Is the homogenization of society a good or a bad thing?

[Shadowmancer]

Topic for the day is the Homogenization of society a good thing or a bad thing. By that I mean is making groups of people stop doing something that they have been doing for years. A couple of cases in the news recently with this being behind it.

In Spain the sport of Bullfighting is being banned in some places this is so that Spain can fit into the wider global community. I can understand where both sides are coming from but the excuse for the change seems to be, we want to be the same as everyone else.

The next is a fairly recent one that I read about. Italy may soon be forced to remove crosses from the public schools because people may be offended or feel excluded because they are there. This comes from an EU court saying that it should happen. Again it seems like it is an attempt to make everyone the same. I don't know the full statistics but I am pretty sure that Italy is majority Christian/Roman Catholic in its beliefs, therefore the ones that would be offended would be in a minority. So again it seems to be an attempt to Homogenize society in general.

So as you can sort of getfrom what I have rambled on about I think that the homogenization of society is a bad thing. What about you?

 

[HBK-aholic]

This is actually a really good thread Shadow, I'm surprised no one else has replied. And you've taught me a new word, who said Wrestlezone wasn't educational? I think for the most part this is a bad thing. When it comes to 'Political correctness' or something changing in a big way to appease a minority, I'm generally against it. Removing crosses from a public school is one of those things. Why should they have to? Does seeing a cross make members of a different religion burn? It doesn't affect anyone in ANY way and people really need to get that through their heads and stop complaining. Who are these people who are offended, seriously? I would LOVE to meet them.

Bullfighting should be banned, it's horrible, but the reasoning is wrong. Spain is Spain. Who says we're not in the wrong and the 'wider community' should be like Spain is? The whole thing is full of so much ethnocentrism how people are arguing for this bewilders me.

 

[Razor]

I don't really understand this reasoning. It's like when people are in America and whine about the Mexicans holding on to their heritage, or the Muslims still walking in their religious garb. "They're in America, they should act like we do." Only this case, it's "They're in the EU, they should act like we do."

Does no one remember the "cultural melting pot" days? I remember back in school that's what our teachers said America was. A grand country where anyone can come to our shores and be anything they wanted to be. If you want to lose your native traditions, Americanize your name, and go with the flow, then sure. Why not. Millions of Germans and what not did just that. But wait, you want to hold on to your heritage? Hold on to your name? I remember a time when the response was "Okay, whatever. Don't break our laws though." Now it's " Oh my holy jesus...that man is in Islamic holy garb. TERRORIST." Or, at the very least "DIFFERENT THAN ME!!"

This, I'm assuming from the way things are going, has started to emerge in the EU. Your cross example I remember reading about on Yahoo News a few days ago. Really? They're a majority Roman Catholic country. They have the Vatican in their country borders. Are you really going to tell me that they can't show a bit more religious tendencies than Americans? The head of the entire Roman Catholic faith is in their country. Buh.

This is all going to lead to one thing. A world wide society of universal qualities. This is going to get boring, and fast.

 

[BladeRunner]

This is an interesting topic.

Ok, I believe in both homogenization and cultural constructs. And this is how I can believe in both.

Firstly, I'm an American. And everyone that lives around me is an American. Now, we all may have different colors, different cultures, different religions, but we're all Americans.

I believe you should love your nation. Not necessarily the government, which can be completely horrible at times, but I mean love the people of your nation. Treat them fairly and justly no matter what their color is or religion or what have you. Give them a chance no matter what they look like.

So what I'm saying is, I believe that if you're American, you should celebrate it and all it's holidays like july 4th, etc. But also, everyone has their own cultures from their past, and everyone has their own religions, and we should let them celebrate those as well.

So we can all be unified as Americans, while being multiplied in regards to beliefs etc.

And that's how the founders saw America too. A bunch of different types of people all coming together to unify as a great nation.

 

[Shadowmancer]

This is Homogenization on a global scale, this is people that are in the majority being forced into the way that a minority feels that it effects them and they use the quite fail argument of other people are doing it. Think about that within the two examples that I gave in the initial posts. Both come down to the argument of well other countries will look down on us for this when it is effectively an attempt to make everyone the same.

 

[BladeRunner]

That's why I believe in nations, and not a global government. Under global government there's nowhere to run if it becomes evil.

Also nations give you options, like if you think drugs should be illegal you can move to one place, and if you think they should be legal you can move to another.

This is also why I believe in state's rights for similar reasons.

 

[NYSandman]

Bullfighting is a tradition. If you truly care about a bull being in pain, enough to complain about it, you need a life very badly. WHO CARES! Why is this thread even here? It's a bull, for God sakes! Yes, what is done is cruel, but so are the murders of thousands around the world. It's a bull! Instead of worrying about this shit and trying to get other people to care, how about we work on this cancer thing or this AIDS thing? How about working on stopping assholes who worship different invisible men in the sky from killing each other over stupidity. How about we work on finding new sources of fuel before we run out and this planet turns into a giant ice cube? How about we worry about the abuse of Government and the molestation of children?

How about we care about US, instead of a stupid freaking bull?

And crosses? If the crosses offend you, you have problems in your life. There is a great store here in New York that is closed on Fridays because the owners are Jewish. That is there prerogative.

People are just lifeless. They have no hobbies, no jobs, nothing better to do than bitch, moan and complain about things that do not ultimately matter to the human race.

I'm Catholic, off and on. If a school were good, but was primarily Jewish, with pictures of Rabbis and the such, WHY WOULD I GIVE A FUCK? Oh, I'm not sending my kid there until you either take down the pictures or put up crosses. So, no place can have tradition or religion, because it's either all or nothing. Can't have just a cross. Got to have a menorah, too. And, let's throw some Muslim decoration up there, too. Wait! We forgot the Buddha statue!

So, we satisfy everyone, and now there's no room for the kids with all the shit hanging around.

Stop getting so easily offended, people. Stop bitching because people want to honor their culture and express their individualities.

The last time people's opinions and customs were suppressed, the pictures were in black and white and the narrative in German.