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Micah Wilson

Final Draft
English 101
8 October 2014

Diversity in Every Aspect of Life


People are different; there is no doubt about it. This argument can easily be proven with a
simple glance to the left or the right. The people around you are not exactly like you. They are
different. They are dissimilar. They are diverse. Diversity has various meanings to various
people and perhaps that is due to diversity itself, but to me, it is rather simple. Though I
personally am set in my ways, thoughts, and ideas on the concept, it is still exceedingly
important to realize that history is not. Throughout the course of time, things have changed. And
as things change, so do the minds of the people. The concept of diversity has bounced around
between rejection and acceptance for thousands of years and is still yet to be fully agreeable for
everyone. But before todays issues of diversity are thoroughly debated, I feel that it is important
to peer into the past and examine the ways and thoughts of diversity from the perspective of
previous generations.
When the concept is brought about, most of us think back to 18th century America. In the
early years of our country, slavery was prominent in the homes of nearly every family. The large
farm lands and growing number of inhabitants caused for the extreme booming of the slave
trade. African people were torn from their families, homes, and lives and sold mercilessly into

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slavery. After all, the black people were thought of as property not people. This was without a
doubt, an all time low for diversity standards. There was no acceptance of other cultures and
rather than appreciating people of different races, they were treated like animals. During this
time, diversity was given hardly any thought and mattered little to this particular society.
Thankfully, history is an ongoing factor that is continuously changing. Flash forward to
the decade that never ceases to fascinate the world. The 1920s, or roaring twenties as they are
often called, is home to some of the most lavish riches and devastating poverty of all time.
Slavery has long been abolished and racial justice has been restored, yet once again, a new form
of diversity is being overlooked. Author Walter Benn Michaels speaks on diversity in this time
period with the aid of Ray Bradburys famous novel, The Great Gatsby. In this book, the main
character, Jimmy Gatz, transforms himself into a typical 20s man. He renames himself Jay
Gatsby and makes his own wealth and selfish ambitions his main focus. For most of this
decades society, extravagant parties and wild festivities were a common occurrence and money
seemed to never end. This lifestyle, though seemingly glorious, had a downfall that ultimately
caused the Great Depression of 1929. It caused for those people who were not enormously rich,
to inevitably experience a life of poverty and despair. This cycle of the rich getting richer and the
poor getting poorer bypassed entirely the middle class making for an extremely unbalanced
economy. This may not be your first thought when speaking of diversity, but it most definitely
applies to the concept of accepting differences. Michaels essay says, The rich just arent like
you and me. This statement is highly controversial to some people. It brings into light the issue
of classes and once again deals with the creation of an unequal society. The Americans of the
1920s were closed to the idea of accepting people of different classes. Therefore two separate

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groups of people were formed; both parties unwilling to unite due to pride and envy. Michaels
statement solidified these thoughts and shows just how much inequality was taking place in this
day and age.
We must be grateful that history does not stop there. After the Great Depression, the
nation was able to rebuild itself and create a much more stable economy. Flash forward once
more to present times. You may think that currently, diversity is not a huge issue in our country.
Our acceptance of other cultures and races is superb and our economy is doing its best to reduce
poverty. Though this is true, we are once again exposed to a new form of diversity that often
causes problems in todays society. This would be our appearance. Though this idea may seem
shallow and of lesser importance than the causes above, it is one of the main reasons that cause
exclusion and separation of people. Before you dismiss this concept, think deeply about our
society. As stated previously, history changes and so do the minds of the people. Now if you
think today that diversity is not an issue you would be partially correct. We as a country no
longer struggle with accepting diversity of race and class, but of identity. Everyone has their own
identity. Our own style, personality, and characteristics are what make up everyone of us. It is
what makes us all unique. Thus today, these are very things that also tear us apart. Peoples
inability to fit the mold separates them from the rest just as color of skin and class did in
previous centuries. We have turned into a people who, rather than accepting people who are
different, shut out and exclude all who are unlike us in their ways thus disregarding diversity.
If there is anything to be learned, it is that history never stops changing. We have seen
how our diversity problems in the past have slowly but surely been overcome, and I believe we

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will eventually do the same with the issues of today. We, as a people, must make it our goal to be
open and accepting to differences in the world. Whether it be in race, class, or identity, we must
learn to include rather than exclude. The more we learn to love divergence, the more we will
benefit from all that it has to offer.

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