Introduction
Cultural pluralism refers to a term that is used when smaller groups within a larger one maintain unique cultural identities, as well as their practices and values, are accepted through the more extensive culture given they are constant with the values and laws of the wider society. Cultural separatism, on the other hand, refers to the advocacy of a nation of ethnic, cultural, governmental, and tribal, gender, racial, and religious separation from the larger community. Even though a nation can be based on diversity, democracy, and equality, there are still different aspects of a country that can tear it apart.
However, the three points can as well bring about problems within a state. As a result, though most people propagate cultural pluralism, it is important to understand that it inevitably will lead to cultural separatism. Cultural pluralism is more of a destruction tool rather than a construction tool this means that no matter how had people try to advocate for this pluralism, it will continue to become a tool of division and cultural separatism. According to Buchanan in his essay, “Deconstructing America,” cultural pluralism inevitably will lead to cultural separatism. As a result, democracy, equality, as well as diversity are things that America does not need more so, any nation that is based on these would hardly thrive (Pat 467).
In Buchanan’s opinion, the belief that diversity is critical in America is only a myth this is, however, true since most nations have suffered instead of benefiting as a result of the three things. The disadvantages of a nation constituting of democracy, equality, and diversity surpass the advantages. Most countries that embrace cultural pluralism have admitted that the three (diversity, democracy, and equality) are not worth these countries have suffered significantly due to the embracement of these things. Cultural diversity or pluralism is the primary cause of issues such as ethnic fights, religious clashes, and fight for power in most of the nations that embrace this pluralism. According to Buchanan, it would be tough for a country to function without a common goal, belief, or characteristic (Pat 469).
Cultural pluralism, on the contrary, encourages diverse goals, beliefs, as well as traits, where smaller groups within a larger society have different goals, characteristics, and ideas. As a result, it becomes challenging to unite such a country thus bring about the cultural separation in such a state. Different events in the American history have only proven cultural diversity as a dividing tool rather than a uniting tool. As a result, cultural diversity can be seen as the source of cultural separatism both in America as well as in most other countries. In this regard, Buchanan’s argument is right and identifies what causes division within a nation. Legal divisions that exist within a country such as ethnic, religious and gender divisions that are supported by diversity, equality, and democracy are the foundation of illegal divisions that cause unfair treatment of individuals within a nation (Buchanan 47).
In this focus, I conquer with Buchanan’s argument that despite the efforts to unite America, this diversity will inevitably lead to separation within the nation. As America continues to become more and more diversified, the challenge of separatism continues to become more and more imminent. New individuals from various cultures show up in America and mess up with the unity and the way Americans live completely as a result, the diversity and democracy that allows such people to come to America is the cause of the country’s problems (Pat 469). According to Buchanan, unless America unites and assimilate with a single goal and has similar belief of installing the laws as well as the views that Americans have.
Though people can never be all the same and share completely similar beliefs, views, and goals, with all the differences that we have, it is difficult to find somewhere to meet in the middle since we all need to have some agreement as to how the nation runs (Pat 470). The idea of a melting pot is therefore only a myth there is no way people will be allowed to live with their cultural differences, yet they are required to come together and live as one people.America among other nations were initially united but became divided after embracing cultural diversity, and the idea of diversity, democracy, and equality as a uniting tool only remains to be a myth for America.
If Jamestown and Virginia were not about democracy, equality, and diversity for the 350 years between 1607 and 1957, who invented this myth that America was always about democracy, diversity, and quality? And what was their motive. Pat Buchanan seems to insinuate that there is a possibility that the people who invented cultural pluralism in the America were more of enemies of the unity (Buchanan 87). Though he does not explicitly state this, the question posed at the end of the above quote implicitly shows that the individuals who invented cultural pluralism could be enemies of the United States and may have had bad motives. America, just like many other nations that embrace cultural pluralism continues to endure division due to diversity, democracy, and equality.
For instance, Virginia has become a radically revolutionized society, in half the century since resistance, no longer does Richmond proudly call herself the capital of the Confederacy. However, the point, in this case, is unpleasant to modernity though important to recognize cultural diversity is and continues to be the cause of all the separatism challenges that most countries are facing (Pat 472). The fact that most people have embraced cultural pluralism or diversity does not mean that it is error free on the contrary, cultural pluralism is the mother of most of the challenges that America and British Empire among others are suffering in the modern day.
Most countries have embraced the idea of cultural pluralism avoiding to see the significant challenges that diversity, equality, and democracy continue to cause. According to Buchanan, today Britain and America have embraced ideas on the innate equality of all civilizations, cultures, faiths, and languages, as well as regarding the mixture of all races, peoples, and tribes. However, Buchanan continues to say that these are not only historical but also dangerous for America as well as the entire west. As a result, no matter how hard people try to believe that democracy, equality, and diversity are good for their country, it will not seize to bring about separation (Buchanan 187).
According to Buchanan, no matter the lies we tell ourselves and teach our children, no great empire or republic not Islam, Russia, United States, Spain, China, France, Persia ever arose as a result of embracing equality, diversity, and democracy. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the more a nation works hard to embrace cultural pluralism, the more such a country contributes to its deconstruction or separatism. In this focus, Buchanan is right in his argument that despite people and nations trying to pretend that equality is a unifying tool, it will continue to tear them apart and cause increased separatism. As a result, though most people propagate cultural pluralism, it is important to understand that it inevitably will lead to cultural separatism.
Works Cited
Buchanan, Patrick J.В The death of the West: How dying populations and immigrant invasions imperil our country and civilization. Macmillan, 2010.
Pat J. Buchanan. Deconstructing America. Created Equal, (2010): 462-472. Retrieved from http://tylerthompson.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/93140814/Deconstructing%20America%20-%20Buchanan.pdf