Diversity is not a value. Diversity just is. We don’t value diversity for diversity’s sake, but for what that diversity provides us. For example, we value diversity in food because we enjoy eating different kinds of food. We value diversity of clothing styles because we like to express ourselves in different ways, and we think it would be wrong to make everyone wear the same kind of clothes or eat the exact same food. But there are some examples of diversity that should not be valued or “celebrated.” We should not celebrate diversity in moral views, particularly when some of those moral views entail gross immorality. The British did not celebrate the diversity of Indians when they burned their widows on the funeral pyre. They forcibly ended that barbarism. We should not celebrate diversity in how women’s genitalia is treated – celebrating those who mutilate women’s genitalia alongside those who do not. We should not celebrate the diversity of killing one’s own daughter after she is raped to preserve the honor of the family. Not all ideas are of equal value. We celebrate the diversity of people, but not the diversity of ideas. Bad ideas should be fought against – first by persuasion, but if that fails, in some cases we must fight those ideas by force.
November 23, 2015
Diversity is not a value
Posted by Jason Dulle under Philosophy, Pluralism, Political Incorrectness, Politics, Relativism[15] Comments
Thinking to Believe 
November 23, 2015 at 6:13 pm
Variety is the spice of life yet one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
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November 23, 2015 at 6:57 pm
As usual, you make some great points, Jason.
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November 24, 2015 at 4:03 am
Frank,
Diversity in meat is a perfect example of what Jason is saying: Rancid meat will kill you. In this case diversity is very bad.
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November 24, 2015 at 11:07 am
Diversity is a value and a highly valued value at that. Context is everything and to relegate value to mundane nothingness as the post herein demonstrates shows a peculiar impulse.
The impulse to devalue always signals a diminished sense of self, as you must be in a devalued state to devalue. It’s often hard to notice that you are in a devalued state, because devaluing requires a certain amount of adrenalin, which creates a temporary feeling of power and certainty – you feel right (although you are more likely self-righteousness), but it lasts only as long as the arousal lasts. To stay “right,” you have to stay aroused, negative, and narrow in perspective; when self-value is high, you can easily disagree with someone without feeling devalued and without devaluing.
The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.
Diversity is a reality created by individuals and groups from a broad spectrum of demographic and philosophical differences. It is extremely important to support and protect diversity because by valuing individuals and groups free from prejudice, and by fostering a climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic.
“Diversity” means more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. Diversity is a set of conscious practices that involve:
Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment.
Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own.
Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of knowing;
Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others;
Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination.
Context too, is highly valued.
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November 24, 2015 at 12:10 pm
To “I Am Here”….
That was really amusing – had me laughing out loud. It was meant as parody, right?
Please don’t tell me you’re a tenured professor of Woman’s Studies at Berkley.
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November 24, 2015 at 12:41 pm
wfb:
What is the “It ” in your sentence: It was meant as parody, right?…..is IT a word? a phrase, a particular sentence? What exactly had you laughing out loud? I cannot put my finger on your sense of humor actually.
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November 24, 2015 at 1:03 pm
My humour has been described as a bit dry. But, please do tell, are you a professor?
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November 24, 2015 at 4:10 pm
I generally do not describe myself with labels.
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November 24, 2015 at 6:48 pm
“Myself” is a label of sorts. That conveys a lot of information.
Anyway, maybe you can make an exception, since it’s only generally that you don’t describe yourself with labels. So I assume in specific instances of being asked perhaps you might do so.
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November 24, 2015 at 10:28 pm
I am Everyman.
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November 25, 2015 at 3:44 am
That’s a label.
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November 25, 2015 at 12:09 pm
In Everyman there are two operatives: the good wolf and the not so good wolf.
The bad wolf is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The good wolf is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. Everyman has both wolves. Which wolf do you think Jesus fed? The wolf he was saddled with by the Pharisees who dubbed him with all the dirt and muck and filth and degradation of a race of men who labeled all men according to the self righteous arrogant superiority of bullies preaching from the bully pulpit or otherwise? in their eyes, Jesus was labeled a sinner, a friend of sinners, a glutton and a drunkard because he ate and drank with his village pals. And they labeled everybody accordingly. John fasted and ate locusts and honey and never drank a beer or had a glass of wine and he was labeled a man full of sin because they labeled John as being possessed by a demon.
If Everyman is a label it is my label because only I decide. I am the Internal. My decision is true. There is as much diversity in Everyman as there is in the Son of Man.
You cannot decide for others; you are external; you label to fit your personal understanding and experience and decide for yourself but your label cannot define other essences; it is an exercise in pseudo intellectualism. That is why you must ask me to confirm your label so you may decide from the label according to your projection of essence as you understand that label to mean to you; but you never can be accurate in snippets.
Maybe your intention is honorable maybe you are motivated by benevolence but I can only know that from the words you communicate and sarcasm does not usually portend a favorable outcome. And Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to any man for he knew all men and because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man for he himself knew what was in man.
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November 25, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Look, my first reply (but not the others) was indeed sarcasm. As I see that you are earnest, I will ask you to forgive my bad-wolfing (I’d call that the ‘sin nature’ at work vs. the ‘imago dei’). But your initial essay honestly did seem a bit like something that came out of a postmodern random word generator. I mean the jargon just seems like something I’d expect to hear from a professor of linguistics at a liberal elite PC institution, like Yale or Harvard.
That said, I can get the gist of what you are expressing. It is a bit of a sermon, but that’s OK. Anyway, no harm meant.
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November 27, 2015 at 12:09 am
I appreciate your honesty and your integrity remains intact. Thank you for that.
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December 16, 2015 at 12:09 pm
Opposing behaviors that lead to suffering is a useful general rule.
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