There's no point in denying the flattening of our world. Globalization is a pandemic whose influence has reached all levels of society and has permeated many more areas of our daily lives than H1N1 ever will (I hope!). And the increasing diversity of many countries worldwide makes me really grateful for America--specifically, the American university.

See, there are a lot of different possible responses to increasing ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic diversity.

The first is overt discrimination; this is happening now in China. I'm not going to lie--many Americans do not understand how racist Chinese culture remains at its roots. This will take decades more to even begin to reverse. It doesn't help that the Chinese media is largely government-controlled, which maintains the homogeneity of public opinion and stagnates it to a much greater extent than in the United States or other more open nations. This is probably the least desirable and also not particularly subtle outcome--which makes it easy to fight and prevent for those so inclined.

The second, however, is more subtle. This is what's happening in Europe, and what I experienced to a decent extent in predominately-white, suburban, upper-middle-class Mason, Ohio. This isn't a matter of active discrimation or dislike or distrust--if anything, the best way to describe it would be using the language of Plessy vs. Ferguson--separate but equal.

This means that white girls sit with white girls in the cafeteria, and all the minorities sit together separately. The white girls never overtly snub their non-white classmates; they simply ignore them. If engaged, they'll be nice, but they don't go out of their way to make friends. They may even want to make friends, but fail to take into consideration the cultural differences that must be hurdled in cross-cultural friendships. And so, instead of a mixing bowl, a school/society/nation becomes a salad bowl.

The third is going on in France and much of Europe at the moment--this is on the surface similar to the first, but at its core it's different. Chinese racism says "We don't like you, and even if you try really hard you can't be like us and we won't accept you." On the other hand, French racism says "We will like you...but only if you try to be like us." Honestly, neither is a particularly appealing option. Chinese racism magnifies distinctions between races and fails to acknowledge common humanity; French racism seeks to destroy very real cultural distinctions between races and fails to acknowledge the unique value inherent in every culture and pocket of society.

The fourth is what America should strive for. Is what happens in many A.P. classrooms, multiethnic churches, and universities. This doesn't destroy the real and valuable differences between different cultures, but creates instead an environment in which these cultures can coexist in just the right amount of tension. Of course, at times this tension might bubble over--cultural misunderstandings are bound to happen--but those misunderstandings and minor alteracations are the product and sign of risk and not of avoidance.

And that's what's amazing about college in America. :-)