Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity

Zak Werner

ETH/125-Final Project

Before starting this course, I had never really had an appreciation for diversity. I knew that diversity was somehow beneficial to society but I did not understand exactly why that was. What I value most about what I have learned during my time in this class is the sense of awareness that I have developed. Obviously, I was always able to recognize people of different ethnicities, sexual orientation, gender or age, but I was more or less unaware of what being a member of that group involved, how they are viewed in society and the discrimination they face. This course has also inspired me to take a strong introspective look at my own attitudes and behaviors to see if I have knowingly or unknowingly harbored any prejudicial or discriminatory thoughts.

Believe it or not, I actually found that I had “reverse discriminated” against members of what would be considered my own race. I always thought that all White/Caucasian people were racist to different degrees, perhaps based on some interactions I have had with members of my extended family. Upon considerable reflection and research, I have concluded that this is untrue. Yes, some White Americans are racist, but racism is evident in every racial and ethnic group. I decided it would be a good idea to find out more about my own ethnic heritage in order to better understand where it was I come from. What I found was a little surprising. I have a largely Scottish lineage, actually a distant part of the Clan MacGregor (as in Rob Roy MacGregor) which I personally found pretty awesome. I also found that the Scottish people have faced a considerable amount of discrimination themselves. They had basically been bullied by the British for countless centuries. Some native Scotsmen were even forced into slavery to work in British coal mines (www.pdavis.nl/Erskine May). They have had their land taken, been murdered and worse. Even their national anthem basically states...