In this article, Putnam explores the nature of diversity and its effect on individuals and the community. The widely accepted theory is that diversity promotes in-group solidarity while discouraging out-group solidarity. In other words, diversity leads to increased trust with people of their own race and decreased trust with people of other races. However, Putnam argues that diversity results in social isolation in general and decreases trust in people of both their own race and of other races. Putnam then suggests that in order to benefit from diversity society must reconstruct their social identity and erase the line between races in order to mutually progress together.

Here Putnam encourages the hyphenated identity of immigrants in order to create something in common with the greater community and to mix into society. I thought this was problematic because the hyphen, in a title such as Chinese-American, creates a hybrid identity instead. This can lead to conflicting feelings for second generation Americans, or the children of immigrants. They are ethnically one identity and can associate with the culture of their parents. Yet they are Americans by birth and learn English and participate in American culture, such as eating pizza and watching American television, as well. They cannot truly be one or the other.

In addition to this, Putnam suggests the reconstruction of identity as “we”. I feel this is a good idea in theory. However, people are always going hesitate when faced with something or someone new. Since immigration will continue to increase diversity in different nations, people are going to continue to feel a separation between those who were already there and those who are the new arrivals. I feel that in order for this sense of “we” to come about, there must be a sense of standing still in a community. People learn to trust those that they have come to known, and only then do the differences that come with ethnicity not matter.

-Wendy Li