More is better?

Hi!

Y'noe, it's very easy to quote all the politically-correct propaganda about how cultural diversity is better, that one shouldn't discriminate against another's culture & beliefs... But what if your worldview/culture/beliefs are in direct opposition to someone else's?

What if the beliefs of a cultural group within a nation/country/society hinders the progress of the other groups?

Take for example the issue of the Jehovah Witnesses and their belief that their male believers should/must not go to war (or engage in national service). One reason why this group is outlawed in Singapore is because they forbid male believers to take part in national service.

Is the government wrong to outlaw the group then, since putting this policy into effect reduces the cultural & religious diversity of our society?

What about fundamentalists of certain religions who believe that it is a sin to work on the Sabbath? If it goes against the principles of an individual to work on a certain day of the week (for that matter, there could be other examples of infringement of beliefs/rights, not just this) and the employer insists that the individual has to contribute to the company's progress by going against the individual's principles, is the employer at fault? Is it not unfair on the majority or the others in the company if, by allowing the individual to stick to his principles, the rest of the company suffers? To pursue the example of working on a sabbath further: What if, by allowing the individual to rest on the sabbath, others have to work harder to cover the additional duties, or the profits of the company go down? Everyone in the company then has to face the consequences of this action, not just the individual.

This brings up the next question: Who has the right to decide which belief system or cultural worldview is "better"? In a case where the 2 belief systems/worldviews are in conflict (and there is no way to compromise), who chooses which is ascendant? Does the majority group always have the right to insist? Or should it be the older/indigenous people group?

What do you folks think? Post comments! =)

It would also be interesting to find out (both through preliminary research & by speaking with Australians during the trip) how much of the issues brought up here are relevant to the relations between white Australians and aborigines.

In other words, how do the worldviews of the aborigines & the white settlers of Australia differ? Are these still very different in modern Australians of aboriginal descent & the other people groups that make up Australian society?

We could also ponder over the causes for the racial riots that occurred within recent years in Australia (particularly, in Sydney!).

Cheerio!

Ms Low