The phrase 'embrace diversity' is kinda racist...

[Bengl Von Shadowstein]

To me, there really is no such thing as 'diversity', We're all humans, no matter the skin color.

They can start saying 'embrace diversity' when sentient beings of another species come to inhabit our planet.

[WarmrootBeer]

Aye.

[SquirrelBoy]

I agree. Those who are racist are just worthless pieces of shit.

[PacoJoe]

I hate how equality is so grand and we're supposed to look past color and view everyone as human beings (which is how it should be) yet on every form for everything there's a what race are you question and there are so many special scholarships and things specifically for certain "minorities" and when there's a minority in politics or something that's all the media focuses on, like Obama and Deval (it should be devil in my opinion) Patrick in Massachusetts.

[phantom general]

maybe they're takling about cultural diversity? ...but that's how i view it... and according to paco i'm a filthy liberal commie...

[MightySage]

apparently so am I...

[PacoJoe]

I'm intollerant. And I'm probably going to make quite a few enemies on the debate board because of conflicting points of view, which isn't how I want it, but I'm going to say my point of view on something and I'm not going to change it because of popular opinion.

[Arnold]

That's the beauty of debating. I, myself, am pretty socialist.

[MightySage]

bravo Paco. i wouldn't want you just changing your opinions just because we don't like it, thats why this board is here.

[phantom general]

heyheyhey said:

That's the beauty of debating. I, myself, am pretty socialist.

socialist with communist tendencies, right here! high five!

[PacoJoe]

Thanks, MightySage.

[WarmrootBeer]

It could also be related to accepting that some people are different, meaning learning disabilities (autism), mental illnessess, and different personalities.

Something most people at my school fail to accept...

[Googy McFloogal Puss]

"Diversity" means differences inside the species in general. Not just race. All differences. Gay people, black people, disabled people, people with silly hair...

[SquirrelBoy]

And of course we as humans cannot looks past things like that. For God's sake people who gives a shit if dudes like dudes, chicks like chicks, some people are black, some are whatever the hell nerdier means, or some of are so messed up that they can't take care of themselves? Honestly, humanity sickens me. More now than ever before.

[Googy McFloogal Puss]

That's really not what I meant. While there would be benefits to a society where people acknowledge diversity - most notably, the absence of prejudice - the fundamental flaw in this world view is that diversity is what makes everybody unique. If there was no diversity, then everybody would look at everybody else as the same as them, which is not necessarily a good thing. You just can't treat everybody on Earth the same - you don't have to treat certain people better or worse, but treating them "differently" is a necessity sometimes. I mean, you see a man in a wheelchair struggling to get up a ramp, you help him, right? You certainly don't stand there and mock the guy for not being able to do it himself. You are treating him differently to someone who isn't in a wheelchair (and thus wouldn't require your help) but you are not treating him worse - you are simply acknowledging his diversity and assisting him. I know that example doesn't really work so well with people of different ethnicities, though, again, the main problem with the treatment of them is prejudice. Looking at things in terms of black and white may SEEM racist from a distance, but you have to remember that race is part of what makes up your identity and gives you a rich cultural history. The problem isn't diversity, it's people being prejudice.

Somebody once sent me a forwarded e-mail about black people/white people. It was arguing the case against things such as Black History Month, the Black Chamber of Commerce and terms like "African-American", "Italian-American", etc. and saying that these institutions were racist against white people, complaining that there was no "white history month", "white-American" or White Chamber of Commerce. It also said that if someone had a "White Pride March" they would be branded as racist. It was basically trying to make the point that white people get a bad deal in terms of equality and that some kind of "reverse racism" has come into effect. Here is the article in its entirity:

Perhaps we should get rid of the term 'racist' all together and just
live our lives...

Michael Richards better known as Kramer from tv's Seinfeld. This
was his defense speech in court after making racial comments in his comedy
act. He makes some very interesting points.
Proud To Be White

Someone finally said it.
How many are actually paying attention to this?

There are African Americans, Mexican Americans,
Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.
And then there are just Americans.

You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.
You Call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,'
'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... and that's OK.

But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head,
Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink ...
You call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you,
so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah.
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.
If we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month , we'd be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance'
OUR lives we'd be racists.

We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber
of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that?
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American
pageant, but any colour can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students
scholarships you know we'd be racists.
There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges
in the US . Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT
would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were
marching for your race and rights. If we marched for
our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and
you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce
our white pride, you call us racists.
You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a
white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats
up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a
threat to society, you call him a racist.

I am proud.
But you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?

The friend who sent it to me asked me if I thought it was racist. Here is my response:

He does indeed raise a number of interesting points and, in my mind, he is not racist for making them. However, I believe that most of the points raised are more an indication of white intolerance of other races (at least in the past) rather than necessarily racism against white people. Black people in America (I hate calling them African-Americans as that in itself makes the racist assumption that all black people are of African descent - which is, of course, not true) fought for Civil Rights for well over 100 years and freedom itself for even longer. Even when they achieved these rights, they were still persecuted by whites (even in the liberal North where many migrated after the abolition of slavery, only to find themselves exploited as cheap labour) and were, in many cases, segregated. In 1962, James Meredith - a black student living in Southern America - became the first black student at the University of Mississippi. There was huge opposition to Meredith's admission and, on his first day, he was segregated by the other students and scenes of violence errupted. Events such as this form a frightening shadow of early 20th Century Civil Rights leader Booker T. Washington's infamous proposal of a "seperate but equal" approach - the fact simply was that white people were not willing to share! Many of the things listed were redundant examples; white people in America do not need their own NAACP as the purpose of that organisation is to raise the social standing and rights of black people to a level near those of whites. With examples such as the chamber of commerce, I feel he's just nit-picking as it's not called the "white chamber of commerce" even though that's essentially what it is. The fact that people don't say "white American" is again an indication of a general belief that only white people can be "American" - note that it's not "Black-American", it's "African-American", implying that the person is both African and American. The same is true of all of the other racial titles (e.g. "Hispanic", "Arab", "Italian"...) - these are all countries or areas, not colours. He also failed to mention the infamous "Irish-Americans" - the majority of whom are white. This is just an example of inwards looking white society.

With the "White History Month" thing, I guess the point is that white history is still mainstream; even when we talk of abolitionist movements, we focus on the white people - the contrasting views of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas and Jefferson Davis - rather than those of the people the movements actually existed for. I think the point is that every month is "white history month" and, if you study American History, the focus is more likely to be on the white ruling class. "Martin Luther King Jr. Day" isn't really a fair example, as there are plenty of American holidays named after white people; what about George Washington? He had a day named after him and he kept black slaves...

I think the sentiment of the argument, however, is true. If people weren't so inwardly focused with their own races, there would pretty much be no racism. I don't agree with people slurring one another with terms like "nigger" and "honky" and I certainly don't agree with racial violence, but people need to learn to live together. The example of the ghettos made me laugh as, due to the circle of poverty (black person denied equal education, unable to get a decent job due to a labour market that favours white people, lives in poverty, same thing happens to their children - unable to improve social and economic conditions), they're pretty much kept in those ghettos by white people. All this said and done, I don't agree with Affirmative Action; people deserve jobs for being suited to those jobs - not because of the colour of their skin.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I think it's definitely something to think about.