Wow that's racist!!!

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Originally Posted by steve_spackman

Thats my point.

If you are going to move to a different country to live or even travel, you should respect the countries culture and learn the language regardless...

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What does 'respect the country's culture' mean, exactly? To what are people expected to conform other than the laws of the land in question?

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Originally Posted by markabilly

actually notwithstanding other theories to the contrary, theroy exists that the current africans migrated from somewhere around central asia, or perhaps a bit to the west of India, with far lighter skin than what is present today, some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago

and only around 5,000BC, started developing darker skin

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sure, sure... there are also theories about the world only being 6000 years old... (bit like yer missus)

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Originally Posted by Mark

Same issue as many Brits going to live in Spain without proper knowledge of Spanish.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen house programmes where a couple want to move to live in Spain and find work there, and yet can't speak a word of Spanish!

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There is one major difference between the foreigners who migrate to the UK and the Brits who migrate to Spain/France/Italy, age.

The young people who come to Britain are the least likely to require expensive government spending, they don't need education as they're too old and they're unlikely to need much healthcare provision since they're young. Apart from the odd social security which they have reduced access to, the government doesn't need to spend much on them, yet they pay a lot in taxes whether its income tax or through VAT whenever they buy something.

The oldies moving to Europe though are the exact opposite, they don't earn much if anything so don't pay much tax yet are coming to the age where they're likely to need a lot of medical care so take a lot of tax money out of the system.

In terms of the net financial contribution they make to the host country the migrants coming to Britain contribute whilst the Brits going to Europe to retire sponge off their host nation. Its no wonder the French are changing the law so that ex-pats have to pay for their own healthcare now.

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

What does 'respect the country's culture' mean, exactly? To what are people expected to conform other than the laws of the land in question?

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I've always wondered that. Part of the Dutch nationality test is that the candidate has to watch a video of naked sunbathers and gay couples caressing each other, if they express a negative response they don't get Dutch nationality.

So what happens if you're born and bred Dutch but happen to be homophobic or don't believe in public nakedness? Do those guys have their Dutch nationality revoked?

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

There is one major difference between the foreigners who migrate to the UK and the Brits who migrate to Spain/France/Italy, age.

The young people who come to Britain are the least likely to require expensive government spending, they don't need education as they're too old and they're unlikely to need much healthcare provision since they're young. Apart from the odd social security which they have reduced access to, the government doesn't need to spend much on them, yet they pay a lot in taxes whether its income tax or through VAT whenever they buy something.

The oldies moving to Europe though are the exact opposite, they don't earn much if anything so don't pay much tax yet are coming to the age where they're likely to need a lot of medical care so take a lot of tax money out of the system.

In terms of the net financial contribution they make to the host country the migrants coming to Britain contribute whilst the Brits going to Europe to retire sponge off their host nation. Its no wonder the French are changing the law so that ex-pats have to pay for their own healthcare now.

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And quite right too. Worth mentioning also that the older Brits who become expats in Europe are probably the least likely to want to, or be able to, learn the local language.

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

I've always wondered that. Part of the Dutch nationality test is that the candidate has to watch a video of naked sunbathers and gay couples caressing each other, if they express a negative response they don't get Dutch nationality.

So what happens if you're born and bred Dutch but happen to be homophobic or don't believe in public nakedness? Do those guys have their Dutch nationality revoked?

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The answer to the general point is that people who go on about immigrants 'not respecting our culture' have an absurdly homogenised notion of what our culture is, or should be. As the rest of us all know, culture isn't like that.

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Originally Posted by Dylan H

Part of the Dutch nationality test is that the candidate has to watch a video of naked sunbathers and gay couples caressing each other, if they express a negative response they don't get Dutch nationality.

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Is that true, or just a joke or an urban legend?

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Originally Posted by Eki

Is that true, or just a joke or an urban legend?

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I heard it was something the Dutch were thinking about using to gauge reaction in immigrants...but then again, that may have been BS. I cant remember where I heard it.

I do know to conform to one's countries culture means you have to define it. Canadians are in a constant identity crisis. Other than going to Tim Horton's for their morning coffee and watching hockey, we don't do much in common that is unique say from our cousins to the south at first glance....
It isn't a wonder the immigrants to this country are often wondering which customs are ours and which do we have in common with our American cousins.

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

Precisely, yet this sort of thing always passes over the heads of those who criticise people coming into the UK.

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With all due respect Ben, when you win two world wars on your own you deserve to be let off for a bit of ignorance and bigotry here and there :p

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

The answer to the general point is that people who go on about immigrants 'not respecting our culture' have an absurdly homogenised notion of what our culture is, or should be. As the rest of us all know, culture isn't like that.

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Quite right. "Our culture" is of course a flexible term which is applicable to any of the infinite ways of grouping people - your family, your peers, your local community, your region, your religion, your tribe, your country, your blood type, your eye colour...

In my view, many of those who moan about "their culture" being eroded by "the others" in this way are a tad paranoid and quite insecure.
You (think you) see your values going down the drain and would naturally prefer to blame anyone but "your own".

Funnily enough, the homogenised notion of what "our culture" is tends to focus mainly on what we would see as the positive aspects and disregards the negative points. Nobody would blame immigrants for introducing "pub-brawl", "binge-drinking" or "teenage-pregnancy" culture... well, except maybe in some coastal regions in Spain :p :

I wonder where Steve would feel more threatened... in a Polish quarter or in a "true Brit hoody" part of town?

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