Just thought you'd like a little anecdote.
Having to deal with the many ridiculously politically correct departments at an uberliberal institution like NYU makes me sick. When my staff and I had to hear a presentation from the Office for African American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders the other day, I was prepared to be indoctrinated. After going through the usual diversity crap, the spokesman, a black man, continued his argument, saying that all diversity must be respected and honored. He said something like this:
"If we are to really be able to appreciate our heritage, ethnicity, religion, etc, we have to make sure that we're allowing everyone to do that. If I want to be proud of my blackness, I have to support you in your pride in your Hispanicness, and you in your Whiteness. You can't be proud of being South American and at the same time be bothered by someone elses decision to be proud of their Europeanness. If you want to be proud of being gay, then you have to understand someone elses decision to be proud of being straight. If you want to be proud of Islam, remember that there are those who are equally proud of Judiasm and Christianity and their own decision not to believe at all. The only way we're going to move anything forward is for everyone to realize that they should be proud of all the things that go into making them who they are."
My head perked up like crazy, and I was very, very surprised. Guess that just goes to show you that some people really, really do get it.
So, I guess, I'm just saying that as someone who hates the concept of "building diversity," hates bureaucracy, and hates seminars, that this was a welcome surprise.