The Social Value of Diversity

One of the things that has long intrigued me is how unique cities arise when surrounded by a plethora of others opposed to its culture. How, for instance, did a democratic Athens arise when surrounded by arbitrary empires and militaristic city states. This time it was the anomaly of Austin, Texas in a state dominated by Southern values derived ultimately from slavery and racism.

Austin is the home of Jim Hightower, and until she died it was the home of Molly Ivins. James Galbraith teaches at the Austin campus of the University of Texas. In short, it has been home to more progressivism than many Northern cities. Granted, Austin is a university town and the State capital. One might expect a higher level of intellectualism than the rest of Texas. However, the University of Texas has 9 campuses, e.g. Dallas, San Antonio, which do not exhibit the level of progressivism that Austin does.

While Austin is the state capital, the legislature, which Molly called the “lege,” provided a constant target for Molly’s wit with its follies, ignorance and corruption.

In a Texas born of the desire for another slave state, whose legislature still regards a woman’s body as governable by the state, Austin progressivism is indeed an anomaly.

Not to mention Governor Rick Perry brandishing his sixguns in public.

 

I found a website (Google Why did Austin become so different from the rest of Texas?)  where a number of citizens were voicing their views on how Austin liberalism came to be. Prominent among the reasons was the accumulation of diverse human beings gathering over time for a variety   of reasons. This reminded me of philosopher Morris Cohen’s view that the unusual vigor of New York City was due primarily to its ethnic mix.

Reflections of this sort led me to see diversity as more than just the tolerance that is often used to defend it. Diversity creates social conditions that many people find attractive, if not essential to the freedom they require.

Why is it that creative and intellectual vigor have always been associated with cities? Is it not the freedom to be oneself, born of the absence of a stifling monoculture?

Diversity is thus as essential a condition for civilization as it is for ecological survival. Let us stop the dangerous nonsense epitomized by the burgeoning practice of building fences around our nations and deal with the real problems--overpopulation and overconsumption.

Bob NAewhard