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[August 5, 2007] Downside of Diversity:A Harvard political scientist finds that diversity hurts civi
Boston globe ^ | August 5, 2007 | M jonas

Posted on 10/18/2015 9:58:51 AM PDT by bestintxas

IT HAS BECOME increasingly popular to speak of racial and ethnic diversity as a civic strength. From multicultural festivals to pronouncements from political leaders, the message is the same: our differences make us stronger.

But a massive new study, based on detailed interviews of nearly 30,000 people across America, has concluded just the opposite. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam -- famous for "Bowling Alone," his 2000 book on declining civic engagement -- has found that the greater the diversity in a community, the fewer people vote and the less they volunteer, the less they give to charity and work on community projects. In the most diverse communities, neighbors trust one another about half as much as they do in the most homogenous settings. The study, the largest ever on civic engagement in America, found that virtually all measures of civic health are lower in more diverse settings.

"The extent of the effect is shocking," says Scott Page, a University of Michigan political scientist.

The study comes at a time when the future of the American melting pot is the focus of intense political debate, from immigration to race-based admissions to schools, and it poses challenges to advocates on all sides of the issues. The study is already being cited by some conservatives as proof of the harm large-scale immigration causes to the nation's social fabric. But with demographic trends already pushing the nation inexorably toward greater diversity, the real question may yet lie ahead: how to handle the unsettling social

"We can't ignore the findings," says Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. "The big question we have to ask ourselves is, what do we do about it; what are the next steps?"

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Arkansas; US: New York; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: 2016election; afroturf; arkansas; astroturf; berniesanders; blackkk; blackliesmatter; blacklivesmatter; diversity; election2016; hillary; hillaryclinton; hitlery; newyork; redistribution; reparations; vermont; whiteprivilege; wipewater
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Can someone relay one concrete example of where diversity has been beneficial without some negative effect?

The acceptance of diversity as good has caused in my opening most of the problems with America today, including illegals, religious persecution, etc.

1 posted on 10/18/2015 9:58:51 AM PDT by bestintxas
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It is “Shocking” to me, how vast the quantity of blatantly obvious things are always “Shocking” to leftists


2 posted on 10/18/2015 10:04:37 AM PDT by dsrtsage (One half of all people have below average IQ. In the US the number is 54%)
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To: bestintxas
our differences make us stronger

There is no historical, psychological, biological, or empiric support for this ridiculous concept.

3 posted on 10/18/2015 10:05:15 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Diseases desperate grown Are by desperate appliance relieved Or not at al)
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To: bestintxas

Diversity has brought us Ferguson, terrorism, and boys in the girl’s locker room.

I don’t see an upside.


4 posted on 10/18/2015 10:05:28 AM PDT by Gunpowder green
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To: bestintxas

I second the motion.

Where has diversity been beneficial?

Previous waves of immigration added ethnic diversity, however, those waves of immigrants assimilated into the American mainstream. Current waves of immigrants appear not to be assimilating.

Diversity is one of those code words used by liberals. Diversity has been defined by the liberals as unquestionably good for the country. And to question that orthodoxy brands you a bigot, per liberal theology on the subject.


5 posted on 10/18/2015 10:06:29 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: bestintxas

Diversity is a farce because the Libs re-defined it. It assumes that within a group of one color/ethnicity that such group is NOT diverse enough or does not meets some utopian standard.


6 posted on 10/18/2015 10:10:02 AM PDT by VRW Conspirator (American Jobs for American Workers.)
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To: bestintxas

I can’t stand the public service announcements on the radio: “I’m glad I live in a diverse community.”


7 posted on 10/18/2015 10:10:25 AM PDT by MUDDOG
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To: bestintxas

The powers that be want to destroy civil society. A discombobulated populace leads to a power vacuum for elites to fill.


8 posted on 10/18/2015 10:10:45 AM PDT by I Hired Craig Livingstone (DT16. Deal with it.)
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To: dsrtsage

I don’t know for sure, but just putting forth the concept, that countries which are more homogeneous seem to have much less in the way of internal tensions than those countries which are diverse.

And this seems particularly true in countries which have Muslim minority groups agitating to change society.


9 posted on 10/18/2015 10:10:54 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: bestintxas
From multicultural festivals to pronouncements from political leaders, the message is the same: our differences make us stronger.

Consequently if you have a team of, say, cancer researchers, half of whom are brilliant scientists and half of whom are blithering idiots, you'll come to a cure much faster than if all were brilliant scientists.

10 posted on 10/18/2015 10:11:35 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Sanders/Cruz in 2016!)
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To: bestintxas
Diversity would be doable if everyone was bound by the same objective universal moral code (the Noachide Laws).

While "diversity" without this is a mistake, conservatives are making a big mistake when they imply (as many do) that religion is merely an aspect of a civilization and is ultimately created by a people's civilization/culture. This implies that there is a different "true religion" for each culture/civilization.

11 posted on 10/18/2015 10:13:46 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator (The "end of history" will be Worldwide Judaic Theocracy.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

The most cohesive countries have been the Nordic ones. They’re isolated and have Western values. They’re also importing gang-raping, welfare-sucking Muslims. Their societal decline will be exponentially correlated to Muslim presence.


12 posted on 10/18/2015 10:13:53 AM PDT by I Hired Craig Livingstone (DT16. Deal with it.)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

Good point.

I bet the liberal response to your statement would be, that the cancer research team should have the required number of homosexuals, bisexuals, women, transwhatevers, and minority groups represented in the research team.


13 posted on 10/18/2015 10:14:35 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: bestintxas

Even a caveman would inow this


14 posted on 10/18/2015 10:15:51 AM PDT by BRL
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To: bestintxas
Can someone relay one concrete example of where diversity has been beneficial without some negative effect?

Not specifically, but in a general sense, when creativity meets focused, rational thought, the combination of new ideas plus the means to put them into effect is beneficial. But that's not the kind of "diversity" the PC left has in mind. To them it's all about superficial qualities, such as skin color, nationality and gender. And the only effect that's sought from pushing it is its use as a political weapon.

15 posted on 10/18/2015 10:17:08 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Sanders/Cruz in 2016!)
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To: bestintxas
The new illegal & legal immigrants do not want to assimilate into American culture. Only out for what they can get in entitlement benefits and achieve their hidden agendas. While our Seniors get cuts in Medicare and no Social Security COLA.

Groups of immigrant Moslems want Sharia & world wide Caliphate, La Raza wants to expand Mexico's borders.

This is all New World Order policy from Democrats and GOPe establishment.

16 posted on 10/18/2015 10:26:33 AM PDT by Lopeover (2016 Election is about allegiance to the United States)
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To: VRW Conspirator

What we have with the word “diversity” is yet another example of Marxist corruption of the language.


17 posted on 10/18/2015 10:31:07 AM PDT by Fred Hayek (The Democratic Party is now the operational arm of the CPUSA)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

“I don’t know for sure, but just putting forth the concept, that countries which are more homogeneous seem to have much less in the way of internal tensions than those countries which are diverse.”

That was certainly the case for Japan during WWII as it remains one of the least diverse countries in the world.


18 posted on 10/18/2015 10:31:22 AM PDT by bestintxas (every time a RINO loses, a founding father gets his wings.)
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To: bestintxas
The purpose of forced diversity is to break down traditional voluntary civic institutions - like families, churches, fraternal organizations - so that they are ineffective in providing the services they formerly did.

In this way, new institutions and customs can be imposed in order to create a different society that has different priorities.

19 posted on 10/18/2015 10:39:39 AM PDT by wideawake
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To: bestintxas

They’re constantly nagging us to “celebrate diversity” and “diversity is our strength.” People don’t have to be nagged to celebrate something that is actually good. If diversity was so wonderful, people would naturally seek it out, not flee from it. Diversity is actually an incredible evil.


20 posted on 10/18/2015 11:18:30 AM PDT by Nea Wood
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