David French of National Review Online questions the argument that diversity leads to strength in American society.
The diversity that’s the alleged “strength” of higher education all too often manifests itself as a community where people of every race, religion, and gender all think alike on the core political and cultural questions that matter most on campus. A community that allegedly celebrates diversity relentlessly enforces ideological uniformity.
The same problem manifests itself in corporate America. The free-speech challenges that Tucker rightly decries in big tech often mirror the intolerance of the American academy. Silicon Valley employers will spend tens of millions of dollars attempting to create a workforce that “looks like America” yet at the same time foster a workplace culture that makes, for example, Christian conservative employees believe there is a real risk in speaking freely at the workplace — a risk their more secular and progressive colleagues don’t share. …
… In their own ways, American universities, progressive corporations, and the U.S. military have created functioning, diverse communities that depend on a core commonality. And if you share that common purpose, then diversity is an immense blessing. Among other things, it enhances your numbers, it increases the breadth of experience, and it fosters cultural adaptability. …
… But here’s the problem. When conservative Americans hear progressive Americans say, “diversity is our strength,” they filter those words through the prism of progressive communities, where “diversity” often either excludes conservatism or is barely tolerant of its existence.
