Multiculturalism vs. Purity
Salman Rushdie’s latest op-ed in the Times is about that hot topic of the moment: multiculturalism. In it, he argues that those who seek “purity” are deluding themselves:
The mélange of culture is in us all, with its irreconcilable contradictions. In our swollen, polyglot cities, we are all cultural mestizos. So it is important to make a distinction between multifaceted culture and multiculturalism. In the age of mass migration and the internet, cultural plurality is an irreversible fact; like it or dislike it, it’s where we live, and the dream of a pure monoculture is at best an unattainable, nostalgic fantasy and at worst a life-threatening menace