One Tackle for Reggie - The Spirit of Diversity

Every time I think about it, I still can't believe Green Bay Packers Superstar Reggie White is no longer with us. He was one of my favorite football players. I couldn't tell you anything about his stats though... It was his stature that I loved about him. There was no question that he was a man of God, and he wasn't ashamed of it. So I thought I'd dedicate this entry to him.

lol... Reg', I remember one time you were giving a speech at some occasion. I didn't really get into the details of it, I just caught onto it because I heard your name and saw you pop up. It was a motivational speech of some sort I think, and somewhere along the line the issue of race reared its head. There was a part where you were describing various traits of various ethnicities. You had the most sincere, nonchalant tone and not the slightest bit of malice. People didn't take well to it though. Matter of fact, they made you apologize for it, lol. But it's the perfect setup for me to tackle a very important issue, so your honesty will not be in vain. This tackle's for you, Reg'...

When they call America the Melting Pot of the World, they aren't kidding. Melting pot... conforming all into one. Generally, when it comes to race and ethnicity, that's the American way. The answer to whether or not this is right or wrong is going to be different from person to person. But I don't think this is the question I'm going to address this go-round.

What I wish to address is the claim of diversity that America makes. If one takes a good look at it, one might realize that the diversity we claim and the diversity we practice are not the same; possibly the diversity we practice is more of a hinderance to diversity. As a child, the watchword when it came to race and diversity was "colorblind". The premise was "don't discriminate against others based on their ethnic/racial differences". As far as this goes, that's a good concept to abide by. Here's the problem: we take colorblindness further than non-discrimination. Colorblind also means that we strive to negate cultures outside of the "established" American culture. In other words this: "we won't discriminate, but adopt this way of doing things and abandon your own ways". It truly is like a melting pot in that various elements are melted down into one substance, each element losing it's unique properties in favor of the larger substance. But we refer to this as diversity.

No. This isn't real diversity. I once wrote this in a rhyme, and I think it's the best depiction of the true spirit of diversity: "I'm not colorblind, I'm cultured". Put simply, the type of diversity we should seek is not the melding of peoples into the established culture, but the appreciation of peoples and their races and ethnicities. We've attempted to do away with racial and ethnic identities. We've been taught to get offended and say that it's all stereotypes, but if we take an honest look at ourselves we see that different groups do exhibit traits that make them unique. Put it this way... it's not a stereotype until you LIMIT an individual or group to those traits. A cultured person says, "I recognize that you and I are not the same, but I appreciate what you are and acknowledge your potential to become whatever you seek to become".<-------That's the Spirit of Diversity!

Now, Bro. Reggie, I hope after reading this entry people will see your controversial statements not as a threat to diversity, but as the statements of a man who knows what it is to be cultured. Maybe the melting pot we have become is really a deprived society in need of true diversity, where we can be ourselves and not be ashamed to admit we are different. Differences are to be appreciated, not suppressed or frowned upon.