Meghan Frisch

Professor Marty Curry

CEP 200
4 November 2016
Diversity in Communities
Diversity is the integral driving force behind social development, knowledge, and
inequality within our communities. At a productive level of diversity, ...multiple perspectives
and personal values are brought into face-to-face contact around matters that are relevant to the
problems of living together,... (Parker, p.77). The value and strength of diverse communities
originates from these conversations. This diversity, in turn, plays a crucial role in the progressive
development of our communities.
When children are exposed to diversity through school or other environments, their
interactions with people of other races, classes, and perspectives allow them to, ...develop the
habits of thinking and caring necessary for public life... (Parker, p.78). Exposure to differences
in controlled environments teaches kids how to interact with people from various backgrounds,
permitting them to sympathize with others rather than viewing them as inferior. This idea can be
applied to all ages, where the interaction of different people allows for the development of
deliberation, listening across differences, an appeal to justice, and even individual enlightenment.
Diversity creates the opportunity and basis for deliberation. Deliberation allows people to
become aware of, while attempting to understand, the differences within their society along with
the emotions that are coupled with participant perspectives, without denying their authenticity.
True deliberation creates sympathy and common purpose among a community, which people

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begin to value over time. Parker described this process perfectly, stating that, when a diverse
group of people deliberate together, they create a new we in which differences are regarded as
an asset, listening as well as expressing occurs, stories and opinions are exchanged, and a
decision is forged together, (Parker, p.80-81). The prerequisites for deliberation reside in
innocent interaction, as exemplified by the example of children in school. When we consistently
interact, we begin to converse about our lives, which leads to effective deliberation and action.
People collaborate about the decisions made in their communities and the larger city, state, or
nation; they learn to listen across differences to come to a common, progressive, solution.
The opportunity to reduce inequalities between the privileged and the oppressed arises
when we combine deliberative collaboration and diversity. Through this process, inequalities are
acknowledged, contributing to the progression of community development. Befriending those
who have been oppressed by society and fighting with them against this oppression as well as
experiencing the unique facets of their lives, allows a privileged individual to have a refined
understanding of the injustices within their community (Parker, p.92-93). When individuals
begin to understand societal oppression, they are less likely to infringe upon the rights of citizens
which they may have otherwise violated.
On the other hand, when minorities are spatially isolated, it ...reduces opportunities for
these already most-vulnerable groups, (Blakely & Snyder, p.153) in all aspects of American
life. Systems like gated communities provide examples of poor planning: if people migrate to a
gated community when an area becomes diverse, seeking the conceived protection therein, the
inequalities of the oppressed within the community are often swept under the rug. This is the
result of the privileged fleeing before collaboration can occur with those treated unequally. This

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movement defers and worsens the problem because the longer gated community residents live
behind bars, the more skeptical they become of those on the other side. The bars give residents
security, privacy, and peace, which a city cannot completely provide.
Conversely, when people immerse themselves within a diverse group of people, they
become aware of the oppression against their neighbors, putting a face to issues they would not
otherwise sympathize with and beginning the process towards fixing the problems they would
typically flee from. When we participate in deliberation within these diverse communities,
varying viewpoints and experiences begin to carry more weight, and as these perspectives gain
momentum, dominant viewpoints are challenged. The insights that challenge the privileged
opinions webbed into our political system enable us to solve problems on a larger and more
productive scale. Without knowing the various perspectives within our communities, our
decisions would neither be as representative nor as participatory, as exemplified by gated
communities. Therefore, over time, diversity and deliberation protect the liberty of those
traditionally oppressed while also preventing misrepresentation in elections and community
actions.
While rewards of diversity originate from the interaction and creation of intimate
relationships within the communities, our communities have become increasingly Gesellschaft:
we are less intimate with our neighbors and we view ourselves as more important than the larger
party. According to Lyon, ...population size, density, and heterogeneity...combine to produce a
more Gesellschaft-like lifestyle, (Lyon, p.9). Following this claim, as our communities
diversify, the more we begin to simply coexist with our surroundings.

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However, I disagree with this assertion. There has always been a presence of
Gemeinschaft, or intimate relationships, in smaller communities, which is where we mainly
converse. When diverse communities, no matter how small, converse, they nurture the qualities
necessary for democratic success: ....courtesies, tolerance, respect, the sense of justice and
knack for forging public policy with others whether one likes them or not, (Parker, p.78).
Without the presence of some diverse conversations and collaboration, our society would not
look as it does today, and our democratic system as we know it would be threatened.
Not only does diversity create representative action, but it also encourages civic action
and provides individual enlightenment. Experientially learning varying perspectives
...stimulates cognitive and moral growth (Parker, p.100), while also fostering civic culture in
order to support our friends and neighbors. A multitude of social perspectives is extremely
relevant to society; varying viewpoints are an essential asset to societal advancement. A diverse
population enhances the overall well-being of its populace through the progressive development
of holistic perspectives and community outlooks, positively influencing the decisions made by
community members.

Essay is in response to Question 2.