Honest question for liberals about diversity/multiculturalism

[Anonymous]

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/12/the-politics-and-demographics-of-food-stamp-recipients/

Here you go. This explains it much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

I'm unclear who is forcing you to accept other groups. And what do you mean by "accept". Be friendly? Live near them? What would that take away from your culture?

Who's taking anything away from your culture, PP? What specifically is being "taken away?"

*crickets*

Specific examples of something "taken away" please...?

[Anonymous]

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/12/th...hics-of-food-stamp-recipients/

Here you go. This explains it much better.

FWIW, I don't think these findings are significant except to disprove your accusation that the whites are the biggest users of food stamps. Numerically,, yes--percentage wise--no.

And, as I said, I do not begrudge food stamps to anyone who needs them. As long as the program is not abused--and some people do abuse it.

[Anonymous]

OP, you state that diversity is bad for groups as a whole. Where are these studies? Everything I see shows that diversity is good, like this one:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

But to try to genuinely answer your question, I have found there are two basic types of people in this world:

1) Those who feel like they belong to a group because the group is all the same. They feel safety and acceptance because everyone is identical. Same religious group, same teen girl hairstyle, same football team, same college, same job, etc.

2) And those who feel like they belong to a group because the group is completely diverse, and "anyone" can belong. They feel safety in the diversity because it allows them to be them. That could mean purple hair, piercings, atheism, Muslim convert, transgender, nerd, whatever.

I'm #2. When I was 20, I moved from a #1 small town with a monolithic culture (OMG a Jewish person moved in!!!!!) to a medium-sized city with myriad sub-cultures. I could be a goth chick one day, and a professional woman the next.

So for those selfish reasons, I appreciate diversity. The basic diversity I craved at 20 has, now that I'm much older, morphed into a much richer, elaborate diversity now, with different ethnic backgrounds, languages, art, ideas, values, etc.

And my life is much better for it. I am a minority in my neighborhood in Montgomery County. I married a person from a different country (who is also a minority in our neighborhood), with a different language, and a different religion. I get to live the exposure to different worlds every single day of my life. I really feel sorry for people who don't get this experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

So aren't you forcing other people to accept your group? What do you propose, a roll back of the civil rights laws and a return to segregation? Send all those brilliant doctors and scientists back to India and China?

See, it is over the top answers like that that upset me. You just accused me of wanting to roll back civil rights. It is the kind of person you are that makes me feel like I just want to stay away from diversity types. What on earth made you make such an extreme, rude, agressive response?

I am 9:01 and I don't think my response was over the top - yet you didn't answer.

The thought of rolling back civil rights horrifies me. I thought that was implicit in my answer. I guess you need it stated directly. You, without anything in my post to provoke it, have turned me into as ugly a stereotype of a european as many of the stereotypes of non-european groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

So aren't you forcing other people to accept your group? What do you propose, a roll back of the civil rights laws and a return to segregation? Send all those brilliant doctors and scientists back to India and China?

See, it is over the top answers like that that upset me. You just accused me of wanting to roll back civil rights. It is the kind of person you are that makes me feel like I just want to stay away from diversity types. What on earth made you make such an extreme, rude, agressive response?

I am 9:01 and I don't think my response was over the top - yet you didn't answer.

The thought of rolling back civil rights horrifies me. I thought that was implicit in my answer. I guess you need it stated directly. You, without anything in my post to provoke it, have turned me into as ugly a stereotype of a european as many of the stereotypes of non-european groups.

I dont think anybody can make you into an ugly stereotype but you. But the point still remains WHO IS TAKING AWAY your culture by force? Nobody, but it is your siege mentality. Embrace the new, NEW by definition is not always suspect or bad. There is no one culture that is better. So take what suits your taste and nobody cares.

There is also a big picture, global angle to this debate. Globalization is here and Internet is not gonna be taken away. So that means its gonna be an open world, even more so than how it has been so far. So the culture, any culture any where in the world will be bastardized and no one can stop it. Any group which tries to stop this giant force of a global, mega culture will be isolated and the group will shrink and vanish. It is not even a choice anymore. It is the way of the world. Get on board now or get on board later after much anger and hate. That is the only choice to be made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

I'm unclear who is forcing you to accept other groups. And what do you mean by "accept". Be friendly? Live near them? What would that take away from your culture?

Who's taking anything away from your culture, PP? What specifically is being "taken away?"

*crickets*

Specific examples of something "taken away" please...?

This question is still looking to be answered... Just complaining about "you diversity types" isn't going to cut it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are studies that show when you put a diverse group together there is greater efficacy in problem solving.

I was friends with a "diverse" group in college. All of our parents were immigrants, so we included Hispanic, South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, black, and white people. Somehow, we all got along and are still friends. Somehow we all found things we had in common.

People are people, OP.

Doesn't sound as diverse on second pass....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

I'm unclear who is forcing you to accept other groups. And what do you mean by "accept". Be friendly? Live near them? What would that take away from your culture?

Who's taking anything away from your culture, PP? What specifically is being "taken away?"

*crickets*

Specific examples of something "taken away" please...?

This question is still looking to be answered... Just complaining about "you diversity types" isn't going to cut it.

It's "not going to cut it"??? you are a bore. I thought this was going to be an intelligent conversation, but you are just getting some sort of kick over feeling self righteous, smug, pseudo-intellectual. It is boring and insulting to talk to people who are going to be so rude. I wanted to have a civil conversation about this, but you seem completely incapable of not being in-your-face agressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question would be not why is diversity good, but why do some people think it's bad? Do you feel threatened because people look or believe differently from you? If so, why?

I feel that by forcing me to accept other groups, they are taking away my culture. Diversity has to be good not just for small groups, but for the large group too. I'm a European. I love to travel, visit other countries, see other cultures. I like to visit different groups and regions in the US with different cultures. But I feel like, when people say "diversity/muliticulturalism" that they are using this as a dog whistle to groups that really want me to give up my culture and take theirs.

I'm unclear who is forcing you to accept other groups. And what do you mean by "accept". Be friendly? Live near them? What would that take away from your culture?

Who's taking anything away from your culture, PP? What specifically is being "taken away?"

*crickets*

Specific examples of something "taken away" please...?

This question is still looking to be answered... Just complaining about "you diversity types" isn't going to cut it.

It's "not going to cut it"??? you are a bore. I thought this was going to be an intelligent conversation, but you are just getting some sort of kick over feeling self righteous, smug, pseudo-intellectual. It is boring and insulting to talk to people who are going to be so rude. I wanted to have a civil conversation about this, but you seem completely incapable of not being in-your-face agressive.

Oh, please. All I am doing is acting a question. Nobody is stopping you from having a civil conversation.

Again, what specifically is being "taken away?"

[Anonymous]

Still no answer on what's been "taken away?"

So loud and vocal one minute, yet complete silence now...

[Anonymous]

Not OP, but how about "Merry Christmas"? How about not allowing kids who want to pray aloud to do so?

[Anonymous]

Still no answer on what's been "taken away?"

Girls only restrooms?

[Anonymous]

To answer OP's question, I think racial and ethnic diversity is very beneficial. Being a native here, I find it strange that people from other cities have had no exposure to people from many backgrounds. It is like they are limited. I think dissatisfaction comes into play to answer OP's question when it is economic "diversity" in play, like when half your elementary school is FARMS, because that brings challenges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but how about "Merry Christmas"? How about not allowing kids who want to pray aloud to do so?

Nobody has taken that away. You can say Merry Christmas all you like. Kids are free to pray if they want to. But anyone who wants to pray should keep it to themselves. I'm quite certain that you'd be the first one to whine if Muslim kids went into full blown prayer next to your kid in school. And the bigger, more asinine conservative Christian butthurt is that public school teachers and coaches are not allowed to lead in prayer because, you know, that little Separation of Church and State thing. As public employees they are not supposed to be endorsing any particular religion - and leading students or athletes in prayer would definitely fall under that category.