patrick.net

Controllio. All I'm saying is cultural diversity does not = having brown people around and ethnic restaurants. He's the one who said TGIF and Applebees are indicators of a lack of cultural diversity. When most of the patrons in there are "diverse".

corntrollio says

So CL doesn't know what cultural diversity means because your boring unimaginative boyfriends took you to shitty chains? I don't know quite how that follows, but maybe you can explain.

Exactly. Look, I've been all over this country and the lily white cities always have Applebee's or TGIF, or another chain store with the same flavors. Chipotle this, Jack Daniel that.

I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. One of my earliest clients was an Afro-sheen company. Not too many Applebee's, but there were McDonald's and all kinds of heart disease inducing eateries to choose from.

On the far North side, I had the Pakistani neighborhood, the Jewish, the Indian, the Mexican and a black block or two. That's diversity, and it was great. It's great like that in much of the Bay Area too, but with a slightly different ethnic mix.

Remarkably, in none of the ethnically diverse neighborhoods was there a TGIF.

rufita11 says

My advice is to stop thinking you want cultural diversity and admit you don't know what that actually means

If you want to hang your hat on "Applebee's=culturally diverse", or "Black guys dig TGIs", go ahead. I think most people know that's ludicrous.

rufita11 says

All I'm saying is cultural diversity does not = having brown people around and ethnic restaurants.

No, of course not. It means all the countries of Northern Europe and the full panoply of Protestantism!!

Enlighten me. What does cultural diversity mean to you, if not enjoying the richness of ethnicities from throughout the world, and appreciating their food, culture, religion, art and language?

rufita11 says

All I'm saying is cultural diversity does not = having brown people around and ethnic restaurants.

To be fair, the actual quote was:

CL says

But it has culture and flavor, whereas most of the lily white areas in this country are cultural deserts, unless you like TGIF.

To CL's defense, CL didn't say cultural diversity, CL was talking about culture period, whoever's culture it is. You interpreted that as cultural diversity, which has swayed the discussion away from the original quote.

rufita11 says

He's the one who said TGIF and Applebees are indicators of a lack of cultural diversity. When most of the patrons in there are "diverse".

And again, I'd say based on the original quote, CL said that TGIF shows a lack of *culture* regardless of whether or not diversity is there. He's suggesting that your unimaginative boyfriends were uncultured, not that they weren't "diverse."

As an example, large portions of Seattle and Portland are white as hell, but they still have culture. The only things whiter than those areas are probably Klan rallies and people on ski slopes.

corntrollio says

To CL's defense, CL didn't say cultural diversity, CL was talking about culture period, whoever's culture it is.

All true. I've lived in Europe too, and I enjoy that culture. I lived in England for a year. Some of the cities and countries are pretty monolithic, but I can dig that.

I have a few different BAs in World Religion, and in Foreign Language, Arts and Literature. I like to meet and enjoy what each has to offer.

Although it's still true that lots of white America is a cultural dessert, replete with the chains, big box stores and so on. I'd prefer not to return to that, having spent a lot of my life in Indiana as well.

CL says

Enlighten me. What does cultural diversity mean to you, if not enjoying the richness of ethnicities from throughout the world, and appreciating their food, culture, religion, art and language?

To me, it means actually living within the lives of people of diverse cultures, eating in their homes and they in yours. Going to their weddings and taking part in the hidden lives that they don't sell in their restaurants. I'm used to being the only white person in the room, so it's not easy living in San Ramon where my Native American husband wants to live--He wants to be the only brown person in the room.

Cultural diversity means having next door neighbors giving exploding vest terrorist lessons in their living room, but agreeing not to hurt you because you are their neighbor.

CL says

Enlighten me. What does cultural diversity mean to you, if not enjoying the
richness of ethnicities from throughout the world, and appreciating their food,
culture, religion, art and language?

It means when you go to any school, restaurant, public event and there are people from nations all over, you don't feel a damn thing and don't notice it. It is so natural that you don't even think about it nor care.

rufita11 says

To me, it means actually living within the lives of people of diverse cultures, eating in their homes and they in yours. Going to their weddings and taking part in the hidden lives that they don't sell in their restaurants

Totally true. Nothing like submersion. Obviously, we do what we can in America, and I don't begrudge the museum visitor who catches a Chinese Exhibit if they can't foot a flight there.

Had some rural girls in to visit recently and we took them to a nice Ethiopian restaurant. It might be the closest they ever get to Africa, but that exposure is priceless although still not as great as submersion.

That's what's great about city living in general, and Oakland in particular. All that exposure to the gay or ethnic minority cultures opens a lot of eyes. Harder to hate people when you work, talk, or drink with them on a daily basis. Of course, the more opportunities to interact with folks different than you, the greater the odds of those encounters occurring.

I've other relatives in rural and homogenous white America. Their big night out is a Red Lobster, and it's a long drive to get there. Of course, their home food is better, and simpler. But it's a lot of pot roast, friend chicken, and full of white bread...pun intended!!

SFace says

It means when you go to any school, restaurant, public event and there are people from nations all over, you don't feel a damn thing and don't notice it. It is so natural that you don't even think about it nor care.

Could be. I think it depends on the old diversity v. "melting pot" argument. Sometimes a melting pot gives you Taco Bell, instead of real Mexican food.

Should we be indifferent to different cultures, or celebrate them? Or should they work hard to assimilate as soon as possible?