Dictatorship of virtue

"Multiculturalism - along with its synonym "diversity" - has radically different meanings for two large segments of the American people. The conflict between these groups is now the source of bitter and widespread controversy and confrontation. It has become the issue in the last decade of the twentieth century." "Dictatorship of Virtue is a passionate, provocative, and rigorously documented examination of multiculturalism - its noble roots and the abuses and excesses perpetrated in its name." "To its advocates, multiculturalism is simply an intense effort to include in the mainstream of American life groups of people who have been excluded or marginalized in the past. These advocates argue that the essentially European identity that has dominated American life until now must make room for other identities; "inclusion" is key." "To its critics, multiculturalism means in practice the opposite of what it means in theory: they see it as a new, easily reproducible boilerplate of received ideas and unexamined assumptions that insists on adherence - with truth and fairness often falling victim to the demands of ethnic or racial self-esteem." "Richard Bernstein takes us to the front lines