Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America Essay (Critical Writing)

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

Social harmony is a process of achieving peaceful coexistence between different parts of society. It is typically expressed through promoting love, peace, trust, admiration, respect, and equity upon everyone in society while pushing against discrimination based on gender, color, race, age, weight, and origin (Falcao, 2021). The US has come a long way to achieve a semblance of social harmony, having abandoned or pushed aside slavery, making ways to achieve gender equality, and opening up borders (Falcao, 2021). Nevertheless, there is still plenty of room for improvement. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate cultural acceptance in the US in connection to respect and provide means of increasing respect for other cultures.

Cultural Acceptance in the US

Cultural acceptance in the US has made a way from being a melting pot of cultures, where foreign ideas and beliefs were molded to adhere to the dominant European white paradigm, to respecting diversity. The most predominant cultures in the US are six, including Asian-American, Black-American, European-American, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Middle Eastern (Brookfield, 2018). European-American culture was and is the most dominant culture, though its influence dwindled over the years (Falcao, 2021). Black, Hispanic, Asian, and indigenous cultures have been increasingly celebrated and acknowledged in the US.

Middle-Eastern culture, at the same time, remains somewhat of a pariah among others due to its strong perceived association with tragedies that happened in modern US history. These include the 9/11 attacks, Boston bombings, and the recent retreat from Afghanistan, among others (Falcao, 2021). People identifying as Muslims face much disrespect in the US.

Causes for Loss of Respect

One of the major causes for the loss of respect between different US cultures lies in the fact that some cultures are different in significant ways that are not acceptable to others. While the ‘melting pot’ paradigm was discarded, a certain degree of assimilation is required to generate respect (Anker & Afdal, 2018). From a psychological standpoint, for individuals to respect their differences, they need to have enough in common (Brookfield, 2018). For example, Middle-Eastern cultures have strong religious influences, the tenets of which often clash with women’s rights. Treating women in the US the same way it is done in the Middle East can result in a loss of respect.

Other causes of disrespect are often tied to long-term relationships between different cultures. For example, Black and Hispanic cultures were suppressed by White European culture for a long time, and disrespecting it became a means of self-defense (Falcao, 2021). Likewise, the disrespect shown is being returned, resulting in a circle of disrespect. From a psychological perspective, such a circle is incredibly difficult to break because all sides feel justified in not giving respect to others, either for past or present misgivings (Brookfield, 2018).

Ways to Improve Respect for Other Cultures

Improving respect for other cultures requires breaking the cycle of disrespect currently in place. It is a long and time-consuming process, which requires all cultures to show respect to others. If only the dominant culture gives way and dedicates itself to respecting others while the rest do not reciprocate, it may result in a relapse and continuation of age-long feuds (Anker & Afdal, 2018). This can be seen in the US throughout the past half a decade, where representatives of European-American culture largely rallied behind Donald Trump, despite the country having a history of progressivism beforehand (Falcao, 2021). From a psychological perspective, harmony and unity can be achieved when all cultures adopt a degree of similarity to one another (common values) and put past grievances behind to advance into the future (Brookfield, 2018).

Conclusions

The US has come a long way in respecting different cultures and improving interactions between them. Still, parity is a long way away since European-American culture maintains a dominating position. Respect is a psychological phenomenon based on familiarity and willingness to accept differences. In order to achieve it, representatives of different cultures must find common ground and move on.

References

Anker, T., & Afdal, G. (2018). Relocating respect and tolerance: A practice approach in empirical philosophy. Journal of Moral Education, 47(1), 48-62.

Brookfield, K. (2018). ‘Building respect and changing cultures in the university community’: An account of research in progress. IMPact: The University of Lincoln Journal of Higher Education Research, 1(1), 1-14.

Falcão, G. (2021). Tradition and Innovation. CRC Press.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, December 14). Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America. https://ivypanda.com/essays/diversity-inclusion-and-respect-for-human-dignity-in-america/

Work Cited

"Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America." IvyPanda, 14 Dec. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/diversity-inclusion-and-respect-for-human-dignity-in-america/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America'. 14 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America." December 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/diversity-inclusion-and-respect-for-human-dignity-in-america/.

1. IvyPanda. "Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America." December 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/diversity-inclusion-and-respect-for-human-dignity-in-america/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect for Human Dignity in America." December 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/diversity-inclusion-and-respect-for-human-dignity-in-america/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1