People Like Us

“We all pay lip service to the melting pot, but we really prefer the congealing pot.”

The metaphor of the United States as a “melting pot” has existed since at least the 19th century. This phrase became popular during the height of European immigration and conveyed the idea that American culture was a diverse mix of many immigrant cultures. By reframing this idea as “the congealing pot,” Brooks conjures an image of many cultures that exist side by side but remain distinct and geographically divided.

“We don’t really care about diversity all that much in America, even though we talk about it a great deal.”

Brooks argues that many American institutions, such as colleges and corporations, uphold diversity as a primary goal yet remain incredibly homogenous. He states that “diversity” at these institutions typically refers to racial diversity and that they often make efforts to become more racially integrated. Yet these same institutions rarely take into account factors like political views and economic status, so even racially diverse institutions comprise people with similar worldviews.

“The United States might be a diverse nation when considered as a whole, but block by block and institution by institution it is a relatively homogenous nation.”

This quote is an extension of the idea of the “congealing pot.” The United States is home to a hugely diverse population when considered along any metric. Yet Brooks presents his list of example communities to show the reader that United States residents are very adept at self-segregation in both intentional and unintentional ways.