The Importance of Embracing Diversity in a Changing America

It is said that by 2050, the population of the United States will increase by 82 % if current trends continue as they are. It is also states that of that increase in the population that 50 million will be immigrants and another 67 million will be of natural immigrants that are now citizens. Jeffrey Passel and D'Vera Cohn (2008). With the current bias, and prejudice attitude toward ethnic groups. We as a society will need to become more diverse in our society to accommodate this growth in our population.

Some will fear this “invasion” of our borders, but others will be ready to embrace it with opportunity. Our country is ready for change and this is the change that could continue to make this the greatest country that it is. Some of the challenges the culture of the United States face due to the diverse people in the country is communication. Another challenge is the attitude of being unwilling to change, the attitude of “it has always been done this way…” comes in the way, with a diverse group in the workplace.

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Finally, with diversity in the workplace comes the challenge of implementing all this and mixing the diversity in the company and getting the benefits of a diverse group. With the difference of ethnic backgrounds, there tends to be beliefs and perceptions on how things are and should be. These challenges can be great stumbling blocks at the work place. Diversity not only involves how people perceive others, but how they perceive themselves as well.

With a large company there is a wide assortment of challenges for everyone to work effectively as an organization. Human resource professionals need to deal with these issues properly. Successful organizations recognize the need for immediate action and are ready and willingly to spend the resources on managing the diversity in the workplace. There is a reason for the company to want to manage this challenge, for with such a great opportunity to have a diverse culture in the company workplace come a variety of resources and resources that can benefit the company by the diverse solutions available.

The workforce has a greater variety of solutions to problems in service as well as allocations on resources. A diverse group brings with them a diverse background with individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to the customer’s demands and fluctuating markets around the world. As the economy becomes increasingly diverse, organizational success and competitiveness will depend on the ability to manage diversity in the workplace effectively. (Josh Greenberg) When it comes to stereotyping, the media is one of the best examples on how you can stereotype a diverse group for ratings. While it remains a problem in the United States with illegal immigrants working in the United States, you have the media stereotyping certain ethnic groups as being one of the biggest problems to this issue.

On one side of the topic, you have the actual problem of men and women working inside the U.S. without proper documentation. That is the story, yet if you were to get the public view on the very same story that is where prejudice and stereotyping really come into play. Take into account the story about a boycott back in 2006. It was thought that on May 1st of 2006 that all the “illegal” workers were going to call in sick to show they had a voice. One reporter stated this in her story and it still holds true today. L. Brent Bozell III "Meaningful immigration reform" simply means amnesty for illegal aliens, and encouraging more illegal immigration in the future. These people seem to have no finger on the pulse of average Americans, who don't like illegal-alien cheaters having the audacity to first come into the country illegally, and then demand their "rights". Then to state that it is virtually impossible to report the news without prejudice because of the people’s view.

And “if the media's job is simply to report without prejudice, then what of the views of the vast majority of Americans, outraged by the sight of illegal aliens demanding "rights" from the government they refuse to obey?” This unfortunately is true. The United States culture does stereotype and our culture does discriminate ethnic cultures and groups of men and women for their differences and not for who they are. The news and the issues in America are a variety of how we as a society believe in, otherwise we as a culture would not have a more direct voice except on election day. Today, we have so many reality T.V. shows with such a great diverse group of men and women starring in them that the public gets a chance to see how someone with an ethnic background other than ours live. This is good for it opens the doors for society to see the similarities and the differences and realize it is alright.

The media plays a great part in showing diversity in a positive light. Diversity starts early and it starts when you are in school. Look at the issues the schools face today. You have issues with prayers in school, Should we as a country still allow prayer in school? We have such a vast and great mix of children in school today that that would be a great place for anyone parent to learn more about diversity. Become a parent that is involved with their child’s school and what they do. The school system and the country’s education always needs volunteers. What better place to teach children to embrace the difference between one child and another. Help the schools stop ignorance and bullying. Children are afraid to go to school from fear of being bullied. “An epidemic that causes 160,000 children a day to stay home from school because they are afraid of being bullied, according to the U.S. Department of Education”. By JIM DUBREUIL and EAMON MCNIFF. It has been proven school is a diverse place, with multiple cultures and ethnic groups. You have every type of person and belief at school.

By going back to school you can achieve a higher education and get a chance to work with other people that are not like you. A college student is surrounded by a variety of opportunity to learn about just how diverse our country really is. The basic idea is that a student learns a great deal from their interaction in and out of the classroom. A students exposure to the diverse views and the individuals will provide them with a greater personal development and challenge. So if someone is looking for a way to learn more about diversity, either get involved with your child in school, or go back to school yourself. This country needs to get involved with diversity, In the workforce area the company’s have just started to scratch the surface of how having a diverse group of people working for them is by far a benefit and not a hinderance. Society is surrounded by diversity. Our country has embraced the idea of having a “melting pot” early in our country’s history.

It has taken a while for the citizens to embrace this concept, but finally the society of the United States has started to embrace the “melting pot” attitude. Diversity matters in our country, diversity matters in our schools, and diversity matters in who we are as a person. In this day of age, a person is no longer tied down to “this side of the tracks”, a person may be in Idaho, but having a conference online with people on the east coast and in Bosnia. Diversity expands worldliness. Can a person function in life without having a little working knowledge of how other cultures act? In today’s social life one needs to expand their social awareness. Diversity expands self-awareness by learning from people whose backgrounds and experiences are different than our owns, only allows us to learn more about who we are.

A person learns when challenged. Hyman, and Jacobs Stated “Diversity promotes creative thinking. Diversity expands your capacity for viewing issues or problems from multiple perspectives, angles, and vantage points. These diverse vantage points work to your advantage when you encounter new problems in different contexts and situations. Rather than viewing the world through a single-focus lens, you are able to expand your views and consider multiple options when making decisions and weighing issues of, for example, morality and ethics.” We are a culture growing and in the technology age we are only going to know more people that differ than ourselves.

References

Jeffrey Passel, Jeffrey and Cohn,D'Vera (2008). Immigration to Play Lead Role In Future U.S. Growth Greenburg, Josh (2009). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions Bozell III, L. Brent (2006). The Pro Illegal Immigration Media Dubreuil, Jim and Mcniff, Eamon (2010). School Bullying Epidemic, Turning Deadly, Nightline Hyman, S. Jeremy and Jacobs F. Lynn (2009) Why Does Diversity Matter at College Anyway?

http://www.multiculturaladvantage.com/recruit/diversity/Diversity-in-the-Workplace-Benefits-Challenges-Solutions.asp http://www.nationalledger.com/news-tech/the-pro-illegal-immigration-me-985853.shtml http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/school-bullying-epidemic-turning-deadly/story?id=11880841 http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2009/08/12/why-does-diversity-matter-at-college-anyway http://pewresearch.org/pubs/729/united-states-population-projections