On March 9, Lincoln Center’s Commuting Students Association (CSA) hosted New York Culture Day. The event consisted of a lunch and discussion about diversity under adversity. With the help of a moderator from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, students were able to discuss how the student body (and general Earth population) can learn to appreciate each other despite hardships that society may pose.
The CSA provided multicultural food with the help of LC’s Black Students Association (BSA), Muslim Students Association (MSA), and Desi CHAI. There were hard and soft taco shells with containers full of chicken and steak. Also, there were samosas and falafel, among many other delicious, diverse foods.
The discussion was an incredibly stimulating conversation. As the talk progressed, the moderator asked the group how to get people to care about issues in the world. The moderator surprisingly noted that he personally found it easier to discuss and debate topics with people who have opposing viewpoints from him than it is to debate with people who have no opinion on the topic of conversation. He wondered how it was possible to get people to understand that issues that do not affect them directly could still be major problems and they should have some opinion about those issues.
Some students involved in the discussion believed that it’s important to educate people on issues that do not necessarily affect them directly. The students considered, however, that people may still not understand an issue until they can actually step into the shoes of someone who is directly affected by the problem. The students suggested that showing these people how issues will indirectly affect them may allow them to understand the issue better and actually form an opinion on it.
The student lounge was decorated with banners containing the flags of nations around the globe. There were even balloon bunches with ballons designed like the globe to emphasize the event’s theme of diversity and the need for universal understanding.
Overall, students were able to discuss issues that affect many people across the globe and certain privileges that allow some people to ignore these global issues. The discussion touched upon the media’s role in educating many young people and the importance of considering multiple perspectives, but ultimately forming an intelligent opinion.