Diversity issues is one of those things that people seem to want to either be really vocal about or just ignore altogether. Even if it is about ourselves. It's so easy to get on the defensive, or be the 'activist', or pretend prejudice is a thing of the past. I had a conversation with a friend-at-the-time last year about the start of an advocacy group - I fully thought this would be for the oh-so discriminated against Artists who are under-represented (the way we like them) and thought this person would be interested because of his deep passion for jazz and music and art. Before I was able to get into it further he jumped to the conclusion that I was talking about race issues and blurted "I do not affiliate with advocacy groups because my way of equalling the scales is being a big tipper at restaurants - everyone assumes that because I'm (of a certain race) I will not be a good tipper - and I want to prove that I have just as much spending power as anyone else." After unsuccessfully trying to calm him, I discovered that my idea would not get heard that day and it would be best if I just persued another course of action. So what happened here?

When I think about social programs, the ones that have to do with diversity, the promenent ones, tend to pop out in my mind as extreme. As I've traveled along on this little "art project' of mine better known as the cultural center (I should write a dissertation about it!), I have discovered people who want to remind me that I am American afterall you know. I call this my art project because this is the thing that I would like to sculpt to make my world a more beautiful place. This is simply an art project because it is an aesthetic creation. Living public art that you can experience... and hopefully it will be a good one! Anyone can come here and take art or music or just sit around - too bad I don't have a little cafe! Maybe one day! If I were to make a wish list it would include a sitting area with refreshments, an exhibit area with lecture space & plenty of classrooms for languages and the arts. Now how beautiful would that be?!

I had an interesting email from an "underground" artist recently - that was interesting too. I never felt more pleased that I was not organized by a large beauracracy! Although, financially it's a whole heck of a lot safer. Whatever that is. So anyway - it went like this:

Would be nice to join if as the social underground would stop hinting that only blacks with the Obama skin type are really welcome, even if your social IQ is less than expected.
The question is: Is "diversity" now a commercial mantra?

me: Not sure what you are asking - but commercial mantra or not - you are a part of society. And the society you are a part of has a diverse population.

That may be true from a sociological perspective, but in current real-time existence, those of us who have our mental fingers on the pulse of society are aware of pockets of gradual unraveling of traditional social structures. This means that these changes are below the "mainstream radar screen", and the resulting social entity incurs the social risk of not just linguistic and national diversity, but racial diversity, which is a national joke in the greater Chicago. I am trying to simplify what was unclear when I referred to the "social underground".
Certainly by default we all are a part of society, but society is like a Set Construct, and within that Set, there are subsets-(culture/subculture), which are pretty well established understandings of social fabrics throughout the Western world.

{The question is: Is "diversity" now a commercial mantra? } It was really intended to be a rhetorical question, but to amplify its meaning: Where is the reality behind the ‘diversity’ banner, or is it just a slogan to enhance a commercial image? Resipsaloquitur

You discretely or wisely ignored the Obama comment.

Any thoughts?