A monoculture typically emerges only when something happens, deliberate or otherwise, to upset the natural order—for instance, when a group of affluent parents comes together to create a community that perfectly reflects their commitment to achievement and excellence. The parents of Poplar Grove wanted a monoculture, at least until it dawned on them that a monoculture, even an apparently perfect one, comes with a cost. Epidemics love monocultures.
