles that are aimed to bring benefits to the global community. Opportunities provided to all people are great and can be used to the full extent via gaining a mutual understanding of the importance of embracing multiculturalism as an integral part of contemporary society.
To conclude, the principles of multiculturalism are clear to all members of the international community. However, some countries actively participate in the process of embracement of those principles, while others stick to the value of traditions opposing them to common tendencies. All sectors of human activity are influenced by multiculturalism and greatly benefit from avoiding discrimination of minority groups and lack of tension in the workplace. [6] Politics, religion, economy, and education as well as all other fields are believed to benefit from multiculturalism in society. Various studies and debates on the international level demonstrate the progress of gaining more understanding about the embracement of multiculturalism in the world.
Reference List
Hamilton, M., ‘Holiday decorations, religion clauses and the Supreme Court’, in CNN International. 2004, Web.
Minar, J., ‘Celebrities and Kabbalah… Why the Fascination?’, Arts and Entertainment from Yahoo. 2005, Web.
National Multicultural Advisory Council, ‘Multicultural Australia: The Way Forward’, in Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Web.
Trickey, H., ‘Baby boomers or bums?’, in CNN International. 2006, Web.