We often encounter the future first in California. Candidates of all kinds of backgrounds may carry the day in next century's America, but the notion that all minorities, or even most members of any one minority, will line up behind them, is far from a safe bet. Even if one takes all African-Americans as a group, one could be swayed too far by the data on the great differences in the ways whites and blacks perceived the O.J. Simpson trial and other matters directly concerning racial issues. When it comes to basic tenets of the American creed, the overwhelming majority of blacks strongly accept them. Roughly the same percentages of blacks and whites strongly advocate balancing the budget, cutting personal income taxes, and reforming Medicare.
Percentages are also nearly even in responses to questions on abortion and marijuana.
While there were some disagreements on specific issues and policies, this study found more similarities than discrepancies. Even when asked about such divisive issues as the direction of changes in race and ethnic relations, the similarities across lines were considerable. No anti anything majority here. All this does not mean that diversity is a figment of the overblown imagination of a bunch of left-liberals and small bands of political leaders. The American creed always had room for pluralism of sub-cultures, of people upholding some of the traditions and values of their countries of origin, from praying to playing in their own way.