Diversity

mattsl1983

Is there any proof that cultural diversity works for the benefit of a singular whole?  The very definition of the word diverse is showing a great deal of variety, being very different.  How can that bring about cohesiveness and similarities in order to function.  In order for it to function, regardless of whichever side you are on or whatever culture you are a part off, wouldn’t you have to give up something in order to meet in the middle and no longer be diverse?  

Thoughts_Arrive

Look at multicultural nations for evidence.
Australia is very diverse. Overall it is good. But there are ethnic enclaves in suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney.
I guess it is easier to stick to your own people in a new country but then that can lead to not wanting to assimilate.
I reckon you don't have to give up your culture but you would need to respect the culture of your adopted home.
No ethnic community in Australia gives up their culture. It's about embracing both.

brianlux

Hmm.  Interesting question, matts!

Let's start with music.  If there were no cultural diversity would we have rock and roll?  Probably not as it encompasses blues which come from African American roots, and country which mostly has its roots in white Appalachian music, and folk music which has its roots in European forms of music. 

That's probably as good a reason for diversity as I can think of right there.

Thoughts_Arrive

I for one love living in a very multicultural city. And I feel extremely lucky to live in such a city. 
It's great to speak/get to know people from different cultures, it's eye opening.
So many restaurants here where I can taste the flavours of the world.
I love Indian, Turkish, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, and Greek food. 
Now there are Afghan and African restaurants opening but I have not tried them yet.

mattsl1983

brianlux said:

Hmm.  Interesting question, matts!

Let's start with music.  If there were no cultural diversity would we have rock and roll?  Probably not as it encompasses blues which come from African American roots, and country which mostly has its roots in white Appalachian music, and folk music which has its roots in European forms of music. 

That's probably as good a reason for diversity as I can think of right there.

But music would fall more under influences than actual diverse groups of people living together, would you not agree?

mattsl1983

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Look at multicultural nations for evidence.
Australia is very diverse. Overall it is good. But there are ethnic enclaves in suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney.
I guess it is easier to stick to your own people in a new country but then that can lead to not wanting to assimilate.
I reckon you don't have to give up your culture but you would need to respect the culture of your adopted home.
No ethnic community in Australia gives up their culture. It's about embracing both.

Australia is a hard one to take for an example.  It was predominantly settled by England years and years ago, and for the most part, it’s a westernized country colonized by the British.  Although you bring up a couple of good points, with the majority of the country being colonized by Britain, it’s hard to take it as an example of a country living in diversity.  I’ve spent time in Perth, and they all speak English.  There is no language barrier or cultural differences.  There are the out backers and the city people.  Maybe that in itself is a cultural divide?

mattsl1983

Thoughts_Arrive said:

I for one love living in a very multicultural city. And I feel extremely lucky to live in such a city. 
It's great to speak/get to know people from different cultures, it's eye opening.
So many restaurants here where I can taste the flavours of the world.
I love Indian, Turkish, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, and Greek food. 
Now there are Afghan and African restaurants opening but I have not tried them yet.

But wouldn’t you say that’s influence not necessarily actual diversity?

brianlux

mattsl1983 said:

brianlux said:

Hmm.  Interesting question, matts!

Let's start with music.  If there were no cultural diversity would we have rock and roll?  Probably not as it encompasses blues which come from African American roots, and country which mostly has its roots in white Appalachian music, and folk music which has its roots in European forms of music. 

That's probably as good a reason for diversity as I can think of right there.

But music would fall more under influences than actual diverse groups of people living together, would you not agree?

Hmmm.  Perhaps.  But I think the diversity in music comes from respect for others outside ones own group.  But I think my answer was off the mark from what you are seeking so...

As for living in a diverse setting, my own person view comes from having lived in a wide variety of setting, from the most extreme in cultural diversity-- my years in San Francisco--  to some of the least diverse-- western New York State for two years, a farming community on Washington's Olympic Peninsula (which has since become a bit more diverse), and Pollock Pines, CA from 1996 to 2001 which at that time was almost all white and very conservative.  My own view of all this is that I prefer more rural setting for the nature, proximity to outdoors, pastoral influences and less traffic and noise but in those rural to semi-rural settings I've always greatly missed the cultural diversity.  All white and conservative is so, so boring.  A full palate creates a much more interesting and pleasing picture for me.

Thoughts_Arrive

mattsl1983 said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

Look at multicultural nations for evidence.
Australia is very diverse. Overall it is good. But there are ethnic enclaves in suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney.
I guess it is easier to stick to your own people in a new country but then that can lead to not wanting to assimilate.
I reckon you don't have to give up your culture but you would need to respect the culture of your adopted home.
No ethnic community in Australia gives up their culture. It's about embracing both.

Australia is a hard one to take for an example.  It was predominantly settled by England years and years ago, and for the most part, it’s a westernized country colonized by the British.  Although you bring up a couple of good points, with the majority of the country being colonized by Britain, it’s hard to take it as an example of a country living in diversity.  I’ve spent time in Perth, and they all speak English.  There is no language barrier or cultural differences.  There are the out backers and the city people.  Maybe that in itself is a cultural divide?

City vs. Country is a divide in a way.
My friend recently went to a rural town and told me how everyone there was so much more friendlier than in Melbourne. No chip on the shoulder he said. 
Every new ethnic group has been the target of racism in Australia. First it was the Italians/Greeks/Former Yugoslav nations in the 50s-70s then it was the Vietnamese in the 70s-80s, now it's the South Sudanese copping the racism.
Where are you from?

mattsl1983

brianlux said:

mattsl1983 said:

brianlux said:

Hmm.  Interesting question, matts!

Let's start with music.  If there were no cultural diversity would we have rock and roll?  Probably not as it encompasses blues which come from African American roots, and country which mostly has its roots in white Appalachian music, and folk music which has its roots in European forms of music. 

That's probably as good a reason for diversity as I can think of right there.

But music would fall more under influences than actual diverse groups of people living together, would you not agree?

Hmmm.  Perhaps.  But I think the diversity in music comes from respect for others outside ones own group.  But I think my answer was off the mark from what you are seeking so...

As for living in a diverse setting, my own person view comes from having lived in a wide variety of setting, from the most extreme in cultural diversity-- my years in San Francisco--  to some of the least diverse-- western New York State for two years, a farming community on Washington's Olympic Peninsula (which has since become a bit more diverse), and Pollock Pines, CA from 1996 to 2001 which at that time was almost all white and very conservative.  My own view of all this is that I prefer more rural setting for the nature, proximity to outdoors, pastoral influences and less traffic and noise but in those rural to semi-rural settings I've always greatly missed the cultural diversity.  All white and conservative is so, so boring.  A full palate creates a much more interesting and pleasing picture for me.

But again I think you are simplifying it towards influences and not actual cultural.  An example I can think of is Europe, roughly the size of the United States.  How many countries and barriers exist in Europe?  The English will eat foods from France, but they aren’t going to start speaking French.  Both countries want their own sovereignty right?

brianlux

mattsl1983 said:

brianlux said:

mattsl1983 said:

brianlux said:

Hmm.  Interesting question, matts!

Let's start with music.  If there were no cultural diversity would we have rock and roll?  Probably not as it encompasses blues which come from African American roots, and country which mostly has its roots in white Appalachian music, and folk music which has its roots in European forms of music. 

That's probably as good a reason for diversity as I can think of right there.

But music would fall more under influences than actual diverse groups of people living together, would you not agree?

Hmmm.  Perhaps.  But I think the diversity in music comes from respect for others outside ones own group.  But I think my answer was off the mark from what you are seeking so...

As for living in a diverse setting, my own person view comes from having lived in a wide variety of setting, from the most extreme in cultural diversity-- my years in San Francisco--  to some of the least diverse-- western New York State for two years, a farming community on Washington's Olympic Peninsula (which has since become a bit more diverse), and Pollock Pines, CA from 1996 to 2001 which at that time was almost all white and very conservative.  My own view of all this is that I prefer more rural setting for the nature, proximity to outdoors, pastoral influences and less traffic and noise but in those rural to semi-rural settings I've always greatly missed the cultural diversity.  All white and conservative is so, so boring.  A full palate creates a much more interesting and pleasing picture for me.

But again I think you are simplifying it towards influences and not actual cultural.  An example I can think of is Europe, roughly the size of the United States.  How many countries and barriers exist in Europe?  The English will eat foods from France, but they aren’t going to start speaking French.  Both countries want their own sovereignty right?

Oh for sure, to the point where many people are very nationalistic about their country.  I don't think that's 100% bad because I like the idea of preserving cultural identity.  I'm not so sure the idea of mixing everything on the table is necessarily a good thing.  I like to mix it up a little but I also believe it is good to have some distinctions in culture.  I think shared culture is great but cultural appropriation is not.

As for sovereignty, I do have one major issue that way and that relates to national borders.  They are so artificial.  I would so much prefer to identify myself as a person from The Great Basin, or The Pacific Northwest or The Sonoran Desert or the North East Woodlands. rather than saying I'm from Nevada or Washington or New Mexico or Maine or whatever.  Bioregions make SO much more sense than artificial borders.  Good god, who invented them anyway?

rgambs

An old old wooden ship.

ConorKavanagh

Basically the whole world is becoming more and more alike I think. We're all using the same technology and watching the same films etc. etc..

unsung

Forced diversity destroys countries.

Natural movement of people is a safer and more logical path.

Go Beavers

unsung said:

Forced diversity destroys countries.

Natural movement of people is a safer and more logical path.

I’m afraid to ask what ‘natural movement’ means. 

eddiec

unsung said:

Forced diversity destroys countries.

Natural movement of people is a safer and more logical path.

The immigration into the US during the 18th and 19th century was forced. People didn't leave their homeland because things were great.

josevolution

eddiec said:

unsung said:

Forced diversity destroys countries.

Natural movement of people is a safer and more logical path.

The immigration into the US during the 18th and 19th century was forced. People didn't leave their homeland because things were great.

That’s true for all immigrants are we to believe that if situations in Mexico Honduras Syria Nicaragua were really stable with good governance in place where its people could thrive they wouldn’t just leave to come here , heck my old man decided to migrate to US when he realized the situation in Chile was not looking good for our future there , most people don’t just pack up and leave their birth place unless pushed by dire situations...in other words I agree with you..

Bentleyspop

Eventually, many generations  from now, everyone will be tan.

brianlux

Bentleyspop said:

Eventually, many generations  from now, everyone will be tan.

I sincerely hope not.  I ascribed to the notion that black is beautiful... and yellow, white, brown and tan are beautiful.  I'm even partially to a few one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eaters.

hedonist

If one doesn't have a problem with other cultures, there doesn't need to be a middle-ground.  As mentioned above, it's simply about respect...and learning.

Having been born and living in LA, combined with my (odd?) heritage, I've been exposed to all types of religions, backgrounds, foods, music, you name it.  I've never felt the need to give up anything or compromise myself to appreciate, and even celebrate, our differences.  Sometimes even that exposure cements what we do have in common, if that makes sense.

I'll never forget how right after 9/11, we were all one.  Silly judgments and blinders were put aside, and we saw each other simply as our fellow man.  Too bad that didn't last long.

unsung

Bentleyspop said:

Eventually, many generations  from now, everyone will be tan.

Not everyone.