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Letter: Tribalism robbing our cultural bank in Richmond

The Editor, Re: “Lessons on playing nice,” Editor’s column, Jan. 11.
Uber
The unlicensed ride-share service Udi Kuaiche is operating actively in Metro Vancouver. Photo by Daisy Xiong

The Editor,

Re: “Lessons on playing nice,” Editor’s column, Jan. 11.

I have written many times over the years about how the main challenge to creating a truly enlightened, integrated multi-cultural society is humankind’s innate predisposition for tribalism: a deep-seated need to be part of a distinct collective or culture that separates itself from all others.

In a general sense, we are all beneficiaries of the most positive aspects of our diversity of cultures, but at the same time, we remain prisoners of the most negative and counter-productive aspects inherent to an insistent emphasis on our differences.

The history of our species is unfortunately rife with evidence of the consequences of this unwillingness to transcend our tribalistic tendencies and it is something we should be very much ashamed of.

Unfortunately, with reports of ride-hailing services refusing to transport “Westerners” joining with the unresolved Chinese-only signage issue and instances of “Westerners” being treated rudely or ignored at Chinese restaurants in Richmond, it appears that this community still has a long way to go before we can realize the degree of tolerance, trust, sharing of basic values, and willingness to work together towards a common goal that would allow for the creation of a truly effective and admirable inter-cultural ( I prefer that term to multi-cultural ) community.

One does not lose one’s cultural identity by learning how to get along and work with other cultures — that can only happen if one’s culture is either weak to begin with, no longer has justification for believing that its values and guiding principles are viable in the greater context of our global society, and/or is consumed with the type of entrenched fear of the unknown or “the other” that will eventually lead to its unravelling.

As my grandfather used to say over and over again: “Trust is our most valuable commodity — without it, we are very poor.”

Obviously we still have a lot of poverty here in Richmond.

Ray Arnold

RICHMOND