The Real Failure of Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism.  It is the great human experiment, but has that experiment proven to be a failure?  There are many who argue that it has (simply search "the failure of multiculturalism" and you'll see what I mean), and their reasons range from realistic to cynical to plain old racist.  While there have been many attempts at multiculturalism in the history of the world, I believe that the United States of America is the most genuine and pure attempt at it.  Empires like Greece and Rome (which, by the way, failed) were diverse, but they were predicated on conquest and the distance between the slaves and the ruling elites makes those examples less applicable.  The US, however, has incorporated into her culture essentially every possible nationality and ethnicity, along with their customs, religions, etc., over the past 400 years, giving (eventually) all of those people groups equal opportunity to voice their opinions and beliefs, both informally and in the government.  With very few exceptions, an immigrant can influence his fellow citizens to the same extent as someone born domestically.  That is a wonderful thing!  Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing.

We had some hiccups along the way, but the second half of the 20th century saw America become truly multicultural, at least from a legal standpoint.  Why has the experiment failed?  After all, after a generation or two, the children of immigrants often become acclimated to their new country and function well within it, often integrating more productively than those whose ancestors have been here for centuries.  We have shown that all types of people, whether English, European, Asian, African, Mediterranean, and so on, can coexist peacefully in the same society, so why has multiculturalism failed, if, indeed, it has?

The real failure of multiculturalism, in the US and abroad, is moral.  It has not failed because different ethnicities cannot get along, nor because nationalism is too strong a force to overcome.  It's not even because opposing political ideologies cannot be synthesized.  No, multiculturalism has failed because the ultimate basis for "getting along" is a common moral foundation.  What we're learning is that our ideas about how to determine what is right and wise are too divergent to maintain peace.  How can a society with many diverse standards for right and wrong coexist?  How can a Christian and an atheist, if consistent and faithful to their worldviews, ever agree on social and political issues?  The same question could be asked about Muslims, agnostics, Buddhists, etc.

To be clear, I am not saying that we cannot be peaceful and treat each other with respect.  I am not saying that we cannot do business together and eat next to each other at the same restaurant without killing each other.  Those things we can do, but building a productive, enduring society together?  That may be more than our ideological foundation can support.  A society will not last long if there is no common ground for what constitutes right and wrong, the right of the individual, and the duty of government.  Our basis for morality, or religion, is vital because it determines how we interpret all the data that finds its way into our minds, and, therefore, will determine how we regulate our society.  The source of a man's rights, the nature of property ownership, what constitutes a crime, suitable punishments for crimes, how to elect officials, and many other issues are all ultimately religious questions.  If we think that we can produce enduring solutions to these problems through dialogue, we are dreaming.  After all, we don't have a basis on which to hold that discussion.

Let me repeat myself.  Multiculturalism is a good thing.  The Church itself is, or ought to be, an illustration of the success of multiculturalism.  The problem is not race or ethnicity.  The problem is not nationality.  The problem is morality.