A Response to the First Chapter of Walter Benn Michael's Book the Trouble with Diversity

The title of Walter Benn Michael's book, The Trouble With Diversity, captured my attention quickly. The title seems sort of offensive, as if Michael is getting ready to state that he has a problem with people who are not white. However, after reading the introduction and the first chapter, it has become clear to me that Michael's viewpoints have nothing to do with not liking people who are not white. In fact, Michael wonders if white and black exist at all, and whether it makes sense to see people differently because of their assumed race. Michael makes three very interesting points. First of all, he notes that the term "diversity" actually means all types of differences between people, not just their races and cultures. Second, race may or may not even exist. And third, that in some people's minds, being rich or poor is part of one's culture, rather than an economic issue to be dealt with. I think that Michael may be making some very valid points here.

Michael mentions in the introduction that, prior to the late 1970's, when colleges and universities attempted to create "diverse" student populations, they were looking for students from different areas of the country, with different interests and talents, and different qualities that they could bring to the picture. In 1978 it became acceptable to ask about a prospective students' race, in order to consider race as one aspect of diversity. Eventually, race seemed to become the only aspect of diversity. I've noticed that this is true. When you look at a college brochure, one of the first things you'll find is a statement about how diverse the college is, and usually you'll also find a pie graph about how many students are African American, Latino, Asian, Caucasian, or Other. There is never a pie graph showing how many students are talented artists or musicians or athletes, how many are vegetarians who were raised by hippie parents, how many have traveled to other countries with the Peace Corps, how many come from sets of multiple births, etc. These are the types of things that I think would make a university more diverse, rather than the colors of the students' skin.

What is race, anyway? Michael argues that race might not even exist at all. This may sound absurd, when you look around a crowded room and notice the different skin and hair colors of the people around you. However, it makes sense, if you stop to really consider what constitutes a race. Michael begins the first chapter of the book with two stories about people who were considered to be black, even though they looked "white." One person knew he had some black ancestry, while the other grew up considering herself completely white. In both cases, courts decided that the people were legally black, because they had at least a little bit of black ancestry. Yet, I've heard many times that, if we all managed to trace our ancestries back to the beginning of time, most people would find out that they have mixed ancestry also. I can really relate to this, because although I am legally white, there are a lot of people in my family who technically are not white. My brother-in-law is half Korean. His daughter and all eight of his nephews and nieces are one quarter Korean. Most of the one-quarter-Korean kids have at least some Asian features, such as dark hair, almond shaped eyes, and darker skin. But they are 75% "white." Some people may argue that race is really a cultural issue, and the culture that comes with a race is what really makes them "diverse." But that idea brings up even more problems for my family! My eleven-year-old nephew's birth father is 100% Mexican, lived all of his life in Mexico with the exception of one year that he came to the USA to work, and came from a completely traditional Mexican culture. My nephew never met the man. He has been raised by his white mother and other white family members. My nephew looks "white" at first glance, but also has some subtle Mexican features, such as slightly darker skin. He also knows that his birth father is Mexican, identifies himself as being half Mexican, and hangs out with mostly Hispanic friends. What is his race? What is his culture? Three more of my nephews were born to a black father and a white mother, and definitely have "black" physical features. They are being raised by their adoptive parents, a white couple. What is their race? What is their culture? It's not an easy question! The question of race is no longer "black and white."

Also, if we're considering race to be part of a person's culture, there are other things that we might need to consider. Michael points out that some people consider a person's economic status to be part of their culture. He notes that Americans seem to love stories of cases where a person's economic culture clashes with the economic status they find themselves in. I can think of two famous TV shows that highlight this point. "The Beverly Hillbillies" were a dirt-poor, backwards family who struck it rich, and moved to Beverly Hills to live in a mansion... yet they still acted the way they had when they were poor. In "Green Acres," a rich business man and his wife move to the country and buy a farm, in order to live the "simple life," but they still act as they did when they lived an upperclass life in New York. Both shows are funny because the characters don't act the way people from their economic statuses should act. If economic status is part of a person's culture, according to Michael, then the real problem that poor people face is lack of respect and understanding from the rich. The rich should embrace poor people for their diverse culture, instead of feeling sorry for them or looking down on them. But Michael also points out that most poor people would be quite happy to ditch that "culture" of poverty, in order to live a better life!
Michael's book brings up a lot of points that I have never really thought about before. What is diversity? Does race really exist? What constitutes a person's culture? Is race the same as culture? What about economic status? All of these are difficult and confusing questions, and I look forward to reading more of what Michael has to say about them.