Kerby Anderson

“To know only one country is to know none.” That insight by Seymour Martin Lipset is so important that Jonah Goldberg believes it should be pounded into the heads of every high school student. He suggests that: “Whenever you hear people talk about America as uniquely or exceptionally flawed—or superior—the first question you should ask is, “compared to whom?” He provides several examples.

Yes, America has a murder problem. But it is worth putting that tragedy in perspective. Do you know where America ranks internationally on homicides? The number is 64. That shouldn’t keep us from wanting to make this country safer. But when we hear about how bad a social or political problem in this country is, we should also ask the question, compared to whom?

The title of his article is “The Race to Racism.” The charge of racism is thrown around so much that it is likely that many Americans believe that this country is the most racist country in the world. Some may even believe that we are the only racist country in the world. That is why the statement by Seymour Martin Lipset is so important.

International surveys have asked people in different countries if they would have a problem with a person of a different race as a neighbor. “Three percent of Americans say they’d object to racially different neighbors. That makes us half as racist as Finland, roughly a quarter as racist as Spain and Italy, and slightly less racist than Germany or France.”

The U.S. isn’t the most tolerant country in the world, but many of these other European countries have even more work to do. I think those percentages are something to keep in mind the next time you hear someone say the U.S. needs to be more like Europe.