Pluralism vs. Melting Pot - Dr. Charles Taylor（多元化和熔炉查尔斯·泰勒博士）.pdf

Pluralism vs. Melting Pot by Dr. Charles Taylor This article is intended to help campuses appreciate the rich diversity that exists in the US and to understand why diversity should be both respected and celebrated. ...But why can’t we all be the same. I mean I dont look at skin color. I try to treat everyone the same—whats wrong with that? You have probably heard the above sentiment expressed on numerous occasions; perhaps not the exact words but the meaning was essentially the same. Usually the person who voices this sentiment is well intentioned and would not deliberately try to be insensitive to the cultural needs of others. Unfortunately treating everyone the same does not mean that everyone is being treated fairly. Too often treating everyone the same means believing that everyone has the same needs or will respond in predictable ways. Perhaps a simple example will help clarify why this particular sentiment needs to be challenged. In planning a student retreat, if cultural preferences were not taken into consideration, what type of food would you serve? What type of music would you plan for the particpants to listen to? What speakers would you invite to address the gathering? Although these examples are somewaht simplistic, they do speak to the real importance of pluralism in campus programming. Pluralism celebrates diversity. The melting pot thrives on conformity. When one is expressing the sentiment of ignoring differences, one is generally supporting the melting pot theory. This theory of assimilation was popularized by Israel Zangwill (1908) in a play, The Melting Pot. During the 1800s the U.S. was host to a wave of immigrants from Europe. As the number of immigrants from southern Eastern bloc European countries increased, white Anglo Saxon protestants began to feel that their values and life styles were threatened. As a result immigration laws were changed. These changes proved discriminatory to dark skinned Europeans as well as