What happens in the past shapes, in part, our perspectives and choices in the present. Over the course of the past two centuries the United states has become the most diverse nation on earth and Chicago, one of its most diverse (and segregated) cities (see the diversity index video and map data). These trends are continuing as immigration and demographic data show that the white population in America is not growing at near the rate of other racial groups. After looking at the data from our readings over the past two weeks, what do you think this growing diversity (and segregation) means for the U.S.? What does it mean for particular areas like Chicago? How do we, as a nation, think about and treat different types of diversity differently? What are the strengths and/or weaknesses and what does it mean in terms of American political identity?
Please try to create as much of an online dialogue as possible by commenting on classmates ideas and/or replying to them. Thanks
The first obvious change that has been occurring across America with the increase in diversity is an increase in ideas. Places from a political sense that have always been one way, are now seeing movements 15 years ago would have been seen as impossible to occur. These changes can be both liberal and conservative, but in my eyes are a positive change, regardless of political viewpoint. We should welcome dialogue and more ideas coming to the table. On a negative side, diversification in cities like Chicago has meant many neighborhoods full of diversity are and have become gentrified. Influxes of affluent citizens moving into a neighborhood, causing rent to skyrocket and corporate America to flourish. This forces those underprivileged and typically diverse people to move out. American diversity is a good thing with bringing more ideas to the table, but also something which we must protect and not take for granted.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/restaurants/ct-food-pilsen-restaurant-graffiti-20180108-story.html
DeleteThat link from the Chicago Tribune is about Pilsen, a neighborhood in Chicago that is dealing with exactly what you're talking about. While upscale restaurants and new expensive apartments have been built in what is mostly a Latino neighborhood, raising rents and driving many businesses and families out, anti-gentrification groups have been retaliating with both graffiti and dialogue. This article highlights the tensions of gentrification, which is not often talked about when we have discussions about diversity. How do we make neighborhoods more diverse without pushing lower-income people out of their own neighborhoods?
I definitely agree with your points about Chicago, Matthew. While Chicago is extremely diverse and prides itself on that, in reality it's quite segregated. The south side alone is almost entirely a black community, and is also the most underfunded area of the city, with food deserts, less social services available, less transportation, pretty much less of everything. By ignoring this issue and not giving the necessary voice to people in communities like this, we add to the political polarization, while at the same time ignoring an entire community and massive issue that has plagued the city for years.
DeleteI think the approach we have to diversity and identity is more important than actual changes that occur through a more diverse population. The struggle to make "identity" fit within a certain context or ascribe it to a certain kind of individual makes it not very flexible at all. If instead we look at identity as 'what it means to be an American currently', we might see that fitting a set description (whether that be ethnicity, type of citizenship, etc.) does not really apply anymore; it only increases the struggle for making our country more accepting of other people. From a social standpoint regarding the United States as a whole, the influx of different racial groups has become a natural progression of our country. Whether or not someone agrees or disagrees with the idea of a more diverse nation (and whatever a person's views on "American identity" is) this is the direction our country is heading. I believe issues pertaining to 'what it means to be an American' are still wrapped around the notion that America can still hold on to a image and demographic that is rapidly changing. The more you live in a diverse environment, like Chicago, the more you learn to simply "exist" rather than analyze your surroundings and the people around you.
ReplyDeleteHey Alex, I really like that last sentence. I feel that this occurs especially here in Chicago as you have pointed out, and this meshing of identities and cultures and whatnot works to the advantage of everyone. When you learn to accept and "exist" as you have pointed out, everyone benefits. Instead of trying to analyze what makes an identity and trying to figure out what is different about everyone in your surroundings, simply going with the flow of how other people act and accepting what they bring to the table provides a beneficial educational experience. Being able to experience this has surely broadened my horizons, and almost made me forget about "identity" in a good way. If you spend time thinking about what identity, like you pointed out, it is almost counterproductive. Going to school in Chicago on top of this is also another unique experience, as classroom environments provide even more discussion about identity, and I have been exposed to intricate views that I otherwise would not have considered in regards to identity. Simply going to school and going about daily activities and taking people for who they are is, in my opinion, the correct way to accept identities. Wondering if people are "American" and scrutinizing opinions can be on your mind, but overall, being accepting and understanding there are many different definitions of American is the healthiest approach, I feel.
DeleteI completely agree Alex. America has a history of adapting to shifting demographics. Instead of focusing on what makes each group different and making distinctions between everyone, we should be looking at what changes the shifting demographics provide and adapting to them. The American identity is already a hodgepodge, or melting pot of traits from various national and ethnic identities. America is the most diverse nation on the planet, and by focusing on what makes us different rather than what we share we hold ourselves back and prevent us from growing as a nation. I couldn't agree more with that last concept you suggested. When you live somewhere like Chicago, you don't focus on what people's personal identities are, you just go on with your life. I know a variety of people who have moved from rural areas to urban ones, and in each case one of their favorite things about city life is that they can simply blend into the crowd, they learn to just exist as you put it.
DeleteThe growing diversity for the US to me can be both positive and negative. For one the growing rate of diversity in the US means we are going to be able to embrace and broaden our overall knowledge and be able to diversify and learn more than just about White Americans. On the flip side this will lead certain groups to become hastier and nasty towards this rate of diversity and have a growing part of the population that will adopt strong resentment towards them. For cities like Chicago the segregation will take these diverse background and group them in areas so the city can have a wide range of groups but these groups will be stacked in certain areas with groups that are like themselves. As for political identity this will be a perplexing issue that Americans will face by either coming together and accepting each other’s difference and embrace this change and want to learn more about different groups that are coming into the United States, or it will go south fairly quickly and the outrage and hatred will grow and strengthen and alter the political identity in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI believe I understand your perspective of Chicago’s segregation based off the article discussing about the segregation of African Americans in Chicago, but I feel Chicago does not place every groups of diverse backgrounds into certain areas. I came from a family of Vietnamese culture, and based off my knowledge about the community, the group is spread out throughout Chicagoland. Therefore, I am curious about what other groups of diverse backgrounds do you believe have been segregated in the Chicagoland area, or what other groups do you believe would end up being segregated throughout the Chicagoland area?
DeleteAlthough I don't want to speak for Justin, I found your question interesting, and I'd like to attempt an answer. Justin did recognize the high rate of segregation in Chicago, and the article you cite definitely agrees with this as well, though it mostly focuses on African Americans, Latinos, and Whites. The article then goes on to say that "Other ethnic enclaves have existed in Chicago, of course, but they were never nearly as concentrated, and their residents tended to assimilate and disperse fairly quickly." One example of this is what is still known as Little India on Chicago's north side, on Devon Ave. It used to be a robust Indian neighborhood, and there are still many Indian people living there, but most of that population has moved to the surrounding suburbs. Now, Little India is unofficially known as Little Pakistan as more Pakistani people move in. This is an example of how more transitory groups tend to group together then disperse through moving completely out of the city.
DeleteWhat stands out, however, is how "For Chicago's blacks, dispersal wasn't an option; given the violence that greeted them when they moved into white neighborhoods, the safest mode of expansion from the black belt was into adjacent neighborhoods. Blacks were met there with bricks and bottles and occasionally bombs, but there was some safety in numbers. Various legal or quasi-legal methods were used to hem blacks in as well, such as restrictive covenants that forbade white property owners in border neighborhoods to rent or sell to blacks." African Americans in Chicago have faced many more obstacles than other groups, and often their obstacles were white neighborhood zoning codes, white mayors, and white flight.
If you and Justin are talking about segregation based off your example of Little India, then you both give a reasonable argument that segregation affects other groups besides African Americans in Chicago. When I first read Justin's comment, I thought Justin meant Chicago would segregate people of different races without letting them disperse. Thus, thank you Monica for providing the quote about compacting and dispersion, it enlightened me to understand other ways to interpret segregation.
DeleteBased on the some of the survey's we have looked at in class and even looking at most of the youtube comments from the diversity index video (which is always a bad idea), a surprising amount of Americans still think of White and Christian do describe The American Identity. So it's no surprise that so many people seem to associate more diversity to a loss of true American values. Personally, when I think of the American Identity one of the first things to come to mind is how diverse our country is. When you go to other countries outside of the US, an overwhelmingly majority of the population are the same ethnicity and you rarely see someone with a different skin color nor vastly varying ethnic backgrounds. So I think that diversity is an important defining feature of the American Identity and I believe that more diversity is a good thing because it leads to more open mindedness and less ignorance and hate.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s important to remember in our discussions of diversity that diversity goes deeper than skin color. When we talk about a diverse classroom or work environment, we think only of skin color and then gender as a secondary measure. We have to look past that — someone’s gender and ethnicity doesn’t necessarily define their opinions, personality, or whatever else they can add to an environment that hosts meaningful discussions. While a lot of people of color can share common experiences, there are always outliers. Maybe I’m feeling this way because as a mixed person of color, I have a hard time identifying with a lot of experiences that non-mixed people of color do. While I’m friends with a lot of mixed people, their POC identities stem from a different ethnicity. We share experiences and similarities in certain ways, but it’s not entirely the same.
ReplyDeleteI digress — the point is, diversity goes deeper than skin. Yes, it’s in our ethnicities, but it’s also in our sexual orientations, our genders, our socioeconomic status — and all the other things that go into making someone’s identity.
Hi Dalton. I appreciate that you mentioned that diversity is something that can be looked at beyond skin color. I thought of the impact the highly noticeable segregated neighborhoods of Chicago, when you brought up the point that people of color both have common experiences, but differences are still existent. Although they are segregated primarily by race, it seems to me of a certain racial group within that racial class. For example, we have Chinatown and Little Italy, but I have never heard of neighborhoods called Asian-ville or Europe-town. Although there is a racial divide in neighborhoods, they are not necessarily representative of the racial community in large. I think the growing number of diversity in Chicago creates a positive impact in the city, although I am at times disappointed that we have such a strong segregation throughout the city. I understand why it exists and seemingly will continue for awhile, but I am curious how the concept of diversity in Chicago would be if that segregation did not exist. Although heavily segregated cities can cause insurance that racial communities can find their "own place" in such a heavily populated city. It also can reinforce the idea that it is fine for all races to live together in a city, but each should have their own respective neighborhood rather than an all together integration throughout communities.
DeleteI 100% agree with what you’re saying here. People have this very literal Black and White view of diversity. When the issue of diversity goes far beyond black people and white and even race. I think part of the reason that people want to look at diversity as something that is a race related issue is because that’s the only type of diversity they are will to except. Diversity in gender, especially those that go outside the constructed gender binary, and sexuality. Acceptance of gender and sexuality been consider when talking about ways that places can be diversified.
DeleteFurthermore the intersections between these marginalized identities, add an even more complicated layer to this issue. People who hold multiple marginalized identities are often only seen as one of their identities. They are expected to only demonstrate one of their only identities at once. The recognition of more than marginalized identities appear to be much for those who haven’t been oppressed by much in their lives. It seems like only one issue of oppression can be tackled at a time when it should be a collective of all the oppression being comforted. It’s unfortunate that many people in the U.S. haven’t reached the point where they are able to see this, but hopefully things will change.
I think that in terms of American political identity, it's great that America is becoming more and more diverse. The most unique feature about America is that we are such a diverse nation. However, I think that as we grow more diverse, it's important for that representation to be shown everywhere. I think an area where diversity is lacking is in the media. Although I am not a person of color, I still think that it is extremely important that people of color see someone they can see themselves in, in the media. It's one thing to understand the fact that America is becoming more diverse but it's another thing to start really showing that America is becoming diverse. Hopefully within the next 50 years or so, white-washed American TV and movies will be a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteI really love the point of the lack of diversity in the media. I never pay that close of attention to even notice, but for the channels I watch there's a major lack of diversity, and hopefully in the coming years with the rate it's growing they will start be better represented in the media.
DeleteAnother area that is lacking representation is our actual political representation. There are slightly more women than men in the United states, yet the percentage of female congresspersons is less than 20. The same can be said of most racial/ethnic groups that tend to vote as a bloc.
DeleteThe diversity index's future projections show that America is only going to become more diverse. I am hopeful that as this happens, representation will become more reflective of actual demographics. If democracy works the way it should, just in terms of number of voters, it will. However, there are impediments to running for office nowadays, especially garnering enough funding to challenge self-funded elites. I think if such impediments actually prevent more equal representation in the future, we will see increased political unrest and tensions between diverse groups.
I completely agree with your push for proper representation in the media. I also think that people of color not only see themselves represented, but accurately portrayed. For example, in the Disney film Pocahontas, the natives were portrayed less than accurately and the white people displayed them as uneducated. So, we need to make sure people of color are presented in an accurate way.
DeleteTo me, the concept of diversity, whether that means gender or race or ethnicity or whatever else, is engrained in the DNA of this country and was/is ultimately inevitable. The very ideas that still hopefully define this country and have defined this country for generations, the idea of the "American Dream," that anyone can succeed in America if they work hard, or that America is this exceptional place. Belief in those ideas and that America can provide a better life, are the reasons why so many people from all corners of the world immigrate here, and those ideas have been around for a very long time. Granted, it is up for debate whether the American Dream is actually a real thing or not, but the concept and the hope it provides is the reason people come here. E pluribus unum, "out of many, one," is the de-facto motto of the US, and to me, and to hopefully a lot of other people, that "many" does not mean the amount of people living here: it's talking about the many different kinds of people that live here, from many different backgrounds, that are all members of this one country and after the same thing: a good life, for them and their families, with a belief that America can give that to them. That diversity is only going to grow in these coming years, and some people are going to be very insecure and afraid of that (mainly white people), but I think it takes living in a more diverse city like Chicago (however segregated it may be) to recognize the similarities people of different races have with one another (like how we're all just trying to pursue success and a good life for ourselves and our loved ones); perhaps the increasing diversity in this country will help more people recognize those similarities.
ReplyDeleteI need to stop writing novels for these comments...I like to think this one makes some sense though?
DeleteI think the values you mentioned - the American Dream and E pluribus unum - are exactly those I too consider almost universal among Americans, regardless of their race or origin. Echoing what has already been said, I think finding political stability in the midst of increasing diversity means focusing on what unites us rather than what sets us apart from one another.
DeleteI think the growing diversity that is happening in the US is a good thing because with the changing demographic, it is pushing for more change socially. Now, some ethnicities are gaining more of a "voice" and can use the increasing numbers as momentum to help share their stories. I think with the more different types of people in which America inhibits our political and social identity is always changing. I think the American Dream is and will always be the goal, but I think people have different versions of that American Dream. I could see how some people see this diversity as a threat, but I think it is a sign of the United States strength as a nation. Our differences are our strength, and the clash of opinions and ideals is what makes our country great.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the growing diversity of the United States is directly contributing to an increase in political action groups and political participation overall, as more diverse groups of people are beginning to have their voices heard. At the same time, the diversity index shows that many regions of the United States are very segregated, with large areas being predominantly white. This segregation naturally leads to more political issues, as the less segregated places generally tend to stick with their beliefs, while more diverse areas are subjected to many new ideas, beliefs and values, attributing to the political polarization. I absolutely believe that diversity is a good thing for our nation, but one large issue that sticks out to me is the classification of what an American is, or rather the color of an American’s skin. While white Americans are simply referred to as Americans, others are referred to as hyphenated-Americans (Asian American, African American, etc.) which almost implies a second class status to those that are not white. Because of this, these groups are often under represented in all aspects of politics and government, which furthers issues of segregation and political representation for these groups. Due to this, we have seen the creation of many groups desiring to have their voices heard and be properly represented, many of which align to left, politically.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the point you make about an issue interlaced in the diversity/segregation being what coins someone as ‘American’. People often have a preconceived notion that to be American one must be, as you mentioned, white and all other classifications are hyphenated. Like you said, this is what goes on to cause a lot of groups to feel disconnected from society and in turn furthers underrepresentation. I think that something that is especially important especially in the political climate our nation is in now. I do feel that normalizing what it means to be an American would be a great step in making people realize the potential and growth that diversity can give to this nation. Because this hyphenated and even dismissal of people who are Americans because of their race or ethnicity only leads to increased segregation of communities.
DeleteOverall, I think that this expanded and growing diversity is a good thing for the United States as a whole. As, we discussed in class, diversity is something that allows people to interact and think about different viewpoints, opinions, cultures, etc. I believe the same for Chicago. That diversification is something that is a positive and can try and bind the city together. But the issue with this, as mentioned, is the segregation. I think that the segregation of communities is something that inhibits this positive of diversification. If these communities are not interacting with each other then the only factor that can come out of this diversification is intensified division because of people’s want to stay within their communities. I think as a nation diversity is something that is widely accepted, but that it is easier said than done. Many institutions throughout the United States promote and encourage diversity but don’t really show signs of actually contributing to it. I think, if broken down a bit more, it would be a great strength to the nation as I believe it would be a factor in uniting the American people together. Not that this would go on to solve the polarization of communities in the United States now, but that it would be a great stepping stone in the right direction to binding people together.
ReplyDeleteThe growth of diversity in the US has increased racial tensions throughout the country. Politicians use diversity as a tool to divide. Politicians blame this group or that. Chicago is a prime example of race relations gone wrong. Under Richard Daley senior, the Chicago government waged war against diversity. His political power began slipping away after the fall of the political machines, so he engineered a conflict. This propaganda is what I fear for the future of the US. I worry a descent into racial politics. The Republicans have begun to show signs of this type of demagogy. The only way for the US to remain whole is to embrace our diversity wholeheartedly. Gary Orfield had a great quote "Segregation didn't happen by accident and integration doesn't happen by accident." The Integration will not happen by waiting for other ethnic groups to catch up. It will require an extension of a hand and a lift up. Hopefully, it can be accomplished before the divisions are too deep to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI really think the quote you used from Gary Orfield is essential to understanding segregation and the spread of diversity. It is easy for communities to encourage communities full of diversity outside of their own. These communities want to wait for integration to happen naturally. Schools will continue to lack diversity if they are not pushed to integrate. I personally think that the divisions are too deep, and the only way to overcome them is through the implementation of proper policy. I am not quite sure those policies will be possible during the current administration. I saw some other posts mention that white, Christians will no longer be the majority, however, they are still considered the definition of what it means to be American. We need to change this definition if we want to truly do a better job at implementing inclucivity.
DeleteI believe that diversity is very important for the United States. The diverse opinions and viewpoints encourages people to open their world and also learn more about different people and cultures. I also think that the US promoting diversity is good for the world, as we are one of the few counties that promotes a diverse group of people. The issue, as is seen strongly within Chicago, is segregation. Segregation occurs not only by the government and people who want things to say the same, but also by the minority identities themselves. As the professor said in class people have begun to move into area where those living there are already like themselves. This issue ruins the different opinions and learning points that diversity is often boasted for, but it is impossible to stop people from doing this. Thus, before the self segregation becomes too severe we need to promote diversity and what it can really mean.
ReplyDeleteI feel the increasing trends of diversity in America means more people both inside and outside of America will acknowledge America’s diversity. The reason for my answer is based off earlier readings about American identity such as Carrie Ching’s “Personal Voice: Facing Up to Race”. Ching asserts how Abercrombie & Fitch hired only white people for sales floor jobs, while hiring African Americans, Latinos, and Asians for only stockroom jobs. The reasoning behind this practice was to maintain the “Classical American Look”. What Ching demonstrates is America still revolves its identity around white Americans. It is true that America is one of the most diverse countries in the world, but I feel that when people think about the average American, they still think about a white American. On the other hand, I feel people’s image of the average American will change as these trends of diversity grow and when people embrace this diversity. Therefore, this is why I believe the rise of diversity will make more people acknowledge America’s diversity.
ReplyDeleteThe growing diversity in the United States is contributing to the changing shifts in demographics in the country and has already been shown to be shifting the electoral college. States like Ohio are becoming more conservative due the increase in suburban living, while Arizona is moving to be more and more competitive since the state is growing to be increasingly diverse. This will change the way the electoral college is laid out not only in the number of electors given to each state, but also the party that will win those electoral votes. The growing diversity in America will be a positive thing, since America is a country made up of immigrants. This diversity is what makes us stand out against other states and is what makes us Americans. However, this increase in diversity does not mean that all the communities are intergraded. For example, the area where I'm from in Chicago is 80% Diverse, but a nearby suburbs was only 20% diverse. Clearly, diversity is growing, but only in areas where affluent people do not live. Overall, diversity, especially socioeconomic diversity is important to consider as demographics change and the middle class grows smaller.
ReplyDeleteI think this increase in diversity has put us at an interesting point in our history, where a large part of the country wants increase diversity and is accepting of people from different backgrounds, yet at the same time this view is still challenged by outdated ways of thinking and policies that created the issues of segregation in the first place. This clash of views has created a tension in the US that seems to divide the country further. However, I think it's a good sign because it shows how large of a portion of the country is actively supporting diversity, and fighting to right the wrongs that have been enacted in our society. Clearly we are nowhere near having perfectly diverse communities and true equality, but I think that this discourse is occurring so heavily because there is a change occurring, and hopefully that means we are taking steps in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most powerful motivators of anti-immigrant/anti-diversity sentiment has been globalization, both in terms of the globalization of our economy and also global migration patterns and crises. I think a lot of Americans feel their ability to achieve the American Dream, something that should unite us, is threatened by competition from foreigners in terms of jobs and public resources. I do think that our politics, especially trade policies, have exacerbated this and our government could do way more to ease these fears: assisting local economies diversify, creating retraining programs for workers who have lost their jobs, etc. So long as these problems exist, increasing diversity will only bring unrest. I think if America wants to re-take its identity, our leaders must address the tremendous income inequality brought about by globalization and reassure citizens that they aren't fighting over small pieces of the pie, and that immigrants are not stealing their share away from them. Perhaps then we will be find unity in what motivates us rather than animosity or fear.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a good point of people feeling that the American Dream is threatened. It goes along the same lines as how people view immigrants as taking jobs, or the zero-sum game view of minority rights being achieved. The idea of the American Dream is so important to our nation because it should be able to apply to everyone; so why, then, is there such a strong anger and push in some groups to barr some people from achieving that dream? There is no one distinct American identity, which should allow people from all backgrounds to feel the American Dream is reachable (whether this is a reality or not). I also think that the income inequality that you mention is an important factor to the segregation we see in Chicago and I believe that making an attempt to lower the staggering economic inequality would help to diversify places in Chicago.
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DeleteYou point to recent globalization as a source for current anti-immigrant sentiment, but since this idea of an anti-immigrant backlash has existed throughout American history, with Irish Catholics and Chinese workers as examples, do you think that true unity is ever possible through those proposed policy ideas? Or is there enough political gain in stoking racial tensions for political figures to keep using it to build up their support base? We've seen patterns of xenophobia over the decades in this country and I'm just wondering if retraining programs and initiatives like that will help eradicate racial animosity at its roots.
DeleteDiversity, in my own opinion, is one of the core facets of the United States. This country is made up of immigrants from all across the world, and the only true natives to this country are Native Americans. The diversity within this country acts as a bridge between culture and communication. The new ideas and perspectives that are being brought to this country by immigrants allow for different interactions to occur and these have contributed to the cultivation of the “American Dream.” Although I do think that diversity is a positive aspect of the United States, I also have noticed that a lot of the time communities that have more diversity like to think of themselves as being super integrated and pride themselves on the diversity, but most often the school is pretty divided. (The white kids usually hangout with other white kids and black kids usually hang around other black kids.) And this segregation is prevalent within the work place and universities as well. I think that in order to make diversity a positive thing, it must really be embraced by American’s throughout the country and an effort to be more inclusive and integrated must be made.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with everything you are saying and I had very similar thoughts. I believe people forget that this country is a country grown from immigrants, immigrants are the ones who we can thank for being so successful (in certain areas). I can definitely see how schools continue to be segregated and I think we have all seen that. I feel like sometimes culture wise we like to go where we feel more comfortable which is why sometimes we fall into that, but if we were to be more educated on diversity maybe we might be able to change that in the future.
DeleteI think that a lot of the time, this divide between students of certain backgrounds tends to come from shared experiences, and there are certainly enough exceptions to this to prove that this isn't the same kind of segregation that we've had, as a country, in the past
DeleteI truly believe that diversity is great for everyone. People from all walks of life are bringing in their diverse knowledge to everyone and sharing those ideas. Thus enabling us to better ourselves and creating more aware citizens. The way that I see it, it would be the same if we never tried to learn how others think we would never be able to learn about the people from around the world. We would never learn about history of other nations, their people, their stories, their struggles, their dreams and aspirations. If we didn’t learn these things we would only ever think about ourselves, creating more nationalistic group of citizens. But we definitely need to be care (especially in this day and age) with making sure that we try to learn from everyone (everyone can teach us something) and not to just want to know about certain people and not others.
ReplyDeleteIt does not necessarily mean anything. The United States was always known to be the land of the free and home to many different people from all over the board. When this country was founded, many immigrants that emigrated to the U.S. were from European countries which made the country predominantly white, however that has changed. People from all over the world are migrating to this country due to the beginning ideals which was that citizens of this land were free to any religion, had free speech, and freedom of the press. Which to many, those few things in the first amendment alone are crucial to their living standards. In regard to segregation I feel that although there is still a lot to work on, in terms of few places like the city and a certain towns. Some city areas are separated in terms of their culture backgrounds. For example, Chinatown, Greektown, Little Italy, Pilsen and Little Village, etc. which is not directly a way to oppress however these towns have formed a sort of separate living experience. All races and even same races can be very racist against each other, even causing violence at times. Many know how violent the city can be, although I strongly believe it is also due to the education. I believe there is a indirect relationship between violence and education, the more educated an individual is the less likely they are to be involved in crime. Causation is not correlation but in this case, it seems as if there is a correlation. One of Americas weaknesses is education and we have developed the no child left behind policy but being a later generation, I feel as the education system has failed many and continues to have students fall through the cracks. If America worked on their future they would not struggle as much as we currently are due to our diverse nation.
ReplyDeleteDiversity in the U.S., racial and immigrant diversity, has certainly been increasing in the U.S. During the 2016 election, we saw great backlash white working class who felt disenfranchised and powerless to these sweeping societal changes. These people clung to Donald Trump’s platform because it reinforced many blue-collar workers’ ideas about racial minorities and prejudiced feelings towards immigrants. Trump validated these feelings that America belonged to a white majority while delegitimizing the “Americanness” of minorities. However, based on who won the popular vote, I think its safe to say that most Americans value diversity, even if it is in the abstract. Several other people in the blog brought up the point that many people only say they want diverse communities. Just look at Chicago. Chicago is notoriously blue and has been for many years. Yet, we are arguably the most segregated city in America. What people, leaders, laws, and societal norms have led us to this state if we claim to be so egalitarian? Our ineptitude in initiating integration and promoting real diversity, along with our nostalgia of the past when the white working class ruled, are several reasons why we’ve failed to take positive strides towards a more equal, diverse America.
ReplyDeleteI think this diversity, which has always been central to American culture, inspires tolerance and brings about change in society. I also think growing diversity in the United States will result in a national identity crisis as the more hyphenated Americans flood into the country, the bigger the cultural disconnect between these groups. Society labels people, and then people hide behind their hyphenation, both contributing to this prejudice around just being ‘American’. Although diversity has and will always shape American culture, society needs to find a middle ground where all its citizens can identify themselves equally.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the data from our readings over the past two weeks, I think that the growing diversity of the U.S. can lead to a push for more progressive political ideologies, especially in areas of representation. One example of how a younger, more diverse student population has had an effect on diverse political representation is the erection of a statue at the University of Chicago of Georgiana Simpson in early 2017-the first monument of its kind on the campus. As one of the first black woman to receive a PhD in the US, and at the University of Chicago, the push for recognition of her achievements was primarily motivated by young black female students in the university. Even the history of how the U.S. has typically thought of diversity and its different variations can be exemplified in the statistics regarding public monuments and statues. Less than 8% of public statues in the United States are of women, and an even smaller fraction of that are of women of color. As the United States becomes more diverse, the historical and contemporary figures we chose to publicly recognize as a society also reflect the changing political identity of our country.
ReplyDeleteBased on some census datum the minority races combined will be the majority by 2025. I believe this is something to be celebrated. Our nation was built by immigrants and it should continue to grow with their help and influence. Our nation will have to have some major policy overhauls to prevent and end discrimination. We will face major problems in our pathways to citizenship, voting rights (ID laws, and Gerrymandering), and social justice. I think the growing diversity we have in our nation will lead to great things if American politically ideas are kept. To create equality for all people we will need grass roots organizing and proper social groups to fight for people’s rights and against discrimination. There seems to be a large amount of unrest in our country based on immigration and race but I believe cooler heads will prevail in the next few years or possibly administrations.
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