DIVERSITY

James Joyner | Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Mark Steyn has a brilliant piece on the meaning of diversity:

Whatever your position, sodomy is a precisely defined act. It means–Well, let’s not get into that, as the choirboy said to the–oh, never mind. My point is that laws ought to be about clearly defined acts and a high court should be concerned with the legal principles at stake in those acts. Whether or not you dig it as a personal philosophy, ”diversity” makes a poor legal concept. It was not intended to be precisely defined, but instead woozy and fluffy and soft-focus. It makes a fabulous bumper sticker: ”Celebrate Diversity.” But it makes a poor legal concept to enshrine at the heart of the U.S. Constitution, which is where Swingin’ Sandra’s vote put it last week.
* * *
”Diversity” doesn’t extend to, say, some dirtpoor piece of fundamentalist white trash. Her presence wouldn’t ”enrich” anyone. ”Diversity” means ”more blacks.” That’s why traditional African-American colleges are exempt from its strictures: As 100 percent black schools, they’re already as diverse as you can get.

Go read, as they say, the whole thing.

(Hat tip: A Fearful Symmetry)

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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