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Re: "Parallel societies"

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Le 28/06/2026 à 02:07, Peter Moylan a écrit :
> On 27/06/26 16:00, occam wrote:
>>
>> I came across this term 'parallel society' to describe the US term
>> 'ghetto' while watching a documentary about Denmark. Apparently the
>> term was coined in the 1990s by sociologist Wilhelm Heitmeyer, hence
>> it's a euphemism with European origins, for a change.
>>
>> According to Wiki:
>>
>> "Denmark has used the term to define social housing estates where at
>> least half the residents are from "non-Western" countries, as well
>> as other factors such as high crime and unemployment rates."
> 
> It's more than just a euphemism. The word "ghetto" carries with it an
> undertone of "this problem will always be with us". A new term does open
> up the possibility of asking what we can do about the problem.


I agree that they're different. For one thing, 'ghetto' evokes the 
Jewish ghettos on the Continent. 'Parallel societies' suggests a lack of 
interaction.

> In the case of migrant communities, there's a definite difference
> between cultures that work hard to succeed and those that don't. In
> Australia the ethnic Chinese stand out. They work hard, they teach their
> children to work hard, the children are high achievers at school, and
> within one generation they have moved up socially. Some other
> communities shrink within their own group, limit their interaction with
> the wider community, and discourage their children from joining that
> community. Religion is part of the reason for this, but it can't be the
> whole reason. […]


Some migrants don't mix, it's true. This is true of some British people 
on the Continent:

"Many of those I spoke to felt that they managed quite well in French on 
a 'need to know basis', relying on more competent acquaintances to 
translate documents and even accompany them to hospital appointments. 
However, such dependency contradicts the idea of being integrated.

What surprised me was how creative people became when articulating a 
sense of what it meant to be integrated - for them. One couple, whose 
low level of French limited their activities, skimmed over their lack of 
socialising and emphasised their compliance with French residency laws. 
They contrasted themselves with the 'part-timers' who still drove around 
with UK registration plates. […]

The same people had proudly told me that they filled the car with bacon 
and teabags on their twice yearly trips home, just a few minutes after 
describing other Britons as sad and wrong for continuing to eat British 
foods" -
<https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/news/education-languages-health/languages/britons-reluctant-to-appear-part-of-a-british-expat-community-in-france-brexit-could-change-that/>

And it's true of migrants who come here and stick to their own language, 
foods, religion, customs, and even laws. Parallel societies.

Language is key. Without it, integration is impossible.

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"Parallel societies" occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-27 08:00 +0200
  Re: "Parallel societies" Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 11:07 +1000
    Re: "Parallel societies" Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-28 06:11 +0100
      Re: "Parallel societies" Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-28 10:42 +0200
      Re: "Parallel societies" nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2026-06-28 11:01 +0200
      Re: "Parallel societies" Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-28 21:08 +1000
        Re: "Parallel societies" occam <occam@nowhere.nix> - 2026-06-28 13:41 +0200
          Re: "Parallel societies" Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> - 2026-06-29 10:14 +1000
            Re: "Parallel societies" wollman@hergotha.csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) - 2026-06-29 00:55 +0000
            Re: "Parallel societies" athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-06-29 15:04 +0000
        Re: "Parallel societies" Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> - 2026-06-28 14:46 +0100
    Re: "Parallel societies" Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-28 10:40 +0200
      Re: "Parallel societies" liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) - 2026-06-28 15:32 +0100
        Re: "Parallel societies" Bertel Lund Hansen <rundtosset@lundhansen.dk> - 2026-06-28 17:24 +0200

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