The paper "Multicultural Society as a Society Consisting of Mixtures of Varied Ethnic Groups" is a good example of an essay on sociology. A multicultural society is a term that has been used to refer to a society made up of people from diverse varied linguistic, national, cultural, and religious backgrounds. A multicultural society is, therefore, a society consisting of mixtures of varied ethnic groups. According to Iyer in his article The Global Village Finally Arrives, the world has become more of a village. He argues that migration has a significant role to play as far as a multicultural society is concerned.
With the current advances in technology and communication, people are moving from one place to another in search of such things as job opportunities, education, and peace, among others (Arthur and Schlesinger). These migrations have been triggered by migration push factors and pull factors. As a result of the migration of varied races and cultures, multicultural societies are in the increase. Critics have argued that diversification of societies takes place through three levels; societal, group, and individual levels.
This paper aims at analyzing the benefits and challenges that accrue as a result of living in a diverse multicultural society. Most of the recent policy and intellectual work has not been in a position to comply with the current societies that are becoming increasingly diverse and with individual groups, which are becoming increasingly complex. There exist different categories of multicultural societies. This can be divided into the ones in which people live mutually in the same environs and the ones in which diverse groups live in the same country but live in a locality with their own kind.
Like any other element of society, multicultural society has advantages as well as disadvantages. A country can enjoy a variety of benefits from immigrants. It is evident that multicultural societies have cultural, economic, and social developments to a nation. According to Iyer, one of the most obvious benefits of living within a multicultural society is the acquisition of intellectual benefits and new knowledge. This is possible since people from different cultures interact with one another. He argued that this interaction allows people to build up varied ways of analyzing different situations from diverse perspectives.
Moreover, an individual is in a position to learn and appreciate the cultures and believes of others. In such a case, peaceful co-existence is ensured. In addition to this, the majority of immigrants from varied cultural backgrounds have been defined as high achievers such as scholars, business people, engineers and other people who are well trained. It is, therefore, arguable that their arrival in a country implies an inflow of experience, investment, expertise, as well as a vibrant labor force.
These factors increase efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in a nation’ s economy. It has further been argued that the new arrivals understand the significance of giving regard to the local customs and traditions. According to Kristof in the article Love and Race, the natives and immigrants work together and collaborate well with the natives. They tend to be more permissive and flexible with other people’ s religions and customs. They, therefore, have good work principles. Moreover, it has been noted that in many instances, they are ready to labor for lower wages, making them more favorable for companies, which need low-skilled staff.
Most of these are jobs that natives are not willing to do. As much as multicultural societies are advantageous to a country, there are also disadvantages that accrue as a result of immigration. The biggest challenge with a multicultural society arises from the fact that there is a need for assimilation of the immigrants into the social order of the natives. In real sense, such incorporation fails. For instance, on some occasions, people try to uphold their exclusive racial cultures with their own unique characteristics.
In such cases, these differences cause clash that makes it impossible for immigrants to become incorporated into the conventional life of the local societal progress. This has been known to cause racial and tribal hatred. In addition to this, it has been noted that immigrants support their families back at home by sending them money. In some instances, this has been close to 50% of their wages. As far as the economy is concerned, this is not desirable since it takes money out of the economy by sending it to alien countries.
According to Mukherjee in her American Dreamer article, it is evident that there are high levels of chauvinism and unfairness against immigrants with patriotic thoughts. She argues that immigrants have often been treated as inferior people. They have often suffered poor housing conditions and lived low-class lives. It is also arguable that cultures are lost because of the merging of different cultures. Some people have had their cultures eroded as a result of the intermingling. In addition to this, Lam in his article All Things Asian are Becoming US, argued that a multicultural society leads to erosion of some cultures and values.
When people from different ethnic backgrounds interact, they exchange values and behaviors. At the long run, some people lose their practices. Some people have also argued that immigration results in overcrowding in workplaces. The fact that the immigrants are willing to receive little pay results to their employment in large numbers. This, therefore, means that the natives end up unemployed. This intensifies the issue of disagreements between the natives and the immigrants.
The fact that there are many advantages that accrue as a result of a multicultural society makes it possible for people to view the issue of multiculturalism as a desirable thing.