How Much Diversity Can a Nation Stand?

We're trying hard to find out.

I recently attended "Diversity Day" in a small town.  Diversity day was a fascinating tribute to the different ways in which people live.  There was also a strong, unstated message that all cultures are wonderful and that it's way out of line to say anything against someone else's views on anything.

When the Italian police investigated the body of a dead Muslim teenager, they learned that Islamic law forbids Muslim women from having anything to do with non-Muslim men.  When she refused to stop seeing her Italian boyfriend, her father cut her throat and buried her in the back yard.  Was this "diversity" or "murder"?

Apologists say that "honor killings" are part of Islamic culture and that allowances should be made.  Does the fact that a Muslim man believes that God forbids his daughter from dating a non-Muslim mean he's free to cut her throat?  Nationhood is based on shared ideas, but politically-correct Americans say that diversity, that is, lack of unity, is good.  How much diversity can a nation stand without coming apart?

A group of Cambodians settled in California and continued their "coming of age" ceremonies for young men.  On his 6th or 7th birthday, I forget which, there's a big party where all the relatives come and brag about what a fine man he's getting to be.  At the climax of the party, he strips naked and all the relatives file through the receiving line to rub his genitals for good luck.

How would most social workers react when they heard that a couple had had a birthday part for their son and all the relatives lined up to rub his genitals?  Would that be a "good touch" or a "bad touch"?  Should we permit such parties in the name of diversity?

Then there's "conversational distance."  Asia is more crowded than America, so Asians stand closer together when talking than Americans do.  It can get funny - the Asian moves closer, the American moves back, they chase each other all around the room.  This sounds like "diversity," but with political correctness, a man can get busted for "sexual harassment" if he stands too close to a woman. Is this fair to Asian men, whose culture calls for standing closely?  Or is this unfair to Asian women, who are culturally attuned to putting up with things that an American woman wouldn't?

What about "female circumcision?"  In parts of Africa, when a girl comes of age, her relatives grab her and slice off portions of her genitalia.  The pain is supposed to make it less likely that she'll cheat on her husband, but is this "diversity" or "assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm"?  Most Americans would say that a man who carves body parts off of his daughter with a razor ought to get some serious jail time even if her mother helps him do it.

Then there's shooting stray cats.  On September 1, p 1, the Wall Street Journal told of a bird lover in Texas who shot a cat that was stalking an endangered species of bird.  The cat was being fed by a man who claimed that the cat was his pet.  A jury will decide whether the cat was a pet or not.  Shooting someone else's animal in Texas is worth several years in jail.

If we can't decide between the bird lovers and the cat lovers without a jury trial, how are we going to decide what to do about "honor killing," "female circumcision," and other facets of "diversity"? To ceremoniously outlaw them is to make a societal judgment on which diversities are good and which are not.

We live in interesting times.

Will Offensicht is a staff writer for Scragged.com and an internationally published author by a different name.  Read other Scragged.com articles by Will Offensicht or other articles on Immigration.
Reader Comments

This reads like a keynote at a Klan meeting.  Full of made up "facts", half-baked conclusions and a healthy dose of self-righteousness.

September 11, 2007 6:03 AM

A nation divided against itself cannot stand.  The biggest problem for the US in recent years is that you guys cannot seem to make up your mind who you are.  Your liberal leaders demand that you accept everything (every culture, religion, behaviour) without inspecting it for any redeeming (or negative) value.  You only have one, single politicians running for President who is willing to identify that Radical Islam is your enemy.  The others won't even mention it.  And he (Thomas Tancredo) isn't even going to win.

September 11, 2007 7:56 AM

RatFink claims that the article is full of made-up facts.  

When I googled "honor killing," the first hit was the wikpedia definition which agrees with what Will said.  The 2nd hit was an article on the National Geographic site which says "Thousands of Women Killed for Family 'Honor'".  A later entry said, "LONDON: A father who ordered his daughter's brutal death for falling in love with the wrong man in a so-called honor killing was found guilty of murder..."

I also googled "female circumcision."   There are many articles which say that it is common in Africa and has been practiced for  centuries.  After listing a number of countries, it said, "In these regions, it is estimated that more than 95% of all women have undergone this procedure. "

Differences in conversational distance have been widely reported in research papers.  Does RatFink not believe the Wall Street Journal about shooting cats?

What does RatFink believe to be made up?

September 12, 2007 4:17 PM

Maybe RatFink couldn't find these activities because Will used the wrong name.  The Economist

www.economist.com/.../displaystory.cfm

calls it "female genital mutilation" and says it's happened to millions of women.

Will's point was to ask for opinions.  Do we want to permit this sort of thing in the US in the name of diversity or should we put people who do that sort of thing in jail?

September 19, 2007 1:19 PM
"Asia is more crowded than America, so Asians stand closer together when talking than Americans do."

This must be, has to be one of the funniest "factoids" I've ever heard from someone delivering it with a straight face. Gimme a break. Someone's pulling your leg, Will. Honest to God. By the same token, people living in crowded apartment blocks must snuggle up together for a chat while rich folk in the mansions of Millionaires' Row up the road bellow at each other from across the vast dining room!!!

BTW, I've got this great bridge for sale in New York...It's going for a song, Will, for a song.
March 20, 2008 3:47 AM
Mr. Offensicht grew up in Japan, and speaks from decades of personal experience.
March 20, 2008 7:53 AM
fichese, it is axiomatic about Asia, particularly Japan, that the people stand very close together and live and work in cramped spaces. You obviously have never been anywhere near that part of the world.
March 20, 2008 9:45 AM
fichese, please watch this video:

http://www.funlol.com/funpages/japanese-subway-pushers.html

Then come back and tell us that Asians don't stand closer than we do.
March 20, 2008 12:39 PM
Add Your Comment...
4000 characters remaining
Loading question...