Monday, October 22, 2007

CM PRESS # 223


DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH?
(Another meaningless platitude)

It's interesting, from a psychological perspective, to see so many people substituting meaningless platitudes for critical thinking whenever they fail at the latter and need a rhetorical device to cover this fact.

For example, we saw a post on a local blog in which the poster, while discussing the poor state of student scores in Costa Mesa schools, regurgitated the smarmy statement that Costa Mesa is 'a very diverse community - which is one of its strengths.'

Huh? Diversity is one of Costa Mesa's strengths? Exactly how is that the case?

The truth is that the so-called "diversity" written about by this poster is our greatest weakness.

Don't get it? Ask yourself a few questions: How are YOU better because of this diversity? Do YOU feel safer? Do YOU have more friends in your neighborhood? Are YOUR home values as high as they should be? Are YOUR kids in schools that are on a par with the much less diverse Newport Beach schools in the same district? Do YOU feel comfortable in all neighborhoods in Costa Mesa at night? Is YOUR life better or more comfortable or more fulfilling because of the diversity? Are YOUR kids better off?

If you can't tell us how YOU and YOUR FAMILY are better for this diversity, then please don't try to give us some global and nebulous answer about how it's better for the city as a whole. It doesn't fly. The whole--in this case, our "strengths"-- is made up of the parts--YOU and YOURS. If YOU and YOURS are not made better by the so-called diversity, then the whole is not better for YOU and YOURS.

The fact is that this platitude means nothing. It's a PR campaign slogan to sell a particular world view. Like similar platitudes and cliches, it is picked up and internalized and then reflexively parroted back by people who never bother to question whether it's true or not.

This, and similar platitudes remind us of one constantly mouthed by a character in a movie about the Old West.

It was something like: "Well, that's the way the green frog goes, know what I mean?"

This meant absolutely nothing. But, everyone this character came into contact with would agree and give him knowing nods when he'd repeat this nonsense. Chock it up to human psychology. People don't want to appear stupid so they'll pretend they understand something even when they don't. And, many will then internalize the stupid saying and use it themselves.

The one person in the film who didn't nod like an idiot was a hired killer sent to get rid of this character. The character used the platitude on the killer (who was not revealed as a hired killer at this point) and the killer calmly said "No, I don't know what that means. Tell me." Of course, the character had no idea what it meant so he had no answer. Cinematically, this telegraphed the fact that the killer was going to succeed later on in the movie in getting rid of this character.

Well, that's the way the green frog goes, and diversity is our strength, know what we mean?
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