Sebesta Award winner!

This week's Sebesta Award for moronic writing on the subject of multiculturalism goes to the anonymous (of course) editorial writer responsible for this gruesome sing-song praising urban diversity:

Vibrancy is what happens when longtime Cliff dwellers bump up against the surge of gay couples fixing up their Wynnewood homes not so far from Latino families imbuing Jefferson Boulevard with a gritty mercado atmosphere.

Vibrancy is what happens when white-collar professionals and blue-collar laborers sit shoulder-to-shoulder at restaurants like the Charco Broiler, Tops Cafe and El Ranchito.

And vibrancy is what happens when agencies like Casa Guanajuato serve immigrant families a few blocks from historic, big-steeple churches like Cliff Temple Baptist.

Wow.

Toward the end of this brainless chant about what multiculturalism should be comes this admission of what it actually does to communities:

The Jefferson Boulevard Business Association's members would like their street to include a wider mix. That's why they are fighting daily against graffiti, working on better lighting and signage, and trying to attract businesses. ...

Given how much the economy of Dallas – and Texas – depends upon immigrant students making progress, the quality of this region's schools is crucial. ...

A challenge remains, though, for other schools. Sunset and Adamson high schools inherit students from Mexico with limited English skills. How will they progress?

How indeed? Crime, dismal economic conditions, urban blight, gangs, and poorly performing schools are the real results of demographic upheaval. But you don't get a Sebesta award for tough-minded analysis. You have to earn it -- by believing that homogenous, stable populations are not only dull, but bad, and that multiculturalism's dismal track record is only a temporary distraction from its sunshiney potential. It only takes a little creativity. As this wretched piece concludes:

We will search for the right strategies on all these fronts. This district sits in the heart of Oak Cliff, but it is a microcosm of the challenge for Dallas and Texas. By rising to the occasion, this potentially vibrant community can show our city and state the way.

Hmmm. Maybe he's right. The consequences of multiculturalism in a community don't have to be plummeting property values and crime. Just because demographic upheaval's historically been a sign of a dying civilization, rather than an ascendent one, doesn't mean it always has to be that way. With enough tolerance, creative ideas, and a little bit of love, a happy, happy multicultural future could await us.

Look! There's a unicorn ...


and a rainbow ...