People like to be around people who are similar to themselves. Even in a broadly multicultural society like America, people eagerly settle in ethnic enclaves, cling to cultural norms and identities, bristle at “appropriation,” and spend enormous amounts of our time and energy bickering over various forms of cultural friction. We see the same thing in many other multicultural Western societies, and some of the least divided countries on Earth are the most homogenous ones.
Is the great American experiment proving a naive failure? Can ethnic tribalism ever be overcome? I used to think it was inevitable, but I’m no longer sure it is even possible.