I have long supported the Teach Tolerance program and participated in several diversity workshops. I teach children’s theatre when contracted and have often incorporated diversity exercises into my classes to get our differences in the open, talk about them and ultimately, my experience has been, the group finds there is far more common ground than supposed. Recently, someone suggested to me that all the emphasis on our nations diversity is perpetuating a division by reinforcing our differences. Interested in your thoughts…
I don’t know if it contributes to any divisions. I know that I’m sick of people telling me how diverse we are and I’m sick of people trying to teach me to be tolerant. I always feel like they’re trying to manipulate me and I hate it when people try to manipulate me. Except for those Budweiser frogs. I could never stay angry with them.
Marc
This has long been a pet peeve of mine.
If someone is teaching diversity, how can they expect to end up with unity? Diversity is, by definition, divisive/multifarious/varietal/assorted, etc.
I find it a dubious proposition that “common ground” will be located by highlighting differences.
Because diverstiy exists. Can there be no unity in our differences? Can we acknowledge the differences without loading them with values (my way is the right, normal way). Doesn’t acknowledging our differences teach empathy, compassion and understanding?
Don’t look at it as “reinforcing” our differences, it’s “being aware” of our differences. Without a bit of direction, too many people just sweep their prejudices under the rug. Black people simply didn’t exist for many whites, and if they did it was as menials. Yes, ‘emphasis’ (to some, ANY mention of differences is ‘emphasis’) on diversity perpetuates some of the differences, but it doesn’t necessarily perpetuate a division. People can work/play/argue together if they like different foods, clothes, sports teams, have different medical problems, worship different gods and come from different backgrounds.
Are you ‘perpetuating a division’ by ‘emphasising’ that some wear sun blocker because they burn easily? Are you ‘perpetuating a division’ by pointing out that some prejudices are so deep that some people get hysterical and blow diversity out of proportion?
Ever considered the possibility that many of the people being forced to “teach diversity” are doing it under duress, and because they don’t actually believe what they’re teaching are unconsciously sabotaging their own teaching?
A lot of “diversity education” content is crap.
Ted Sturgeon postulated his Law to cover this assertion:
90% of everything is crap.
It would be interesting to see specific real-world examples of diversity education (much of which is crap) resulting in a divided group. My kids have had a fairly steady diet of diversity education in school. They tend to look on each of the “diverse” practices as something interesting to talk about, rather than something to point at and laugh. “Eva’s family doesn’t hunt Easter eggs; they are going to have a seder meal. Why do they do that?” “Hussein’s family didn’t eat until after dark last week. Why is that?” I can just about imagine what would have happened to kids with those differences back in the 1950s. (Heck, I knew neighborhoods I had to be careful walking through because I was Catholic, and I later learned of Catholic neighborhoods where a Protestant kid might be given a rough time.)
The problem with questions like this is that there seems to be an underlying assumption that people wouldn’t be aware of diversity without someone (usually (a) the government or (b) the minority group or groups) pointing it out. I don’t think that’s a supportable assumption. Prejudice was around long before diversity programs came into existence and I see no reason to think it would disappear if they did.
Diversity workshops are the antithesis of “E pluribus unum”. Our nations’ creed includes the idea that “all men are created equal”.
Emphasis on diversity, while noble in its’ attempt, does not seem to promote unity. I have heard the argumenmt that by talking about our differences we come closer together. It sounds like crap to me. If that is the objective why don’t thay call them “Unity Workshops”? Diversity exist in and of itself. The most logical endeavor to create domestic tranquility would not be the further promotion of diversity.
Actually, “all men are created equal” has no part of this discussion, that I can see.
On the other hand, I note that we look to E Pluribus Unum, “one from many” not E Similitudoribus Unum, “one from all the same.”
I would still like to see an actual real-life example of a diversity training session that has been producing divisiveness. (Heck, I’d be curious to see an example of actual “diversity training.” My kids in school simply discuss differences in the cultural backgrounds of their classmates when holidays come up; there is no formalized “accept your neighbors’ differences” program.)
Tom ,
If we are to accept that all men are created equal it is probably not a good idea to re enforce the differences of race, religion, etc. You understand that many religions believe that most of us walking around are infidels while they are enlightened or indeed the chosen people of God. These are not the ideals of equal creation and can not be overcome by making sure we are all aware of which group we fall into.
Sure. I see that every time Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson get quoted in the paper. Are you suggesting that we stifle their free speech and order them to not express their belief that Jesus confers salvation upon (their view of) his adherents?
If you want to stifle divisiveness, there is the most appropriate place to start.
No, not at all Tom. I am suggesting that it is perhaps a bad idea to encourage Robertsons followers to attend the same diversity workshop as the Popes followers. Just look at the SDMB. It is a virtual diversity workshop. All kinds of people bring thier beliefs to light in here in a moderated debate forum. Many times people disagree fundamentally and wind up in virtual fist fight down in the pit. That is why it works here, in a moderated forum, the fist fight is a virtual one. OTOH, if you learn of the fundamental differences between you and your neighbor at the workshop, maybe you decide to go home and actually slug your neighbor. If you want to be friends with your neighbors you shouild probably speak with them personally and find common ground on which to base your relationship. You don’t have to deny thier differences but you probably shouldn’t get too deep into them either or you may have to sacrifice the common ground for the sake of diversity.
The SDMB is not a diversity workshop. It is a forum of expression. One would guess that a workshop would have organized activities geared to actual training or education.
A highly speculative scenario. (To put it kindly.)
I repeat: does anyone have actual examples of diversity workshops that result in divisiveness?
Well, there was one I was in.
My former employer promoted a certain month as “Unity Through Diversity” month. (Yes, I found the oxymoron funny.) Anyway, each person at the supervisory level or above had to attend a two-hour workshop. We all were sitting in the conference room waiting for the instructor to show up when my boss said words to the effect of, “I wish she’d hurry up. I’ve got a lot of work to do.” The in-house manager’s sycophant relied with, “Oh, don’t you consider this training important enough to take up a bit of your time?”, and the debate was on.
What was learned in those two hours? That we would be putting up Cinco de Mayo decorations (although we had no Mexican employees) and that we could all attend a diversity dinner if we wanted to (if we paid $20 for the honor of doing so).
Training, my foot. There hasn’t been any training at any of these meetings that I’ve attended–just a boat load of glittering generalities wrapped up in yards of kumbaya.
If I wanted to learn more about Liberian history or Muslim dietary restrictions, then I’ll look into it myself. Until then, I have work to do.
So, see, it promoted unity. You all were pissed off at your boss for having the seminar, together.
Here is some personal experience. It isn’t the hard facts we expect in GD, but I am hoping that it can shed a little light on the benefits of understanding diversity.
I grew up in an extremely diverse neighborhood. Something like sixty different languages were spoken at my high school. As I grew up I made friends from just about every group of people you could imagine. And it was wonderful.
How are you going to be racist if the friends that you’ve had since you were a toddler are from all different races? While the kids in the suburbs played at being skinheads, kids from my neighborhood learned to look past their difference. Interacial dating was no big deal at all. Nobody got teased severly for their difference- and it extended to all difference. Disabled people, People who liked to dye their hair green, gay people…none of them caused any commotion. Immagine a high school were taking a person of the same sex to the senior prom didn’t raise an eyebrow. Imagine a place where wearing traditional lapplander hats out of respect for your place of birth wasn’t considered wierd. It was pretty utopian. As a self-certified freak (I tended to wear floor length flourscent green hawaiian print dresses and spiked collars) I never faced any ridicule. And this wasn’t a rich liberal school where everyone was coddled. This was the ghetto. They place where we are all supposed to be fighting. A place where poverty and ignorance are supposed to reign. But instead it was one of the sanest communities I’ve known.
Difference can be common ground. You have to know and be comforable with difference before you can look past those differences.
OK Tom, If you don’t accept the SDMB as an example of the potential animosity that exist in real life diversity workshops, I have a suggestion. I will agree to attend a real life diversity workshop with you and Monty and Esprix. We then can report of the progress or deterioration of our disposition towards one another. We don’t agree in here and it would be interesting to see how we would respond face to face in adressing our differences.
Sweet Willy, SDMB is in no way like a diversity workshop…first of all there are no exercises or structure. This is a forum for exchanging opinions and ideas. An example of an exercise would be this. The leader asks the participants to break into groups (much like we tend to do in real life). Let’s say we separate into men and women, for the sake of simplicity. The groups then make lists of things they would never like to hear said about there group, i.e. “women are weak”. After listening to each other, without interruption, each group discusses how those stereotypes leave you feeling. It is here that the common ground is reached. In the end, there is compassion and empathy. In my experience, people are less likely to view differences as an issue, once they have been placed in a setting that stimulates conversation about subjects that are too uncomfortable to talk about in most situations.
I totally agree - let us never talk about differences in people, because they don’t exist. Let’s not explore them at all. We all know that silence always leads to a greater understanding of the world around us and the people we share the planet with, because, really, we’re all alike, right? Exactly the same, yes?
(It is for this very thread I am proud to be a Unitarian Universalist.)
Esprix