What is Cultural Diversity?

Diversity is nothing more than a difference from the majority. In any culture there is a majority and many minorities. Culture is a
set of norms that set standards for a society of what is acceptable behavior.

In every culture there are basic standards for social interaction such as personal space distance, eye contact, amount of body
language displayed in public, negotiating style, etc. In America, we stand about eighteen inches apart when engaged in normal
conversation; prefer very direct eye contact; are pretty demonstrative with body language and negotiate very directly always
asking the other party for their “bottom line”. In other cultures they may stand closer or farther than we are comfortable, may
view direct eye contact as rude, be more or less open to displaying body language and negotiate more indirectly.

In America, many of us have a peculiar habit of assuming that those who differ from our norms are wrong. We tend to view the
world from a rather myopic view leading to those outside this country calling us “Ugly Americans”.

Cultural diversity makes our country richer by making it a more interesting place in which to live. Just think how boring a meal
would be without Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, Italian, German, French or Indian food!

Cultural diversity also makes our country stronger and better able to compete in the new global economy. People from diverse
cultures bring language skills, new ways of thinking, creative solutions to difficult problems and negotiating skills.

In the past, ethnographers in the United States used to refer to our country as a melting pot where new immigrants would
eventually be fully integrated into the American culture. This has obviously not happened so modern researchers have not begun
to talk about America as a garden salad where different cultural diversity mixes with the European American culture to form a
meal where all of the various ingredients are still readily identifiable.

Cultural diversity makes the United States a much more interesting place in which to live for all of its inhabitants. If we all thought
alike.

Reading Tasks

I. Match the definitions with their corresponding names.

DEFINITIONS NAMES

1.It is the most important part in a conversation or situation. A. Myopic view

2. It benefits countries’ wealth, gastronomy, and citizens’ interactional skills.

B. Diversity

3. It is what makes something heterogeneous. C. Personal space distance

4. It is a way of judging other cultures’ rules and customs. D. Culture

5. It is the area that surrounds and separates you from people when interacting with them. E. Bottom line

6. It is a group of norms that define how to behave properly in a society. F. Cultural diversity
II. Read the following questions and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

1. According to the text, social interaction standards refer to...

a. the variety of verbal and nonverbal parameters for talking to foreigners.
b. the multiple minorities and majorities in different societies.
c. the multiple ways to promote other cultures’ customs in your own country.
d. the variety of rules for becoming other country’s citizen.

2. In America, one of the requisites for normal conversations is...

a. minimum body language.
b. myopic points of view.
c. concise messages.
d. indirect eye contact.

3. According to the text, direct negotiation means…

a. doing businesses.
b. going straight to the point.
c. accepting others’ norms.
d. avoiding rudeness.

4. According to the text, many people call North Americans as “Ugly Americans” because…
a. they laugh at foreigners’ customs and opinions.
b. they use lots of body language.
c. they consider others’ rules are inaccurate.
d. they judge people’s education level.

5 Which are two outcomes of Cultural Diversity?

a. more immigrants and fewer work opportunities.
b. worse partnership and communication.
c. more political and religious issues.
d. better language skills and problem-solving strategies

6. In line 16, when it says: “a garden salad where different cultural diversity mixes with the European American culture
to form a meal where all of the various ingredients are still readily identifiable” means….
a. as long as you preserve your cultural identity, being part of cultural diverse group is fine.
b. as long as there is enough food, foreigners can come to USA.
c. as long as you know how to abandon your customs, relationships among countries will be okay.
d. as long as there is diversity, countries’ gastronomy will be varied.