Assignment: What is Diversity

I was asked to do an assignment where I have to question 10 students about what is the meaning of diversity because we hear so much about diversity. But when I asked people what they mean by it, I got different answers. Every time when I mentioned Diversity, it got a bad rap because some of them related it to affirmative action, and because there's a lot of fear surrounding it. So I noticed that the word conjures up negative feelings sometimes.

While some were saying that diversity only refers to skin color, which is not always correct, others found it as a misconception. For them, it relates to differences in gender, race, religious background, ethnicity, age and background. It also differs from other aspects such as your educational level or your family status. You can find a lot of diversity in businesses and your children’s schools. But what they had in common was that Diversity affects our lives every day.

Everywhere we go, no matter what city, state, or country you travel to, you will always be surrounded by diversity. This can be both a good and a bad thing. However, diversity is a part of our daily lives and it is something that we must learn to live with. I think that some of their answers applied to Diversity Myths because there were some of them who think that diversity is to be feared because it is measured in many different ways.

Gender, sexual orientation, religion and even geographical differences are just a few that affect diversity. People of different situations tend to react differently to diversity. It may depend on where you live or how you were raised and also what is “accepted” in our society. But they are not in accord with the concept that Diversity is a new phenomenon. It is true that it has been used in the past but the fact is that now we hear the word a lot, so much so that some people call it "the 'D' word.