Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Diversity Without Discretion

"Too Westernized" Girl Dies after Father Runs Her Over in Honor Killing, Say Police - Crimesider - CBS News

Diversity, as an enhancement to anything, on its own merits, is poppycock.
Imagine that you went to Greek restaurant, but in the interest of diversity, served Italian, Jewish and Middle Eastern fare along with the ubiquitous hamburger and hot dog. Personally, I would not have the greatest expectations from the chef; And the food critics would likely downplay the establishment as anything worth checking out.

  • If the Girl Scouts had boys with them on their camping trips
  • If the Boy Scouts had girls with them at their Jamboree
  • If the Men's Room had women
  • and Vice Versa
  • If the Cadillac Showroom sported Yugos in the mix
  • If the Kentucky Derby posted An Old Gray Mare
  • If your English language newspaper had the same article alongside -18 times- in 18 different languages
  • If your Fat Free Milk had Whole Milk added
  • If your All Natural Organic Ice Cream had artificial ingredients.

All in the name of diversity for the sake of diversity. Ludicrous. I know.

When diversity works as a social enhancement is when the diverse assortment of individuals in a group bring Enhancement for the Common Good to the table. ~Separate But Equal Cultures~ do not enhance anything intrinsically but a school tour of the UN. Or the zoo. (Is there really a difference?) Think: Bar scene from Star Wars. But I digress.

Any corporation that tries to conduct a board meeting while allowing multiple languages to be spoken and used in their written materials is a company that will be well behind the curve and likely, soon to be dissolute.

If we continue to honor aspects while ignoring the whole, then, even as the fabled Tower Of Babel was abandoned, so shall our nation follow if we allow for the disarray of diversity to be hailed, merely for its own sake. If you think about it, chaos is a form of diversity, too. So is schizophrenia.

Diversity is good when you want a diverse array of ideas and input. In some circumstances, this is an enhancement. as we discussed, in other situations, not so much.

So when we champion certain social considerations, "Diverse" is best used as an adjective, not a noun. When the quality of something replace that which it qualifies, then it's all about the packaging and nothing about the contents.