"The cosy idea of multiculturalism as the panacea for all our problems does not work..." ~ Akenation

It's not easy to find a statement by Ake that I can agree with but that one is accurate.

Also, according to Harvard political science professor Robert Putnam (a raving liberal):

"Diversity does not produce 'bad race relations,' Putnam says. Rather, people in diverse communities tend 'to withdraw even from close friends, to expect the worst from their community and its leaders, to volunteer less, give less to charity and work on community projects less often, to register to vote less, to agitate for social reform more, but have less faith that they can actually make a difference, and to huddle unhappily in front of the television.' Putnam adds a crushing footnote: his findings 'may underestimate the real effect of diversity on social withdrawal.'

Neither age nor disparities of wealth explain this result. 'Americans raised in the 1970s,' he writes, 'seem fully as unnerved by diversity as those raised in the 1920s.' And the 'hunkering down' occurred no matter whether the communities were relatively egalitarian or showed great differences in personal income. Even when communities are equally poor or rich, equally safe or crime-ridden, diversity correlates with less trust of neighbors, lower confidence in local politicians and news media, less charitable giving and volunteering, fewer close friends, and less happiness."