Multiculturalism today

Go read Byzantine Ramblings post on multiculturalism here. I am reminded of Mata Hari when I ponder the effects of multiculturalism. She came back from Asia and took on the guise of a foreigner who did a "sacred dance" that involved translucent outfits that left little to the imagination. Accepted as a dance from the mysterious East there was more acceptance of what she did because the rules of polite society simply didn't apply to this ignorant woman. Had they known she was a girl from far north reaches of the Netherlands, raised entirely properly (even a school teacher for a short while), would they have so readily accepted her exotic dances?

I think not. Similarly, placing something in the "other" category does not abrogate good taste or morality. Just because something came from somewhere else does not mean you are barred from making a "judgment" (hold your gasps, please).

I don't believe all cultures are equal. I don't hold to the belief that there is a magic scale that evens out the weaknesses of some cultural aspects with endemic merits that make, for example, the ancient Greeks equal in stature to the cannibals of South America. Similarly, you will find people that believe that we as Americans are great because we govern peaceably despite our differences, just as some say we are great because of our differences.