--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is very curious that the United States…" description: "\"It is very curious that the United States and Canada both assume that diversity means only race and ethnicity. They never assume it might mean more Naz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/richard-rodriguez-6515_assuming_it-is-very-curious-that-the-united-state_626503.jpg" --- # It is very curious that the United States and Canada both… ![“It is very curious that the United States and Canada both assume that diversity means only race and ethnicity. They never assume it might mean more Nazis, or more Southern Baptists. That's diversity too, you know.” quote by Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/richard-rodriguez-6515_assuming_it-is-very-curious-that-the-united-state_626503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/richard-rodriguez-6515_assuming_it-is-very-curious-that-the-united-state_626503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/richard-rodriguez-6515_assuming_it-is-very-curious-that-the-united-state_626503.jpg) > “It is very curious that the United States and Canada both assume that diversity means only race and ethnicity. They never assume it might mean more Nazis, or more Southern Baptists. That's diversity too, you know.” [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Diversity is often reduced to race/ethnicity, ignoring other ideological differences that also shape society. **In simple terms:** Diversity includes many viewpoints, not just race. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect all forms of diversity. Themes inclusion culture identity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - workplace - education - public policy Key Concepts social theory pluralism Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions broaden their definition of diversity? - What benefits arise from embracing ideological variety? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on one aspect can marginalize other groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baptists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptists/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Ethnicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnicity/) [Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi/) [Never assume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-assume/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Southern baptist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern-baptist/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [Diversity, to the left, means minorities get even with, minorities triumph, minorities get payback. That's what diversity means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/diversity-to-the-left-means-minorities-get-even-with-minorities/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Diversity means, when the left teaches it, the people responsible for building America and maintaining it get the short end of the stick from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/diversity-means-when-the-left-teaches-it-the-people-responsible-for/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I am tired of people using 'diverse' to mean 'of color.' That's not what that word means. 'Diversity' means people of all different races,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-am-tired-of-people-using-diverse-to-mean-of-color-that-s-not-what/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I think when you congratulate yourselves for diversity, that means nothing's really changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-think-when-you-congratulate-yourselves-for-diversity-that-means/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [For me, if a company is really committed to diversity, that means everything. That means gender diversity, that means sexual orientation for me, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-bryant/for-me-if-a-company-is-really-committed-to-diversity-that-means/) [Kimberly Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-bryant/) > [Diversity means understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-scott/diversity-means-understanding/) [Stuart Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-scott/) > [All human beings bear God's image and must be respected for what each person is. Therefore, no external description of one's being, whether based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/all-human-beings-bear-god-s-image-and-must-be-respected-for-what-each/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Widespread violence now functions as part of an anti-immune system that turns the economy of genuine pleasure into a mode of sadism that creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/widespread-violence-now-functions-as-part-of-an-anti-immune-system/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [I believe that sensitivity to issues of race and ethnicity is important, and nuanced, even more so when it intersects with the issue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-believe-that-sensitivity-to-issues-of-race-and-ethnicity-is/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [ I do want to say, though, in terms of the people who are coming to see \[Donald Trump\], how thrilling it was to turn… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/i-do-want-to-say-though-in-terms-of-the-people-who-are-coming-to-see/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [ In the history of this country \[USA\], the reason we have never developed a social democratic base, the way they have in Europe -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-walsh-anglund/in-the-history-of-this-country-usa-the-reason-we-have-never-developed/) [Joan Walsh Anglund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-walsh-anglund/) > [Everyone, especially minorities of race and ethnicity, now live under a surveillance panoptican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/everyone-especially-minorities-of-race-and-ethnicity-now-live-under-a/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [The bloodline of Jesus is thicker, deeper, stronger than the bloodline of race, ethnicity and family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-bloodline-of-jesus-is-thicker-deeper-stronger-than-the-bloodline/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [I think there's a longer shortlist for that particular position and others.Highly qualified men and women who have come to Bedminster, come to Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/i-think-there-s-a-longer-shortlist-for-that-particular-position-and/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [Never assume that you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord. Never hesitate to get on your knees in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/never-assume-that-you-can-make-it-alone-you-need-the-help-of-the-lord/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) ## More by Richard Rodriguez > [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [In the Sacramento of the 1950s, it was as though White simply hadn't had time enough to figure Brown out. It was a busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-the-sacramento-of-the-1950s-it-was-as-though-white-simply-hadn-t/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Mexico is sex and Canada is mind. There is much about Canada that I find admirable - the treatment of immigrants, for example, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/mexico-is-sex-and-canada-is-mind-there-is-much-about-canada-that-i/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [My decision was sparked by affirmative action. There was a point in my life when affirmative action would have meant something to me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/my-decision-was-sparked-by-affirmative-action-there-was-a-point-in-my/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Who knows what Yale thought it was getting when it hired Richard Rodriguez? The people who offered me the job thought there was nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/who-knows-what-yale-thought-it-was-getting-when-it-hired-richard/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I have a good black friend who is a doctor, but he didn't become a doctor because he saw other black men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-have-a-good-black-friend-who-is-a-doctor-but-he-didn-t-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [In some ways I consider myself more Chinese, because I live in San Francisco, which is becoming a predominantly Asian city. I avoid falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-some-ways-i-consider-myself-more-chinese-because-i-live-in-san/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I think the universities have co-opted the intellectual, by and large. But there is an emerging intellectual set coming out of Washington think tanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-think-the-universities-have-co-opted-the-intellectual-by-and-large/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [You don't know Mexico, man. You have trivialized Mexico. You are a fool about Mexico if you think that Mexico is five blocks. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/you-don-t-know-mexico-man-you-have-trivialized-mexico-you-are-a-fool/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [After the second chapter of Days of Obligation, which is about the death of a friend of mine from AIDS, was published in Harper's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/after-the-second-chapter-of-days-of-obligation-which-is-about-the/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [What has happened in the last generation is that Tijuana has become a new Third World capital - much to the chagrin of Mexico…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/what-has-happened-in-the-last-generation-is-that-tijuana-has-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [We're looking at complexity. We're looking at blond kids in Beverley Hills who can speak Spanish because they have been raised by Guatemalan nannies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/we-re-looking-at-complexity-we-re-looking-at-blond-kids-in-beverley/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Intimacy is not trapped within words. It passes through words. It passes. The truth is that intimates leave the room. Doors close. Faces move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/intimacy-is-not-trapped-within-words-it-passes-through-words-it/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversity-is-what-you-find-in/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) [Explore all 99 Richard Rodriguez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is very curious that the United States and Canada both assume that diversity means only race and ethnicity. They never assume it might mean more Nazis, or more Southern Baptists. 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