Thomas Klingenstein is right that “multiculturalism, like slavery in the 1850's, is an existential threat”—one that, if left unchecked, will “ultimately destroy America.” He is right to urge his fellow conservatives to make opposition to multiculturalism “the center of our movement.” And he is right to see in Donald Trump's combativeness and unabashed patriotism necessary counters to the corrosive multiculturalism of our age.
I am not, however, convinced that multiculturalism is the right word to rally the public in this great political battle. The term is, first of all, “somewhat dated,” as Klingenstein himself admits. Debates about multiculturalism peaked in the 1990s and have since receded.
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