Diversity

In recent years, especially in America, diversity has been encouraged in our society. Most would agree that this is a good thing. However, this diversity--if simply forced upon governments and associations with the use of "token" representatives--is virtually meaningless, and diversity should not be forced where it does not happen naturally.
For example, a police force may recognize that its demographic is predominantly male. Should it then hire more women and turn away more men in the interest of diversity? In this case, women who may not be as adequate for the job-not because they are women but because they are not as qualified-will be accepted as tokens simply because they are women, and the quality of the police force will decline. In this case, this forced sense of diversity favors the minority rather than promoting equality.
In another case, artificial diversity could cause a minority to be a forced part of an organization or government, there as a token but with no real voice. If only a few minority individuals are included, their voice may simply be overpowered by the collective voice of the majority. The only way for this promotion of diversity to work properly is if all members cooperate, agreeing to open their minds to different views.
However, if every government did this, the individual cultures and traditions would eventually be lost. This is not to say that minorities should not be represented, only that they should be represented (in the case if a government) in proportion to their population within the country.
--CZ