In certain circles, diversity has become the essential American value. Universities, workplaces and even religious centers often cite it as their principal goal. For many Americans, diversity is America’s newest religion. It engulfs every part of a people’s souls and the pursuit of diversity becomes their holy mission on earth.
“Indeed, I would classify diversity as the source of our salvation,” said retired Harvard sociology professor and one-time classmate of Martin Luther King, Charles Vert Willie.
A simple observation of the universe around us leaves no doubt that our world is a wonderfully diverse place. From the rainforests of the Amazon to the Sahara desert and the Louisiana bayous, the contrast in creation is stark. But the diversity imagined and sought by today’s social scientists and activists is a far cry from the diversity evident in creation.
The modern idea of diversity was born out of a single opinion in a June 1978 Supreme Court case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. In his stand-alone opinion, Justice Powell argued that the goal of “attaining a diverse student body” was a “constitutionally permissible” reason to permit racial preference in admissions to medical school, thereby overriding the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
Alan Bakke, who had been denied admission to the UC-Davis School of Medicine despite being significantly more qualified than other applicants who were accepted, went on to the win the case and was granted admittance into the school. But Powell’s obscure opinion has been used in numerous court cases involving racial set-asides, preferential admissions standards and other forms of discrimination. This is the foundation of the modern diversity movement.
Bakke went on to successfully complete his medical training and became an anesthesiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. But one of the minority students who was originally admitted with fewer credentials, Patrick Chavis, had his license to practice suspended by the medical board of California in June 1997 citing his “inability to perform some of the most basic duties required of a physician.”
Despite the obvious argument of under-qualified people gaining admittance in the name of diversity over others who deserve to be admitted, there are several hypocrisies and problems created by pushing this agenda.
In order to facilitate diversity, traditional stereotypes are heavily relied upon while at the same time carrying the banner of ridding society of stereotypes. Diversity calls for representations of all groups and assumes that every black person thinks alike and has experienced the “black experience.”
This applies pressure to members of a minority group to think, act and speak for the group. Often when people delineate from the traditional minority view they become outcasts and are subjected to all sorts of criticisms.
Take, for example, the black members of the Bush administration. Leaders of the NAACP have gone on record saying these people don’t represent black America, and some have even go so far to personally slander Colin Powell with terms such as “Uncle Tom.” Former congressman J.C. Watts was the first black Republican to be elected from the South since reconstruction. This should be seen as a huge victory for diversity, but in their eyes he was a traitor. He opposed the traditional liberal view and also was decried as one who doesn’t really know black America.
But Jesse Jackson Jr. a man who was raised in a world of affluence and power and attended one of the nation’s best private schools, is widely recognized as a black leader. Which way of life more truly reflects the “black experience”?
The modern idea of diversity denies the value of an individual. People aren’t allowed to be unique or carry their own views; they must fit neatly into defined social stereotypes.
The obsession with race and ethnicity causes people to concentrate on differences between people, making even the smallest difference seem like a mountain. Instead of focusing on common threads within society, people are encouraged to join groups that separate them because of ethnic and social backgrounds.
True diversity only will be achieved by creating understanding between individuals with a focus on the common threads that bring us together. It will not be achieved as long as we have favoritism based on social identity.