Letter to The Editor - Variety is the spice of life and too much cosmopolitanism can be enervating to the spirit

to THE AUSTRALIAN
     There are indeed great benefits to be gained from membership of  ‘a rich social and cultural identity’ and, like Simon Haines (‘From slaves to senators, we’re all human’, 9/11),  I’m proud and grateful to be part of the civilization of Western Europe.  His richly referenced meditation on the relevance to us all of Terence and his famous inclusive statement about human nature does honour to our tradition.
     However, there is also a place for political activity based on race, gender, class and power.  I cherish my British ethnicity (sometimes against ‘anti-racists’); I am ready to defend manhood against over-the-top feminism; I am comfortable being a middle class person by both inheritance and my own efforts; and I actively seek to extend my power (letters to the editor, for example) in reasonable ways.  Variety is the spice of life and too much cosmopolitanism can be enervating to the spirit.
     NJ, Belgrave, Vic.