Intercultural stew or multicultural pot luck?

(November 03) - Not a lot of people have heard of John Gibbon. He died in 1952. During his lifetime he wrote several novels that nobody reads any more and a couple of history books, and he organized a lot of folk festivals. He led an interesting life that might well have eventually faded into the fog, except for one thing.

He wrote a book, in 1938, that had a profound impact on the future development of our country. It was Canadian Mosaic: the Making of a Northern Nation. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I never read it, and probably never will. That doesn’t matter. The concept, and the content, have become so much a part of the Canadian fabric that we all understand what it’s all about. It sets us apart from our neighbour south of the border.

Down there, they have what is known as the melting pot. They assimilate. We recognize the strength that comes from diversity. They want everyone to be the same. We want people to be themselves. People from all over the world have made a home in this country. They each bring their own cultural richness and all of us learn from each of us. Not many other countries value diversity the way we do.

It’s the difference between a stew and a potluck dinner. You can take all the food and throw it into a big pot and come up with something tasty and nourishing. The carrots, potatoes and peas are easy to tell apart, even though they’re in the same bowl. Or you can set several plates on the table and take something from each. It’s just as nourishing, but the taste sensations make the meal much more interesting.

Canadian Mosaic set the basis for our multicultural society. Frank Valeriote wants to shift the emphasis to intercultural. This claims to recognize the differences between cultural groups while somehow bringing them together.

Intercultural stew. Multicultural potluck.

The trouble with the stew? There is usually one ingredient that predominates.

---

When I first heard about the Hanlon Creek sod-turning last week, I thought it was not something I would have advised. When you have opponents who thrive on getting their picture in the paper, why hand it to them on a platter? It is what they want.

What should have been a rather mundane photo op for the politicians was bound to turn into a circus. As with most circuses, the clowns hid their faces behind masks and make-up.

There’s more to it, though. The sod turning isolated the LIMITS crew. They like to claim substantial community support. There is no indication of it. They haven’t taken a cue from the anti-Wal-Mart campaign and stood outside grocery stores in fair weather and foul collecting signatures on a petition. Well over 10,000 people signed up against Wal- Mart. Such opposition to the Hanlon development just does not exist.

The sod-turning showed this graphically. It showed the city politicians and staff to be united. It showed the noisy opponents to be few and immature. There are many other environmentalists around town who see what they believe to be flaws in the plan and are working reasonably to fix them. They are not saying, as is LIMITS, that no more ground will be broken.

So kudos to the mayor, councillors and staff for showing they have the vision to move our city forward and the courage to run a gauntlet of goons. Let’s all look forward to the day when we can settle our differences without spitting, cursing and poking sticks in each other’s eyes.