Tolerance > Diversity

What do “inclusion” and “celebrating diversity” mean specifically?  Arguably, both are misunderstandings of a much older and more powerful idea:  tolerance.

My neighborhood is overwhelmingly Confucian East Asian, and thus is homogeneous, the opposite of diverse.  I am not Asian or Confucian.  Should I care?  Should it be important to me that my neighborhood become more “diverse,” i.e. more proportionally representative of my own ethnic, religious or cultural groups?

No.  The important thing is not equal representation, but openness and tolerance.  It’s important that I am treated no differently from anyone else, have the same access, the same opportunities, as anyone else.  It’s important that am not judged.

What’s important, then, is not equal representation, but simply freedom from unjust judgment by the majority.  In short, tolerance.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *