If you grew up in the United States, you’ve most likely heard of the melting pot analogy to describe American culture (for example, see Schoolhouse Rock’s “The Great American Melting Pot”). The idea of the comparison is that though people living in the United States are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, and religion (among other things), at the end of the day we are all the same in that we are American—or in a broader sense—humans.
But when we think about celebrating diversity, is the melting pot comparison the most conducive to acknowledging and praising our differences? Though well intentioned, this kind of thinking actually promotes erasure of human variety and difference. When we say things like “I’m colorblind” in terms of race or “I don’t care what you’re into” when talking about sexual orientation, we’re actually saying that we don’t want to acknowledge that we’re different because differences can be perceived as threatening. The desire to simply classify everyone as “just human” indicates that differences are inherently bad or undesirable.
The fact is, however, that every human is unique and that our differences are essential to our personal senses of identity and individuality. When listening to a jazz band perform, hearing the differences among the instruments when they create a cohesive sound made by the harmony of different instruments enriches the experience as well as when specific individual instrument sections are highlighted during solos. We wouldn’t want to hear a trombone play a part intended for a trumpet just because they’re both brass instruments, what makes them both enjoyable is highlighting their distinct and unique sounds, but also the inimitable harmony of the two.
Acknowledging differences respectfully is not a form of discrimination. While we obviously have the shared experience of being human, acknowledging and appreciating our differences enhances our own lives and the lives of others.