Which is worse: cosmopolitanism or multiculturalism?

Question

Two big fat ugly words for two big fat ugly ideas. Wouldn't we all be more peaceful and respectable and trustworthy if we didn't have to worry about being PC 24/7 and keeping up with the Joneses?

Cism is the encouragement of individuality through consumption instead of culture. It induces conformity by asking everyone to be unique as if having something in common with your neighbor is wrong unless that characteristic is the newest thing around. Basically it induces social competition in a patronizing fashion and casts a fog across the masses who want to become something big in the "real world."

MCism is not the best way to respect different cultures because it demands that you pay attention to every way of living around you. It burdens the middle class with having to stretch its attention in every direction at once and prevents genuine industrial progress for the sake of administrative sanctity. And what happens if you don't follow it? You get accused as a cultural imperialist or as a naive ignorant immature wisenheimer that believes in traditional aggressive development.

Wanna be nice? Then be yourself, not the self that everyone thinks resembles an individual.

Answer 1

I agree w/ sweet pea on the ideas. I also agree with you on keeping up w/ the jones and political correctness. that stuff is stupid and wastes time. be yourself, say what u feel or mean, and if someone doesn't like it oh well.if everyone followed those ideas we wouldn't need PC let the jones keep up w/ themselves this country could use a few more rednecks L O L!

Answer 2

What does being PC have to do with cosmopolitanism or multiculturalism? Cosmopolitan means "all cities". Multiculturalism is cultures mixing together, or taking ideas from different cultures.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, because I don't understand those concepts to be the way you portray them. What's so bad about being wise to the world? Being well-traveled, meeting people from all kinds of places, eating food from a million sources, wearing clothes and watching movies from other countries...what does that have to do with being PC and keeping up with the Joneses?

PC is just a hare-brained, half-a ssed way of being "polite"...without really meaning it. Like if you say the right words, your meaning is inconsequential. Which is ridiculous. Whether a word is offensive or not depends on the intent.

Keeping up with the Joneses--that's not cosmo...oh, whatever. Those words are too long. That's more envy, coveting, capitalism working on people's insecurities. That's people looking to other people to define "success" instead of being successful on their own terms.

Which is not what c & m are about.

You should be nice and respectful, then there will be no need for political correctness. And yes, being greedy and grabby are bad and you should be content with your own success on your own terms.

But neither cosmopolitanism or multiculturalism espouses those ideas directly. Try clearer terms to state your idea.