Cultural Diversity Letter, Essay Example

Donna Shirley

Johnston Elementary School

Woodstock, GA 55555

December 6, 2013

Robert Parkinson

Editor, The New York Post

1594 Hendon Road

New York, NY 12555

Dear Mr. Parkinson,

We live in arguably the most exciting time in history and are witnessing an era of unprecedented economic progress. Some of us even believe we have finally realized the goal of a global village but they could not have been more mistaken. An economic progress doesn’t always translate to social progress and diversity is not merely interaction among groups from different cultures. When it comes to diversity, two plus two is five because real diversity doesn’t merely involve acknowledging others but truly valuing what others bring to the table. Ethnocentrism has no place in truly multi-cultural societies but unfortunately it seems the primary trigger behind the claim of a universal concept of beauty in a recently published article in your publication.

The benefits of diversity arise from different values and perspectives. The field of anthropology reminds us that values and norms differ across cultures and there is no such thing as better or inferior values and norms. Instead of judging cultures, the more objective approach is to appreciate their uniqueness but the objective behind universal concept of beauty seems nothing but to impose western ideals of beauty on the rest of the world. Actions speak louder than words and claims like these hurt the diversity credibility our country has worked so hard to build. The standards of beauty are as varied as the cultures themselves and like colors, beauty comes in all forms.

The goal of modern society should be to seek unity among cultures, not seek unity among cultural values. Cultural diversity is what makes America beautiful and unique. Any initiatives inspired by ethnocentric beliefs threaten to undo the tremendous progress we have made in improving the rights of the minorities. Your publication has always been the voice of reason and progress and I hope you will address the concerns shared by me and many of my fellow readers who strongly reject any attempts to establish the superiority of a single culture. In America, everyone is beautiful and in his/her own way just as two masterpiece paintings rarely have anything in common yet both are beautiful.

Yours Respectfully,

Donna Shirley