How can diverse democracies succeed? Mounk says that in many books, the metaphorical chapter 10 (which is about how to fix a problem outlined in the book) is usually too big to be realistic. If not too big, it is a list of small incremental changes that won’t matter much. He tried to do better by taking a look at real world trends that are already pointing in the right direction.
He says that most diverse democracies have made progress. The boundaries and alliances between different groups are much more fluid than many pundits assume. Faith is not premised on a brilliant strategy coming out of politics but a matter of reinforcing positive trends and avoiding bad mistakes. If we succeed, it will be because millions of people prefer to cooperate rather than discriminate, listen rather than shout, and become friends rather than hate or kill.
Mounk points out that if two groups are unequal in society, contact must be between equal status individuals. There must be common goals, like pursuing a sports championship as teammates, not just playing in the same league. He suggests that inter-group cooperation is key. He actually seems to be drawing many of these ideas from other books I am reading that explain how human psychology can divide or unite, depending on the circumstances.
He also says that the support from authorities and cultural customs are key. In moments of crisis, links between groups avoid wild rumors and diffuse anger. It should be Tocqueville’s America where you find joiners across the group lines. Again, it would help if the different sides would be in the same organizations. But since overall membership in everything is way down, that seems unlikely. I am in several Facebook groups where non-fiction books are discussed and the two tribes are at constant war.
It was Samuel Huntington who wrote in 2009 that Mexicans and Latinos are not assimilating into mainstream US cultures and are rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream. But Mounk says that evidence contradicts this. Immigrant rate of success barely depends on the country of origin. All have higher rates of upward mobility than the children of US born. And they do so as quickly as past immigrants.
African Americans are 22% of police shootings but only 13% of the population. But if you account for poverty, those numbers get closer. Mounk says that even so, most who grow up in poverty experience significant upward mobility. Black girls have a higher chance of moving up than white poor girls. When you look at immigrant gangs, well all ethnic groups go through that phase. But they fade in time like the Italian mafia.
The infamous projections that Whites will become a minority rely on highly questionable assumptions about who should count as White and how people self-identify. It is impossible to predict elections based on demographics and shifts. Biden won over White voters and Trump won over Black and Latino voters. In the Great Demographic Illusion, Richard Alba argues that the American mainstream can expand in unexpected ways. Just as English and Italians are no longer split, one drop of non-white blood and you are counted as non-white.
Human identities are deeply malleable, spawned from the narratives passed down, the cues given by elites and the incentives created by institutions. Well intentioned people who genuinely believe that they are fighting for righteous causes are doing what they can to make racial identity the all-encompassing dividing line. Mounk says this is coming from the elites and if successful, does not bode well. He gives an example of a small business administration program that would give preference to minorities including Asians which makes no sense. And it was directed at those who already own a business so does not help those in need. A federal court blocked this.
He lists more obvious solutions. Secure economic prosperity, encourage universal solidarity, build a welfare state that avoids pitting members against each other. He suggests effective and inclusive institutions. Give all citizens a sense that their preferences count and build a culture of mutual respect. You must be able to have robust disagreements and not see each other as existential enemies. An economic crisis is inevitably going to create hatred.
When it comes to discussions with others, follow these three basic maxims:
1-Stick to your principles and don't outsource your thinking to your enemies and just take the opposite position.
2-Be willing to criticize your own tribe as that is necessary to hold the worst instincts of your group in check.
3-Don’t ridicule or vilify. Engage and persuade. The answer lies in the personal realm. We will succeed if we build deeper connections, empathy, and solidarity between groups.
There are two current responses, the first is pessimism that believes injustice will never get better. Socially dominant groups will always find a way to cling to power. The second response is the belief that it will always be a battle between different identity groups and since whites do not have demography on their side, their future is bleak.
Humans are groupish so it is time to recommit to a more ambitious future. Groupishness is why the world does not resemble the one that terrified Thomas Hobbes. It facilitates cooperation but also leads to the most bitter tragedies. And yes, most countries do have a shameful chapter and if you want to corrupt a group, bestow great power upon it. All societies are capable of doing bad things, the worst have just come out of power.
We must stay courageous because we can do it and the worst does not have to happen. We can create a culture where racial markers matter less. Diverse, liberal democracy is an unprecedented experiment and we might fail but we have to maximize the chance for success.
This wraps up my thoughts on Mounk book’s, “The Great Experiment.” As I mentioned before, I am currently reading his book, “The Identity Trap.” So I will have more to say on identity later. Last week’s post resulted in some interesting comments that have given me a lot to think about. But the one line from last week’s post that is still in my mind is this one “doubling down on identity runs the risk of losing all that was good.”
Mounk writes for The Atlantic and at the end of the book he thanks Jeff Goldberg, Yoni Applebaum, Anne Applebaum, David Frum, Francis Fukuyama, Jonathan Haidt, Michael Lind, George Packer, Sheri Berman, and Larry Diamond. He was born in Germany of Polish parents who are Jewish. He is a professor at Johns Hopkins. He is also a senior fellow at the council of foreign relations. His Substack is called Persuasion.