Looking Into the Cultural Diversity

¶ … People Like Us," writes about diversity in the U.S. The world has always perceived the U.S. as a place teeming with diverse people. This statement can be considered true in a way: the U.S. is home to individuals from innumerable different races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, political views, interests, personalities, income levels, etc. However, all these substantially diverse inhabitants of the country do not tend to unite; rather, they strive hard to only connect with those who are essentially like themselves.

The essay's author writes that Americans seek places in which they are at ease and believe they can prosper. This trend does nothing to foster diversity -- instead, it has a totally opposite effect. The tendency of Americans to be drawn to people they are comfortable around, (and before whom they can reveal their true selves) leads to formation of clusters, based on religion, ethnicity, social class, etc.

Americans aren't really in favor of the idea of forming diverse communities, according to the author- a statement that is unfortunately true (Binchy 29). Also, as people are happy with their social circles, nobody endeavors to branch out and seek diverse company. This paper will basically look into public debate on race, and prompt readers to ruminate on whether or not they are aware of America's actual, broad diversity, and whether they care at all about this aspect of the nation.

A preliminary step towards diversity could be bringing about little habitual modifications in one's daily life. For example, people can begin striking up meaningful conversations with individuals hailing from different cultural or religious backgrounds. While their approach to life may be contradictory to one's personal views, it should not matter -- mere association with people different from oneself can, by no means, force one to adopt their lifestyle; such a step is only a precursor to introducing diversity into one's life.

People can begin joining multi-racial/cultural groups at schools, colleges, or workplaces, gaining the opportunity to meet and communicate with people they would otherwise never have mingled with; such groups can actually lead to the development of lasting friendships. The U.S. is full of opportunities to enrich one's life with diversity, and Americans need only be bold enough to grasp them, in spite of their innate tendency to stick to their own community (Brooks 68).

Brooks' statement of human inclination to remain within the folds of their community can be supported by the following example. A majority of Brown professors will probably find it psychologically difficult to share a workspace with White evangelicals; at times, Americans can be self-centered and have little idea of other people's cultures. In fact, one will be alarmed to note that they have little knowledge of fellow Americans, as well.

Also, another factor that will arouse skepticism among Browns is Americans' non-acceptance of Asians, because their race is different, and they look different from Westerners -- an element that needs to be amended (Brooks 68). While it is understandable that individuals are happier in their own segments-- where they believe they can prosper, and be more at ease -- actions such as those cited in the above example cause separations of diversity. A foreigner need not be treated as an alien simply because his/her views are contradictory to one's own.

Equal treatment should be accorded to one and all, and racial tolerance needs to be cultivated. Racial acceptance and intermixing of individuals from different races worldwide will offer rich, diverse experiences. Another good idea would be if national service was made a rite of passage for the nation's youth. Humanity needs to learn to coexist peacefully and refrain from looking down on people they deem as inferior to themselves, just because they are different.

Humanity can only lead a fruitful existence if it progresses through a succession of environments and institutions that, when taken separately, are homogeneous but, when unified, will produce diverse experiences. While numerous examples exist in contradiction to Brooks' theory of coexistence of social groups, an even greater number of examples contradict his theory of collaboration among social groups. In the U.S., one can certainly come across culturally-diverse localities, as well as diverse social groups that work in harmony.

Understanding the fact that personal realities and experiences gained through interaction with individuals from other backgrounds aids with enhancing one's world view and knowledge, is crucial. One cannot remark on diversity in a society wherein no social understanding exists, of individual differences (Gentleman 64). The descriptive term "appalling," used by Brooks for expressing America's lacking diversity, stands out strongly.

What does the author point at while using the term? Does he consider Americans' knowledge regarding one another as appalling? Or is 'appalling' used to denote the fact that individuals seek those on the same wavelength as themselves, or that evangelicals are virtually absent or found in minority proportions in specific professions? The strange contrast cropping up here necessitates a reference to the word's history (Gentleman 63).

'Appalling' is derived from words which imply: to change color or "grow pale." Does this denote one more subtle means to suggest racial segregation? The existence of "segregation" is citizens' fault, robbing the nation of the rich experiences it may witness if it were truly diverse. Is racial "segregation" still prevalent in America? What are the reasons underlying its presence or absence in the country? It would not be inaccurate to state that segregation in some form still exists, impeding the progress of diversity in America.

One can observe clear examples of segregation in any regular American high school -- the Black kids usually make friends with other Black students and prefer one another's company to the company of Whites. Likewise, White kids also tend to stick together, not easily venturing to make friends with non-Whites. This state of things probably makes all students comfortable, so nobody tends to deviate from it. How, then, did America acquire the "diverse" label? When.