In between classes yesterday, I found some time to flip through the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. I eventually settled in to Tamar Jacoby’s commentary “Germany’s Immigration Dilemma: How Can Germany Attract the Workers It Needs?”
As the title suggests, the article primarily addresses Germany’s shortage of skilled foreign “knowledge workers” and its inability to attract and retain some of the “best and brightest” from abroad. But as a point of entry into that discussion, the article broaches the topic of German political heavyweight Thilo Sarrazin’s controversial book “Germany Does Away With Itself.” That book, if you’ll remember, denounced European multiculturalism, specifically attributing the “dumbing down” of Germany society to a growing Arab and Turkish population. That book, if you’ll also remember, is a German bestseller, selling over a million copies and clearing the shelves within days of its release.
Reading about Sarrazin, I was reminded of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s pronouncement on the failure of multiculturalism in Britain and of the ongoing debates on immigration in Arizona and elsewhere in the US. Granted, Gordon’s speech at least initially seemed less a critique of diversity than a lament on how state policy has failed to foster a harmonious atmosphere for different groups to engage with one another, it saddens me to see the increasing number of people who believe that a uniformity of culture is the only way state security and economic prosperity can be achieved.
I’m not so naïve; I know that where there’s more variance, there’s also more room for tension and contention (re: Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini’s commentary on the paralysis and inability to reach consensus we see happening across the international community these days in the same Foreign Affairs issue). I also know that culture isn’t always perfect, and indeed, it can be lead to a proliferation of less-than-desirable aspects of society, ignorance of AIDS and female genital mutilation being some things that immediately come to my mind. But is a belief in racial hegemony so endemic and still incurable in the 21ist century? Can we do anything, aside from instilling values of non-judgement to our youth, to reverse the hatred that seems so fraught in political and cultural discourse these days?
I think visibility is another key avenue in promoting cultural tolerance, but it’s not something so easily achieved. Many immigrant communities consciously commit to staying out of the public spot light, just to prove that they’re not detracting from society’s larger goals, whatever those may be. Hence my surprise when I checked my email shortly after finishing the Foreign Affairs article and finding this article from the World Tribune forwarded to me.
In Germany’s political scene, a scene I had just read about as being divided by immigration issues, enter Philipp Rösler: 38 years old;native of Vietnam in spite of the Germanic name; expected successor to Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s current vice chancellor; expected president of Germany’s Free Democratic Party.
Rösler, born in Vietnam and adopted by a German couple as an infant, is Germany’s current health minister. He is the first Asian-born member of Germany’s federal government, and it’s likely that he’ll be elected the next president of the Free Democratic Party. An eye doctor and devout Catholic, Rösler has been active in German politics since 1992. The World Tribune article describes him as having “a wonderful sense of humor utterly devoid of the political correctness that is currently stifling the country’s cultural climate.” The article further goes on to say, to my absolute enjoyment:
Rösler’s likely election to the presidency of his party is expected to herald a new era in Germany’s political style. Rösler is spearheading a growing movement among young politicians promoting “a softer discourse,” “more authentic warmth,” and “modesty,” according to the weekly newspaper, Die Zeit. This marks a welcome contrast to the shrillness and self-centeredness, which, along with a dearth of humor, is still typical of much of their nation’s public discourse.
With Rösler around, this is changing. Last year he amused an audience by remarking that Germans can now buy a Barbie doll with the features of Chancellor Merkel for only 20 Euros ($28). But then he added in reference to Merkel’s preferred garment, “The problem is that each of these dolls comes with 40 trouser suits, and that makes them really expensive.
While we can’t exactly say that Rösler is a shining example of the successful immigrant narrative in the way we typically think of it (being adopted at 9 months and having a completely Germanic name give Rösler a considerable advantage over many other immigrants), it’s a shift in the face of German politics. It’s a start–and a damn exciting one at that.
And now to Dr. Rösler, I say: If you’re elected to your party’s presidency, and if you’ve gotten even higher aspirations down the road, I hope you’ll use your clout to help enact fair, tolerant, and equitable policies. Make us immigrants proud.
THIS IS SO INSPIRING! PRIDE OF OUR PEOPLE! THANK YOU DR. ROSLER and thank you Anh for posting this on VTP!
I think the thing that strikes me about European-style multiculturalism and American cultural pluralism, is that European multiculturalism sometimes appears both relativist and racist at the same time. Culturally homogenous Western European nations have (until recently) open immigration policies, especially for asylum seekers from the developing world, and offer generous welfare benefits. Yet this contrasts with draconian measures meant to assimlate cultures that are alien to local norms (France and the hijab, Germany and the prevention of ethnic enclaves).
Contrast this with America, which is inherently multi-cultural. The only thing that unifies a nation of diverse ethnicities, races, cultures, and religions are certain political values and beliefs (civil liberties, equal opportunity, etc.). There are no laws forcing you to be more culturally ‘American’—just social and cultural expectations. ‘American’ is a state of mind, not a culture per se.
While in Europe awhile back, it seemed to me that an Asian person in a place like Germany, even though born and raised there, would never truly be accepted as a German–I hope Herr Rossler shows that I am wrong. For me, a key indicator of true ‘acceptance’, is being elected to office or serving in the military.
There are large, well-established Vietnamese diaspora in Australia, Canada, as well as Western Europe. How many of them hold office or voluntarily serve in the military, as they do in America?
Tino,
Name a Vietnamese American in the same position, please. I agree that annecdote evidence should be suspect; after all, Obama as president doesnt solve issues of racial discord in America (and if you listen carefully, or even not so carefully, to the discourse, you see how ridiculous claims of a lack of an American culture, particularly along racio-economic boundaries are). Its naive to think that American cultural pluralism is some how better than European multiculturalism – terms that are so prescriptive that they seek to produce rather than describe the actual situations. The two scenarios may be different, but one better than the other? That assumes a moral stance that seems subjective and indefensible.
Im not sure where you get the notion that America is such a bastion of tolerance: as non-White individuals, people are constantly interpellated as other. Simply because there’s less discussion of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist; in fact, failure to recognise racial difference (the neo con and neo liberal desire for “colour-blindness”) only serves to repress, not resolve, cultural anxieties. And claiming that America is inherently multicultural is so devoid of any actual fact that its meaningless. The standard narrative of America imagines itself as a melting pot, but history begs to differ. And to question political and military serve without any knowledge of the actual number or social context? How many wars are Canada and Australia fighting? How large is their military? A numbers game is misleading at best.
Dear Hai & Anh Ton,
First great article Anh Ton. Second I agree with Hai’s reasoning. All species are inherently ‘racist’. By that I mean we are more comfortable with someone who looks like us. It takes education and conscious outreach by individuals and those who organize society and neighborhoods to truly get racial tolerance and ‘color blindness’. It takes more than just a statement in the declaration of independent (“all men are created equal”) to achieve racial equality. In fact that line existed in the constitution for more than two centuries before we attempted at giving equal rights to all recently in the 60’s. An event like Katrina had divulged the social, racial and economic divide here in the US.
With Rosler being where he’s it shows that Germany has gone a great length at an attempt to redeem itself from its dark past.
good to know 🙂
Good job Anh Ton. I really enjoy the article that you wrote. I am writing a personal response to Turkish immigration problem in Germany now, and I found Philipp to be an exciting case to read 😀