Assimilation and Radicalism

The appointment of Michaëlle Jean has also got me thinking about another matter all together. Recently we saw the very public debate over the appointment of a new judge to the Supreme Court in America. I doubt there will be any public outcry in Canada over Madame Jean’s leftish leanings. What strikes me is the way Canada’s “mosaic” reacts to major political appointments as opposed to the American “melting pot”. We would think that an assimilated population would get along better than an eclectic one. Why isn’t this the case? I’m feeling lazy this evening so I won’t go any further, but I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of assimilative practices and the radical polarization of populations being closely related. It would seem that the more eclectic you make a debate, the more difficult it is for nut-jobs to legitimate their ideologies. Is this a good thing? I think so.