Richard Sennett the 69 year old US Professor of Sociology renowned for his studies of the effects of urban living on individuals in the modern world, speaks on the trouble with multiculturalism in an interview with Andrew Anthony. In the interview Sennett states “The increase in inequality means the distance between social classes is growing greater. I’d say the issue for Britain is the same for a lot of ethnically layered societies. What you get is indifference as a way of managing difference. People keep to their own turf, not a complex social tapestry that mixes people together… it’s like a chemical separation – no longer speaking to people with different colour and accents. When they have to deal with each other they are at a loss… in Britain when people talk about community action they’re talking about an old-fashioned idea of where people have their homes. But the most important thing is the workplace. Workplace communities are getting weaker and weaker. Modern capitalism doesn’t encourage much interaction because it’s highly stratifying. Once you stop thinking about where you sleep, the whole issue of community takes on a different kind of character.”
Inspired by Andrew Anthony http://ow.ly/96vmw image source Ars Electronica http://ow.ly/96vJO
