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PLURALISM AND MULTICULTURALISM IN AMERICA (1) We live in time when proponents of Liberalism managed to convince many Americans that only their worldview is valid and that it constitutes a crime to hold different political opinions. According to them, America can only realize its potential fully if it embraces multiculturalism as its existential mode. The multiculturalism is best defined as modern days social utopia, according to which, people with different ethnic affiliation can coexist peacefully, while celebrating diversity and relying on welfare checks, as the main source of income. This is despite the fact that as recent as 40 years ago, the concept of multiculturalism was considered to be one of many obscure political theories, which had the right to exist, but most certainly, did not have the right to represent itself as the only legitimate worldview philosophy.
We can trace the origins of multiculturalism, as political theory, to Horace Kallen, who in his 1915 essay Democracy Versus the Melting-Pot, suggested for the first time that the cultural secularism, on the part of new immigrants, might benefit America as a whole: What do Americans will to make of the United States - unison, singing the old British theme America, the America of the New England School? Or a harmony, in which that theme shall be dominant, perhaps, but one among many, not the only one? (Kallen, p. 118). Even in this sentence, it is very easy to find a utopian undertones, such as harmony, which causes any political theory to lose its validity, since we are very well aware that the political utopias can only exist in minds of those who design them. It is a well-known fact that America is the nation of immigrants, but the immigrants who willingly abandoned their former cultural allegiances, in order to become an integral part of American society.
Up until sixties, our society possessed something that cannot be replaced by the assurances that multicultural paradise on Earth is the only option the national solidarity. For example, parents leave their children in the central park of Reykjavik, (Island) without the fear that their kids might be kidnapped of harmed in any way, because Iceland is racially homogeneous country. Such idea would certainly sound as utterly crazy for American parents. Any White person in America knows that it is suicidal to show up on the streets of the hood, after it gets dark. This is a direct result of multiculturalism. (1) Right up to 1960, American immigration policy's main principle was preventing non-White immigration.
The idea of multiculturalism was introduced to Americans at the time when a new approach towards immigration was being accepted by American government. This caused a great number of people from the Third World countries to start to arrive in U. S. in big numbers, creating a situation when every city in America now has its own area of Third World, where White people do not even risk setting foot. These areas are being traditionally referred to as ghettos. They are populated exclusively by people that we strongly associate with diversity.
Garbage on the streets, drug dealers openly selling cocaine, almost total unemployment this is the normal way of life for the people who were supposed to enrich Western civilization. It makes person to be automatically referred to as racist, when he dares to talk about these things. However, more and more people realize deep inconsistencies within the concept of multiculturalism. Many political observers suggest that America reminds Soviet Union in seventies and eighties, when the ideological failure of Communism became apparent to Soviet citizens, yet they were afraid to say it openly. Anyone who disagreed with Communism being only the legitimate socio-political system would end up in jail, as capitalist or fascist. It seems that it is only the matter of time, before people who criticize the concept of multiculturalism in America, would be dealt with in the same manner.
Even today, it is very easy for the American citizen to loose a job, after being branded as racist. The continuous struggle against racism is meant to conceal the inadequacy of multiculturalism, as political theory. The issue of racism in America is a like a rush: the more it is scratched the more it itches. According to watchdogs of political correctness, it is found everywhere. The paranoia over this issue in America gains more and more momentum and the more efforts are being put into eliminating racism, the more this problem is becoming acute.
We can draw parallels between American society being obsessed with fighting racism and Inquisitions witch-hunt. Back then, there were many eyewitnesses accounts of evil witches flying overhead and causing all kinds of disturbances with their magic powers. The same way Americans begin to see concealed racism even in advertising, when there is no colored person included. (2) Therefore, we can define the essence of American multiculturalism as the socio-political theory that is meant to artificially atomize Americans, in order to deprive society of its integrity. Why is multiculturalism being promoted by the great number of politicians in this country? Because it allows them to pursue their secular agendas, without having to contribute to nations well-being, as a whole. For example, Hilary Clinton is well aware that it is only the matter of time before America will turn into Mexico, once 15 million of illegal Mexicans in this country are granted amnesty, however, the only thing she is concerned about is being elected as President, therefore she needs the votes of Hispanics and she is willing to do whatever it takes to assure that she will get these votes.
Just like last Roman emperors, our progressive politicians seek out public support by encouraging Americans to indulge in appreciating their uniqueness. In his article Counting the Cost of Multiculturalism, John Mohajer suggests that, while officially proclaiming peoples equality as their ideal, multiculturalism teach people that it is the color of their skin alone that makes them who they are: It appears like there is a certain force behind people of different cultural backgrounds being continually alienated from each other. The most dangerous about it is the fact that this force disguises itself as something opposite to what it really is. There are African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics - the emphasis is being put on the racial characteristics of every particular group by very same people that never get tired repeating that the race is not important (Mohajer, p. 8).
Just as Communism, the concept multiculturalism consists of good intentions. Nevertheless, it is a practical application of both doctrines that prove their metaphysical absurdity. It is simply impossible to convince people that they are equal, while being unique at the same time. The scientific research, in regards to the issues of racial affiliation, proves that the concept of citizens equality can only serve as basis for the establishment of democracy in racially homogeneous societies. We can paraphrase George Orwell and say all people are equal, but some of them are more equal then others. In 1994, Richard Herrstein and Charles Murray had published book called Bell Curve.
In it, they had proven that peoples IQ level directly depends on their racial background: In fact IQ is substantially heritable. The genetic component of IQ is unlikely to be smaller than 40 percent. For purposes of this discussion, we will adopt a middling estimate of 60 percent heritability, which, by extension, means that IQ is only about 40 percent a matter of environment (Bell Curve, p. 105). Just as Communists had to resort to the practice of mass killings, to enforce their vision of equality, American Liberals design social policies that deny the notions, upon which Liberalism is based. The racial equality is being accepted in modern America as scientifically proven fact. Ideally, such equality should result in adequate representation of minorities in all aspects of social life.
Yet, we see the situation when the facts of reality contradict Liberals wishful thinking. Therefore, the hawks of political-correctness could not come up with anything better than adjusting reality itself, so that it would fit into their theory of universal equality and multiculturalism. The best example if the policy of affirmative action, when there is a certain quota reserved exclusively for non-White students in colleges and universities. This policy might help to make it appear as if students of all ethnicities were equally inclined towards studying. Yet, it is an artificially created situation and it can never win public support, because it is a well-known fact that representatives of racial minorities simply have lower capability of grasping the essence of abstract concepts, which is why they generally score lower during IQ tests. Te roots of affirmative action can be traced back to 1961, when President Kennedy used this term for the first time, while insisting that there should be no racial badness, when it comes to employment or education.
Oddly enough, this coincided with introduction of multiculturalism as basis, on which American new immigration policy was to be established. However, it did not take too long for the affirmative action to transform itself into an aggressive social practice, enforced by the governmental means. By nineties, universities, large companies and government institutions were being forced to report racial dynamics within its bodies. If representation of minorities there was found as inadequate, it would result in repressions against such institutions.
This is another result of concept of multiculturalism being showed up peoples throats, regardless of their opinion. The irony here lies in the fact that the idea of affirmative action was designed by Whites to help racial minorities to stand up for their rights, when it comes to dealing with Whites. Therefore, in its core, it is racist, because it is based on the assertion that the colored minorities are not capable to match wits with Whites in fair competition, so they need to be helped up. Yet, as soon as underprivileged minority acquires some real self-respect, it rejects these White mans notions and begins to act in its own interests. That is why non-Whites subconsciously consider affirmative action as another example of White peoples arrogance. It also accounts for low efficiency of affirmative action personnel.
Colored workers know very well that it is not the quality of their performance that keeps them employed, but the color of their skin. It undermines their self-respect, resulting in their further alienation from the rest of society. One of the greatest Black writers Booker T. Washington once said: The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race (Washington, p. 99). Multiculturalism in America might actually benefit citizens, for as long as it is not being turned into the social fetish, as it is now. We have Mexican, Chinese and Japanese restaurants this is about all the multiculturalism this nation can handle, without being effectively destroyed.
The existence of racial hostility between many Americans of different ethnicities is a fact, but the worst way to deal with it is to deny it altogether. As practice shows, every attempt to restructure society, according to some utopia principles, had failed. The same is going to happen with multicultural utopia in America. (2) The concept of pluralism...
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