Jonathan's been working on his paper (he swears it's going to become a book, as well) and has taken up the cause of the absolute need for families in an urban environment. Of course he discusses his ideas with me and we bat things back and forth. I have to say that I agree with him, though I know that it'll take some getting used to when we actually get the chance to put theory into practice. I can see that it is
children that make neighborhoods thrive, and we shouldn't deprive urban environments of the chance to thrive, neither should we deprive our children of the chance to interact with people who are different from them. This is how we learn to get along with others. While I could continue on in that vein, I'm not as good at it as Jonathan is. I will, however, address one thing: the phrase "too much 'cultural diversity'," complete with quotation marks, when turning down a place to live, work, or go to school. It's bee a while since someone I know used that phrase. I'm not picking on that person, either, because I know that person never thought of it this way, but that's part of the problem, too. When most people say "cultural diversity" (with the quotes) it's a nice way of saying "poor, colored people who live in run-down housing." Growing up, I likely would have used it the exact same way, especially when it came to choosing the best environment for my kids to learn and grow in. No matter how anyone chooses to dress it up, though, those poor, colored kids who live in run-down housing are
my kids. We have a Spanish last name, my children have dark hair and dark eyes (some have darker skin, too), we live in the only apartment we can afford, my husband works hard at a low-paying job, and no matter what we do we can't make ends meet. We do the best we can, the same as everybody else, and for that we deserve the right to live with everybody else, work with everybody else, and go to school with everybody else. Maybe others can learn with us and from us, just as we can learn with and from others. There's no need to shut those like my family out. This is the reason I support Jonathan in his effort to go to school, so he can help build truly diverse neighborhoods and cities. Rich and poor, all colors and mixes thereof, single and married, families with young kids and families with teens and empty-nesters--we
need everyone. It's the only way to get people to look each other in the eyes and be polite, to realize that we are all deserving of the same basic human kindness. We can't do that when we wall ourselves away from each other with "gated communities" or hide in remote subdivisions where we can only get around by further confining ourselves in cars with no one to listen to but the radio pundits we agree with.
Get out of your
boxes! See the world around you and get to know the people in it! You might just like what you find. You'll certainly learn something, if you let yourself.
Added: I'm notorious for doing and saying thoughtless stuff, but a lot of thought has gone into this. I'm glad some of you disagree. Where would this world be if we were all the same? And that's my point. America is more segregated today than it was in the 50s and 60s, but it's out of choice. What, for instance, are the political leanings and general income of the people in your neighborhood? Chances are they're the same as yours, wherever you live. If given the choice, we choose to live where we do because we feel comfortable there. Advances in technology mean that we have the option of only socializing with those who are
exactly like ourselves. But it's not about finances or politics or even about who we hang out with most of the time. I just wanted to say that in all our choosing, don't forget that "those people" are still people, and "they" might just be "us" as well. Live where you want but, please, mingle. We all need each other, and we can't help each other if we've never let ourselves meet.
