What Is Cultural Diversity?

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Facing the Challenges of Cultural Diversity Steven W. Fiore Trident University When you ask someone from my generation what is “diversity,” some of us (at least those of us who are quasi-cinophiles) will immediately recall the scene in “Anchorman” where the character of Ron Burgundy, in response to the same question, says “I believe that diversity is an old wooden ship.” While completely moronic in relevance to the true definition, it is a microcosm to the fact that most people are not either actively aware or do not give too much of a thought to diversity and how it affects us on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is that diversity is both a concept and issue that affects us on a daily basis. In order to answer the issue of how to face the challenges of cultural diversity, two issues need to be addressed: what is cultural diversity, and what are the challenges of cultural diversity? So what exactly is cultural diversity? A basic dictionary will give you a mundane defintion: “the ethnic, gender, racial, and socioeconomic variety in a situation, institution, or group.1” However, for more of a relevant application, and a more simplisitic approach, would be to define cultural diversity as, “nothing more than a difference from the majority. In any culture there is a majority and many minorities. Culture is a set of norms that set standards for a society of what is acceptable behavior.2” This can also be labeled as multi-culturalism, and it is founded on the presumption that each culture’s identity needs to preserved, not discarded or ignored. The pre-eminent example of cultural diversity in action can best be seen in the United States, where we pride ourselves on being a “salad bowl,” where we embrace our national identity, but we don’t want to forget aspects of our past identities as well. Thus we call ourselves “American,” but we also like to
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