Problems in the world these days (and perhaps always) arise mostly from a clash of cultures. The "us vs. them" mentality that even some in this forum work so hard to promote on an almost daily basis. But the US has a golden opportunity to show itself as a microcosm of how diverse cultures and peoples can co-exist in relative harmony. As I have said before, I agree with Hamilton that our pluralism is one of our greatest strengths. The key to survival is to understand that we are STRONGER (and more interesting) as a diverse nation than as an ethnic or ideological monolith. The same could be said for the world at large. saxon
I voted for "THROW THE UNDESIRABLES OUT!! (you know who you are)." With any luck the the elected and appointed government officials will get the hint and ether drink hemlock tea or leave as quickly as possible.
Pluralism doesn't work in a welfare state. People need to be bound by an informal code of conduct that bars members from exploiting a countries vast social net. Usually, this 'code of conduct' falls under the broad umbrella of some form of patriotic allegiance. Most immigrants are Americans second; they're more inclined to abuse our services than its ancestral inheritors (who also abuse our social programs). Immigration en mass is another bad idea because it dilutes a countries social fabric faster then immigrants can be rightly assimilated. The end result is a country that behaves more like the impoverished nations immigrants abandon in the first place.
Any super power becomes a microcosm of diversity. You are mixing apples and oranges. Quote from saxon: Problems in the world these days (and perhaps always) arise mostly from a clash of cultures. The "us vs. them" mentality that even some in this forum work so hard to promote on an almost daily basis. But the US has a golden opportunity to show itself as a microcosm of how diverse cultures and peoples can co-exist in relative harmony. As I have said before, I agree with Hamilton that our pluralism is one of our greatest strengths. The key to survival is to understand that we are STRONGER (and more interesting) as a diverse nation than as an ethnic or ideological monolith. The same could be said for the world at large. saxon
Other than the U.S. and the quasi/last century "superpowers" of Western Europe, who do you consider diverse? China? Pakistan(don't laugh they got da bomb)?, perhaps Iraq? Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of multiculturalism per se' (although I live in Chicago and Miami, two pretty diverse cities) but I see little evidence of diversity in most Asian nations (Islamic as well as non-Islamic). Places the Brit's ran don't count. What's rarer in Japan than an immigrant?
Try Canada. One of the most multicultural nations on earth. Which incidentally, is bankrupting us to death for the reasons mentioned above.
So, having recognized this, you think the way forward is to intentionally create (ever more) diverse societies. I don't know who this Hamilton guy is, but he sounds like an idiot. How the hell diversity ever came to be considered a "strength" is one of the stories of the century, considering virtually every society in thousands of years of human history considered it - quite rationally, imo - a huge liability. Personally, I think diversity is tolerable, and at times can be pleasant. But overall, given all that we have seen out of it so far, I would not go out of my way to increase it. Okay... how? In what way, specifically, is any society stronger by being diverse?