Was Worf right in 'Birthright'?

[FaxModem1]

In TNG's Birthright, Worf stumbles upon a former Romulan prison turned into a sort of penal colony of Romulans and Klingons living together. Worf objects to the two races mixing, to his culture being forgotten, to Klingons who aren't all about hunting and fighting their enemies, and thinks that the peace they have is at too high a price to pay for losing all that.

Is Worf right, wrong, or somewhere in-between?

[Zaune]

I think he had a point about some of it. The idea that Klingons and Romulans are forever fated to be enemies is both ridiculous and kind of racist (albeit coming from someone with understandable reasons for holding a grudge in this case) but forcibly erasing a minority group's traditional practices and history in order to assimilate them into your own society is called cultural genocide.

[Tribble]

I think he had a point about some of it. The idea that Klingons and Romulans are forever fated to be enemies is both ridiculous and kind of racist (albeit coming from someone with understandable reasons for holding a grudge in this case) but forcibly erasing a minority group's traditional practices and history in order to assimilate them into your own society is called cultural genocide.

True, though IIRC the original Klingon prisoners were offered the chance to leave at some point and chose not to... because in Klingon culture, apparently the fact they didn't die in battle and/or commit suicide rather than be captured would be an unbearable dishonour for them and their families if it got out.

One could understand why they weren't very keen on passing that kind of knowledge to their kids.

[Lord Revan]

We have to remember that way klingon culture is those kids were de facto prisoners for life, since apart from Worf and possibly others who have lived in the Federation long enough for it effect their morals, those kids could not interact with any klingon who wasn't a member of the colony.

So I'd say it's really in-between while there were some bad parts due Worf's own personal bias, the kids had both the right and need (if they ever wanted to leave) to know "how to act klingon".