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Affirmative action is not something that only the US has. In India for example, the lower castes have been put down for many generations, and as a result have a consistent lower standard of living than the higher castes ( similar to the African american race in the US). Even though the Indian constitution guarantees the same freedoms as the American one, the problem of economic segregation has been addressed in India by affirmative action, where colleges and government entities have to meet a certain quota for taking in lower caste people.
It is debatable whether this actually unites or divides, but the fact is that if you are economically disadvantaged as a community, you need help with things like affirmative action or you have the cards stacked against you.
What's more ironic is that Whites have directly benefitted the most from such practices, as people forget that White women have gained the most from it and in turn most people interact or marry those of the same or similar background.
Also what hotkarl said I have experienced personally, as I can see why people ask about diversity. So, many that don't understand might not have experienced being out of their comfort zone culturally, religiously, etc. That doesn't meanthat such a community will be hostile either way though. I think the comment about smart minorities isn't far off either.
Lastly, there seems to be diverse communities on L.I. that are fine like Wheatley Heights and to some degree Manhasset and Roslyn, among some others. Diversity can be a loaded or vague term, as it can vary in terms of degree and has levels in terms of categories. I don't think the US is exclusive in terms of categorization and even in countries where it is supposedly not existant, you still see some type of difference in general terms of treatment or views of certain people(i.e.-France, which doesn't have racial categories for it's census, supposedly).
BTW-I'm not surprised by the reactions, at all. I'm surprised that people aren't looking at the Dakotas or Montana as options for places to live, if they think "diversity" is overrated. I'm just saying........
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 11-18-2010 at 01:40 PM..
It does? The politically motivated non-profit group's "research" is suspect at best. I have to say, since I've been here I've been surprised by the number of minorities I've seen. The conventional wisdom is that LI is mostly white but I don't know that to be the overwhelming case. Where I'm coming from is significantly less diverse than where I am now.
Ok I'll entertain you....which part of FL. are you from?
The problem with the US is that everyone here is so quick to label and categorize. In fact, it's encouraged! People left and right are scrambling to find something about themselves that is "different". Perhaps you are 1/16 Cherokee Indian...great put it on your resume. Perhaps your great grandfather was black...great..make sure you label yourself as African American. What kind of message does that send to little young white children. Perhaps they have less to offer?
There is no doubt about the racism and discrimination suffered by many people in US history. However, I believe the scales have tipped completely in the other direction.
Let me tell you how bad things have gotten. There are companies out there which are actually grading their service providers on how "diverse" they are. If the services providers, let's say for example a law firm, do not show the requisite amount of blacks or hispanics at the associate and partner level, then they will pull their business. Nevermind that the service providers may be fantastic and cost effective. They are going to lose business because they failed to meet a privately imposed quota. Happens everyday in this country.
How sad is that? You work hard...you do your job...and you are penalized because of the skin color of the makeup of your staff. It's frankly mind boggling at times.
I like my ice cream plain...no chocolate, no strawberries, no sprinkles. It's the same way I like where I live. All the same. Nothing wrong with that.
If several black families moved into your neighborhood, perhaps next door, across the street, down the block, etc. Would you put your home on the market and find a whiter place to live?
I agree with above psoters, on LI "diversity" is code for skin color. Hispanic wants to be near hispanic, white near white, black near black, asians with similar asians. Personally, if you keep your lawn clean and wave when I pass I don't care what the melanin levels in your body are. My hispanic neighbors are great, the black family down the street has a very nice young teen who skateboards on the block and always says high, and my white neighbors always stop when I'm raking or fixing something and chat for 10 minutes (Patchogue).
Anyone specifically looking for diversity, either to avoid or move near, needs to get checked out IMHO. Everyone is different, sorry to burst the bubble. If your sole reason for moving is to look out the window and see similar skin color your just as ignorant as the people in the KKK or the black panthers.
If several black families moved into your neighborhood, perhaps next door, across the street, down the block, etc. Would you put your home on the market and find a whiter place to live?
several? hell, if one moved on my block I'd be filling up their moving truck with my stuff right after they emptied theirs!
talking about diversity is just a shady way to talk about racism. like for example, wyandanch is majority black and brentwood is majority hispanic....both towns are notoriously known as violent and places to avoid. no one (especially white people) wants to live there.
i guess the truth is that if you want to find a nice place to live and nice schools for your children to attend to, find a town with a majority white population.
"Diversity" is a nice way of saying "you really don't want to live there". In my experience, all of the undesirable neighborhoods on LI have been "diverse" before swinging to a minority majority.
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