The McGeorge School of Law (where I am employed) held its third annual “Diversity Week” last week. The week featured a variety of on-campus events sponsored by the various minority groups and organizations the school recognizes. Among these are the Latino/a Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Asian-Pacific Law Students Association, the Middle-Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association, the Women’s Caucus, and the Lambda Law Students Association.
Members of all of these organizations were present at the big Diversity Dinner that ended the week’s festivities on Saturday night. The dinner was co-sponsored by the McGeorge Student Bar Association’s Diversity Committee, and was attended by a mix of races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and, of course, genders. My observation was that no particular group (white Anglo-Saxon males most definitely included) appeared to be either in the majority or the minority of those in attendance.
That fact alone seemed to mark progress of a sort, at least in my mind. In earlier years, McGeorge might have been hard pressed even to accumulate a group of similarly diverse students and faculty, let alone have enough of each identity to make majority status impossible to define.
But my observation was soon eclipsed by the remarks of one of the speakers at the event.
“Diversity,” he said, “refers to all of us. We’re all diverse, in one way or another.” He went on to describe the kinds of differences that mark us as individuals. He included in his list religious and cultural differences, political identities, age, sex, and national origin, just to name the more obvious (more obvious in one sense, in another, perhaps less so).
In the current politically-correct lexicon, “diversity” is the way minority status in America is identified, and in the nation’s recent history, minority status has not been a designation to celebrate, having been reserved for groups whose members have suffered or are suffering discrimination in some de facto, if not de jure, sense.
Therefore, most male Caucasians, even those of Armenian heritage like me, would not normally be considered to be members of a minority group. We aren’t sufficiently “diverse” in the commonly accepted definition of the word. We may be too small an ethnic group to qualify for inclusion as a distinctly diverse ethnicity. Or maybe the discrimination that many of our forebearers suffered – not just in Turkey, where over a million were massacred in the first genocide of the twentieth century, but in the early years of American migration, when parts of communities were literally designated as “Armenians only” (nearby Fresno was one such community) – was too long ago to justify continued recognition.
And maybe it’s that latter point that suggests real progress. For if we are all diverse, as the speaker at the dinner stated, then maybe diversity is no longer a meaningful means of discussing the inherent differences that exist amongst and between us.
Maybe we have reached (or at least are reaching) a point in the development of our society where prejudices are a thing of the past and the need to recognize minority status no longer exists, because no one group, no individual who is identified as being a member of any group, has reason to feel less accepted than anyone else.
Maybe that is the point the speaker was making. We’re all diverse, because we are all uniquely different, and our differences are cause for celebration, not discrimination.
Ah, if it could only be so. But, of course, it’s not, because racism, sexism and homophobia are still very much a plague on our land.
True, we elected a black man as our president, but no sooner was he inaugurated than the attacks against him began. To be sure, some of those attacks are purely political; many Republicans refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of any Democrat who ascends to the presidency. But much of it has a racial undertone that is hard to ignore.
Racial prejudice is still a fact, albeit it is less obvious and less invidious than at any time in our history. It is now consigned to our inner cities, the remnants of the “Deep South,” and parts of rural America (where African-Americans are rarely seen, much less reside).
Sexism is also far less prevalent (at least in most business and professional settings) than at any other time in our history. We have had three female secretaries of State in the last 15 years and now have a female Speaker of the House. Two (and perhaps soon to be three?) members of our Supreme Court are women. More women are breaking through the glass ceilings in business and industry. Many more women are attending medical and law schools, with many more female doctors and lawyers serving their communities as a result. But we are still a largely male-dominant society, and true feminists are still regarded as radicals by many members of both genders in America today.
But perhaps the biggest area of continuing prejudice is with respect to sexual orientation. Gay and lesbian couples still engender scorn and are rejected by large segments of American society. Most of this prejudice comes from those over 30. Gen-Xers and Millennials are far less concerned about whether a person likes to sleep with people of their own gender or of the opposite gender.
Homophobia seems to have its roots in religious doctrines and teachings, which always seem to be hung up on sex in one way or another. It’s an odd effect of the deep faith that consumes the most religious in our society. They may say they hate the sin but love the sinner, but most of the faith-driven homophobia is rooted in the sense that sex is “supposed to be” between a man and a woman, and that it’s just “unnatural” for two men or two women to engage in sexual intimacy.
It’s a strange hang-up, especially when it is carried so far as to deny state-sanctioned marriage to those who want to express their love in the most traditional of ways.
And so, we may all be diverse, but some, sadly, are still more diverse than others.
What I find interesting about sexual discimination is that it is typically the one area of “minority status” that can be the most hidden. For the most part we can’t hide our sex (male-female) nor our ethnicity. They are either easily seen or easily found.
But sexuality can be hidden in the shadows of personal preference or (in some cases) deviant sex. The Catholic priest who likes little boys. The “family man” legislator who boasts of sleeping with the lobbyist.
Recently a female friend began dating a man who frequently joked about gays, even mimicking the prance of a gay man. It was frequent fodder for humiliation for him.
Of course, this same fellow turned out to be gay. Well, if not gay at least bi-sexual. And he was trolling the internet for every kind of sex possible: gay, straight, you name it.
Discrimination exists because of ignorance. As Ed points out this homophobia continues mostly among those over 30 – or beyond. The younger generations have largely blown open the conservative standards of sex and dating to open the door wide to further possibilities. Note the movie “Kinsey” to see what people REALLY do when it comes to sexual preference.
Perhaps this discrimination is based on the misunderstanding of our own sexuality. And what we really hate and can’t synthesize nor sympathize with are the hang-ups inside each of us. It’s far easier to turn this frustration outwards than look deeper inside ourselves.
As long as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are alive, they will always make diversity about race. If someone attacks Barack Obama, it must be racial – God forbid it be because of a genuine fundamental disagreement about whether running up record deficits are good for our country. If a white cop shoots an unarmed black kid which happened in Cincinnati 10 years ago, then the white cop must be racist. Forget the fact that the kid had a rap sheet as long as the Beatles catelog.
These two individuals have “cornered the market” on diversity so much, that race trumps everything. They have embedded in Americans’ minds that being a minority = being poor and disadvantaged so we have to have affirmative action to right the wrongs. It never crosses their mind that a poor white male from Appalachia might be more disadvantaged than a well to do black female who has led a privileged life. So why should affirmative action be restricted to race when that individual had substantially more opportunities than this white male? Why isn’t affirmative action based on socio-economic background or some other factor? As long as people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are around and make everything about race, there will never be true racial equality. They are never willing to take the necessary steps to racial equality.
Why should their be preference when applying as an undergrad to Vanderbilt University if you are a minority to “lower bar” for the sake of diversity, and then to lower the bar again when applying to law school for the sake of having a more diverse class, and then lowering it again for “minority recruiting/” Why does our society value having a black person or a woman admitted over having a person who has grown up in a single parent household or who has been homeless. Is their inclusion in a class any less valuable? I think not, but unfortunately, those two power hungry media whores have framed the debate, and I fear it will be awhile until we can get past looking at skin color.
True diversity is the infinite range of gifts and talents possessed by individuals in a society. To try to categorize this wonderful diversity that creates infinite possibilities for human, social, technical and economic development by appearance is like trying to create a soviet 5 year plan to guide and control the infinitely complex economy of a nation.
What made the USA great and capable of absorbing real immigrants into e pluribus unum was that diversity and the environment to rise above ones station in life based on dedication and hard work often in spite of obstacles such as prejudice. People of faith and no faith have seemed to find common ground to eliminate or at least begin to neutralize the appearance barriers.
Since science has proven we all came from one set of parents, our features altered by intermarriage, migration and environment over the millenia I still can share my Type O+ blood with anyone who has that type regardless of color or ethnicity.
It’s up to us to make the most of our gifts and talents and not waste our lives on resenting and villifying people who stand in our way or waiting for an inefficient government to do it for us. Success is the greatest revenge, especially if completed with a smile!
Wow. . .where should I start? This is quite a loaded (and interesting) subject. Just the topic of diversity prompts a range of views (and I hope encourages more people to weigh in).
Before I veer off to parts unknown, I want to say that I generally agree with all of the views expressed by everyone here thus far. But consider the following:
Yes, each one of us is sufficiently “diverse” in our own way. Each one of us has traversed along different paths in this life. Just like Odysseus, each one of us is on a distinct journey with our own gifts, talents, trials and tribulations, giving us our own story to tell.
And that’s all quite special but. . .how about we not kid ourselves? The word diversity doesn’t carry such heavy connotations because of our long history of being so damn ecstatic and eager to hold hands and celebrate our love for one another in a giant human rainbow or whatever.
Look, I think it’s great that law schools (including mine) have such active groups, representing different identities. The presence of said groups really adds to the law school experience while also promoting social justice and providing pro bono services to the disenfranchised at the same time. And I consider myself very fortunate to have done my undergrad at a truly diverse university before law school. Diversity does have an educational value, it’s just hard to quantify.*
But that is not what this is really about here, is it? The reason just about every college (and law school) has a black student group, a woman’s caucus, BLT movements, etc, is that they all grew out of a direct response to our history of discrimination (and exclusion from higher education). You can’t even comment on diversity without the victims of perceived reverse racism snarking about the evils of affirmative action (please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mean to suggest that affirmative action as described above or the heavy emphasis on race is the answer to anything).
We all want to pretend that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law, and that everyone is special and beautiful and has a fair shake at making it so long as they embrace that ol’ Puritan work ethic. But I think we all know better (look at our prisons and then look at our institutions of higher education. . .Notice any patterns here? ). I used to drink the Kool-Aid, too. I didn’t know what all the minorities, the women, and “the gays” were bitching about, either.
I honestly didn’t know. Yes, I was aware that there was racism (and sexism, etc) at one time in this country, but I assumed that it was “in the past.” I assumed we didn’t need affirmative action because we had all moved on (in fact I would raise Adam’s point whenever the subject came up, using his same example–verbatim as though poor, underserved, disadvantaged white males with only the most pristine credentials were being denied admission en masse in favor of totally, inept, unqualified african-americans. . . despite the fact that the numbers suggest otherwise. . .:).
I, like everyone else, view the world through my own lenses, shaped by my own upbringing, background, and experiences. I don’t know what it’s like to drive around certain neighborhoods as a black male. I’ve never been hassled by the cops. And I’ve never had to make a concerted effort to hide my sexuality out of fear that I’d be shunned from my family, friends, and colleagues if anyone ever found out. It wasn’t like I had to agonize over the “right time” to reveal to my parents that I prefer men over women (can you imagine?). But there are people out there who struggle with these sorts of issues.
So while we’re all a bunch of unique, special, little snowflakes, let’s not dilute ourselves. To get a clearer picture of what I’m talking about, you need to look at all this in the context of this history. We may be a long way from the institution of slavery, Dred Scott (that’s the blacks are sub-human and therefore have no rights that the white man needs to respect case), Plessy v. Fergusun (declaring “separate-but-equal” laws constitutional) and the Palmore case (the marry a black man and lose custody of your baby case) we haven’t completely escaped our past. It stands to reason that an entire group of people who were kidnapped, enslaved and mercilessly oppressed for hundreds of years might need a couple of generations to catch up. And the same applies to all of the other groups who got caught up in this ugly mess along the way.
Having said all that, I totally get where you guys are coming from, I really do. Hey, no one is throwing me a party, either. I have not received a medal nor do I get to pass go and collect $200 (and no one is offering me any special allowances; we dyslexics don’t get diversity points, either; many still view us as liabilities deemed unfit to practice law. . . see it’s tough all around).
But so anyway, as an American I get concerned about diversity being synonymous with dividing us all along race/ethnicity/gender lines, too.
No one group has cornered the market on human suffering. If you go digging into the past every group has been oppressed at one time or another (for more information, please see Jews, women, homosexuals, Chinese, Japanese, Germans, Russians, Italians, Irish, Armenians, and too many others to list here). And as individuals, we all have our own shit to deal with (including the long-suffering white anglo-saxon male**).
But as Professor Telfeyan so eloquently (and very politically correctly) points out, discrimination exists to this day and some are still considered more “diverse” than others. Historically (and statistically) speaking, the more “diverse” you are, the less you have to celebrate.
😉
ashley
*Quick example: I wasn’t even aware that there was an Armenian genocide until I got to UCD. I have my former classmates to thank for bringing it to my attention. Some students put these stunning and elaborate exhibits on display to illustrate the atrocities that took place circa 1915. There were other things, but it all started with this. It really opened my eyes and prompted me to go research the hell out of the subject to find out WTF happened, and what motivates and breeds such hate and cruelty by one group against another.
**By the way, all of my kidding aside, I just want to say that you can’t assume anything. It is interesting to note that white males, as a group, happen to have been a constant source of love, support, and encouragement throughout my life, and have empowered me both professionally and personally as a result.
It sounds like “diversity” is some coveted honor to be granted to groups of people competing for it. Just what we need, another label to make ourselves distinct from one another. Because the heart of the matter is, we can’t stand being like one another; we recognize the same unlikeable human traits in each other from which we want to differentiate ourselves.
For every poor man, there’s another million* out there like him.
For every woman, there’s more than 3,301,112,087 out there like her.
For every …
etc.
*I am sure this number should be MUCH higher