One of the first things I learned in college was that if somebody was talking about diversity then it probably meant diversity didn't exist.
I formulated this theory after comparing how the school discussed two types of diversity – gender and racial. My school was very white, around 90% or so, and we therefore talked all the time about racial diversity. The conversation always made it seem like the demographics were some kind of unfortunate mix-up, perhaps due to rounding error, and that with a little more conversation and a little less action, maybe, some new future of diversity was about to arrive on campus. It might even be the next day! This was the way it seemed to go every single time diversity was discussed during my four years on campus.
On the other hand, the gender demographics were pretty balanced, at least from the simplified perspective of comparing enrolled men and women. Since the numbers were pretty close to even, the topic of gender diversity was never discussed.
It’s possible that my theory needs a little adjustment. It might not be that discussions about diversity happen only if it doesn’t exist – perhaps they simply stop happening as soon as it does exist. Regardless of the exact way my theory should be worded, I think the point is that it is important to recognize the basic idea that if diversity is being discussed then it is almost a surefire signal that it doesn’t exist. And until it does exist, anyone in the ‘out’ group is certain to feel like a token representative of that group within a larger community that is struggling to live up to its stated ideals of inclusion, equality, and opportunity for all.
