Ha, I forgot to give this a title at first
So earlier, Ron wrote that he'd like to encourage us to post thoughts about diversity. I had several ideas in mind when I thought about it, and what follows is nothing like where I thought I would go, but it's what came out. Comments and discussion are always encouraged!
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Diversity. I really don't like the word, because it's taken on this meaning that it's something we have to "do". True diversity can come only through the attitudes and values of the people involved in a community. To talk about it like people do... really kind of bothers me.
One area of diversity I think Lafayette is remarkably strong in is food. True, there may not be internationally renowned restaurants here, and your favorites might be elsewhere. But for a metro area of 100,000 people in the middle of and extending into Cornfield, Indiana, we do pretty darn good. There's everything from very authentic Japanese (Heisei) to very creative pan-Asian restaurants (Bea One, Kokoro) -- even ones that are affordable and near campus (Kibu Cafe is one of my new favorites). I can't remember the name of that Korean grill out on 52 west of West Lafayette, but it's delicious. Can't forget the Thai (Basil Thai, Exotic Thai). El Rodeo and Little Mexcio bring us fantastic Mexican cuisine. There's good Indian food (Bombay, Khana Khazana) and Greek (Akropolis, Parthenon). All sorts of Mediterranean (Blue Nile, Olive House, Hookah). I guess Spacibo has some Russian-ish (I haven't been there, so I can't say) treats. Cajun-style foods are at Cajun Connection. We have a brewery, the Lafayette Brewing Company. Bistro 501 does whatever the hell they call what they do (Frenchy but not really), and La Scala is astonishingly affordable given their delicious recent menu refresher.
I could go on, but I'm afraid I've already run that point well into the ground. Diversity doesn't just happen. People have to welcome it. People have to embrace it. People here at least have a capacity for embracing foods, as we see above. That may well, in turn, lead people to realize that, for example, Mexicans do more than take our jobs and destroy our economy (not my opinion, but it's clearly present in our community).
And that, in turn, is what leads to what I guess is a sense of lip-service and patronization with the current approach to diversity. Diversity isn't something you create by adding a picture of a black woman to your recruitment pamphlet. It's not something that comes as a result of adding queer people to your nondiscrimination policy. It strikes me as utter bullshit to have another straight rich white man trumpeting loudly how our university needs more diversity, and how we need to be on the lookout for new ways to make our campus more diverse.
Here's an idea: Consider someone other than a straight rich white man to run our university, since this one is stepping down at the end of the year.
Is (lack of) diversity an issue? Of course. Should encouraging cultural diversity be an important undertaking for The Academy, let alone Purdue? Absolutely, it's essential! Do we make diversity happen by printing posters that let everyone know how diverse we are (and in the process, ostensibly noting that we are so diverse we have to tell people or they might miss it)? Absolutely not.
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Diversity. I really don't like the word, because it's taken on this meaning that it's something we have to "do". True diversity can come only through the attitudes and values of the people involved in a community. To talk about it like people do... really kind of bothers me.
One area of diversity I think Lafayette is remarkably strong in is food. True, there may not be internationally renowned restaurants here, and your favorites might be elsewhere. But for a metro area of 100,000 people in the middle of and extending into Cornfield, Indiana, we do pretty darn good. There's everything from very authentic Japanese (Heisei) to very creative pan-Asian restaurants (Bea One, Kokoro) -- even ones that are affordable and near campus (Kibu Cafe is one of my new favorites). I can't remember the name of that Korean grill out on 52 west of West Lafayette, but it's delicious. Can't forget the Thai (Basil Thai, Exotic Thai). El Rodeo and Little Mexcio bring us fantastic Mexican cuisine. There's good Indian food (Bombay, Khana Khazana) and Greek (Akropolis, Parthenon). All sorts of Mediterranean (Blue Nile, Olive House, Hookah). I guess Spacibo has some Russian-ish (I haven't been there, so I can't say) treats. Cajun-style foods are at Cajun Connection. We have a brewery, the Lafayette Brewing Company. Bistro 501 does whatever the hell they call what they do (Frenchy but not really), and La Scala is astonishingly affordable given their delicious recent menu refresher.
I could go on, but I'm afraid I've already run that point well into the ground. Diversity doesn't just happen. People have to welcome it. People have to embrace it. People here at least have a capacity for embracing foods, as we see above. That may well, in turn, lead people to realize that, for example, Mexicans do more than take our jobs and destroy our economy (not my opinion, but it's clearly present in our community).
And that, in turn, is what leads to what I guess is a sense of lip-service and patronization with the current approach to diversity. Diversity isn't something you create by adding a picture of a black woman to your recruitment pamphlet. It's not something that comes as a result of adding queer people to your nondiscrimination policy. It strikes me as utter bullshit to have another straight rich white man trumpeting loudly how our university needs more diversity, and how we need to be on the lookout for new ways to make our campus more diverse.
Here's an idea: Consider someone other than a straight rich white man to run our university, since this one is stepping down at the end of the year.
Is (lack of) diversity an issue? Of course. Should encouraging cultural diversity be an important undertaking for The Academy, let alone Purdue? Absolutely, it's essential! Do we make diversity happen by printing posters that let everyone know how diverse we are (and in the process, ostensibly noting that we are so diverse we have to tell people or they might miss it)? Absolutely not.
posted by Anonymous at 10/01/2006 12:57:00 PM
2 Comments:
For having one of the highest number of restaurants per capita than almost anywhere in the world, we have exactly 0 vegetarian restaurants. True, options have increased since I became vegetarian 13 years ago, but it started from pretty much zero so there was really no where to go but up. And there is still very few options for vegans.
I almost every respect I agree with what you say here. Lafayette is fucking white bread and conservative as hell, and Purdue is fucking white bread and conservative as hell vor a Big 10 (11, whatever-the-fuck) school.
A lot of lip service was paid to Rise of the Creative Class when Richard Florida was here, and for a few months afterward. But since then, there has been very little progress save for the few people out there (i.e. restaurant owners, downtown records, amused, TAF, etc) trying to actually make it happen. As long as those people are always seen as the fringe, Lafayette will suffer the dreaded "brain-drain," or what I like to call the "creative-drain." Unfortunately, most of the young people get fed up and leave, so those most likely to want to change things leave, and things end up staying more the same.
It's fucking sad. I think it's actually killing me inside.
I agree with your point about having someone other than a rich white male run this college. But only if that is who is more qualified- or at least equally as qualified. That is, if qualifications really play a role in it or if they just hire someone because of their connections.
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