Lamenting PEI's Strong Cultural Norm Of "Sameness"

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Although the province [PEI] welcomed its first non-European premier in 1986, when Islanders elected Joe Ghiz — whose roots extend to Lebanon, and whose son, Robert, is the current premier — the eastern province was long known for its homogeneity and “Island way of life.”

“While a sense of rootedness can be of great value, it should not render our sense of identity so inflexible that we close the doors of our minds to what we are today and what we can be in the future,” reads a 1999 report commissioned by the government, which went on to lament “a strong cultural norm of ‘sameness’” in the province.

Rational people might re-phrase the lamented  “strong cultural norm of ‘sameness’” as "strong social cohesion" and consider it a desirable characteristic.

The countries immigrates come from all seem to  exhibit a "strong cultural norm of 'sameness'. Do we lament this fact in their cultures or only in ours?

On the other hand, if the immigrants are from self-reliant, hard-working cultures, maybe they will help break the Island's strong cultural norm of welfare dependency and handouts.

Thoughts?

Article in the National Post.