Quoting David Frum, Harris argues that open societies must confront the 'paradox of tolerance'—whereby tolerance can be exploited by illiberal forces to subvert a society from within. A failure by mainstream liberals to manage immigration and assimilation responsibly creates a political vacuum that authoritarian figures will eagerly fill.
Effective assimilation requires a clear, confident host culture for newcomers to integrate into. The UK's struggle with assimilation stems from a reluctance to define 'Britishness' and assert its value. This cultural vacuum makes meaningful integration impossible.
Resistance to mass immigration is often mislabeled as racism when it's a defense of cultural uniqueness. The core fear is that blending all cultures creates a bland 'beige' monolith, ultimately allowing the most aggressive and cohesive incoming culture to dominate.
A simple test for a political system's quality is whether it must use force to retain its citizens. The Berlin Wall and North Korea's borders were built to prevent people from leaving, not to stop others from entering. This need to contain a population is an implicit confession by the state that life is better elsewhere, contrasting with free societies that attract immigrants.
Focusing on immigration misses a deeper issue: a systemic failure to inculcate core American values in both children and newcomers. A nation with a "distressing number of people... that hate America" becomes internally weak and vulnerable to fragmentation, regardless of its border policies.
While promoting tolerance, mass immigration risks erasing unique cultural differences, creating a homogenous world. In this "beige" environment, the most cohesive and aggressive culture with high birth rates and a clear agenda will inevitably become dominant.
In a counter-intuitive argument, the UK's Home Secretary, herself the daughter of immigrants, posits that restricting immigration is necessary to protect social harmony. The theory is that a perceived lack of control fuels public panic and racism, so tightening controls will calm tensions and ultimately shore up multiculturalism.
Howard Lutnick argues that America's historical success with open borders was possible only because the government offered no safety net. Immigrants had to be self-sufficient or they would fail and leave. He posits that once a nation establishes a welfare state, it must implement controlled borders to protect its resources.
When society organizes itself along tribal or identity lines, it is a mathematical certainty that all groups, including the majority, will eventually adopt that framework. The only solution to one form of identity politics is to eliminate all forms of it.
A recurring political pattern involves well-intentioned progressive policies being implemented without regard for practical consequences (e.g., border management). This creates a political vacuum and public frustration that the far-right exploits, leading to a severe, often cruel, overcorrection that dismantles both the flawed policy and underlying positive intentions.
By prioritizing the identity of a speaker over the substance of their message, the progressive left creates an environment that alienates potential allies and silences important conversations. Harris argues this dynamic is a self-defeating 'own goal' that ultimately fueled the rise of political opponents like Donald Trump.