Why is diversity seen as a good thing?

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Scaramouche, Jan 3, 2010.

  1. Scaramouche Registered Member

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    I've heard and read people suggest diversity is good, diversity is something good to aim for, diversity is one of the great goals of an advanced society, et cetera. But nobody ever says why they believe that. Personally I put it down to the fact that most folks simply adopt the morality they're presented with by their governments and the press, without really thinking about it logically.

    Why is diversity good or bad?
     
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  3. codanblad a love of bridges Registered Senior Member

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    i agree that people are sheep, and until the spate of threads on multiculturalism lately i hadn't thought why i liked multiculturalism.cos chinese/italian food is mad, and anime is mad, and interesting traditions/cultures/values/perspectives are mad, and getting some fresh genes into a population is mad. i know this is stereotypical but the best workers at my old work were indian, having competent co-workers is cool too. i've been taught kickboxing.

    also a lot of my friends aren't anglo-saxon (unlike me) and my gf is spanish/irish/english/german/jewish/russian. if it wasn't for multiculturalism -> diversity, i would never have learnt martial arts, which is loads of fun, or enjoyed my favourite subject in school, japanese.
     
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  5. Scaramouche Registered Member

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    I really like different cultures, languages, foods, et cetera. However, if we all keep mixing it up, we'll all end up one big McCulture, all the same. And that would suck balls. I prefer to keep the groups different, with different looks and different cultures.
     
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  7. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    There are many cases both historically and presently that show 'diversity is good'. Its a matter of what kind and where and how diverse groups integrate while sharing the best their culture has to offer. Its a question of what can be absorbed and what will clash.
     
  8. codanblad a love of bridges Registered Senior Member

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    i don't think so, because environment determines culture too. how will people in antartica enjoy an ice cream or a cold beer? think about the beach-going bronzed aussie culture, how will cold climates ever embrace that? People might reject globalisation purely for the sake of it, as anti-conformists. Even within homogenous groups there's sub-cultures and distinct family values. Even individual preferences will determine understanding and expression of culture, and the way each person act shapes culture.

    diversity might cause a need for tolerance of other cultures, in all cultures.
     
  9. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    Can you name any of those "diverse" cultures and explain, if necessary, how that diversity is "good"?

    And it would be nice if the cultures you list weren't, in realty, being completely overshadowed by the other, more dominant culture. I.e., there's a Chinese culture in Dallas, Texas, but few people know anything about it (other than the restaurants, perhaps). Is that "diversity" of cultures? I don't think so ...it's more like the Chinese culture is being slowly absorbed by the western/Dallas culture.

    And now that I've brought it up, ....what the hell does it mean when we say that some culture is "diversified"?
    Is one culture "diverse" if it has a bunch of smaller cultures that have been conquered or dominated by the one big, main culture?
    If various cultures are living/operating in "ghettos" in the major cities, does that mean that those major cities are "diversified"?

    I also wonder (because I've been reading about it) about the culture that came about during and after World War II in Yugoslavia (that region). Now that was damned sure a diverse culture, wasn't it. And then the civil wars began ...culture against culture, ethnicity against ethnicity, religion against religion,.... Diversity, viewed from that perspective, is not a good thing.

    Baron Max
     
  10. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    But keeping the various cultures all distinct would, by necessity, isolate them from the mainstream of the main cultural group(s). Segragation? Is it just setting them up as fringe groups in the main culture?

    I don't see how various different cultures can diversify without the smaller, or perhaps the more different, being absorbed into the main culture.

    I'm still having a difficult time with the definition and/or meaning of "cultural diversification". What the hell does that mean? For example, if American culture diversifies with Mexican culture, isn't that still "American culture"?

    Baron Max
     
  11. River Ape Valued Senior Member

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    1,152
    As a young child, I learned that "folks from west of Glawster, north of Chooksbry, east of Stowe, or south of Sissiter were sarcens."
    I have no desire to get mixed up with foreign folk from Wuster, Bristow, Oxford and the like!
    Yer in Chel'num we'm perfettly appy as we am.

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  12. kmguru Staff Member

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    I believe in diversity for the simple reason:

    It is an incentive to enhance human potential.

    Imagine in a society, there is only a specific kind of males that are only 25% of the population, that produce goods. In order to support that society, these males have to bear the burden of that society against all other external societies.

    By providing same opportunities to all - male, female, red, white, yellow, you increase the Gross National Product thereby enhancing human society in all aspects than without it. Specially when it comes to competing between societies for survival and prosperity - you do want full diversity to maximize your own society potential.

    Look at South Africa. The country that could have but is not.
     
  13. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Diversity is good because I can eat many different types of foods from all over the world from many cultures that if there were only one I'd be eating only what it provided, read what it wrote about, sang its songs only and the list goes on and on.
     
  14. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    4,101
    If you like different cultures, etc., then diversity seems to be good for you. If all you have is McCulture, then you do not have diversity. You seem to arguing against yourself here.
     
  15. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    4,101
    First point: Diversity is. Not so much in Iceland, but probably where most of us are posting from. It's already here. If someone does not like diversity and wants to only associate with their own culture - whatever strange thing that would mean - and eat only food from one culture, etc., well, I see no reason to convince them otherwise. If they won't let someone move into an apartment or whatever because of their concerns about diversity, then there is a problem.

    For me it is a good thing because to me different cultures are inventive in different ways - cuisine is one example. To me they also each have weak areas and strengths and if I simply stuck to my own I would not be able to grow and learn in certain ways I have. I think diversity keeps things interesting. I also like how notions of normal fly out the window when you are in a diverse group. Or rather there are a lot of normals.

    I think, in fact, that there is diversity in any group. But when it is obvious, because of cultural differences, it is upfront and something that can be talked about, in any case it is unavoidable.

    Hang out with your same sex, same class, same age, same culture, same ethnic background friends and associates and there can be an oppressive idea that a certain way to live is normal.
     
  16. Norsefire Salam Shalom Salom Registered Senior Member

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    Diversity can be good, but in my opinion it is over rated; and certain things do not need diversity and, in fact, a rational state would seek as much uniformity as possible in; this includes culture, political beliefs and allegiance, religious beliefs (or lack thereof), and that sort of thing. We don't need diversity in these areas and having it just causes problems, like we see today in society.
     
  17. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    You said 'today'. When did 'we' not have diversity of beliefs, cultures and opinions.
     
  18. Norsefire Salam Shalom Salom Registered Senior Member

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    There have been times when there was more cultural uniformity; though I understand what you are saying, but still, my point applies.
     
  19. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    4,101
    When for example?
     
  20. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    ***Originally Posted by Norsefire: "There have been times when there was more cultural uniformity; though I understand what you are saying, ...."

    I would have to say ...the USA in the early days of the nation. Yes, plenty of immigrants, but they all tried their best to assimilate, even to the point of changing their names to keep from sounding so .....foreign!

    Now? Hell, now they gather and protest to try to have their own culture adopted by the people! ...LOL! No, hell, it's even worse ...they immigrate to the USA, get on the welfare rolls, then send US dollars back to their own country.

    Baron Max
     
  21. iHaveNoIdea Verified User Registered Senior Member

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    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????

    Being diverse.... different? Believe different cultures? Practicing different things? I don't understand. Is having the... adition of other cultures or..... Being different from people? Are there different types of diverse? Main difference: Does it matter, being diverse? If everyone's diverse doesn't that make us the same? I'D LIKE BARON TO EXPLAIN. Seems smart. But also anyone else.
     
  22. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    4,101
    In the early days of our nation we had slaves, for example. So we had diversity, but dealt with it in a very questionable way. We also had indentured servants - who were basically slaves, but generally from Europe, a lot Irish for example - who certainly had other beliefs and ideas, but were not entitled to them. The early days of our nation had huge splits, some that led to the Civil War. There were disgreements over foreign policy and, of course, there were still a goodly number who thought it was a mistake to have 'left England'. And then there were the diversity issues around native americans. Even amongst the white, European colonists, I think there was a great deal of disagreement about what the country should be. It just seems more unified when we look back at it.

    There was controversy over the constitution with states having different opinions about it.

    There was huge fear, sound familiar?, about granting a federal government the right to tax.

    Out of this two parties formed, the Federalists and the, get this, Democratic Republican party. The latter wanted much stronger states rights. Sound familiar?

    The War of 1812 was opposed by some states.

    There was much dissent on how land should be appropriated, how Indians should be treated, I mean, they were, after all human beings those citizens of the US.

    Perhaps there was some greater consensus amongst the white men - IOW those who could vote, but I doubt it.

    If we include the opinions and beliefs of all the people with less rights - slaves, indentured servants, women, native americans, whoever the latest group of immigrants were, etc. - you have something that does not remotely resemble some sort of consensus.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2010
  23. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

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    Doreen, are you assuming that "cultural uniformity" means consensus on each and every issue? Even in cultures that were absolutely, perfectly uniform there was disagreement on issues. The early Greeks, for example.

    To me, cultural uniformity simply means that the greater majority of the peope are of the same or very similar culture. Or perhaps as I'd noted above, were perfectly willing to assimmilate into the prevalent culture of the country. And I still think that, in the early days of the USA, there was a relatively uniform ideal of culture. Of course it wasn't complete, nor perfect, but it was close.

    Baron Max
     

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