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Ethics and America

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Submitted By mikey6091
Words 1173
Pages 5
Final Project
Michael Kennedy
ETH125
8/10/14
University of Phoenix

The history of diversity in the United States has given me a better understanding and clearer vision of how significant the changes have been. The United States has grown to be a melting pot of sorts, and because of this I grew up with diversity all around me. From the public schools I attended, to the first part time jobs I have had, diversity has been everywhere my entire life. My understanding of the United States and diversity has always been clear, accept people for who they are. It is a shame that there will always be problems, although I blame that on over population as opposed to racism. Immigration, which has certainly added to the population problem, is another factor to consider in regards to the diversity in the United States. Since the United States has had such semi relaxed immigration laws, this brought both good and bad things into perspective; the good is the obvious diversity that came along with it, since the U.S. was allowing all different people to enter the country, diversity is the inevitable (1 Hacker, V 2011) conclusion. This is a good thing, it brought great minds, eased some racial tension, and showed that people can all get along. The negative aspects that came with immigration are prioritized around over population; since so many immigrants were coming in the U.S. the job market has been over saturated, resources used up quicker, and ultimately there are just too many people residing in this country. By the year 2050, I can only imagine how people are going to have to live. If it continues at this rate, it could bring a very dreary future for this country. This is certainly considered a challenge for the U.S. when it comes to diversity, many view this as one of the most significant, although there are others as well. (2 Star, A. 2003)Such as the government programs being taken advantage of, the resources and job market as mentioned earlier; these are all challenges the United States is having to deal with due to years of allowing too many immigrants in. it is a difficult subject, because the diversity has been terrific for this country. Benefits of having such a diverse country are plentiful, depending on who you ask. There is always going to be racial tension (3 Perrone, S. 2001), and as mentioned earlier it could partly be blamed on the fact that there are just so many people that tensions are bound to cross paths. This is no excuse for the racism, and prejudice behavior, although it could be a catalyst for some. Growing up in such a diverse country showed me the value of different cultures. It was a good experience to grow up in a classroom with people from all different ethnic groups and backgrounds; it allowed me to grow up knowing that people were people no matter what color they were. This was a benefit to my own personal experience with diversity in the U.S. benefits to the country as a whole include a more interesting art scene; we now have artist from all over the world presenting their work in the states. Same goes for the enterprise and business world, the technology market is filled with people from all over the world, all working together to make it a better place for all. I do not think this country will ever reach a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the U.S.; while we can all get along and live together in peace, there will always be cultural differences that will separate some. The media is known to inadvertently trigger stereotyping and prejudice behavior (4 Schaefer, R.T. 2012). It is common for the media to focus on the negative when it comes to a certain group. For example, if a specific news channel, constantly portrays negative stories involving Hispanics, and never anything positive, this is a way the media can perpetuate this behavior, and give off wrong impressions. This is a problem that has plagued the media circuit for decades. The worst part about it is that is discredits reporters who are actually honest and do a good job. There are good reporters and journalist out there, although the ones who give the profession a bad name affect them all. The media is changing in terms of access, and choices; today there are so many different media outlets, it is up to us, the viewer to find one we can believe in and trust. The media can help foster appreciation for diversity by being honest, supporting organizations that promote the subject, and by realizing the type of responsibilities they have as someone in such a position. Diversity is important in this country, using the media to help promote it can be valuable when implemented correctly. The best ways for citizens and the government to work together in order to reduce prejudice behavior and increase appreciation for diversity are also plentiful. Remembering basic values is a great start, treating others as you would like to be treated, remembering that everyone is the same, we are all people; no matter race or background, financial status or high level position; we are all living in this country, we all have an obligation to treat fellow citizens respectfully. Promoting well maintained organizations (5 Stackhouse, J. 2002) that get the people involved and working together is something the government could do the increase diversity awareness. If there were such organizations I would certainly take part to increase my own activity and behavior. I feel lucky that I grew up with different people all around me, I do not see us as different, I truly base my thoughts of a person on their behavior and actions, not appearance and color. To try and be more inclusive and to promote pluralism within the U.S. I could start a podcast related to the topic; podcast have a large voice, with potential to reach millions of people, a diversity in America podcast could be something to reach a new audience, one that might not take these things into consideration. As I move forward living in this country I will continue to strive to make this country a good place to live in; my activities will promote diversity and racial equality, while trying to get the attention of an audience that would otherwise be uninterested.

References 1. Hacker, Violaine 2011 “Building Medias Industry while promoting a community of values in the globalization", Journal of Political Science, Slovakia. 2. Starr, Amory & Jason Adams 2003 "Anti-globalization: The Global Fight for Local Autonomy" New Political Science 3. White, Rob & Perrone, Santina (2001). "Racism, Ethnicity and Hate Crime".Communal/Plural Palm Beach Post December 4. Schaefer, Richard T. 2012 “Racial and Ethnic Groups” 13th Ed. Pearson Education Inc. 2012 5. Stackhouse, John & Martin, Patrick 2002 "Canada: 'A model for the world'". The Globe and Mail. 2002

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