What Is a Diverse Culture?

One of the biggest buzzwords of recent years is "diversity." Everyone's trying to understand it and internalize it, reflecting sensitivity to the wide range of cultures and personalities surrounding us every day. As a result of its importance, there are lots of questions about what makes up a diverse culture. The answer is that diversity, in some ways, is whatever you make of it, so long as you understand that people are different and those differences should be respected in a free country.

Definition

While there's no one definition of a diverse culture, the United Nations has ratified a Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity that does a pretty good job of doing so. In small part, it affirms that, "culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs." In a diverse culture, these distinctive features vary a great deal between citizens.

Real Differences

Sometimes lost in the diversity debate is the reality that, in a diverse culture, there must be disagreements between people who think differently. After all, if everyone thinks the same way, there is no diversity and no one learns anything. Of course, these differences should not inspire violence or employment discrimination or other unacceptable conditions.

Not Just Race

As a 1998 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education notes, diversity is not all about race. Sure, people have different experiences when they have different skin colors, but the different cultures of people in an area are a better way to measure diversity. After all, race could just be skin deep and it's too simplistic to say all African Americans have the same experiences, for example.

More Than Mainstream

A diverse culture protects the minority, not just the majority. For example, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and other atheist/freethinker organizations have been placing billboards in cities that, among other things, let atheists in the town know that they are not alone. While the majority may be religious, the minority deserves the right to express their culture, as well. As an article in the Miami Herald notes, one activist said that such a billboard in her area "should be in no part of the community." Removing the billboard and encouraging atheists to leave would make the culture less diverse.

More Than a Feeling

While people who are different make the culture of an area more diverse simply by living there, true diversity occurs when people feel comfortable enough to express their culture in public. For example, self-identified Asians in the community add to a diverse culture by holding a fair that celebrates their heritage. When non-Asians enjoy the food, music and more at such a gathering, the culture becomes more diverse.

References

• United Nations
• Miami Herald

Resources

• The Chronicle of Higher Education