h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just read a little book by Michael Adams (the President of Environics, a polling company Canadians will recognize) which I found very reassuring, not least because it echoes, with hard numbers as backing, many of the things I've been suggesting about why multiculturalism pretty much works in Canada while it doesn't seem to do so well in Europe.

The book is called 'Unlikely Utopia: the Surprising Triumph of Canadian Pluralism' http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Unlikely-Utopia-Michael-Adams/9780670063680-item.html

(I should have bought it online and saved about ten bucks)

I recommend it highly to all. It's a quick read: I got my copy yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning.

Here's a taste:

'Want to be a Canadian? Check out our laws, and especially our Charter. If you can handle those, then live here, in a neighbourhood as diverse or as homogeneous as you choose, be it Herouxville in Quebec, Kensington Market in downtown Toronto, a block of Richmond, B.C., that might as well be Hong Kong, a gay village, whatever -- just get along.

As it turns out, almost everyone does.'


I'm going to post this recommendation a few other Canadian places on h2g2, so some may get a repeat.

I get the strong impression that this book might re-generate some 'hope' in the ongoing effort of Canadians to continue our national experiment in multi-culturism.

Must confess I've been a little off the idea of cultural laissez-faire ever since the Mounties decided to let Hindu officers carry their daggers and Sihks to wear turbans.

Canada is such an old softie that huge Chinese gangs safely operate international drug operations while assorted terrorists construct bombs and plan bombings in posh high-end neighborhoods all across this country. Whatever happened to the good old days when we kept the Irish and Italians in ghettoes and made the frogs talk white?


~jwf~

Ooooh, you got me riled up, ~jwf~ . . .


until I got to the end.



'Hindu officers carry their daggers'? I don't think you've got the term right for the people that carry daggers. Aren't they called 'constables'?