Filatov

Paul Filatov

Professor Meanhardt

English 1050

August 2, 2018

Diversity Issues Reflection

Diversity, the state of being different. There is a lot of different diversities and the

most popular ones are race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Each specific idea has their own

problems and issues, but I will focus on ethnicity. By exploring and understanding the

issues that come with ethnic diversity, it will show us that those issues to this day still

treat others wrong and different because of their ethnic background. I believe in that

statement and have personal experience of how my Russian ethnic background has made

my life harder at times. I will back up my thoughts and views by other sources that also

share how diversity has played a role in their lives and the issues it brought with it.

Ethnicity is the shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set

apart one group of people from another. In my case it is Russian, both my parents are

Russian, and all my practices and perspectives came from a Russian background.

Growing up in America was hard because I was growing up with two different cultures at

the same time. School and friends had an America influence, while home and church

were Russian influence. Making me experience issues with ethnicity because I wasn’t

like the other kids. I was Russian, not American, making me different and treated

differently. Something major I faced was the fact that kids knew I was different and

treated me like I was special or needed assistance with small things. Being harassed on

and never picked for the teams because others were dodging me. They viewed me as
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lower than them since I was an immigrant. Making my elementary days awful and hard to

get through.

The Russian language was my first language I really learned. English was second,

which was an issue while growing up and learning it at the same time. Gloria Anzaldua

shares her story about how she being a young Spanish girl being in school. “I remember

being caught speaking Spanish at recess – that was good for three licks on the knuckles

remember being sent to the comer of the classroom for "talking back" to the Anglo

teacher when all I was trying to do was tell her how to pronounce my name.” (Anzaldua)

My issue wasn’t that serious, but I remember when kids would laugh at me when I was

trying to pronounce a word or even just talk English because I couldn’t. Having that

difference made me get harassed and bullied.

Another issue I face was home lunches in the cafeteria. I remember days when I

would run home crying during lunch breaks. My mom made homemade food for me to

take to lunch at school and the other kids would laugh at my food and call it “garbage”

and “You’re a pig.” It’s in our ethnic background to eat homemade, and it was normal for

me, not the other kids. I didn’t really know any other food than homemade meals. Which

got me name called and laugh at because I was eating my ethnic food, which is delicious

trust me. I never regret any meals my mom made though, she is the best cook ever. I like

the reading by Amy S. Choi in her paper “What Americans can learn from other food

cultures” it shared a lot of info how food is as an identity and survival. I was taught from

young age to respect all foods because it is means of survival. My parents shared stories

where they went weeks with minimal foods and they were grateful for any food they

could get their hands on. Teaching my that food is survival and it’s the identity of who
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you are. Here in America many kids don’t know what its like to want food and not get

any. They have so much options of what to eat and whenever they want. They don’t

realize what other kids and families had to go through to get their food and eat their

ethnic food. Another source that shares a good paint to back me up is “Don’t Blame the

Eater” by David Zinczenko. He shows the issue how fast food places have change the

society and made the expectation that we have all the food that we want and whenever we

want. Saying that we can even blame the companies for feeding us to much, making us

lost respect for food.

Taking a slightly different view and going to some facts and away from my

personal life. Something we had to read and share about was slum tourism. Something

that is defiantly an issue we have in other countries and can relate to even places here in

Utah. It’s the act of visiting impoverished areas, taking pictures and learning about how

hard their life is. Kennedy Odede shares the issue about slum tourism in his paper

“Slumdog Tourism.” He explains what it is and shares the issue and I agree with him.

Even here in Utah we have some spots where you can drive by and just see how awful the

conditions are people in. Instead of looking at it and not doing anything about it, we need

to help them out. A quote by my fellow classmate Michelle Preston “I am torn, because I

do feel like my own experience has made me better understand the situations that exist

out of my own comforts, and has made me more anxious to help the people living in

those situations.” (Michelle) I really like how she also see the issue we have with the

diversity here and she wants to help them out, so do I.

Ethnic diversity is seen in our society today and its an issue. People are treated

differently because their background is not the same as others. The issue where your
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made fun of because you can’t speak the “only” language here in America, which is

English. The diversity in the different food cultures and how something simple as an

ethnic homemade lunch can cause tears in a little boy’s eyes. Seeing others suffer

because they can’t live like you. All of these are serious issues and they will continue to

be an issue if we don’t do nothing about it. John Bonner said in “Will You Join Me?” a

quote that really sums up a conclusion, “I think all the time about that 5-year-old boy

lying alone on the pavement, looking up at a stark blue sky. I imagine someone reaching

out their hand to him, lifting him up, holding him close. I imagine it being your hand, and

mine. Will you join me?” (Bonner) Join John and I in helping others who need help with

these issues. To put a stop to discrimination and harassment. We together can stop these

issues.
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Works Cited

Anzaldúa, Gloria. “How to tame a wild tongue.” na, 1987.

Bonner John. “Will You Join Me?”

Choi, Amy. “What Americans can learn from other food cultures” Dec 18, 2014

Odede Kennedy. “Slumdog Tourism”

Preston, Michelle. Week 7 Discussion Response. English 1050

Zinczenko David. “Don’t Blame the Eater”