A course proposal
Many new immigrants bring with them and live out a view of children, women, and gays that is irreconcilable with the Norwegian way of life. A few years ago anyone who made such monstrous claims about immigrants was pushed into the closet. Such claims were interpreted as applying to all immigrants, and if one dared to be more specific about whom one was talking about, one was shoved even further back into the closet for having stigmatized certain groups. Some Norwegians still react in such ways, but most of them now realize that undesirable views and practices do cross international boundaries. But the journey from recognizing a problem to finding appropriate solutions can be a long one. So far, the magic formula has been dialogue, which in practice has turned out to be insufficiently effective. The new magic formula is courses. At best, this is the right answer at the wrong time.