Monday, November 21, 2016

Chapter 13, Appreciating Diversity, Nov. 28-Dec. 4





This blog is not due until Nov.28-Dec. 4.  Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the most exciting scientific accomplishments of this century is Human Genome Project which is the cataloging of human genes. This will lead to great understanding of the human body and advance medical science. One of the most important findings is that while human beings differ in outward appearance, the genetic structure of all human beings is 99.9% identical. These researchers agree that there is only one race, the human race. 

However we continue to struggle with the concept of appreciating diversity, and discrimination and prejudice still exist in many forms. For example, you may have been discriminated against because of your ethnic group, religion, height, weight, gender, disability, or even academic skills. For this discussion, give an example of a circumstance where you have experienced or witnessed discrimination. Any ideas on how to reduce discrimination? 

I will share an example of discrimination that I experienced. I started my doctoral program at USC when I was 8 months pregnant. After the first class the professor took me aside and suggested that I drop out of the program because of my family situation. I was really angry and decided to show him that I would finish. I am happy to report that I was one of the first three students to finish the program. Since I had a family, I had no time to waste.

At Cuyamaca College, we have many Chaldean students who are Christians who have emigrated from Iraq to avoid religious persecution. Since the attacks of 9-11, this group has faced discrimination at our college and in our community. Whenever there is anything about terrorism in the news, many students who are from the Middle East suffer discrimination even though they have nothing to do with terrorism. Any comments on this? 

Appreciating diversity was an issue in the presidential campaign.  You can share your thoughts on this also.

This week you can make one post of 200 words (instead of 2 of 100 words each) if you want since the topic of appreciating diversity or describing incidents of discrimination might need more words.  

58 comments:

  1. A few weeks ago, I interviewed for a low-level position in a medical clinic. I am way over-qualified for the position, but it is a government job, and I've been trying to get into a GS position for over a year now. After my first round interview, the interviewer let me know that he had 27 interviews to conduct, and that he would call back the top 3 for a personal interview with other people in the office. Two days later, I was called back and told that I was one of the top 3 who had been selected to come for the personal interview. I was elated! He advised that I would interview in front of the other 3 women who already worked in the clinic in the same (low-level) position, because they would have the most interaction with the new-hire and he wanted their input. He then explained that the three women I would be interviewing with were really hoping that a MAN would be hired, since there were already so many women in the office. I wondered why he would tell me that? Long story short, I was called back after my in-person interview and told they had decided to give the job to another candidate who seemed like HE would be a better fit, and wished me luck. I don't know if that's discrimination or not, but it made me really angry. I felt like the cards were already stacked against me before I walked in the door, since they already had their hearts set on a man for the position.

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    1. Wow! I would be extremely angry as well. For the person who called you back to schedule your next interview, why did he say anything about them wanting a man to be selected? That is insane to me that things like this still happen today. Honestly if I had been in your position I would have definitely reported them, that is, in my opinion, blatant discrimination. But honestly, if that is how they think there, be glad you didn't get hired. It's a blessing within a curse I guess. I am so sorry you had to experience this, I would be livid too.

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    2. It seems incredible that this discrimination against women still exists. It is probably illegal too or should be.

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  2. As a young single mother, I often felt discriminated against when my youngest was an infant. I was often asked if I was the nanny, and many negative assumptions were made when I confirmed I was actually his mother. I felt uncomfortable around other parents who often judged me before they knew me. There was the assumption that I was less educated, both academically and as a parent. When my son was older and I considered dating, I learned that many men will not date women with children and online dating sites give the option of excluding profiles of people who have kids. Ironically, my now husband had selected this option on his dating profile. We met through a work function and he ultimately fell in love with both me and my son. I still give him a hard time, many years later, that his discrimination against single moms almost cost him the best thing that's ever happened to him... ME! :) As a parent of three children now, I see a huge difference in the way people treat me now that I'm older and have a wedding ring on my hand. This is a lesson I carry with me about not judging and making assumptions about people based on stereotypes.

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    1. Glad this worked out for you. It is a good reminder of the damage done by negative assumptions.

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  3. I would definitely agree with the topic of “many Chaldean in college”. I have seen that in my eyes how people discriminate Arabic people because they think they are terrorist. Also, they think everyone is terrorist just because they are Arabic or from Iraq. Anyways, Christian people are different from the terrorist ones. People think that I’m a European because I look different and I have an accent. However, when they ask me where I from and I am usually say Middle East but they ask for specific, and when I tell them I’m from Iraq they get offended because they say that “oh you are a terrorist”. Also, they give me that bad look. The problem is that people judge a lot and they think when someone is different from them it means that they are consider as a bad people. People should like it when they meet new people because they would learn many things from them. For example, such as food, new language, and the way they dress. I would love to meet new people that are different than me because it is very rarely here people that like each other. So far if you don’t like to meet new people you should take communication class about cultural and you see how nice is it is to meet new people from different cultures.

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    1. I would hope that one day we could enjoy meeting people who are different from us. We need to keep working on this.

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  4. I was born in Iraq and moved to the United States in 2007 at the age of somewhere around 11. I have seen and experienced some prejudice and presumptions first-hand about how people tend to think about people that come from the Middle East and their perspectives on them. It is at times disheartening to see people call you or someone around you a "terrorist" because of where you originated from. However, I do understand that the events that occurred on 9/11 had a significant impact on many Americans who became fearful of anyone they saw as a threat to their safety. Now that I am in Cuyamaca College as a Chaldean, I rarely see any discrimination and nothing else but a diversified culture of people from around the world. I believe that people that discriminate do so because it is easy for them to blame someone that came from the same heritage instead of actually critically thinking about the situation itself by getting to know the person individually. Too many people are accustomed to prejudice thoughts or actions when they see something that involves terrorism on the news and their fingers spiral towards the "group" immediately. It is something that society definitely needs to work on by appreciating diversity and working together to accomplish greater goals.

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    1. Good comments on appreciating diversity. Cuyamaca tries to help students understand how important it is to get along with everyone. Unfortunately when people are unhappy with their lives, they look around for someone else to blame.

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  5. I have witnessed discrimination to my friend. My friend is a dwarf and people would come up to him all the time and tease him and try to make him jump for things he couldn't reach. They would also tell him he couldn't do a lot of things because he was a dwarf but he put his mind to it and made it happen. A lot of people said you will never be able to drive because he wouldn't be able to reach the pedals, but he proved everyone wrong and got a car specifically designed for him. I think a way to stop people from discriminating is by enlightening people about how everyone is different and just because you are a little different from the rest doesn't mean that they should be mean or rude towards one another I feel that everyone should be treated the same regardless of who they are and where they came from.

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    1. Treating everyone as an individual worthy of respect is an important goal we should all try to put into practice.

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  6. When I was in Iraq I experienced religion discrimination, it was the worst days of my life ever . some Muslims were threatened the Chaldean's all the time, they killed a lot of us and bombed a lot of our churches . they scared us and made us leave our country or we would be killed . Many Chaldean were kidnapped by Muslims and most of them were killed by the worst types of death . when I came here the only thing I started to think a bout is to not love any one I do not know I feel sad for people of different religions because they have to face the danger

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    1. This is a sad story about religious discrimination. Hopefully you are free to practice your religion here.

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  7. I would teach them that people are never measured by their outside but by their inside . I will always tell them to love everyone with out any racism . I would teach them that we all are different , but we are not strange I would make them learn one important thing which is treating people the way you want other people to treat you too , because when you respect others and help them , you will respected them and helped them by others. and if want someone to love and to be your friend you must start the first step and I always teach my children to be nice with every one because we are not strange

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    1. Good thoughts on helping children to appreciate people who are different.

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  8. I have witnessed tons of discrimination, and probably have experienced it as well. I plan on taking my children's lead in having this conversation with them. Kids aren't born with an understanding that someone is different than them, whether by color or gender, or whatever else would make them different. Kids are taught this, and that is why I will wait until it is an active issue to say something. For me, I embrace my differences, and I want my daughter to do the same. To love with out boundaries, and most importantly to be able to tell the difference between what is right and wrong when it comes to the media and what they are reporting. I believe that the media is at fault for the racial divide and tensions we are seeing today. By limiting what stories the public has access to see and know about, can cause people to be swayed inadvertently to thinking that those are the only types of things happening, when they aren't. The topic of police brutality could be discussed here. The media over sensationalizes officer involved shootings with African-American people, which deserves the publicity, but so do the Caucasian people who are shot and killed by police, which happens just as frequently. We just rarely have the same media coverage, if any, when police kill white people. This is causing a huge racial divide between people, law enforcement, the government. The truth of the matter here, in my opinion, is that its not about race at all and it never should be, it is about lack of training at the Police level and lack of good morals in some places as well. Police brutality is the problem, not the race of the people or officers involved. Discrimination can be deadly and it all starts with how we raise are children, and how we were raised. We can break the negative chains though, it doesn't have to continue. We can teach are children how beautiful it is that we all get to be a little different from one another, or we can teach them to fear those who are different. I am choosing to teach my children the first of the two. It is amazing that we are all so different and yet the same. We are a miracle, and it is beautiful. Be proud of your differences.

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    1. It is great that you are teaching your children to be proud of their differences. Good job!

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  9. The topic I will be discussing in the discrimination against Chaldean and Arabic overall. I was once in their shoes when I moved from Jordan to California 2 years ago. People made fun of me, my language, my accent, called me a “boater” and much more. They always asked me if we had cars back in Jordan and if we came to California using the boat, which comes from the word “boater.” It was honestly ridiculous and pathetic because it showed me how the people that asked me all these questions were very uneducated. Also, we are after all just humans living under the same neither sky, no matter what language we speak nor what color skin we have, or what country we came from. I think each country has its problems and has people who commit terrible things, but we can't view everybody else based on that one person. If some Arabic person committed a murder, the new will go on and on with calling that person a terrorist, but when some American person commits a murder, they accuse him of having mental issues. A lot of people don't notice that on the news because they only like to see one side of the story and leave it there. People shouldn't believe what they see on the news and stop judging people based on their race, home country, or religion.

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    1. Good comments on the problems caused by discrimination. I agree that the news is biased and we need to use our critical thinking when reading it.

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  10. To appreciate diversity you first have to start with acknowledging and accepting cultural differences. You must determine the different aspects of a culture acknowledging that other cultures have strength and could potentially have different characteristics. When you come to the conclusion of realizing just because they do things differently does not make them different then you, you can actually appreciate them and find out what their culture is actually about like what they learn about for instance or why they celebrate certain things and respect that they do things differently then you do or than what you could be use to. The more you choose to learn about cultures the easier it will be to understand certain people instead of thinking of them differently and not only that but when you get a job and are approached or work with people from different cultures or when you are in school you can learn to appreciate them for all the things you have learned about their cultural background and possibly find similarities and can make life long friends.

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    1. Good reasons for learning about other cultures. We would all be better off to make the effort to understand others.

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  12. I believe that I have only been discriminated against on two occasions in my life and that itself is amazing being that I am African American and like the Chaldeans we as a whole experience a lot of discrimination due to stereotypes and racial profiling. The incarceration rates disproportionately impact people of color: 1 in every 15 African American men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men. Factors such as class also play apart in these facts, neighborhoods that is predominantly lower and lower middle class are usually the type neighborhoods that are targeted by law enforcement and a lot of those neighborhoods are made up of people of color. Black Americans also receive nearly 60 percent longer sentences than Caucasian Americans who commit the same crime. We are also ten times more likely to be stopped and frisked and this is something that I have experienced myself shopping at a store that I have spent my money at for years. I was stopped by a "peace officer" and was accused of stealing and was treated like a criminal until everything got figured out. I have also been followed around a store by employees before. For some it's innocent until proven guilty but I think for a lot of African Americans like myself who has experienced discrimination on more than one occasion it is guilty until proven innocent and that is what our community is working together to change. No one should be treated differently or unequally based on demographic differences such as class, race, family status, age, or sex.

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    1. Thanks for sharing the statistics on African Americans and incarceration rates. More people need to hear this. Good job!

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  13. Diversity can play a key role in whether you can get through life challenges or not. These days there are a lot of racist and stereotype situations people and cultures are put into every day. And to think that every single person in the world will change is near impossible. Being treated equally in your everyday work and life is crucial in order to receive a proper education and to have a successful business career. For example, judging somebody based on race, color, cultural, background, interest, and other things aren't the proper way to view somebody. You must never judge or be judged, be yourself and treat others the way you want to be treated that is the golden rule. Many people nowadays seem to neglect that rule and treat others the way the seem on the inside or the way they are being judged from their origin. I too get judged many times for having an origin in the middle east, especially with the current war going on in iraq it is had to look past it and be yourself. This isn't just my case because I'm sure many others have the same problem but even worse, this is why it is crucial to not judge and to be who you are. Do not present to be anybody your not and always treat someone the way you want to be treated regardless of anything beside personality.

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    1. We all need to be reminded of the golden rule and treat others as we would like to be treated.

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  14. Diversity has significant influences in our lives. The way we treat diversity can affect us in major ways because there are several stereotypical types that society falls under. People have assumptions of certain races and this sets us back because we are not educated about other cultures; however, we can learn about them and understand their interest. Generally we do not appreciate the many things we have, but if we learn of other cultures this can help us to value the benefits we come across. When you look in the many influences diversity has we must interpret it in all aspects. In the world trade is necessary because it helps our economy continue to be efficient otherwise we have excess amounts of products with no consumers. There are other outlooks we can interpret such as a food standpoint. How could we enjoy the many foods we eat if it weren't for diversity? We must appreciate diversity and what it offers. I personally have been stereotyped. My middle eastern background sets me apart from other cultures and people automatically assume things about me. I now do not mind it because it has happened so much that it does not faze me, but I feel sorry for others. The last thought I am going to leave is do not set apart others for their culture until you understand the beauty of it.

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    1. I like your statement about finding the beauty in other cultures. We would all be enriched if we could do this.

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  15. Diversity is a great thing in our society. We should be able to get along and respect each other. In the study it said we are one race the human race. We are sadly characterized into what we believe or what we do. To me everybody is the same we might be a little different but inside of all of us we do the same and act the same. People stereotype many somalis as terrorist which is not true. I have myself some somali friends and they are nowhere near terrorist. They are very good people and probably my lifelong friends as we get along very well. I am hispanic and people will automatically think I eat salsa everyday with tacos which is not true. People need to stop framing innocent people. Like they say one person can mess up a batch of people and make them look bad. Everybody should be equal and respected for what they believe. This will make us unite and make the world a better place to live in. These are my thoughts on the human race. We only have one world to live in and we should all enjoy it instead of attacking each other.

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    1. I appreciate your comments on respecting other people. It would make the world much more peaceful and enjoyable.

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  16. In high school I would babysit a lot. I had lots of different kids I watched, and I would take them out and about (usually one at a time). Overall people were kind and would smile at us. I was always relieved at the knowing smiles, kind comments and thoughtful gestures of people. I guess most people have known a child close enough to realize that, well, kids just have "their moments".

    I will never forget the first time I took a little boy who had special needs out, though. I expected people to treat us with the same overall kindness (there is always that one grumpy person, but over all people were usually very kind to me and the child in my care).
    But not to this little boy.
    Now, this little boy was an awesome kid. He had a great sense of humor, a wonderful smile, a heart filled to the brim with compassion. He also had Down's Syndrome. And he was autistic. And, I think that is all people (the people who didn't take the chance to get to know him) could see.
    I cried the first time I came home from an outing with him. Mothers would pull their children away when they saw us approaching. People would stare, laugh, mimic. No one would open a door for us or give us a hand. It broke my heart.

    I think maybe people are afraid. And they will be if they never face their fears and get a chance to see what they are missing out on.

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    2. I was also sad to read your comments on how people react to disabled children, especially since they have extra challenges and need all our support.

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  17. Diversity in this country is what makes it a great melting pot. We may be all different, but we are one human race. I, coming from palestinian descent, am discriminated on a daily basis, whether I have people ask if I had any family involved in terrorism in the middle east or I have new people I meet asking me if I am muslim and when I reply no they still ask me why I am not where "the thingy on my head". People stereotype all races together, like we are all just one group of people that have to dress, talk, and act the same as one another.I feel bad for people who never were educated enough to know the difference and just assume we are all the same. We are all created equal. I hate how split the world is still to this day. I know we have come a long way from what it use to be, but now there is all this violence due to race and it's just becoming bigger and that's not the way it should be. We should all be there for each other and stick together, whether it's white, black, arab, asian, hispanic, or any other race. Diversity is such an amazing thing. Learning about new cultures and experiencing different ways of life is amazing. You never know what you could learn just trying to talk to someone new or someone you would not typically talk to because you may be intimated by their race or ethnicity. We need to open up our minds and accept everyone no matter if they have a disability or if they are gay or if they are muslim. We are all the same.

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    1. I appreciated reading your comments about appreciating diversity. Education may be the only way to make it happen.

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  18. Diversity is a great thing, me personally I love getting to know new people and being outgoing and friendly,doesn't matter what rase color reliegon. Learning about different traditions and all the amuses me and I like to learn about it. But to some it isn't which is why some people feel discriminated and personally I have seen it and its awful. We should appreciate it and not be so closed minded because everyone is a human being and everyone should be treated the same, which is why my all time favorite saying is "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Its all about respect in this word because everyone has feelings and everyone deserves to be treated with respect not matter what because color is just color and race is just race, we are all humans. theres no need to put someone down to try and be the best because thats not how life works.

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    1. I agree with your comments, especially treating others the way we want to be treated. Good job!

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  19. I have never experienced any real discrimination for being part middle eastern. Buy here's my sister's story. My sister always complains about being a girl who is constantly struggling to fit into society and blend in with the crowd. The rules and limits my parents have on her make it hard for her to live a normal teenage life any girl at the age of 17 would love to live. She told me once that she has a lot of acquaints in school. I asked her why she doesn't claim to have friends, she claims to have acquaints she said: "Well, you see, if you want friends then you have to see them both inside of school and out, but in my case I am only limited to hang out with them inside of school. This has led me to be recognized as a "loaner" who walks around, talks, and sits with those waiting for their actual friends to come." My sister does not face racial discrimination, she faces "teenage discrimination" because she does not do what other girls her age do. I never understood her point of view and insisted that she was incorrect until one day, she threw a birthday party and invited around 35 people. Out of those 35...3 showed up; ONLY 3. She is alienated and left in the shadows of the crowd because of her differences.

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    1. It is sad to hear about the discrimination faced by your sister. Women have a more difficult time in the world.

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  20. Diversity is a great thing, I love getting to know new people and being outgoing and friendly, it doesn't matter what the race or color or religion. Learning about different traditions is fascinating to me I love getting to know the culture and the history of all different places. We as humans should appreciate it and not be so closed minded because everyone is a human being and everyone should be treated the same, which is why my all time favorite saying is "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Its all about respect in this word because everyone has feelings and everyone deserves to be treated with respect not matter what because color is just color and race is just race, we are all humans. theres no need to put someone down to try and be the best because thats not how life works. I think no one is going to get along forever and be the same person and love everyone as much as we should. But at the same time I was also bullied because I was mexican and because I wasn't supposed to be in this 'country' and that I should go back to where I came from, but most people don't know that I was actually born here in San Diego, and I am an actual citizen of the state, but most people wouldn't know that, I think people should not judge without knowing the true person.

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    1. Yes, we should all treat others as we would want to be treated. Discrimination is still all too common in this country.

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  21. Diversity is great and students should stride to diversify their life as much as possible. I do my best to meet students from another part of the world and try to understand their point of views even though I must admit it is difficult at times. I see some of my friend who are middle eastern girls and I notice how they are bound by their culture. How that are not allowed to hang out with people from other cultures. They are missing out in the college experience and in odder to grow one must expand their life experiences. I remember one incident where I was stereotype. It happened at my last job. I recalled entering an employee cubicle and the employee said, “ hi, you think you can take out the trash[the trash-bin that is in every cubicle]” I replied in calm manner and said, “sorry, I'm IT, but I find the person to come and take out the trash”. I was shocked by this, but I was understanding. I think I was the only Mexican that was not a janitor or cleaner in the cooperation. This is why I think the employee thought that I was the janitor or something. I understand that people can mess up and deep does I knew that the employee didn't mean to confused me with the janitor. As I'm trying to become successful I begin to see that I will start going to place where there will not be many Mexican and I might get discriminate I looking forward to my future, however, I will face challenges that I will have to surpass.

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    1. I was sad to read your example of stereotypes in the workplace. We still have a lot of work to do in this area.

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  22. A situation where I have experienced discrimination would be when there was a more feminine guy at my high school. Everyone would say he was gay. Even though he would say he was not. The problem with this was that everyone would always say it behind his back and say things, but when they talked to him, they acted like they were good friends. It is sometimes hard to categorize people as straight or gay. I guess the best option is to believe what they say. Since some people thought he was gay they would sometimes say jokes to him that were kind of mean or would do things just to see him get really mad. They picked him out among the rest of the crowd just to pick on him and laugh. I have also seen a similar situation, but instead it was with a nerd. This nerd got so bullied and picked on that he tried to commit suicide many times. This was no joke. Picking on people because of the way they look, dress, or act, is wrong and it is discrimination and hate. People sometimes get jealous and need a reason to make themselves feel good, even if that means making someone feel terrible.

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    1. Unfortunately many people are not happy with their lives or need to feel superior, so they bully and pick on others. Sad story.

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  23. Diversity is a great thing and is one of the many reasons that America is one of the greatest countries. Although, in recent years diversity has been a challenge for Americans. From shootings to rioting this country is being torn apart by many who feel that some races and religions do not belong. This past election in my opinion was a stage for people to show their true "colors" and has made it clear that this nation is divided by those who are ignorant to the fact that being a multicultural country is for the best. However there is a great deal of people who oppose this view. Take president elect Donald Trump for example. He got away with being able to say the nasty things like "Mexicans are rapists, I 'assume' some of them are good people." because there was a huge group of people who felt the same way, but never spoke out. I guess what I'm trying to convey is that I don't believe America will ever be a nation that can live in harmony with one another if such a vast group of people are able to follow a man with ideals such as his.

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    1. I agree with your thoughts on the election. It was a huge step backward for appreciating diversity. Hopefully people will learn from their mistakes. As Obama says, sometimes progress does not come in straight lines, but we have ups and downs. I was also amazed at how many people in this country were OK with the racist statements made by Trump.

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  24. Diversity is a good thing because i like to get to know all different people. I like bonding with different race and religion. It does not matter of who you of the color of your skin because showing respect to each other is a good thing. People should not judge other people by their look because on the inside it can be different. Diversity prepares students for future career success. Successful performance in today's diverse workforce requires sensitivity to human differences and the ability to relate to people from different cultural backgrounds. America's workforce is more diverse than at any time in the nation's history, and the percentage of America's working-age population comprised of members of minority groups is expected to increase from 34 percent to 55 percent by 2050. also, Diversity prepares students for work in a global society. No matter what profession you enter, you'll find yourself working with employers, employees, coworkers, customers and clients from diverse backgrounds—worldwide. By experiencing diversity in college, you are laying the groundwork to be comfortable working and interacting with a variety of individuals of all nationalities.

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    1. Good thoughts on appreciating diversity. It is good for the workplace and society in general.

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  25. Discrimination is such a broad topic. Whether it be about race or ethnicity, hair color, the way someone pronounces certain words, or even if someone is left handed or right handed. When introduced to something unfamiliar, most people are unsure how to react and use some sort of defense. Since they are unused to the unfamiliar situation, it seems "wrong" or "weird" to them. Since it is unusual, most people are literally uneducated in the topics before they commit to having a first impression. Many people judge before they understand that what is going on is normal. Most things come from stereotypes. If people see something they don't like in one situation with a specific characteristic, they will relate that characteristic with anything that may seem related in anyway. The truth of the matter is that there is so much information in the world that is unlearned by everyone and new things are constantly approaching. If everyone had a bit more patience in their transitions from thoughts to words and actions, there will be more tolerance in the world and a bit more peace between people with differences.

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    1. I appreciate your comments about being a little more patient and thinking before speaking. Good job!

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    1. Sorry to hear about your experiences with discrimination. We still have a long way to go to make this better. Education will help.

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  27. Diversity is one of the key things that allows America to progress. Without diversity we would not have many things such as medicine, engineering, and much more. We get so many ideas and creations from all sorts of people around the world in places such as Asia, India, Africa, Europe.Without accepting people for their differences, where they come from, or religion, we cannot move forward. Diversity is a beautiful thing because although we can be different in ways, at the end of the day we are all one, trying to make it and work together so we can make a better tomorrow. We can take todays’ society for example, not so long ago people weren’t all for diversity, they did not accept people because of the color of your skin, but we have progressed so much that now we see people of color making huge differences in the world, like holding office, and we see interracial couples all around us. At the end of the day, everyone should be mindful when meeting somebody who does not share the same beliefs you do, because we all came from different cultures, may have a different religion, and may even be intelligent in a subject or thing that you are not. It is all about being open to different perspectives that will get you far in life.

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    1. I appreciate your comments about being open to different perspectives. It will make the world a better place.

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  28. Earlier this year I was in a store speaking to the clerk. It had to be about 9pm so it was dark. Some girl walked in with her attire. Clearly she was Muslim but I had never seem one dressed like this in person. Usually I see people dressed in full attire on television. I mean i couldn't see anything but her eyes. She had on all black and it was dark. I made a comment mentioning how I was scared. The clerk asked my why and I went on saying how she could be terrorist with a bomb and none of us would know. I was tickled by my comment and so was the clerk. The giggles didn't last for long because I didn't realize that the girl had overheard me. Man did she respectfully put me in my place. She stated how she came to America for a better life as any would and many want to. She also went on to let me know that I was ignorant and that all Muslims are not terrorist nor affiliated. I immediate apologized and I will forever be ashamed. After working in healtcare I met an African lady who dresses in the same attire and happens to be one of my best friends. I was wrong and had no right to speak about that gal like that. We are all different an should be able to express yourself as such. Me being an African American wearing my natural hair has been a struggle being accepted in my natural state so now I know exactly how the Muslim girl felt after I insulted her.

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  29. As a student in a school system here in Southern California, I have been lucky enough to have grown up surrounded by different cultures withing such a diverse crowd. Though, despite how diverse this community is, I was still facing discrimination due to my looks and my ethnicity.

    When I first moved to this neighborhood, I was thought to have not been able to speak English just because I was a quiet student and I looked "super Asian." Since then, they teased me for being a "bad Asian" for not soaring above and beyond my peers grades-wise and was bullied if they scored better than me. Though, now, I can now address those who attempt to discriminate me due to my ethnicity and inform them that their assumptions are based on stereotypes that do not apply to the whole population. Also, I do not let these comments get to me anymore; we are all just humans trying to do our best for ourselves and our families.

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  30. Diversity is a pretty important concept in the country that we live in, were ever you look you will see diversity. Diversity helps us stay as brothers and sister on this planet, many people must view this difference in a good way bringing upon us new lifestyles where new concepts can be learned overall diversity is what makes The U.S. what it stands as today

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