Celebrating Individuality

Celebrating diversity has truly gotten out of control. It seems like all I ever discuss in my education classes is teaching diversity. It seems like every single week is diversity week or cultural harmony week. I don't understand it at all.

Those who advocate the celebration of diversity, in some ways, seem to be doing the exact opposite that they set out to do in the first place. While they preach diversity and how important it is, it seems like most diversophiles are lumping minorities into stereotyped groups.

(The word diversophile was coined by Grant Reichert in a column on the Opinion page last year. I wish I had a link to it, but sadly the Collegian's archives don't date back that far. Anyway, he used this term to describe those individuals who obsess themselves with diversity to the point that it becomes a tad ridiculous.)

Diversophiles concern their actions so much with diversity that when they push for diversity in groups and organizations, they could actually care less about that individual's own opinion, rather, they want his opinion because he happens to be black. Here is where the stereotype comes into play. Diversophiles would have you believe that all minorities have the same opinion, and that is why it doesn't matter who is in your group, but just what race they are.

These people push individuality so much, but are actually pushing stereotypes. Individuality is so important to society; we need not be lumped into groups based on our outer apperance, we need to be heard for our own ideas, for our own beliefs.

But this, my friends, is only my opinion.