The Hypocrisy of Multiculturalism

Before there was “diversity,” which is college-speak for people who look different but all think the same, there was “multiculturalism.” In the abstract, “multiculturalism” is entirely sensible. We ought to learn about other cultures, and even borrow from or imitate them when they have successful or enriching customs and art. But in practice what multiculturalism meant is active hatred of our culture—the culture of Western European civilization and its outgrowths overseas, like, oh, maybe we should mention parliamentary democracy in India.

If universities were ever serious about multiculturalism, you wouldn’t have seen a headline like this:

Colleges Lose a ‘Stunning’ 651 Foreign-Language Programs in 3 Years

Colleges closed more than 650 foreign-language programs in a recent three-year period, according to a forthcoming report from the Modern Language Association. . .

The net loss is a “stunning statistic” that may illustrate how extensively colleges designated foreign-language programs for cuts, said Looney, who also directs the MLA’s Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. “I don’t want to call it a trend yet,” he said, but “everything has really accelerated.” “I’m really concerned that in 2020,” when the MLA plans to conduct its next survey, “that number is going to be higher,” he added.

A serious approach to multicultural understanding begins with foreign language study, but that is way too much bother for ideologues whose real purpose is to bash our own culture.

Consider the precipitous decline in language programs as the canary in the stinking mineshaft of the humanities. The next such shock, coming in a few more year’s time, will be the huge number of humanities and social science departments that are shrinking, merging with other disciplines, or being shuttered completely. With the rapid decline in the number of students majoring in the humanities, amidst a general shrinking of the college student body, it is only a matter of time.

No wonder the left wants free college for everyone: it’s the only hope many academics in the humanities have to keep their phoney-baloney jobs. (Classical reference there to a movie you can’t show on a college campus.)

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