It was the mid nineties, and I was a college sophomore. One of the courses that was part of my General Education requirement that year examined writings and beliefs from different cultures. One day in class we talked about multiculturalism in America, and I remember my professor saying that the older view of America as a giant melting pot where everyone assimilated to one culture was being replaced by a different view - one that embraced multiculturalism and the understanding that our...