Multiculturalism and immaturity?

[Boleslaw]

This has been brooding in my mind for some time. All over the media are reports that our society is becoming more multi-cultural in many ways. Especially with the rise in interracial marriages (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=36835), the general rise of race-mixing among young people (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33085), and the new surge in multiracial people in general (http://www.thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38725). Of course a major sign of this trend, as seen by many, is the rise of Barrack Obama and how the major support base he has among young people.

Yet at the same time, there are numerous reports and studies out expressing grave concerns about the growing level of immaturity in our society at large, and how this is especially negatively affecting our young people. Off the top of my head I can list:

Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole (http://www.amazon.com/Consumed-Markets-Children-Infantilize-Citizens/dp/0393330893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212768829&sr=1-1) by Benjamin R. Barber

The Death of the Grown-up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization (http://www.amazon.com/Death-Grown-up-Americas-Development-Civilization/dp/0312340486) by Diana West

Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before (http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Americans-Confident-Assertive-Entitled/dp/0743276981) by Jean M. Twenge

Among numerous others.

So is it just an interesting coincidence that there's a seeming correlation between multiculturalism and social immaturity in general? Much of the evidence presented by the sources I pointed to above say no. Diana West in particular notes the strong connection between the two phenomena.

Twenge also provides much analysis and details about society basically helps shield young adults from the realities of life and society in general. This may help explain these general tendencies among young adults, from the authors of Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics (http://www.millennialmakeover.com/):

"The Millennial Generation is also the most diverse in our history. Four in ten are non-white and about 20-percent are the children of at least one immigrant parent. Reflecting their gender-neutral behavior, a majority of college undergraduates are women, for the first time in U.S. history. Solid majorities of Millennials are tolerant on social and racial issues, favorable to governmental intervention and egalitarian policies in the economy, and an activist, but multilateral, approach in foreign affairs. With few exceptions, Millennials have overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in this year's presidential primaries and caucuses...."

http://millennialmakeover.blogspot.com/

Which also seems to prove another point I often make, multiculturalist "diversity" is quite literally skin-deep and nothing more. In terms of real diversity, there hardly is any.

Anyways from further down on the same blog, here's another key important aspect of the mindset of young people today who support Obama and race-mixing:

"Millennials have been taught since their parents first sat them down to watch Barney that the best way to approach problems is to find a solution that works for everyone in the group---since everyone is just as good and important as everyone else. The confrontational style of Baby Boomer candidates like Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney strikes them as rude, enough to earn them a time out until they learn how to play nice. By contrast, the unifying message of Barack Obama who suggests, somewhat naively to the ears of older voters, that his solution to the problems of America will be to get everyone around the table to work things out for the good of the country is exactly in tune with the way Millennials have been taught to solve problems. When John McCain distanced himself from Bill Cunningham’s typical talk radio ideological rant, he earned the enmity of many of Cunningham’s colleagues. But he spoke directly to Millennials who are looking for candidates who refuse to engage in that kind of name-calling. "

So yes, the ethical concepts that govern our society and especially the mindsets of younger people are basically a variation of Seaseme Street and Barney; as opposed to the profound insights formulated by the legacy of Classical and Biblical-Christian traditions.

This is probably why I get the constant feeling of talking to over-grown kindergardners when discussing various issues. It seems that being "nice" to others is more important than being correct.

You have your truth, I have my truth; which in effect means there is no truth and what we believe ultimately doesn't really matter. Both Barber and West note how in such an intellectual enviroment, true maturity in any real sense is quite impossible.

You could even compare anti-racist literature from 50 years ago to that found today and notice a complete difference. The former at least acknowledged the common sense that races existed, and that natural kinship had legitimate value. Try finding that in anything written today by most anti-racists.

Most of the basic arguments in favor of inter-racial relations I hear are usually along the lines of "I want to fuck Asian chicks, so I should be able to fuck Asian chicks". Almost all the talk about humanity and so on are usually secondary to the primary argument of "I want, I want, I want"; and even then is just a variation of something you hear on various childrens' programs.

This of course is just a continuation of the mentality provided by contemporary consumerism promoting immediate gratification and that nothing should stand in the way of such. By contrast, a more mature adult would at least acknolwedge the thereotical difference between what ones wants, and what one actually needs. The prevailing mentality is that there is no difference between the two. Again, this type of mentality is to be expected among children, but not among mature adults.

I think that's enough for now. Anyother thoughts on this issue?

[Roland]

Interesting thread Boleslaw.
Cross-reference to a thread by Petr: http://thephora.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38173

It really does seem odd that a premise derived from a statement of want has become the sole necessary condition for justifying action. This seems to occur when our conceptual scheme dictates that the world is merely an occasion for the whims of an individual that is ontologically prior to an otherwise contingent and arbitrary world.

[harjit]

"Millennials have been taught since their parents first sat them down to watch Barney that the best way to approach problems is to find a solution that works for everyone in the group---since everyone is just as good and important as everyone else. The confrontational style of Baby Boomer candidates like Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney strikes them as rude, enough to earn them a time out until they learn how to play nice. By contrast, the unifying message of Barack Obama who suggests, somewhat naively to the ears of older voters, that his solution to the problems of America will be to get everyone around the table to work things out for the good of the country is exactly in tune with the way Millennials have been taught to solve problems. When John McCain distanced himself from Bill Cunningham’s typical talk radio ideological rant, he earned the enmity of many of Cunningham’s colleagues. But he spoke directly to Millennials who are looking for candidates who refuse to engage in that kind of name-calling. "
This sounds like a very compelling statement in favour of the values of the younger generation.

Trying to find cooperative solutions, in a spirit of win-win, sounds much healthier and more life-affirming than the dark ugly competitive combative model of human interaction.

[Mike]

This sounds like a very compelling statement in favour of forbidding children from watching Barney.

This sounds like a very compelling statement in favour of the values of the younger generation.

Trying to find cooperative solutions, in a spirit of win-win, sounds much healthier and more life-affirming than the dark ugly competitive combative model of human interaction.
Let's get one thing straight. Even if cooperation is to be preferred over competition, the values of the younger generation are not truly cooperative. The values of the younger generation are essentially selfish. The womanly aversion to what's called a confrontational style, presumably referring to spirited discussion of important issues, is only a sign of society's terminal illness. These values of selfishness and phony niceness are not the values of the hardy, responsible, rational citizens on which true democracy depends; they are the values of gullible, self-absorbed, mindless, sentimental individualistic consumers who are easily manipulated by their emotions, and who are easy prey to various self-interested organized groups, e.g. Jew-inspired sensitivity trainers, toothpaste marketers or Obama's NLP/psyop artists.

Ultimately, the choice between cooperation and the competition is an illusion. Competition is inevitable, and that any race-culture that tries to adopt a purely cooperation-based model will quickly find itself in steep decline on all levels.

[Empress Cheesatine]

So yes, the ethical concepts that govern our society and especially the mindsets of younger people are basically a variation of Seaseme Street and Barney; as opposed to the profound insights formulated by the legacy of Classical and Biblical-Christian traditions.

This is probably why I get the constant feeling of talking to over-grown kindergardners when discussing various issues. It seems that being "nice" to others is more important than being correct.

You have your truth, I have my truth; which in effect means there is no truth and what we believe ultimately doesn't really matter. Both Barber and West note how in such an intellectual enviroment, true maturity in any real sense is quite impossible.

Sesame has, of course, been a propaganda outlet of the left since its inception in 1969. If you're looking for cultural Marxism or post-modern moral relativism, Sesame Street has double helpings of both. Its a place where religion is in the closet and homosexuals are out of it, and where race doesn't exist unless its about extolling the virtues of black culture or finger-wagging at white people. Very much this crowd are overgrown kindergarteners. They also haven't outgrown their college professors. It's mass brainwashing, leftist style, and its aimed at the world's children.


Most of the basic arguments in favor of inter-racial relations I hear are usually along the lines of "I want to fuck Asian chicks, so I should be able to fuck Asian chicks". Almost all the talk about humanity and so on are usually secondary to the primary argument of "I want, I want, I want"; and even then is just a variation of something you hear on various childrens' programs.

This of course is just a continuation of the mentality provided by contemporary consumerism promoting immediate gratification and that nothing should stand in the way of such. By contrast, a more mature adult would at least acknolwedge the thereotical difference between what ones wants, and what one actually needs. The prevailing mentality is that there is no difference between the two. Again, this type of mentality is to be expected among children, but not among mature adults.

Its a combination of the I-want syndrome combined with the notion that everyone is an atom floating in a void with no cultural or organic connection to others. Its hyper-individualism, and with hyper-individualism comes no social responsibility, no duties or commitments. Its certainly part of consumerism, but also I think part of the cultural Marxist left which is on a mission to break down all ties of religion, culture, and folk.

These are fine examples you have raised which show the intensity to which the leftist mindset has absolutely infected the public consciousness.

[Corrupt]

Engineers vs Imagineers is how I characterize the divide between the old America and the new America.

The Engineer ethic was driven by empiricism; the Imagineer ethic is driven by imagination. It's all just a big game of let's pretend for the latter.

Let's pretend race differences don't exist, and they won't. Let's pretend sex differences don't exist, and they won't. Let's pretend ethnic conflict can be resolved by phony niceness, and it will. Let's pretend we'll never get old, and we won't. It can quickly get ridiculous: let's pretend we can afford a mortgage costing 90% of our income, and we can.

The influence of the self-help movement (which, when you analyze, is anything but a self-help movement, at least not as judged by the bulk of its adherents) should not be ignored. Tens of millions of Americans have invested at least some time and effort in some self-help system or another. Much of it is quite valuable, especially that which was based on older, "Engineer" wisdom, but the movement itself has morphed and is now a bastion of Imagineering.

Most attend these seminars because they want the secret to easy millions. And the seminars are happy to provide it, and it's usually something that comes down to some sort of "mind power," the idea being that imagining yourself a millionaire forcefully enough is the trick to the whole thing. However much that might help, it's hardly sufficient. But the idea has been implanted, and even though the vast majority fail to realize the material gains they dreamed of, the concept of simply wishing -- essentially -- the world to be a certain way is sufficient to make it that way gets applied to all sorts of things. Female twits (especially white ones) exiting a Tony Robbins seminar can be absolutely counted on to believe one just needs to imagine the world a certain way and, lo and behold, reality will alter itself to accord with one's desired perception of it. When these folks are exposed to the happy hokum of progressives, liberals, jews etc, they're quite apt to buy into it because the idea has already been implanted in their minds that "change" is simply a matter of wishing things into existence.