Re: Diversity?

Phil Graham (pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au)
Thu, 10 Sep 1998 06:52:49 +1000

>My suspicion is that it came
>about as a way of demonstrating concern about people of other races or
>cultures without using terms seen as being 'political' such as
>'multi-culturalism', 'positive discrimination / affirmative action' or,
>'worst' of all, 'racism' - hence the origin of phrases such as 'valuing
>diversity'.
>
>Maybe I'm wrong on its origins but I still don't like using the word in this
>way. Any comments?

I think you're right Bruce. I've recently been reading Habermas's, "The New
Conservatism" along with some other studies of conservative and
neo-conservative literature. He points out, as Adorno does in "The Jargon
of Authenticity", that it's traditionally a _conservative_ political social
strategy: pluralism, that is. I'm quite suspicious of its classificatory
overtones. The slogan "Harmony in diversity" can be traced to the turn of
the century in Western Europe, especially in Germany.

Push a system hard in any one directin and I think its likely to spring
back with a vengeance. To me, the "diversity" sloganisms seem to have
overtones of repression built in. They are usually trumpeted the loudest by
dominant and privileged social classes.

Phil

Phil Graham
pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html