Staley 1 Taylor Staley Professor M. T. Sparks LE 1360 6 March 2013 Diversity Within: Meanings & Relations Diversity could have different meanings to people of a different race, culture, or ethnic background. According to the textbook Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities by Richard D. Bucher, the definition of diversity is “referring to all the ways in which people are different”(1). The dictionary definition of diversity, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “the condition of having or being composed of different elements” (“Diversity” def. 1). Although these definitions could both be correct, one definition of diversity may seem more correct than another to a certain group or individual. The way diversity is defined is dependent upon interpretation and in which way an idea is perceived. For instance, the textbook definition is stating the differences, both inside and outside, of a person. Whereas, the Webster’s definition of diversity is mainly looking at how the person was composed and what, exactly, their makeup is. There are many ways in which diversity can be used, understood, or perceived by different individuals (Bucher 25). Some people may think that diversity means “tolerance, acceptance, and attitude” of another being, whereas others will think that diversity means “inclusion, numbers, racial/gender differences”. As was said above, the whole view on diversity is dependent on the way things are perceived by an individual. Staley 2 Diversity has certain dimensions. Some of these dimensions include, but are not limited to: hidden or visible dimensions, dimensions found within groups as well as within individuals, dimensions being in a constant state of “flux”, not always clear cut or easily defined dimensions, and interrelated dimensions. Beginning with hidden or visible dimensions (Bucher 26), now what does this mean? Some dimensions of diversity can be visibly seen, such as skin color or gender. But there are others that are not as easily visible such as differentiating a vegetarian vs. a meat-eater or how someone was raised to believe in certain morals. The dimensions that are not easily defined by looking at someone are called hidden dimensions of diversity, while those that you can obviously see when looking at someone are called visible dimensions of diversity. The second dimension of diversity is that dimensions of diversity are found within groups as well as within individuals (Bucher 26). Sometimes there are, for instance, cliques at school where they are labeled as “popular” or “gothic”, those groups are given a dimension of diversity as they stand out from the other cliques at school. Even though the people within those groups may all seem to be the same stereotype to an outsider, there may actually be diversity within the group. Individual diversity occurs when there are differences between individuals. For instance, one of your friends may be good at drawing, while the other friend is very talented at playing soccer, and you may enjoy reading books. There may be a friend group, which has some traits all in common, but there is also individualistic diversity within that group. The third dimension of diversity is that the dimensions of diversity are always in a constant state of “flux” (Bucher 26). Flux, using the Dictionary.com definition, is “the action or process of flowing or flowing out” (“Flux” def. 1). Basically, what this means is Staley 3 that there are constant changes of diversity, such as different roles. Sometimes a girl wants to be known as a girlfriend to her significant other, while at other times she wants to be known as a softball player to her teammates. There is always constant change between diversity roles because when moving throughout life, there are always different roles that are taken on and those roles cause different views of diversity. Some dimensions of diversity are not always clear-cut or easily defined (Bucher 26-27). When given the word “race”, we may start to categorize people into different categories based on their physical appearance, but sometimes the people we are stereotyping don’t always agree on the race that they are placed into. Sometimes there are white people who grew up with dark skin, and people will give them a category of being black, when they believe that they are, in fact, white. These dimensions cause confusion among the people giving the stereotype as well as the people receiving the stereotype. What one person may think of themselves and their race, may not match up with what other people think of them (and visa versa). The different dimensions of diversity can, at times, interrelate (Bucher 27). This means that one aspect of diversity can combine with another aspect. For instance, if there were a correlation between the East side of the Salt Lake Valley being rich, and most of them being white, this would cause the dimensions to interrelate into one. They would interrelate because we are taking white people and combining them with the rich. Although the East side may be known to be wealthier, there are also people on the West side who are just as well off and may not even have white skin. Diversity is interrelated when two aspects match up with one another and can be combined into one. Staley 4 By evaluating the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, different areas of diversity surface. The areas of diversity within the play include, but are not limited to: expectations, successes, affairs, choices, values/ideas, ageism, income, gender differences, marital status, culture, global perspective, assimilation, role conflict, limited perspective, ethics, and social forces. The different areas of diversity in the play make the play interesting to evaluate, as well as research. An expectation is “a belief that someone will or should achieve” (“Expectation” def. 2). Individuals hold their own expectations for other groups or individuals. An example of expectations in Death of A Salesman is when Willy (the father) expects so much of his sons to be successful in their life. He is expecting them not to fail and to have the best life possible. Anything less than what Willy expects of his children, will not be acceptable for Willy. Success is “the attainment of wealth, positions, honors, or the like” (“Success” def. 2). This means that the higher up you are, the more successful and valued you will be honored as. Successes in Death of A Salesman occur when Willy wants to be the most successful and wealthiest businessman he knows. He doesn’t want to be known as anything less than what he knows as successful. Having an affair is “when two people, aside from being married, are having a romantic relationship or episode between each other” (“Affair” def. 1). This happens more frequently than not, we may not realize the harsh consequences of affairs, but they are highly likely to ruin a marriage. An example of an affair in Death of A Salesman is when Willy has an affair with another woman behind his wife’s (Linda)’s back. Affairs Staley 5 happen for a variety of reasons, some of those reasons being that needs are not being fulfilled or that there is no longer a connection. A choice is defined as “selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities” (“Choice” def. 1). Choices are sometimes difficult to make, but other times they can be easy. “Sometimes the right decision and the hardest decision are the same thing” (The Fray- All At Once Lyrics) I found this quote able to directly relate to certain choices because choices are sometimes hard to pick whether or not they are the best, but in the end the hardest decision could be the best choice. An example of decisions in Death of A Salesman is when Biff (Willy’s son) was deciding whether or not he should go off to college or if he should try to be successful by \ staying at home and trying to hit off the career of a businessman like his father. I feel that many people in college are faced with this decision: Should I be going to school or could I be successful elsewhere? What you do in your life is based upon a choice, and that choice is yours. Values are “ideas regarded as important or a general way of thinking” (Bucher 28). Different individuals have a different value system than others, but some of the values can interrelate among individuals. A strong value in the Loman family is to be successful. Biff and Happy are living at home with their parents. Their parents, especially Willy, see them as not being successful and not following the value system of their family. Ageism is “prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age” (Bucher 135). Ageism occurs throughout our daily lives, especially in the workplace. Willy looks down on his children because they are not being as successful as he once was. He is making it seem like they have had a lifetime of experience, when in reality, they really Staley 6 haven’t had as long to be as successful as their father. Because Willy has been alive longer than his children, his children are at a disadvantage because of their age. Willy is expecting them to be as successful as him, but they haven’t had as long of experience to meet those expectations. Income is “money received on a regular basis, for work or through investments” (“Income” def. 1). Income is highly valued in today’s world; people without income are looked down upon because they are seen to be “lazy” and “unsuccessful” individuals. The amount of income can be determined, at times, by an individual’s race or gender. This is called racial/gender discrimination. Especially in the workplace, people are having their income, at times, determined by their physical characteristics. An example of income in Death of A Salesman is when Willy goes out to kill himself in a car wreck so that his son, Biff, can start to pursue his career as a businessman. Willy felt that there was no other way to give Biff his wealth without killing himself. This income was transferred down a generation to Biff and the rest of the intermediate family. Gender differences are “a distinction of biological and/or physiological characteristics associated with either males or females” (“Gender differences” def. 1). Gender differences can hinder an individual’s success in his/her life by putting them at a disadvantage because of their gender. One of the main gender differences in Death of A Salesman was Linda being the only female in the household. Linda was known to be more caring than direct or disciplinary, while Willy was known for his harsh discipline on the children, as well as on Linda. Marital status is defined as “the condition of being married or unmarried” (“Marital status” def. 1). There are few relationships in the United States, as well as all Staley 7 over the world, that cycle through being married and unmarried. More individuals in a relationship are deciding not to get married, rather cohabitate and live together. People nowadays, seem to not care so much about the “paperwork”, and rather about the commitment to each other. There has definitely been a change over the years regarding the definition of “marital status”. An example of marital status in Death of A Salesman is the relationship between Linda and Willy. They don’t seem to have much of an intimate relationship, yet they are considered married. Culture is referred to as “the characteristics of a particular group of people” (“Culture” def. 1). Culture in one group can be similar, as well as different, than other groups. One aspect of culture in the Loman family is “to be successful”. Nothing less than success is accepted in their family, therefore it is considered one of their cultural expectations. Cultures don’t necessarily have to be a characteristic; rather, it can be a belief that is common throughout the group, in this case family. Global perspective is “the study of the larger world and our society’s place in it” (Bucher 11). To put this into a perspective, take the United States, for example, and compare it to the society of New Zealand. The U.S. society is much more harsh on the “beauty ideal” than is that of the New Zealand Society. Society could be one pressure that has impacted Willy to enforce the “successful aspect” on his children. He doesn’t want them to be a “failure” in society’s eyes, so therefore he greatly encourages and enforces them to be the most successful. Assimilation is “the process in which people lose the cultural differences and blend into the wider society” (Bucher 21). Assimilation occurs very often, especially when people of other cultures and countries enter into another society, such as the United Staley 8 States. They try to adapt to the culture of which they are going to be living in, so that they don’t seem to be an outcast. Society pressures individuals to be successful or else they are seen as “lazy” or “failures”, which is completely a black and white statement. But black and white is basically what assimilation does. Assimilation makes it so you are either a nerd or a jock in high school, perfect or non-perfect according to society. Businessmen are known to be great and rich, so Willy tries to force his children to assimilate into the wider society so that they can be known as a success and not be categorized into the failure category. Role conflict is “interference among the duties associated with the multiple positions held by an individual” (Bucher 36). This conflict happens quite often with college students. They are trying to be a good student, employee, and sometimes even a parent. All these roles sometimes will conflict with one another because they are not able to fulfill all the requirements at once. For instance, if a mother was also going to school, she may have homework to do when she gets home, but she also needs to be a parent. Sometimes the conflicting roles can be tough and make individuals favor one role over the other. Linda has a similar role conflict, as she is a mother as well as a wife. She may have an easier time being a mother to her children, than a wife to Willy. Willy isn’t much of a husband to Linda, so it might be hard for Linda to want to play a role of being a wife to him. A limited perception is “having a limited view of different areas of diversity” (Bucher 80-81). It can be hard to acquire an “unlimited perception” of diversity, rather having an open mind to all diversity and being diversity conscious. Limited perceptions happen when an individual doesn’t have a complete understanding of the different Staley 9 aspects of diversity. Willy has a limited perception on his children’s success in life, he is not aware that they may have different aspirations in their life, other than being a salesman. Ethics is defined by “people’s morals or standards regarding the rightness and wrongness of certain human actions in light of specific circumstances” (Bucher 65). Different people perceive ethics differently; some people have an ethical code regarding one topic, while others don’t have much of an ethical code against the same topic. A specifically strong ethical belief that Willy had was that everyone should be successful and work hard to achieve their goals. Social forces are “an element of society, which has the capability of causing cultural change or the ability to influence people” (Bucher 45). Social forces can impact people differently. Some individuals can be more impacted than others from a social force, while others will not let the social force bother them. Sometimes there are cultural changes in society that can impact the society as a whole, whether people want to be influenced or not, such as, a new law passed in Congress. Society has a major play in Death of A Salesman, causing a large pressure on Willy to be successful, which later gravitates toward his pressure on his children’s success. The different areas of diversity influence each individual differently. By being more diversity conscious, it can make it easier to be more open to the different aspects of diversity. Everyone defines diversity differently, but each definition in which they define is true to them, which may not be true to you. But, by remembering that each individual is diversely different, this allows us to accept the differences and embrace what we can learn by being diversity conscious. Staley 10 Works Citied Diversity Consciousness: Opening our Minds to People, Cultures and Opportunities (3rd Edition) [Richard D. Bucher, Patricia L. Bucher] Miller, Arthur. Death Of A Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1986. “Diversity” Def 1. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. “Flux.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Expectation.” Def 2. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Success.” Def 2. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Affair.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Choice.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Income.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Gender differences.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Marital status.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013. “Culture.” Def 1. Dictionary.com. Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 6 Mar. 2013.