Multiculturalism’s Failure: Fragmentation Over Cohesion

The False Promise of Diversity

The Left’s mantra, “diversity is our strength,” is an irrational platitude that ignores how multiculturalism often fosters division rather than unity. From Chicago’s gang-ridden streets to India’s caste conflicts and Argentina’s socialist decline, unassimilated cultures lead to fragmentation, not progress. Economist Thomas Sowell’s work shows that cohesive societies, built on shared norms like education and discipline, outperform diverse ones lacking unity. Global contrasts like Singapore’s meritocratic rise versus Malaysia’s ethnic strife, alongside Chicago’s violent dysfunction, expose multiculturalism’s failures. Culture, not race, determines whether diversity strengthens or weakens a society.

Chicago: A Case Study in Fragmentation

Chicago exemplifies multiculturalism’s cost. Since 1980, Mexican immigration displaced Black workers, with 25% job losses in low-wage sectors like meatpacking, where wages plummeted from $20 to $8–$10/hour. Gangs drive 70% of homicides, with 97% of murder victims Black or Latino, reflecting cultural fragmentation. Progressive policies exacerbate this: bilingual education (41% of Hispanics lacked English proficiency in 1983), a 14.3% crime clearance rate, and $451 billion in national migrant crisis costs ($320 million locally) prioritize identity over cohesion. Only 18% of Mexicans and 20% of Blacks in Chicago attain college degrees, trapping them in poverty, unlike Miami’s assimilated Cubans (31% college attainment, 25% business ownership).

A 2007 NBER study found that the 1980–2000 immigrant influx led to a 25% employment decline for low-skilled Black men, showing how unassimilated diversity fuels competition, not strength.

Global Contrasts: Cohesion vs. Division

Singapore’s ethnic Chinese, with a PISA score of 575 math and a GDP per capita of $82,794, thrive through meritocratic cohesion, adopting Western norms like education and discipline. Malaysia’s multiethnic society, with a 431 PISA score and $11,971 GDP, struggles with ethnic divides, mirroring Chicago’s Black-Latino tensions. India’s caste fragmentation (336 PISA, one science Nobel) and Argentina’s socialist mismanagement (406 PISA, two science Nobels, 276% inflation) waste potential, despite India’s freedom and Argentina’s White, European roots. These nations show that multiculturalism, without shared norms, breeds division, unlike the assimilated success of Japan (546 PISA, 19 Nobels) or Miami’s Cubans.

Country	PISA Math	GDP per Capita	Science Nobels
Singapore	575	$82,794	0
Malaysia	431	$11,971	0
India	336	$2,389	1
Argentina	406	$13,297	2

Identity Statism: The Left’s Divisive Strategy

The Left’s multiculturalism, part of what I call “Identity Statism,” uses diversity to fragment society, preserving elite interests like cheap labor (Chicago’s meatpacking wages: $8–$10/hour) while avoiding class-based solutions like STEM education or union revival. In Chicago, policies like non-prosecution (2,304–2,880 felony convictions from 12,000 gun recoveries) and migrant spending fuel violence and poverty, disproportionately harming Blacks and Latinos (97% murder victims). Argentina’s socialist policies, diverting funds from R&D to welfare, mirror this, producing economic ruin (98th in Transparency International). The Left’s refusal to prioritize assimilation ensures division, not strength, as Sowell’s cohesive societies show.

“Diversity without assimilation is a recipe for conflict, not progress.” — Lewis Loflin

Conclusion: Cohesion Through Assimilation

Multiculturalism’s promise of strength is a myth; it breeds fragmentation, as Chicago’s gangs, India’s caste divides, and Argentina’s decline prove. Assimilated cultures—Singapore’s Chinese, Japan’s Westernized society, Miami’s Cubans—show that shared norms, not diversity, build success. Immigration must prioritize groups with high PISA scores (Singapore: 575, Mexico: 416) and cultural fitness, ensuring cohesion. The Left’s “Identity Statism” must be rejected for a rational focus on assimilation, as history and data demand.

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.