Diversity’s Come A-Knockin’ at the Door

We live in a very diverse world.  I teach in a very diverse school.  I have previously worked in very diverse companies.  We all have diverse preferences and tastes.  Our modes of dress are quite diverse.  What do I get out of this abundance of diversity?  Well, since you asked – I get sick and tired of hearing the word "DIVERSE".

We have diversity training.  We have to be sensitive to the diverse needs of our student population.  We must be aware of and educated about the diverse religious rituals and holidays.  We must not tread on the diverse toes of the masses with our diversely sported clod-hoppers.

Ethnically speaking, I am among the whitest of the whitebreads.  Hey – don’t look at me like that – it’s not like I CHOSE to be white and something less than downtrodden.  I was born that way.  I feel really guilty about it – honest.  If I could join all these flippin’ freckles together and become a brown skinned, hemaphrodite, who suffers religious persecution in all but 3 countries of the world AND has a speech impediment.  Really.  At least then, I’d have a reason to be angry, right?

Grrrwwwl.

Do I sound a little bitter and perhaps just a tad cynical?  Yeah.  Well.  I know – SO out of character for me.  But I AM annoyed over this issue.  Heck no, I’m not annoyed – I’m angry.

I am required by the School District to receive training which sensitizes me to other cultures and their needs.  I have no issues with that.  I like learning about other people and places.  But I go to these trainings…and what I hear is how wrong I am and how insensitive I am – because I was born in this country and am white.  By virtue of those two accidents of birth, I am insensitive, arrogant, and unconcerned with the rest of the human race which I crush beneath my spike heels on a daily basis.

I hear how I must accommodate all the various cultures of the world.  I must respect their ideaologies, beliefs, concerns, mores, and religions.  I learn how they are different from me.  And I hear that I must respect their differences and adjust my teaching style to accommodate all of them.

Do I have problems with this?  You betcha.

1. An effective teacher gets to know their students.  They get to know about their friends, their families, their music, and their hopes and dreams.  I don’t see any culture lines there – that’s "milk of human kindness".
2. This is MY house.  You are a welcome addition to my house and my family.  Please feel free to make yourself comfortable and at home.  Please DO NOT feel free to expect me to change how I do everything in MY house so that you will be happy and I will be miserable.  A little give and take on both parts seems reasonable to me.  Again – I see no lines here.  More common sense.  Do you know that the ‘standard’ in hospitality for formal restaurants has ALWAYS been to serve from the left and remove dirty dishes from the right?  Tis true….but no longer.  Now everyone in the hospitality industry must serve from the right and remove from the right, because the left hand is seen as unclean in some cultures/religions.  Sigh.  What happens when another culture speaks up and informs the world that the right hand is unclean?  How will our PC world accommodate everyone?
3. I was raised by a very wonderful mother.  I was not raised to see cultures, skin color or religion.  I was raised to see people.  And people all want basically the same things – respect, love, courtesy, understanding…. All the rest was secondary.  As I listen to other people talking in these trainings, I find that perhaps this upbringing was a tad unusual.  Why is that?  All this emphasis on our differences only highlights them and drives us all further apart.  If we emphasized our similarities……what would the world be like then?  A damn sight better, IMHO.
4. If I were to travel to another country, I would be expected to fit in, learn the language, the customs, the foods.  And I would.  I would not give up all that I have that has made me the American that I am…but neither would I demand that you change your beliefs and actions to make me comfortable.  I would work towards a compromise.  I would certainly abide by the laws.  If I didn’t like it there – I would leave!  By hook or by crook – I’d find a way to get to a place I could feel comfortable.  Why is it that Americans are expected to kowtow to everyone else in the world OR ELSE….?

Sigh.  I guess I am tired and a bit testy on this subject.  But I am so FED UP with being asked to feel guilty about being who I am, my heritage, my present and my future.  I love my country (although not everything about it).  I love my life (although I wouldn’t mind inserting a little more of "this and that" into it) (Mostly "that" – not so much "this" – if you know what I mean…)  I love the fact that so many people from so many different places and religions want to come here to live their lives.  Their differences enrich us all.  But MY differences are just fine and dandy as well.  Can’t we all just get along?  Again, I say we are more alike as human beings than we are different.  Could we focus on the similarities for a change?  Please?

Rant over.

Soap box available – cheap.