Us Plus Them

SIX

TAP THE POSITIVE POWER OF PRIDE DISPLAYS

IN BOSTON, where I lived for some ten years, the St. Patrick’s Day parade is, among many other things, an expression of pride; attendees celebrate the major role the Irish have long played in the life of that city. There are many other ethnic groups in Boston, too. Is this a good idea?

Northwest of Boston, in Lowell, a much newer Cambodian community seeks to instill a sense of pride in a younger generation that is struggling through gang violence. But what other effects might increased Cambodian pride have on the Cambodian community and on the larger Lowell community of which it is a part?

An American political candidate, seeking to rally an audience, speaks of “the men and women who made this country ...