Where Pluralism and Paranoia Meet

Nowhere is the meeting between pluralism and paranoia more apparent than on the subway. Despite all our high-minded rhetoric about the marvels of diversity, there is a wariness bordering on extreme caution when strangers are confronted with the dizzying mix of cultural difference and life circumstances. Maybe it has something to do with being underground? In many ways this subterranean world reflects the irrational in our nature. The fact that riding the subway can summon up our worst fears a...