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Mason Weiss
English 101
Real Diversity in Todays World
Final Draft
8 October, 2014

Real Diversity in Todays World

In the United States we strive for diversity. We want diversity in education, government,
and the workplace. However, what kind of diversity is everyone striving towards? Is it the
diversity of nationalities? Or the diversity of mental thought? In Walter Benn Michaels essay
entitled, The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality,
Walter Benn Michaels analyzes the intriguing issue of diversity and its effect on modern culture.
He argues that the diversity movement has resulted in a narrow focus on racism while ignoring
class and equality.
In Websters dictionary, diversity is defined as being a state of difference or unlikeness.
In Walter Benn Michaels essay, he conveys how diversity is predominantly used when talking
about race. He argues that our focus on achieving diversity has resulted in accentuated race
identity. However, I believe that diversity consists in an individuals mindset. I do not think that
the color of your skin or your degree of wealth displays diversity, what truly demonstrates
diversity is identified in values, beliefs, and dreams. For instance, my friends consist of African
Americans, Hispanics, and Russians. None of us share the same skin tone, some of us are rich,

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and others are poor. However, we are all equally human and equally valuable. What truly makes
my circle of friends diverse is our mental state of mind. What we wish to become, what we hold
as truth, and how we perceive the world makes us uniquely different from each other. This facet
of diversity expands so much farther than the meekest forms of diversity we focus on today such
as race and wealth. Mental diversity is what makes each individual unique and qualifies how we
visualize ourselves and others.
Comprehending the definition of diversity, we can now take a detailed look into the essay
written by Michaels. In his essay, Michaels says, The argument, in its simplest form, will be
that we love race, we love identity, because we dont love class. This statement made by
Michaels is true in the sense that we do not want to believe that there is a divide between each
individual is by economic class. The idea that some individuals are rich and others are poor is a
concept that humans attempt to disregard. By accepting and desiring diversity in race, although
admirable, we ignore the continual and prolonging issue of the separation in our economic
classes. When we look at this in a realistic lens, our behavior supports this theory. In todays
world, we are taught not to share our annual salary or our current financial position. Why is that?
I think that the thought of a varying economic class makes todays modern world uncomfortable.
Instead, we reflect the diversity onto race instead of class because ethnicities are clearly visible
and cannot be changed. This common fallacy has confused the definition of diversity in modern
culture and has transformed how we envision diversity in todays society.
Although I do agree with the concept that there is diversity associated with class, I do not
think that Walter Benn Michaels argument truly backs up his definition of diversity with enough
facts or examples. When you are trying to prove your point to your reader, I believe it is essential
that you supports your argument with analogies and facts in order to produce a solid case for

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your point of view. I do not believe Walter Benn Michaels achieved this goal and therefore I
conclude that his argument is predominantly speculation. Even though he supports his argument
with observations, his empirical data is lacking. In order to truly convince his reader, Michaels
should have used more experiment evidence instead of personal observations.
Today our culture celebrates diversity. However, do we truly understand the meaning of
this deep and intricate word? Walter Benn Michaels attempted to define diversity and although I
understand his point of view and agree on some of his main principles, I believe he just tipped
the iceberg on this topic. The narrow focus on diversity in race is allowing todays society to
overlook true diversity. The mental diversity in each individual is something truly unique in the
human race. This concept is overlooked and ignored but is influencing every aspect of modern
culture. We need to be able to comprehend this aspect of our society or we will continue to
overlook the most diverse part of modern culture.