We are citizens of a unique nation. Born violently from the Enlightenment’s intellectual womb, our Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most original statement of political philosophy the world has seen and forms the foundation, above even the Constitution, of our purpose in the world.
After all, the idea that a nation should be founded upon the ideas of freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness finds no parallel in the history of human civilization, much less the Western world.
In fact, the very idea of a nation founded upon principles rather than a people’s common history was completely different (beating the new France formed from the ashes of revolution by a decade).
Of course no one has ever made claim to Thomas Jefferson’s astute analysis of history, for the philosopher-president himself felt that the past should lay no claim over the present and future, even going so far as to ludicrously state that a revolution should occur every new generation to overthrow the suppressing shadow of the previous one.
This hemisphere isn’t dubbed the New World for nothing. We are the only true and ideal Enlightenment nation. We are a nation without a past, without tradition and without a common ethnicity, religion and culture.
The Declaration claims that the “Laws of Nature” form the Union’s unshakable foundation of reason. If anyone then has wondered why the United States is the “melting pot” of the world, the answer is clear. For the nation of ideas, historical, ethnic, and religious commonality is irrelevant. After all, if something is reasonable, shouldn’t it apply to all people universally and equally? Diversity naturally and inevitably follows.
Diversity has become a virtue in our society. If a group or enterprise isn’t “diverse,” then society-at-large considers the group disreputable. Colleges stress the importance of diversifying their populations, popular culture goes at great lengths to prove its dedication to diversity and popular history teaches us pride in our “melting pot.” The promise of diversity is then clear: through reason, we will accept our common humanity and transcend cultural and ethnic divides, and in the end unification will ensue. Yet herein lies the problem.
A new study by Harvard professor Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone,” which chronicled the demise of community cohesiveness by charting, amongst other things, the decline in popularity of bowling leagues, shows that more diverse communities see the lowest levels of cooperation and health.
Communities which share ethnicity and culture, on the other hand, are safer, socially healthier, and richer. To compound this, Malcom Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” cites another startling statistic, revealed to me by LSU’s own professor of Philosophy Dr. Jon Cogburn. There is a coefficient that, when multiplied by the average brain mass/body mass ratio for mammals, predicts the proper population of species groups. For human beings this number is a startling one-hundred and sixty. These studies show that not only are communities best when homogenous, but also when small.
This should be common sense. What makes communities special and worthwhile for participation are their uniqueness. Cajun and Creole cultures are dying. Why? Acadiana’s population has become more and more diverse and has grown larger and larger. The benevolent Wal-Mart corporation moves in to meet demand, and Uncle Sonnier’s Cajun Cuisine goes out of business.
This presents a special dilemma for liberals, who traditionally embrace social programs and diversity, all the while proclaiming their reverence for “other cultures.” The study also shows that in countries which are less diverse, citizens are far more likely to embrace social programs. This is evident especially in the Scandinavian countries who more than any have preserved their unique historical identities.
Inevitably my arguments will be seen as “racist” or “supremacist,” yet I truly respect other cultures and peoples and care about their perpetuity, unlike those who merely pay lip-service to the idea.
Diversity just may ultimately be the cause of greater division.