German Tomfoolery

When Diversity Reigns Supreme

One of the unfortunate realities we increasingly face is that the secular West is ideologically bankrupt.  The vault is empty and bare.  Or, to change metaphors, there ain't no juice left in the tank.  As a consequence, Western leaders are becoming dumb and dumber by the day. 

Take the unfortunate case of the German Federal Integration Commissioner, Aydan Özoğuz profiled in the previous blog post.  This worthy is arguing that because diversity is the cultural principle governing all other laws in Germany there is no such thing as "German" culture into which all must integrate.  The deep culture of Germany is multi-Kultur.  To be German is to be different from other Germans.  Therefore, no-one need integrate into anything: all that is required to be German is to live out one's own peculiar beliefs and practices.

Writing in Tagesspiegel, the Commissioner denounced the debate over Leitkultur (meaning ‘dominant’ or ‘guiding culture’) — in which conservative politicians have suggested migrants should assimilate to a shared set of cultural values  — as “ridiculous and absurd”.

“And no wonder, because it’s simply not possible to identify any sort of culture that’s specific to Germany beyond the language.   “Even historically, it is regional cultures, immigration and diversity that have had a bigger role in shaping our history.”  Globalisation, and the ongoing transformation of Germany into a society of ever increasing numbers of different peoples and lifestyles, “leads to diversity being amplified and multiplied further”, Özoğuz added. 

We are told that Chancellor Merkel has lustily clapped and cheered on this tom foolery.  We wonder in passing whether the Integration Commissioner understands what she is saying.  Probably not.
 We wonder, for example, whether the German Government understands that if there is no such thing as German culture, why on earth would the German Reich prohibit Christians home-schooling their children, even to the point of removing the children from their parents, and punishing the parents as criminals.   [We use the term Reich deliberately, since the law making home-schooling a crime was and remains a Nazi law.  It has never been removed from the statute books, and is increasingly being enforced by the German State upon Christian families--all in the name of diversity, of course.]

It is apparent that the German government does not really believe in diversity of lifestyles, when those "lifestyles" are Christian.  But, when it comes to migrants, it's a different matter entirely.   What Germany officially wants is not integration of these people, but instead it wants a society of "ever increasing numbers of different people and lifestyles."

But, we hear you protest, there must be some overarching rules, beliefs and values to constrain all these diverse cultures?  Ah, yes.  According to the Integration Commissioner, there are some principles and values to which all Germans must subscribe:  namely, the values enshrined in the German Constitution, or the Basic Law.

Let's run a thought experiment.  OK, so this is off the planet, but humour us, is you would.  Let's imagine an Islamic chappie who wants to live out his fundamental principles and beliefs.  He is encouraged mightily when he hears that there is no need to integrate into Germany; rather, Germany will celebrate his diversity of belief, culture, and practice.  First up, he wants to follow the example and teaching of the Prophet, and takes to himself four wives.  One of them is only six years old, but, again, following the example of the Prophet, he will only consummate that marriage when the child turns nine.

Wunnerful, says the Integration Minister.  That's what we need.  More diversity.  The more diverse we are, the more we are integrated into German Kultur, which makes diversity a paragon of virtue.  And then there is the Islamic doctrine of divorce.    And then there is the small matter of slapping the Missus around the head a bit when she gets truculent.  No problems there.  Let's celebrate our great German tolerance.  What about a spot of Islamic home schooling?  Right on!  That's the sort of integration we are talking about.

As we said earlier: dumb and dumber.  As the Scripture has it: "professing to be wise, they became fools."