byounique: diversity without categories
TRANSCRIPT
ABOUTme
Samuel Killermann
An individual
Which of the following best describes me?(check one)
White
Black
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic
I am…(check one)
Male
Female
What is my parents’ cumulative annual income?(check one)
$0 - $20,000
$20,000 - $39,999
$40,000 - $59,999
$60,000 - $79,999
$80,000 - $109,999
$110,000 - $150,000
Greater than $150,000
What is my current age?(fill in the blank)
______
What is my sexual orientation?(check one)
Straight
Gay
Lesbian
Bi-sexual
Which of the following best describes you?(check one)
Nondisabled
Physically disabled
Mentally disabled
What is my religious affiliation?(check one)
Christian
Jewish
Muslim
Buddhist
Hindu
I don’t affiliate with any particular religion
Now, let’s try something else.
Samuel Killermann
An individual
Felt a bit different, didn’t it?
What changed?
1. Length (~40 seconds~1 minute 40 seconds)
2. Focus (breadthdepth)
3. Intent (to categorizeto know)
ABOUTbgsu
Which of the following best describes you?(check one)
White
Black
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic
You are…(check one)
Male
Female
What is your parents’ cumulative annual income?(check one)
$0 - $20,000
$20,000 - $39,999
$40,000 - $59,999
$60,000 - $79,999
$80,000 - $109,999
$110,000 - $150,000
Greater than $150,000
What is your current age?(fill in the blank)
______
What is your sexual orientation?(check one)
Straight
Gay
Lesbian
Bi-sexual
Which of the following best describes you?(check one)
Nondisabled
Physically disabled
Mentally disabled
What is your religious affiliation?(check one)
Christian
Jewish
Muslim
Buddhist
Hindu
Now, let’s try something else.
BGSU
A cross-section
Diversity leads us to believe that this is something
we can choose to be involved in.
Or not.
But diversity is not something we can choose to
(or not to) recognize.
We can’t keep thinking of diversity
like we think of “bless you” after a sneeze
diversity is not a pleasantry
diversity has no recipe
diversity is difference
Beyond that, we need to stop putting
so much effort into classifying diversity;
diversity is something that cannot be
adequately classified, categorized, or sorted.
Let’s give that a shot.
