Diversity Issue-Interaction with my Black Counterparts - Essay Example

Diversity Issue-Interaction with my Black Counterparts It has always been difficult understanding people different from me, the limited knowledge on the way of life, preferences and relations has for a long time created a sense of fear in me. However, interacting with some of my friends and classmates has helped me understand that diversity is a major issue shared across many people (Tierney 30). It does not matter what element is applied to determine diversity, such as color, creed, religion or any other divisive factor, the fact is we are all afraid or at least taken aback while dealing with individuals different from us. Personally, I am a native Korean this has created reservations while dealing with Whites, Blacks, Mexicans and all other people who share distinct differences. However, it was never lost to me that I had to look for a way to cope and interact with these individuals as they made up part of my school community. Besides, I did not want to appear discriminative, and I also felt an overwhelming need to interact with diverse individuals, at least to feel I belong in this largely diverse school and in extension globe. One way of achieving this and responding to the overwhelming need was overcoming the mental barrier which created fear in me, fear for people who were different from me. After a significant period of time, I decided to venture into the unknown world; I took interest with my Black colleagues. I understood little regarding them and had no prior contact with them a fact that explained the fear and uncertainty. Looking back, I am glad I took the initiative to learn more about the blacks, I developed a totally new view of them and what I learnt about them was totally different from the perceptions I held prior to the experience. The truth about the blacks is that they are not violent as depicted in mainstream media; in any case, they are friendly people who are glad to meet new people. They have a great sense of humor, are open to each other and it is very easy to feel comfortable among them. The following is a description of my encounter and the first interaction with the blacks. My first experience with the blacks was on Monday, March 25 at 6:30. This was through a common meeting held by the African American Cultural Center with the main attendees being members of the black community. However, they were open to visitors, as I learnt the meeting was just a normal forum where they discussed social, political and economic issues affecting them. The main issues were common to every other campus student a factor that helped me in settling in and connecting with my black counterparts. I got to the room a bit late (5 minutes) and looking around all the seats had been occupied something that made me feel quite uncomfortable. I was torn between standing or leaving, the meeting altogether, before I could make a decision I was invited to a newly created space. The student had moved closer to each other to create space for me and my friend whom I had asked to come along. It was a strange and intimidating environment as we were the only Asians in the room, the rest were African Americans or black people. The intimidating atmosphere did not last for long, after the first two minutes I became accustomed and started to feel more comfortable. Perhaps the first gesture, creating space for us, made me feel welcome as I felt the people’s warmth. However, I was still not courageous enough to talk, I just sat there and listened to them skim through various discussions. The main topics under discussion bordered on relationships, men, women and their interactions. The main questions put forward for discussion included; why should one get married? Are certain physical attributes such as height, size, breasts size, the size of one’s butt matter when getting into a relationship? To me, these were private topics, my cultural background made it difficult for me to come out openly and discuss these issues. Therefore, interacting with people who openly discussed the issues with little reserve was all new and to some extent eye opening. The group’s composition made way for an entertaining debate, the ratio between girls and boys was well balanced which meant a continuous stream of ideas. Through the largely lively debate I was able to identify certain views that were very similar to our own culture. For instance, in Korea, height and size are considered crucial aspects while getting into a relationship. This was similar with the blacks context, the girls were so clear that they would not want a “midget” for a lover, terming the worst couple as one where the guy was both short and ugly man and the wife tall and ugly. Emerging from the debate, it was very clear that height was such a big deal for women in general. As I had mentioned briefly, finding people who were very open on issues regarding relationships was something new. In the Korean context, issues to do with relationships and particularly sex are a preserve for married people, even then, they are held privately never in open forums. I was surprised that people in the meeting would so clearly and openly mention sensitive matters without hesitation. This was a major cultural departure, all the same, I considered it very educative and I could not help enjoy and envy the black community. To me, they appeared very calm, mindful, social and entertaining people. This was not close to the images I had cultivated of them before the meeting. At the close of the meeting, I was glad to learn that color is the only divisive factor otherwise humanity is all the same. Irrespective of diversity, people share more less the same concerns, share the same issues and the only difference maybe the way they express these concerns or issues. Surprisingly, the Blacks went on with their conversation as if I was a part and parcel of their group. They demonstrated no reserve or reluctance and the experience was overwhelming and educative, to say the least. Works Cited Tierney, Stephen. Accommodating Cultural Diversity. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007. Print. Read More