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Editorial
A Code For Conversion
I
t should be noted that conservative
commentator Ann Coulter has built a
reputation as someone who does not
shy away from making outrageous state-
ments in the interest of self promotion.
But her recent comments about Jews on
a cable television show clearly went over
the top. During an interview with Donny
Deutsch, who is Jewish, on CNBC, Coulter
said that America would be a better place
if everyone were a Christian. When pressed
by Deutsch if she meant that Jews should
be eliminated, Coulter denied that. She said
what she wanted was for Jews to be "per-
fected, as they say...That's how Christians
consider themselves, as perfected Jews. We
believe in the Old Testament, but ours is
more like Federal Express. You have to obey
laws!'
Whew!
Maybe Jews have become so accustomed
to hearing calls for their destruction, and
that of Israel, that this "milder" form of anti-
Semitism almost sounds quaint. Converting
the Jews rather than destroying them was
a common theme in earlier centuries. But
the knowledge of what those calls led to in
the horrific 20th century should make them
unacceptable, no matter how benignly they
are intended.
Coulter has, indeed, written posi-
tively about Jews in the past. According to
Canadian commentator Dave Gordon, who
is Jewish, she spent an entire chapter of her
book Treason abhorring those who wish
to harm the Jewish people. She also has
written favorably about U.S. Sen. Joseph
Lieberman of Connecticut, one of the few
Democrats she admires.
None of that negates the implications of
what she said, however. She should have
known better and it hurts too much to
laugh it off.
It also points up that while the hybrid
word Judeo-Christian has become a short-
hand way of referring to the shared points
in our religious cultures, there are also
sharp differences. One of the biggest is that
Jews do not believe in perfectability. Instead,
we are taught to try the best we can and,
if we fail, to ask forgiveness and try again.
Perfection is reserved for the Almighty.
It also should be a reminder that Coulter
does not speak for all Christians. Despite a
rocky past, relationships between Jews and
Christians in the Detroit area are as warm
and genuinely amicable as any time in our
history.
This attitude is the result of many years
of concerted efforts by clergy and lay
groups to emphasize the beliefs we all cher-
ish and the right to be different. There is
general agreement in this area that Coulter's
comments went beyond the bounds of
acceptable discourse.
Ann Coulter certainly has the right to
speak about her sincerely held religious
views. But a little forethought as to the
harmful implications of her words and a
little less shooting from the lip to promote
a new book would have been a much better
idea.
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Reality Check
Diversity Blues
A
ccording to research done by
Harvard University's Robert
Putnam, people want to live
among those whose cultural background
and ethnicity is similar to their own. Now
there's a real shockeroo.
This can hardly come as a bolt from
the blue for anyone who remembers the
Poletowns, the Little Italys, the Irish and
the Jewish neighborhoods that once were
an essential part of urban life across
America. And still are in some places.
But Putnam's findings contained an
additional bit of information that he
didn't want to believe. He even admitted
to crunching his numbers a few times to
allow for income, education, geography
and other variables. But the result was
consistent.
"The more ethnically diverse the peo-
ple we live around," he wrote, "the less
we trust them!' In those communities,
he found less of a willingness to join
voluntary associations, participate in
local government or contribute to local
charities.
Putnam is a staunch advocate
of multiculturalism and diver-
sity, as well as being a highly
respected social researcher. He
still thinks that in the long run
diversity is a good thing. But
in the short run, not so much,
apparently.
This is staggering news to
those who believe that multicul-
turalism is among the highest of
social values. Putnam's research
has rocked their world. In their
view, diversity is an unquestioned benefit
and one of the main arguments behind
the legal theory backing affirmative action
admissions to universities. Daring to ques-
tion this viewpoint is almost regarded as
prima facie evidence of racism. But there
it is.
In recent weeks, I've seen another odd
aspect of diversity. It turns up in the ACT
tests high school students take as part of
the college admissions process.
In former years, minority students
complained that the tests were "culturally
biased" and did not reflect
anything with which they
were familiar. So the testers
set out to fix that. Did they
ever.
In a random examination
of the English and reading
passages on some of these
tests, I found three stories
about Latino musicians
and several others about a
Mexican dancer, a Japanese
author, the Chinese Exclusion
Act, an African-American family, an
Ojibwa writer and a Vietnamese girl's rec-
ollections of her homeland.
When several students complained to
me that the stories on the test were not
very interesting and that they couldn't
keep any of the names straight, I thought
it was a cop-out, an excuse for not buck-
ling down.
But as I considered further, weren't their
protests the mirror image of those voiced
by minority students? These stories had
very little to do with the middle class
suburban lives they knew. Or as one young
woman said: "Where are the stories about
Jewish people?"
The national test results indicate that
introduction of this material did little
to improve minority scores, which still
require a fairly high degree of reading
comprehension.
It made everyone feel better about
diversity, though, and that's what it's all
about, isn't it?
I have no problem with diversity being
an important part of the American experi-
ence. What bothers me about any social
theory, however, is when it is elevated to
an "ism," jammed into the educational
process, and those who hold opposing
views are dismissed as cretins and bigots.
We get enough of that with Ann Coulter
and Michael Moore. Not bad people, but
I'd rather not have them living in my
neighborhood. 7
George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor614@aol.com .
November 8 a 2007
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