I Always Take the Flyer

Walking through Westwood one day, my friend and I passed a person handing out flyers for a nearby eatery. She accepted a flyer while I declined. I always turned down flyers because they were a hassle and they caused clutter. I'd always go out of my way to avoid them, pretending not to notice the person handing them out so I wouldn't look like a jerk. That's what most people do. My friend probably realized this because, with no prompting from me, she started explaining why she took it. She said she once had a similar job handing out flyers and had a quota to meet every day. She understood what it was like and felt bad for the person, so she always accepted a flyer to help them out. From then on, I started accepting them too.

My friend's experience shaped the person she is and, through my friendship with her, influenced me too. You see my friend is an immigrant who earned her college degree in Austria. Her Austrian credits, however, didn't transfer over to the U.S. system so she had to start over from scratch and earn a new degree. Along the way, she struggled to support herself with dead-end jobs and worked hard to build a life in which she now lives comfortably with her husband. However, she never forgot her past and as a result of her experiences she is more compassionate and sensitive to the plight of others. And now, so am I.

This the hallmark of diversity. It provides exposure to people from a variety of cultures, lifestyles, and belief systems that make the world at large seem less abstract. Interacting in a diverse environment helps personalize other people's struggles. As a result, people exposed to diverse cultures are more likely to empathize with other people's plight and be less self-serving in the policies they support. Because of this, I voted no on Proposition 8, I never supported legislation that scapegoats illegal immigrants, and I intuitively avoided ostracism of Muslims after 9/11. My friend from Austria resents people who underestimate her intelligence because of her accent. My Chinese-American friend, similarly, resented his mother's doctor who spoke to him rather than directly to his mother (the actual patient) because of her strong foreign accent. And so I try not to dismiss people based on superficial characteristics. As a result, I've learned so many stories from so many people that have enriched my own life and shaped my outlook on the world.

I once heard a nasty rumor that some universities offer tours to middle and high school students from "disadvantaged backgrounds" under the guise of "promoting diversity," when what they really want is to lure these students to apply to their institutions, knowing that many won't be eligible for admission. Why? Because higher rejection rates boost their rankings. I really hope this isn't true. Still, working at a university myself, I've had my share of hearing "diversity" used as a buzzword rather than treated as a genuine objective. Whether my university takes it seriously or not, I will personally do what I can to make use of the multicultural environment around me. And every time I take a flyer, I'll be reminded of the enriched life that living in a diverse environment has offered me.