[JoeAltmaier]

They have a uniform culture. Everything gets easier with a common mindset. Folks keep using Norway as a fish-in-the-barrel ideal case of how anything can work. But its probably not transferable to the population of the most diverse nation on earth.

[josai]

> the most diverse nation on earth

Huh? Papua New Guinea?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_ranked_by_eth...

The USA is #85, not even close.

[DavidBradbury]

I'm not arguing for or against, but the list seems to use language as a basis for cultural diversity. While language might have a correlation with cultural diversity, it doesn't seem fair to use that as an argument for what countries are more culturally diverse. Also, how countries report their numbers greatly impact these sorts of assessments. Lastly, comparing more tribal-based countries with modern countries also makes it tricky.

[JoeAltmaier]

And Norway is #146

[mikeash]

How does diversity necessitate a higher crime rate? I've heard this stated a lot, but the explanation of how it works is always missing.

[curun1r]

The US has selective enforcement of laws...minorities are far more likely to be arrested for things like drug use than those in the majority. The US has a social safety net for the poor that's pathetic compared to most EU countries. And the US has employment practices that make it difficult for most people with a criminal record to ever get decent employment again.

Poor, desperate people who feel like their future options are limited are far more likely to commit crimes than those who are financially comfortable and/or believe they have promising futures. Diversity doesn't necessitate higher crime rates, but our diversity combined with our policies does.

[JoeAltmaier]

Conflates folks of different cultures (and different social expectations) with race? I come from a rural agricultural area. Fighting in public is a popular pastime. Yet if somebody calls the cops, you can end up in the tank overnight. That's clearly not racial but cultural.

[JoeAltmaier]

Folks with very different ideas of personal space, ownership, community, responsibility will naturally have larger friction between members.

[mikeash]

Does that friction actually translate into crime, though?

Further, the racial minority most overrepresented in the prison population in the US has actually been here longer than most, including a substantial chunk of the white majority. Shouldn't that imply full assimilation and smaller differences like you mention?

[tsotha]

I wish people would stop saying this. The US isn't even close to being the most diverse nation.