2 responses to “The Value of Diversity”

1. 

   Robert

   January 25, 2008

   Geoff,
    
   At my last staff appraisal I took some time to discuss exactly why I feel myself to be a "diversity skeptic".  My problem is that, so often, the type of diversity we most need, and which is not tolerated, is intellectual diversity.  I’m sure you recall a wonderful commercial enterprise we were both involved in which paid enormous lip service to diversity, and had people of every shade, gender, sexual orientation and so on in the management team, who were completely of one mind on every material issue.  Unfortunately, the brethren of our customers (sharing the same conservative Dutch mindset) were not represented anywhere (not quite true – we had one who at least understood the mindset, but he was consciously sidelined, presumably on the grounds that he was "not collegial"), with the predictable result that it became a train wreck destroying the careers of many (but not the perpetrators of the outrage!).
    
   Real tolerance should have a cost – it is painful, but the civilising of disagreement (particularly on those things we care most passionately about) is what keeps us intellectually honest.
    
   On another type of diversity, I got Charles Mann’s "1491" for Christmas (good overview in the Atlantic here), and one of the most tragic aspects of his tale of mankind’s greatest die-off is that, however careful and enlightened European explorers might have been (and, heaven knows, that’s not how you would characterise what they *did* do), the spectacular loss of life to epidemics was a catastrophe waiting to happen.  Only aseptic discussions and preparations, followed by innoculations of the aboriginal American population (the sort of thing only rich 21st century societies can do) could have prevented it.  There is an fascinating discussion of how the friendly reception of the Pilgrim Fathers was a result of the survivors of a Hepatitis epidemic trying to obtain allies to protect themselves from neighbouring tribes.  The problem was that the original group of humans entering the Americas had too little diversity in their immune systems – it is only through intermarriage with other immigrants that their descendents have obtained protection from incoming diseases.  A fascinating book about remarkable cultural achievements, which forces one to thing very carefully about the whole concept of "pristine wilderness".
    
   Cheers,
   Robert

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2. 

   Geoff

   January 25, 2008

   Hi, Robert,
    
   I quite agree that diversity comes in many forms, and often it’s only the visible forms (gender, race) that are focused on and ‘ticked off’ on the company’s diversity checklist. Remember the "diversity iceberg" image, where the majority of the diversity attributes lie hidden below the waterline? Out of sight, out of mind, all too often.
    
   You say: "…enterprise we were both involved in…" Do I take it that you have also moved on to other pastures? Hope you’re happy, wherever you are. Oh, and thanks for the book recommendation. Sounds interesting – I’ll check it out…
    
   Cheers, Geoff

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