Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

1. The answers that I received when talking about culture and diversity where very much the same.  I spent most of the day with two fifteen year old girls.  When I asked them what did they think, I received an interesting . The both said, diversity and culture was about opinions.  I did not get anything about race, or age, or regions, or beliefs.  These girls are of different race but really don't see it.  That is a great thing.  When you listen to them talk they talk about boys and not descriptions just that boy was cute.  When further detail was needed it was the one on the left, the one on the end, and nothing more than that.  I wonder if we (older people) make race and gender a thing.  My daughter said to me "Mom you would be happy to hear that not one older guy hit on me today."  The young lady that was with us said," She is happy when anyone hits on her, male or female".  I think that children are trying hard to step away from the "norms" of the dominant culture that they keep away from labels as much as possible.  There are new groups now, the "Emo's, the Prep's, and other titles, that we didn't use at all when I was growing up.  The "cultural pluralism is not about race any more, so it seems but more about music and dress.  The identity of the ones that I have spoken to are about what they like and not what they look like.  Maybe they are to young to think about a culture, they talk in terms of tradition and not in terms of culture.  What was said to me today was enlightening and fun to hear.  I am happy to say that these children are looking beyond the in your face identities and looking for common ground.  The third person that I talked to is my age and looked at it from a teacher's stand point, diversity is race, and age, and gender.   Culture is fluid and seems to mean more to older people and ones that are hanging onto a more traditional way of life.