PTE Reading MC Single Answer: Modern liberal ideals of ethnic tolerance and diversity are taking hold in many places,…

Modern liberal ideals of ethnic tolerance and diversity are taking hold in many places, but many ethnic-based societies exist where such ideals have yet to gain wide acceptance. Usually, this is the case because one ethnicity is dominant or in the much greater majority. In Japan, the Korean minority is stigmatized and excluded from positions of power in society. Korean children, if they wish to be accepted by their peers, must attend Japanese schools and make Japanese their first language. They are made to feel ashamed of their Korean ethnic identity and culture. A similar movement on the part of conservatives in the US has sought to make English mandatory for foreign-born citizens. Such moves have the effect of making children feel stigmatized because of their ethnicity, and they turn that hatred from outside on themselves. Ethnic minorities, as a result, are usually characterized by higher levels of pathology, both physical and emotional, than the dominant population.