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.
I Bag To Differ
1 hour ago
8 comments:
I agree that we definitely have too many "boxes" in society - at church, work, school, home, and everywhere else. I kind of like my neighborhood right now. There's a good mix of starving students (like us), older folk, families with young kids, etc.
Then again, this is America, where people can do whatever, be whomever, listen to whatever, and live wherever they want to. I'm glad you have strong opinions for yourself and your family, but I don't necessarily think that all your choices and ideals are the best and only option for everyone else, nor do I think they're even possible in a lot of circumstances. Maybe I'm taking this the wrong way or missing the point because of other comments I've heard you make, and maybe I should just stop writing. I think I will do that.
It's okay Regan, I'm with you :)
I think it is better for the parents to teach diversity in the home than to have it forced upon them by socialists. My children are well adjusted to the lifestyle that we have tried to provide for them by working hard ourselves, and have a variety of friends of different cultural backgrounds, as well as financial hardships. Alicia does not look down upon those friends of hers that may be on free school lunches, and wouldn't bat an eye if she had to do the same. There are difficulties outside of the little world inside of the city, and it is not anyone's decision but our own to make the choice on where we live. We have the right to live with whomever we choose which makes this country great. We do not have an overseer that dictates we must submit to mediocrity, or that we must spread the wealth,...yet. The community you speak of does not exist, because of the social differences that occur between the communities. This has been building since the inception of the haves and have nots. The sense of entitlement says that I should have that, and he or she should give me some of that. I don't expect anything from anyone that I haven't earned, and have consistently taught my children this same ideal. Keep working hard, and you will either accept what you have obtained, or strive to do better. Just my thoughts. Maybe I took it differently than the way you wrote it, but this is what I got out of it. ----Nathan Davila
I think it is better for the parents to teach diversity in the home than to have it forced upon them by socialists. My children are well adjusted to the lifestyle that we have tried to provide for them by working hard ourselves, and have a variety of friends of different cultural backgrounds, as well as financial hardships. Alicia does not look down upon those friends of hers that may be on free school lunches, and wouldn't bat an eye if she had to do the same. There are difficulties outside of the little world inside of the city, and it is not anyone's decision but our own to make the choice on where we live. We have the right to live with whomever we choose which makes this country great. We do not have an overseer that dictates we must submit to mediocrity, or that we must spread the wealth,...yet. The community you speak of does not exist, because of the social differences that occur between the communities. This has been building since the inception of the haves and have nots. The sense of entitlement says that I should have that, and he or she should give me some of that. I don't expect anything from anyone that I haven't earned, and have consistently taught my children this same ideal. Keep working hard, and you will either accept what you have obtained, or strive to do better. Just my thoughts. Maybe I took it differently than the way you wrote it, but this is what I got out of it. ----Nathan Davila
Isn't it a good thing that most people that live in a neighborhood have roughly the same types of incomes and lifestyle? What happens when you are the "poor" people in a "rich" neighborhood? Generally one of 2 things - you feel out of place and you don't fit in, or you spend $$ you don't have in an attempt to fit in with those around you, therefore plunging yourself further down for when your financial world crumbles.
This makes no sense. Until we have a crazy government that monitors our finances and says that all families of size 4 will have this income and all families of size 5 will have that income, then people will always be diverse. With that diversion comes different neighborhoods, etc. This is what makes us all different. Does it mean that someone with a low paying job isn't working hard? No. But it took hard work in a lot of ways for the person with the high paying job to have what they have - and their financial situation is part of their reward.
If someone feels like they need the safety that an up-scale gated community allows, and they can afford - then it is their right. It doesn't mean that they have a responsibility to help John Doe who can't seem to get himself finished with school to be able to have the same thing.
If you are talking about diversity merely as cultural diversity, that is one thing. But it sounds like you are saying that culture and finances are the same thing, which is far from the truth.
Do you know I was 16 before I realized that Jonathan wasn't caucasian? To me he was just Dav, one of the guys.
We own our house & work hard to make it a nice place to be, but about a block & a half away, starts the low-income, gov. assisted housing. I've been to some of the houses with the missionaries and they are nice people. But we've also walked those streets before and been intimadated either because we are "different" or whatever, and because of that, we don't walk that way anymore.
I like meeting new people, and I think its a good attitute to step out of the box and have experiences, but I also think that its a two way street (as most things are.) If some people choose to be lazy, or loiter around and waste time & resources, or avoid bettering themselves, then I can't make them change.
So I do my best to be friendly, but also I'm going to protect mine until the day when everyone else chooses to be friendly as well.
(Good thought provoking post! I had to think about it for awhile... ;) )
Cultural diversity has nothing to do with economic status...but with religious choices, traditions, etc. If people find themselves in an economic situation that they are unhappy with then there are several means around them to help them get out of it without invoking pity from others. That is one of the reasons that I am still in school. I don't "need" my MBA at this time but you never know what will happen in the future. If something happens to Rick then we are prepared for me to provide for the family.
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