Our discussion in class the other day about culture, in addition to privilege, was a nice reminder. It's easy to forget how our society oppresses minorities, but even more than that, it's easy to forget who is a minority. Our melting pot culture encourages colorblindness as politically correct, but its that same colorblindness that diminishes diversity.
This, of course, begs the question of what exactly is the happy medium? In my mind's utopia, I see this perfect medium in the form of a statement from the movie Avatar: "I see you." In the movie, this phrase implies seeing someone for who they truly are, for recognizing who they represent, and for respecting who they choose to represent themselves as. These are three very distinct levels that vary subtly in terminology but have vastly different meanings.
In my experience, recognizing the diversity of who I work with has been extremely important - after all, diversity is another resource that hooks you into other networks. The diversity of a group defines, in some cases, its success.
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