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SharonTruong
JohnKubler
English115A
4September2014
DownsideofDiversity
Inthe2006JohanSkyttePrizeLecture,EPluribusUnum:DiversityandCommunityin
theTwentyfirstCentury,RobertD.Putnambelievesthatdiversitynegativelyaffectsthe
communitybyinhibitingsocialcapital,creatingsocialisolation,andfosteringinterethnic
tolerance.Modernethnicdiversityincreasesovertimebecauseofimmigration.Immigrationand
ethnicdiversityisasocialchallengeintheshorttomediumruneventhoughitmayseemlikea
socialassetinthelongrun.Putnamclaimsthatethnicdiversityinhibitssocialcapitalwhenhe
introducesAlQaedaasanexample,AlQaeda,forinstance,isanexcellentexampleofsocial
capital,enablingitsparticipantstoaccomplishgoalstheycouldnotaccomplishwithoutthat
network(1).AlQaedassocialnetworkisindeedaverypowerfulone,butsometimes,social
capitalisnotsociallybeneficialtotheUnitedStates.Accordingtothecontacthypothesis,
diversityfostersinterethnictoleranceandsocialsolidarity.Putnamadvocatestoovercomeour
ignorance,wemustcomeincontactwithpeopleunlikeustobeabletotrustthemmore.
Diversityfostersoutgroupdistrustbecausepeoplecomefromdifferentracesorethnic
backgrounds.Inethnicallydiversecommunities,peopledonottrustthepeopletheylivearound.
Itischallengingformodernsocietiestobecomeamulticultural,diversesocietyatthisrate.In
1954,theUnitedStateshasattemptedtosolveracialissueswiththelegalcaseofBrownv.Board
ofEducationwhichresultedwiththeSupremeCourttoruleracialdesegregation.Intheend,that

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legalcasecreatedevenmoresocialissuesforthenationtodealwith,someofthosesocialissues
havenotresolvedtothisday.Putnaminsiststhatdiversitycausessocialisolationwiththeresults
oftheSocialCapitalCommunityBenchmarkSurveywhenthediversitywasgreater,the
happinessandqualityoflifewaslower.Diversecommunitieslackinvolvementanddistrust
otherpeopleintheircommunitiesthereforecausingunhappinessintheirlives.
Inthesong,Imagine,JohnLennonurgestheaudiencetoimagineaworldwithout
countries,religion,andpossessions.Lennonwantsustoimagineatimewhentheresno
countriesbecausenationaldiversitysplitstheworldup,countriesconflictwithothercountries.
Healsotriestoimaginenoreligiontoobecausereligiousdiversitystartswars.Everyonehas
differentbeliefsthattheyarewillingtofightfor.Peoplepassionatelyfightforwhattheybelieve
in.Lennonalsobelievesthatpossessionsdividepeoplebecausepossessionscreatematerialistic
boundaries.Lennonbelievesiftherewerenopossessionsthentherewouldbenogreedor
hunger.Therewouldbenorichorpoor,nopovertywouldexist.Everyonewouldbethesame,
equallysharingtheworld.Lennonrepeatsthewordimaginebecausehecanonlyimaginethe
worldwithoutalltheseproblematicdiversities.Itissoimpossiblewiththemodern,multicultural
societytodaythatthisismerelyjustadream.