From: Russell Blackford (RussellBlackford@bigpond.com)
Date: Tue Aug 28 2001 - 04:25:19 MDT
Lee said
>> > Many people thus just simply can't help but think of themselves as
"this
>> > Jew", or "this black woman", or "this gay person", etc. (Soon
>> > due to demographic change, we'll all have a chance at being in
>> > a minority and can be distinguished by our group identity as
>> > well, although some, like Amish and Mormons are ahead of the
>> > game already.)
>>
>> <Samantha said> This doesn't make any sense to me. My problem with most
of
>> those who do not appreciate diversity is that they insist on
>> seeing my packaging rather than who I am as a person.
>
>Well, it doesn't apply to you, then, if you don't so strongly
>identify with being a woman, or a lesbian, or whatever, to the
>point that it suppresses your own unique individuality. I'll
>grant that most of those who do not appreciate diversity will
>see you first as a whatever---but, sad to say, most of those
>who *do* appreciate diversity will also see you first as a
>whatever.
Maybe I'm missing something, but when I say I like diversity I simply mean
that I like living in a world where people have widely different life
styles, interests, self-presentations, sexualities etc. I don't want to live
in a world where everyone is the same. I like variety.
Lee seems to have expressed not so much a contrary wish to this (though that
may be what he feels) as an objection to identity politics built around
these things. If that is so I have some sympathy, though I'd say that
identity politics is sometimes necessary for people with unpopular
characteristics to pursue more tolerance, better legal rights etc.
Can you clarify what you don't like, Lee? Is it a variety of different kinds
of people? Or is it the (sometimes necessary, I would say) evil of identity
politics?
Russell
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