A Negative Assessment Of Diversity

It is human instinct to compare ourselves to others. Evaluating another’s material items, thoughts, beliefs, and personality to our own is a method used by the majority of people to assess their place in the world. In a perfect society, observing the physical traits, qualities, and personalities of others would allow for the appreciation of the world’s multitude of variation. However, when differences are used as the basis for prejudice, ignorance and intolerance, the beauty within these differences can be diminished. It is therefore important, as a society, we attempt to question our current predispositions– what will it take for us to acknowledge the similarities between people instead of highlighting the differences? The negative assessment of diversity, whether it is of personal traits or cultural variances, allows for a quick descent into bigotry and elitism; a path that has crippling effects on humanity. Even in the 21st century, discrimination due to culture, skin color, gender and race are unfortunately widespread, affecting the lives of many due to factors beyond their control. Luckily, movements counteracting discrimination have highlighted the pages of history. Causes such as the feminist movement, LGBTQ+ rights, or the more recent “Black Lives Matter” campaign aim to emphasize that …show more content…
If one accepted all the information typically shared by the mainstream media, my time living in the more liberal United States and the more conservative Bahrain would have been an experience of polar opposites. However, looking past the obvious differences, the two societies that I lived in were parallel at their core; caring and tolerant people who have devoted their lives to the happiness of the people they love. Therefore, the question of how and when a mentality of solidarity will supercede our tendency towards separation is a concept that has always been in my