Arrests have already been made — albeit the stylized arrests that accompany much protest in the West — as France enacted its long-discussed ban on face coverings in public. French authorities cite dignity and curtailing patriarchy in its law, while opponents cite religious freedom. Objections so far, in France and beyond, have been measured, especially given reactions to say, umm, cartoons. A reasonable take was offered by a Saudi housewife opining from Jeddah: "If women are made to dress a different way and wear their hijab in Saudi Arabia and we respect it, then we should respect the ... Read More
The Greatly Exaggerated Death of Multiculturalism
February 16, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment
One immediate result of Arab revolutions in North Africa throws a monkey wrench into the “death of multiculturalism” rhetoric that has thrummed from European leaders almost like a heartbeat since last fall. Tunisians, still unemployed even with their dictator gone, have boarded boats for Italy. Since the revolution, some 5,000 illegal immigrants from Tunisia have arrived on the small Italian island of Lampedusa. They’re fleeing the same conditions that masses of people protested before the resignation of Tunisia’s president and dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — poverty, ... Read More
Real Diversity Means We’re Not All the Same
November 9, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
In particularly optimistic moments, it’s possible to conceive of a time when diversity is not divisive, racism is barely remembered and discrimination has gone the way of witch burnings. But 45 years after Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, such a day seems infinitely far off. Race relations in the U.S. remain difficult at best. We have the right to drink from the same fountains, ride on the same buses, live in the same neighborhoods, attend the same schools, hold the same jobs and pursue the same dreams, but much still is not right. A great body of law has been ... Read More
Has ‘Multiculturalism’ Really Failed?
November 3, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
Chancellor Angela Merkel must have been surprised by the international outcry after her mid-October speech to the Junge Union (a German young-conservative group), declaring multiculturalism to be a "failed" experiment in Germany — "absolutely failed." The speech was "widely seen as a lurch to the right," according to the U.K. Guardian. It was used as a hook for a Ha'aretz piece about rising racism in Europe and Israel. And the showboating Islamophobe Geert Wilders didn't miss his chance to praise Merkel for "breaking a taboo" in public debates about Islam. Of course she did no such ... Read More
Fresh Approaches to Sparking Creativity
March 9, 2010 • By • 1 Comment
"All children are artists,” Pablo Picasso once observed. “The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo’s puzzle, which feels increasingly urgent as creativity is linked to both psychological well-being and economic competiveness, is addressed in two new papers that propose simple catalysts to imaginative thinking. One study finds exploring contrasts and commonalities between cultures helps unlock creativity — news that would not surprise Picasso, who was strongly influenced by African art. The second suggests seeding the imagination is as simple as allowing ... Read More
Health Food to the ‘Hood
December 5, 2008 • By • 1 Comment
Food, food everywhere, but not a bite to eat. That's the situation health-conscious residents of many urban low-income neighborhoods find themselves in due to a glut of fast-food restaurants and a lack of actual grocery stores (see "The 'Silent Tsunami' Food Crisis in America"). Public health officials warn that consumers who lack access to supermarkets are less likely to eat balanced meals. Obesity becomes almost inevitable when the only source of nutrition nearby is the local Greaseburger outlet. Last summer, the city of Los Angeles declared a yearlong moratorium on the opening of new ... Read More
Too Much Multiculturalism, Not Enough Math?
February 26, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Although the Cold War has ended, concerns — sparked first by the launch of Sputnik and now by the globalization of labor — about the math skills of U.S. students persist. Why can’t Johnny do long division? The answer frequently offered is that teachers can’t teach, as schools of education weather regular, if sometimes contradictory, attacks: Entry standards are too low or unreasonably high for prospective career-changers; there’s not enough focus on liberal arts and too much on fostering self-esteem. Jay P. Greene and Catherine Shock, both of the University of Arkansas Department ... Read More
