William Rigney
ETH 125
8/29/2013
Final Project

Information about diversity in the United States that has helped me to better understand and relate to others in the past and today would be the events of 9/11. While I was serving in the Navy, we were assigned to escort and protect oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, ensuring safe passage from attacks by Iraqi forces. At the time, I did not look at Saddam Hussein as a radical Muslim, just as a dictator who was dead set on ruling his people and making them submit. After the attacks on the Twin Towers, I joined with other Americans, calling for a war on terrorism and the Muslims. I researched the Koran to see what all the hoopla was about and discovered that there are two acceptable versions, one that calls for a Jihad (holy war), and one that teaches peace among all people. I found that only a handful of Muslims are radical and believe in the Holy War, and that most want to live in peace with others. By learning this about the Muslims, I also learned that many whites in America are still biased toward other races and ethnicities. While some embrace the diversity on our country, there are still those that look down unapprovingly at other races. While I am proud of who I am, and my race, there are those that still embarrass me.

According to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau, non-Hispanic whites could be a minority by 2043, due in part to the doubling of Hispanic and Asian populations. Races that are considered minorities today comprise 37 percent of the population, by 2060, it is projected to be 57 percent. Not only will our population be more diverse, it will be older, as the bureau predicts that the elderly population will also double in that time (Cline, 2012). I feel that this is due in part that people are concerning themselves more with their health and living longer than ever before, and that infant mortality rates are dropping.

The United States is going through a demographic change, and there is a need for us to analyze what this change means for local and national policy. If we can better understand how the local communities manage the changes, then there can be an outline of positive effects and a vision of what our country could look like in the future. If we do not engage in open discussions about opportunities and challenges for diversity, then our anxieties of where our country is headed will continue to grow. Combine this with the impending demographic change, this could generate even more of a cultural and racial division that would go against the fundamentals of American democracy. We have been down this road many times before as waves of immigrants continue to arrive, of facing discrimination and hardships. This has only enabled the latest generations of Americans to assimilate and thrive. Discrimination is still prevalent with escalations in voter suppression, hate crimes, anti-immigration, adding to a sense that our federal, state and local governments are failing to provide the leadership that is needed to move us forward. We cannot allow the future of the country to be dominated by those who advocate a narrow definition of the American ideal, we must accept the demographic change that is ahead of us.

One of the benefits of living in such a diverse society is learning about other cultures. I think that disasters like the 9/11 attacks and others happen because different cultures do not understand each other, and so they are afraid of each other. For us as a community and society, I think we must make it a point to understand each other, what makes us tick, our beliefs, our differences and more importantly, our similarities. How do we do this? First, we must understand what culture is. The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines is as; “the set of shared attitudes, values goals and practices”. How can we learn about different cultures that surround us on a daily basis? We can start by sharing and teaching our friends, co-workers and neighbors about our cultures. Celebrate with foods from our culture, share traditions, holidays and events. Open our minds to benefit from such diverse cultures, we can join clubs that promote diversity. If we can do this, I believe we can then begin to understand each other and be less likely to alienate of be afraid of each other.

As in every era before, we are giving new meaning to “We the people…”. What does it mean to say “we” in a multi-religious America? How exactly do “we” relate to each other when “we” includes Muslims living in America, and we are afraid of them? Pluralism is the actual engagement with that diversity. We can observe, celebrate, or be critical or threatened by it. Real pluralism includes participation and engagement, walking a mile in their shoes. Pluralism is more than mere tolerance, it requires some knowledge of our differences. Tolerance xna often stand in the way of engagement because it does not require knowledge. It allows for us to keep our stereotypes. Pluralism is also not as simple as relating, but makes room different commitments. It does not insist that we allow our beliefs to be clouded by acknowledging that other’s beliefs are different. Pluralism is founded on the base of the First Amendment of the Constitution: “No establishment” of religion and the “free exercise” of religion. E Pluribus Unum, “Out of Many, One”, gives us the common civic duty of understanding and engagement. It also requires constructive dialogue that reveal common understanding and some real differences. It does not mean we will agree, it just means that it will reveal both areas of agreement and disagreement in order to discover our differences for better engagement (Eck, 2006).

All career driven, professional women are single and lonely. All Muslims are terrorists. All African Americans are on welfare. All Hispanics are illegal aliens. All whites are racist. Gay men are feminine. Christians are Bible thumping, gay bashers, New Yorker are rude. Politicians are crooks. Old people cannot drive. Asians are smart. These are all stereotypes that we have heard or used at some point in our lives. We as Americans have a habit to lump all people of a certain race, color or ethnicity into categories. Even though we have made progress in recent years, stereotypes are still a part of American culture, made worse by media’s portrayal. Stereotypes in the media are inevitable, especially in advertising. McDonald’s uses African Americans in many of their ads to increase their sales among minorities. The groups being stereotyped have little if anything to say about that type of representation. Movies and television often use racial and cultural stereotypes. This is not to elicit a response, but more because it make it easier to write a script using them.

As I searched the internet for examples of haw the media has helped foster an appreciation for diversity, I quickly discovered that there were not too many of them to be found. If anything, I found that media encourages an appreciation for diversity by introducing us to different people and cultures that we may not encounter on a normal basis, and this leads to a greater understanding of different cultures. For the most part, television shows perpetuate stereotypes of races and cultures, and do very little to celebrate our differences or introduce us to something new. Shows like, “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain, or “Bizarre Foods” with Andrew Zimmerman, give us a peek into other cultures and the foods they celebrate with and sit down to eat. Every great once in a while, the main stream media will air a “feel good” story about people helping others in a time of need.

Misconceptions are effective only when we avoid contact with those we have the misconceptions about. By increasing our exposure to people that do not belong to our own culture or race, we learn more about them and the stereotypes and prejudices can be reduced. But, this needs to be more than just an organizational goal, it needs to be on a personal level. According to “Reducing Personal Prejudices” (), there are some steps we as individuals can take to reduce them within ourselves. First, acknowledge that we have learned prejudicial information; this allows us to air our misinformations. Next, confront the learned stereotypes, do not feel guilt or pass blame. We can choose to enter a supportive group to help make changes, as we tend to make changes to ourselves, but not help others with these same changes. Commit to change, not only to ourselves, but to others because a commitment to others is stronger than one we make to ourselves. Finally, be aware of our own self-talk about other groups. Recognizing and understanding how and why we talk about others is an important step to reducing prejudicial behavior.

To be more pluralistic and inclusive, I can make it a point to think things through from other viewpoint, trying to see things form the eyes of the people from other backgrounds. I have been and still am at times, guilty of jumping to conclusions regarding others and their actions, or first impressions of others based on their appearance, and is usually centered around one word: “sheep”. I od not see individuals in today’s youth, only followers who claim to have their own personal style, and I am guilty of realizing that they are the future of our country, and scared of it.

I must empty my head of my “pre-judgements” and take a step back to observe and not judge. Speaking out when I see an injustice or prejudicial behavior is important as well, and to encourage others to do the same thing, to find value in self and to avoid collectivism. “Racism is a much more clandestine, much more hidden kind of phenomenon, but at the same time it is perhaps far more terrible than it has ever been.” (Angela Davis). Life is food for learning. I must be aware that my prior experiences will be reflected in my perceptions of others.
References:

Cline, S. (2012). Old and Brown: America in 50 Years. USNews and World Report. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles.2012/12/12/old-and-brown-america-in-59-years-census

Eck, D.L. (2006). From Diversity to Pluralism. Retrieved from http://www.pluralism.org/pluralism/essays/from_diversity_to_pluralism

Do One Thing (). Retrieved from http://www.doonething.org/quotes/endracism-quote.htm