The Diversity Theorem

This semester's heavier-than-normal teaching load means that I'm not quite up to date with what's going on in the blogosphere. So I missed John Derbyshire's ruminations on "Islamophobophobia" at The Corner. But being the math geek he is (here and here), Derbyshire came up with a wonderful theorem that goes to the heart of the immigration debate in many countries:

The Diversity Theorem: Groups of people from anywhere in the world, mixed together in any numbers and proportions whatsoever, will eventually settle down as a harmonious society, appreciating — nay, celebrating! — their differences... which will of course soon disappear entirely.

For the record: Derbyshire believes the theorem "is quite plainly false. At this point in world history, you have to be an idiot to believe it. I leave for discussion another time the melancholy fact that huge swathes of the American ruling class do believe it, or pretend to."

I am quite keen on learning why exactly huge swathes of the "ruling class" either believe it or pretend to.

Comments

[Fergus O'Rourke]

"[H]uge swathes of the "ruling class" either believe it [the Diversity Theorem]or pretend to" possibly because it has been one of the governing myths of the U.S. for all of my life.

[T]

1. They are largely insulated from the negative effects of the diversity theorem so they can believe in the governing myths instead of reality.

2. Some of them really do want a peasant class that will acquiesce to anything they suggest.

My guess on the subject.

[Gary]

What "T" said. And I would add that it's a sort of social climbing/status thing as well. "Some of my best friends are black," only updated for 2007: "some of my best household help is (fill in the blank)."

[D Flinchum]

T is certainly correct but there is a little more to it. The elites tend to live in communities where only people like themselves can afford to live and often send their children to private school or to exclusive neighborhood schools that serve only folks like them. The community can be "diverse" in race, ethnicity, or country of origin but it is very, very homogeneous in class, wealth, and education. Any contact with people outside of this community is likely to be with people whom they employ, and so have power over.

Some of the quickest converts to immigration restriction that I have ever seen are are comfortable, college-educated, often "liberal" middle-class suburbanites living in a neighborhood with houses worth around half a million who suddenly are confronted with several similar houses nearby with 3 families with 6 or more children or 15 single men living in one house, 6 cars parked all around, including the yard, overflowing trash cans, and the usual disarray that comes with over-crowded housing. The price of living in their neighborhoods had protected them until they encountered a culture that didn't mind living under over-crowded conditions.

It goes without saying that the houses where the upper crust elites live wouldn't even be shown to buyers who couldn't afford them, no matter what their credentials were.

The sub-prime mortgage mess is no surprise. I have followed the story in the Northern VA suburbs where I used to live. It has been obvious for years that banks were lending money to people who could afford the house they were buying only by having lots of "family" who helped pay the costs and that some houses were bought as investments and rented to as many people as it took to turn a profit. Meanwhile the people who bought there years ago when the children were toddlers - partly for the good schools, which are now overcrowded and deteriorating - are either moving out or finding that they can't sell the house at a price that will enable them to move to another neighborhood without such problems unless they move miles away from work.

[Robert Hume]

Many people buy into expensive homes so that they can go to schools with only upper-class kids.

The willingness of Hispanics to move multi-families with many children into one house fills these schools with lower-class children and completely upsets these calculations.

The houses will decrease in price so that the cost of private schools, which only the wealthy can afford, will be factored in; and the wonderful public schools, e.g. in Fairfax County, Virginia will have only children of the poor.

Of course this is all on top of the great (20-40%)decline in home prices coming due to the housing bubble.

[Emily]

Lawrence Auster has written about this as thoughtfully and eloquently as anybody I've read about why people believe in multiculturalism.

It is slow to change for reasons mentioned by others here and was anticipated in, "The Bell Curve". As society becomes more stratified by I.Q., the elites will simultaneously be more dominant amongst leaders and, yet, become more ignorant about life for everyone else and the implications of their policies.

I do believe things are changing. The media circus over the Jena 6 made me remember similar beatings that occurred in the 90's so I googled them. It really does strike me, that as ridiculous as things are, it is better. The thing that struck me most was how back then, societal guilt for bad behavior was so pervasive that even the victims, from Reginald Denny to Amy Biehl's family, "understood" the criminals. To read articles written 15-20 years ago about them and others really did feel like seeing into another era.

[D Flinchum]

" the wonderful public schools, e.g. in Fairfax County, Virginia"

FC is already seeing soaring ESL and special ed. If you want to see the future of FC schools, look far west to California. One of the reasons that the counties a bit farther out from FC are growing by leaps and bounds is that young middle class families can't afford to live in the best schools ditricts and the others are going downhill. More and more the folks who can afford to live in FC are (1) older people who have lived in FC for decades and whose kids are grown and gone (some of these grown kids simply can't afford FC good districts), (2) folks with zero kids, and (3) folks who can live in the best districts and can afford private school if necessary. I seriously doubt that any of these 3 groups will be willing to pay the higher and higher taxes need to finance FC's public schools, especially as they deteriorate. ESL and special ed cost more than T&G. Sad, sad, sad....

[Fergus O'Rourke]

Well, I have to say that if you all keep up this subversion of "the values that made America", the HUAC will come back. I'll bet you won't like being called subversives, Commies, Pinkos and being blacklisted. I can hear Paul Robeson laughing from the Hereafter already !

[Mike Fladlien]

Didn't Harold Hotelling write a theorum that predicts that products tend to become homogenious? Although my experiences might be unique, I have seen cultural differences disappear in muscatine to the point where I don't assume the ethnic heritage of anyone...

[TGGP]

The most interesting take I've read on diversity so far is that of economics professor Karl Smith, which I discuss in a post here: http://entitledtoanopinion.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/be-grateful-diversity-reduces-trust/