Race & Difference In the 21st Century
The debate to date has revolved around which word – difference/variation/diversity – is more appropriate than another and has involved only 2,3 or 4 people only.
Approximate world population as I write the figure – 6,818,967,320 – dynamics = 255 babies born every minute / 107 deaths per minute.
Change is happening. Whatever differences, variations or diversities existed when each person put their point forward has been slightly altered.
I agree that language is important to a discussion but we can’t be so anal as to allow a language debate to divert us from the main subject. Given the situation that confronts the planet the subject has a momentum at it’s core that should create a greater priority.
Economic, political and other man made mechanisms stifle the important debate – as evidenced in Copenhagen. There is an urgent need for everyone on the planet to be made aware that living comes with responsibilities – to self, to others, to the planet – it doesn’t matter what country you live in or country you will live in; it doesn’t matter what ethnicity you come from or what your children’s or grand children’s ethnicity will be; it doesn’t matter what your economic circumstance is today or might be tomorrow.
Human evolution has stagnated since the industrial revolution with the advent of capitalism and it’s enabler – democracy. Western civilisation has had the audacity to consider itself more civilised by pulling it’s population as far as possible away from our hunter gatherer > agrarian heritage to the position that is epitomised by, but it’s not alone, America. A country based on individual rights and as admitted by http://www.usconstitution.net with no explicit responsibilities mentioned. American individual rights that enhance the possibility of individuals causing the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 which affected the planet. Now you don’t have to produce anything – if you can come with a notion or product, shrink wrap it and sell for lots of money then your successful – it doesn’t matter how much fossil fuel it takes to make it, it doesn’t really matter if it’s made by underpaid workers in a third world country (if you can get away with it).
I’ve purposely tried to be controversial with some of the content in an attempt to move the discussion in other directions. My apologies if I have offended anyone that was and is not my intent.
COMMENT – I don’t hate America or Americans. I just know that the American “system” in my opinion has flaws (as others no doubt also have) and I know that to change the Constitution or alter the Bill of Rights would probably not be possible.
Just as a side note – US Constitution adopted September 17, 1787 it took until May 29, 1790 for the 13th state to ratify it and of the 13 –
in 1 (Rhode Island) it got up by 51% of the votes;
in 3 (Massachusetts, Virginia, New York) got up by 53%;
in 1 (New Hampshire) it got up by 54% and
in 1 (Pennsylvania) it got up by 66%.
Even back in the 18th century a large proportion of people voting for the Constitution said No to ratifying it. Things have now moved on in the USA – 13.5% of the population are African American vs 14.8% Hispanic or Latino.
US population projections:-
2008 2050
Non-Hispanic whites 66% 46%
Hispanics 15% 30%
African Americans 14% 15%
Asian Americans 5% 9%
It’s these dynamics that will place another meaning to diversity, difference, variation in 2050 – some minorities may not be minor any more – and we will only be at the half way mark of the 21st century – and this is only one example.
