What have we gotten ourselves into?

Gender. Religion. Politics. Race. All the non-dinner table topics are brought up in diversity. Bringing it up can be uncomfortable and can catch  people off guard. But for those reasons is exactly why it should be brought up. The ways in which you are diverse are the ways in which you are unique. The color of your skin, the holidays you celebrate, even your own last name represent your diversity. But why does something as simple as the pigmentation in your skin cause worldwide debate? Why do Christmas trees and dreidels cause such a divide between societies that creates century old issues? We have dug ourselves into a hole that is very difficult to get out of but the reason we’re in the hole is the very reason we need to get out; we’re different.

Gender Diversity                                                                               

We all have learned that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Ever since we were children these colors defined us, told us what toys to play with, how to do our hair and how to dress. But the expectations stretch further into education. Typically, men are expected to go into more arduous professions such as engineering or science. Women are expected to become assistants or just stay at home. But how you make your living shouldn’t be determined by your gender. If professions weren’t clouded by things such as gender, imagine the advances that could have been made in society if we started to recognize the value that each gender brings to the game.

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Racial Diversity

An issue such as racial diversity pops up time after time again which is why it cannot go ignored. It’s perplexing how society refuses to accept another for the simple presence of melanin in the skin. A mere fact of biology has led to a distrust between races, bullying and murders. There is so much importance to be found in realizing the number of things to be learned from one another. In addition, it is important to also have racial diversity in the media. In movies, television shows and the news, it is difficult to find minorities on the big screen. Seeing public figures of color is like having your identity represented and appreciated.

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Religious Diversity

Over the past few years, there has been quite an argument over what is more appropriate to say in December; “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”. The reason being for such a debate is none other than religious diversity. Religious diversity is a commonly known issue, dating back to when the first humans walked the Earth. Frankly, the world will never be agree on which religion has the most accurate beliefs but we must learn to tolerate other religions. It would be extremely detrimental for any nation to have to go through another mass suffering such as the Holocaust. Religion also relates very closely to someone’s culture. The intolerance of someone’s culture can also demean their identity, causing them to lose their persona.

Political Diversity

A petty thing such as politics can push the closest of friends into a deep debate. Especially in today’s political climate, any political belief you have will immediately be opposed by another person. Like in religious diversity, it is impossible to get everyone to agree on political views. But how can the far left ever get along with the far right? Truth is, as much as they should get along, they can’t. So how can politics change for the better? Diversity within itself. According to the Washington Post, in 2015, 80 percent of Congress consisted white males. Now, that being said, there is nothing wrong with whites or males, but the Congress makes decisions that impact the lives of many people. The citizens that are impacted include women and people of color. Why should people who are not women or people of color make laws for those who are? If they have no experience facing the certain problems that minorities do, then they cannot possibly know how to deal with it. Most of the people in Congress are not affected by the wage gap or racial hate crimes so they have some bias when it comes to dealing with those issues at hand. We cannot have viable minorities remain unrepresented in the government.