How can public policies and services be designed if you don't have an in depth understanding of what makes up your population? Staggering. Ad astra per aspera
The last time the French government officially gathered ethnicities, the service it provided was trains to Germany...
Oh, and it's not only the census : state researchers aren't supposed to make surveys about ethnicity, at all. Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
If you have an understanding of what these issues are and you know area by area what the ethnic mix is ie where you have areas of high muslim populations or other immigrant communities or asian or chinese groups etc, then any social problems causing disadvantage and exclusion can be tackled by altering public policies to reflect local populations in an area. ie improving access and service provision to meet the needs of the population rather than assuming one size fits all. Ad astra per aspera
That's why I don't believe in a short answer, as it is cultural, deeply rooted (one french revolution with quite a blood bath), and recent history (as linca stated) keeps us with shame when we see a distinctive sign of religion (as a yellow star on a jacket) !
Integration is the word..! Using education, one language, one law, for the benefits of all... It's about the "civitas", not the individual.
I'm not just joking when I state that we do have a problem in Europe (or will have) between these two culture (community vs collectivity). Till we dwell on the surface of things, everyone agrees... But if you go deeper there are real divergences ! Not so on the goals, but more on the way to reach them ! It works with economics, as well as social welfare, and even with sustainability... Or unions :-)
The point of sites like E.T. is that, those willing can start to listen to others, trying to understand their viewpoints, thinking of what can be done to bring these very different viewpoints together, or at least next one to the other, so that some common goals can be achieved without bad feelings, war or worse... And, of course, that no one is left behind ! :-) "What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman
you summed up perfectly why blogging here feels so good.
;) The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
i didn't know the internet could bite before, know better now, <LOL> The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
lou ravi sounds like village idiot, and there is some truth to that.
just saw a hardtalk interview with desmond morris, zoologist author of 'the naked ape' where he said only humans carry play into adulthood so completely. The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
