Timothy B. Smith again - a must read

In another perfect response to Theodore Dalrymple's pooh-poohing of multiculturalism (Dalrymple namely goes on record at Cato Unbound referring to multiculturalism as a "preposterous" solution to Europe's ethnic problems), I give you Timothy B. Smith's eloquent reply, which can be found in its entirity here.

Some particularly poignant excerpts:

After all, there's a reason why we in the rich world admit immigrants, and the least we can do is show a little respect. There is no harm in that.

As long as the fundamental laws of the land—in Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms—are respected, what is the harm in being a tolerant society? One might respond: multiculturalism is a myth. Perhaps. But a useful one, in that it puts an admirable ideal in our sights and it gives us a sense of hope. Before immigrants to Canada are considered equal in the economic sense (this of course takes a generation or two, usually), they are already considered equal in the theoretical and political sense.

And later, this gem:

France is living proof that a multicultural society (demographically speaking, that is) which denies this reality, does so at the risk of social peace. Beyond this concern, wouldn't all the devotees of Adam Smith out there be more inclined—shouldn't they be—to embrace a more cosomopolitan, individualist view of social identity? It's ironic, but true: multiculturalism strengthens individualism, insofar as it works in the direction of respecting difference. Ethnic nationalism, by contrast, works in favor of the group, at a terrible cost to individualism. Ethnic nationalism has a far bloodier past than multiculturalism.

I couldn't agree more. I very much encourage a read of the entire article. Then, compare it with the culturally myopic excerpt from Dalrymple's article, which I have placed in a previous post on this topic.

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