Europe's migrant problem

[August]

I think multiculturalism can work in a big country like the US that can absorb large numbers of immigrants but i'm not so sure how well it works in smaller ones like the size of most European nations without them loosing their individual identities.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by August

I think multiculturalism can work in a big country like the US that can absorb large numbers of immigrants but i'm not so sure how well it works in smaller ones like the size of most European nations without them loosing their individual identities.

The US was lucky in this aspect as it was big and empty enough for all the different enclaves to develop without starting to step on eachothers toes and as generation passed, not to mention 2 victorius world wars, the multicultured map started to melt into one American.

Europe has slowly learned to live with their neighbours and small minorites within borders and for the most part those small minorities respected the law of the land.
But one culture has to be dominant. Because that one writes the secular laws and the rest must follow it. Total assimilation is not really needed for this to work.

[August]

Originally Posted by Betonov

The US was lucky in this aspect as it was big and empty enough for all the different enclaves to develop without starting to step on eachothers toes and as generation passed, not to mention 2 victorius world wars, the multicultured map started to melt into one American.

Europe has slowly learned to live with their neighbours and small minorites within borders and for the most part those small minorities respected the law of the land.
But one culture has to be dominant. Because that one writes the secular laws and the rest must follow it. Total assimilation is not really needed for this to work.

I do agree but it seems like the drive has been to make European nations as homogeneous possible.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by August

I do agree but it seems like the drive has been to make European nations as homogeneous possible.

For the most part, the open borders, death of nationalism with a rise of the tourist and a common outside enemy (USSR), western Europe homogenised by itself. Laws that govern France are not that different from laws in Slovenia. And any law in France wouldn't bother a Slovene a bit.
What is a Slovene different from a Frenchman apart that we have one third of their wages. We know at least 2 foreign languages, drive worse, preffer more activer hollidays and we like saltier food. 100 years ago when nationalism was highest the difference was still the same except we didn't speak no foreign languages.
We were divided politically, not so much culturally. One more reasons why the enclaves in the US were going along together nicely. They were riots but in Europe we call if football aftermatch.