Nosemonkey's perspectives on multiculturalism

In a rather rheumy article, Nosemonkey addresses discussions around modern politics of multiculturalism.

And although rather negative, the article is extreme well written, which is why I would just like to present the following extract:

[T]he borders go up between the political elites and the people. Turnouts at elections drop year after year. More votes are cast for the winner of Big Brother than in general elections. Party membership tails off as even the most politically engaged lose faith and interest. Resentment grows along with populism, as politicians desperately try to re-engage with the public to the extent that Cabinet ministers feel the need to comment on The X Factor in parliament, or simply follow whatever mindless witch-hunt the tabloid press are up to this week.

If we’re alienated from our national politicians, what hope for those EU level politicians, about whom we know nothing?

And then, of course, there’s the psychological borders rising between the people themselves as opinions and resentments become entrenched and no amount of debate can change minds. Non-geographical borders along the purple America model, where resentment grows, and two ideologically wildly different nations live - literally - side by side in the same geographical territory.

Ignore the obvious race and religion based forms of multiculturalism - what happens when mutually-exclusive political cultures begin to arise within a democratic society?

The challenge of multiculturalism - racial (whatever this is), religious (or non-religious), and political - is to cope with difference, to cope with the fact that we might not be able to agree on how to live individually.

But for the sake of peace there is at least the need to agree on how to live with each other, on how to respect each other although we dream of lives so different that we could also live on different planets.