Tth Sra

FSOE7W
Multikultrlis Kanada
2016. 04. 18.

Multiculturalism: USA vs. Canada

Multiculturalism is a term that is hard to define; some say it is an ideology or some

kind of utopia; however, one thing is for certain, it is about the co-existence of individuals
with different cultures, languages and religions. Multiculturalism might seem as the result of
the modern world, when in fact, multicultural societies are known to have existed centuries
before. Multicultural societies as we know them today, have stared with the big migration
waves after World War II, when many began to emigrate to Western counties.
Today when talking about Multiculturalism, probably the first two countries that come
to mind are the United States and Canada. In both countries it is based on thesameconceptin,
but with an entirely different constructions. Both of these countries are known for their
opportunitiesandtheirsocalledacceptances ofnewcomersfromallaroundtheworld.Yet,
attitude towardsmulticulturalism inCanadaandintheUS are quite different,regardinghow
eachcountry'sgovernmentandsocietiestreattheindividualsoncetheyhavesettleddownin
theirnewhome.IntheUnitedStatesmulticulturalismiscommonlyreferredtoasa"melting
pot",whereasinCanadaitisknownasa"culturalmosaic".Now,eventhesetitlessayalot
aboutwhateachcountriesapproachesaretowardstheconcept.
Movies often advertise the fact that America might seem as a perfect choice for those
who seek refuge or simply to live and make a better life for themselves, what they do not tell
however, is the harsh truth, that in order to achieve that in the United States, one has to
sacrifice a lot more, than leaving their homeland behind. Accordingthetothe"meltingpot"
theory,thoseimmigrantsthatcomethetheUnitedStateseventually need to beassimilated
intothegreater society,meaningtheyhavetoleavetheirlanguages,culturesandsometimes
eventheirreligionsbehind, and adopt the host country's culturesin order to be fully accepted
into their society. This means that in a way they are stripped of their past and become
Americanizedfortheirfuture.
When talking about multiculturalism and what it should be like, the first thing that
comes to mind to many, is the Canadian model. Canada was in fact the first nation in the
world that officially made a Multiculturalism policy in 1971, which stated that, as opposed to
the United States, Canada's views toward immigrants is about integration rather than
assimilation. Today, Canada is regarded as a role model for integration and acceptance
towards minorities. IncontrasttotheUnitedStates,Canadaoffersamuchmorefriendlierand
lessdrasticwayforthosewhowishtoimmigratetotheTrueNorth; the Canadian modelis
essentially the "salad bowl" concept but in Canada it is known as a "cultural mosaic".
Accordingtothis,people of different ethnics who come to Canada will be a part of a bigger
picture, and unite in their diversity thus making a better and stronger Canadian nation.
To conclude, multiculturalism can be a very positive thing, if it is done right.
However, in order to be a working concept it has to be taken seriously, as Canada has already
initiated it on a government level, over 40 years ago. On the other hand, it is not enough if a
country's government is pro-multicultural, first and foremost for multiculturalism to be a
successful and positive concept, people need to fight their prejudices and learn to be tolerant
about minorities and accept diversity to be a positive thing.
 References

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/dec/06/canada-multiculturalism-
europe
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/05/immigration
http://www.sulinet.hu/oroksegtar/data/magyarorszagi_nemzetisegek/romak/multikultu
ralizmus/pages/002_a_multikulturalizmus_kanadaban.htm
http://tunde66.blogspot.hu/2010/03/multikulturalis-kanada.html