Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam is a self-described full-on liberal who worries a lot about community in America. He made his name in the 1990s with his finding that hordes of Americans were, in his famous phrase, "bowling alone" -- living without the traditional community ties of bowling leagues and Moose clubs that bound people together. Then he set out on a huge project to find out why. The answer looks like a liberal's nightmare: diversity.
If there's one thing that makes American society stand out from most others, it is its rich diversity and the cultural energy that comes with it. Liberals tend to celebrate that; conservatives, not so sure. Now, a top liberal Harvard scholar says diversity is undercutting community in America – leading Americans to hunker down and withdraw.
Listen to an On Point conversation with political scientist Robert Putnam, civil rights champion Lani Guinier and conservative anti-immigration campaigner Pat Buchanan on diversity and community in America.
Do you believe in rainbow communities across America? Do you buy it when Harvard’s Putnam says those neighborhoods are lonelier, unhappy places? Did you always believe people should stick with their own kind? Can we possibly do that in this country?
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Comments: 5
(No, I haven't listened to the OnPoint conversation yet, but I already know what Buchanan is going to be saying....)
I would like to quote one thing I also found in Putnam's essay:
"America still ranks relatively high by cross-national standards on both these dimensions of social capital. Even in the 1990s, after several decades' erosion, Americans are more trusting and more engaged than people in most other countries of the world."
Based on my admittedly limited personal experience, this is true.
The answer is personal choice. At one time in this country we had the Right to Associate. If we allow people again the right to sell and rent property to who they want, this would be a start. After this, we allow people to hire who they want and what you'll see is natural nodes which will form new communities. These communities will run their own schools, cultural centers, and polities. This will allow people to celebrate their own cultures and not have to always worry about properly "accommodating" for everyone. Everyone will find people who they feel comfortable with and the rate of ethnic conflict will be much less.
If we don't allow people to live with who they wish, then don't be surprised if this country collapses. If you think that it can't happen here, you may find yourself sadly mistaken.
Two words: WHITENESS STUDIES.