Does Diversity Lead to Disunity?

There is one observation in the Butterfield piece that really struck me more than any other, and that is the assertion of one interviewed subject that the very existence of such a broad and diverse range of cultural groups in New York City prevents the unification of large groups of people across ethnic or racial lines. Since a large part of this class is about the coexistence and interaction of various cultural groups, I think the question raised by this subject’s observation is a very interesting and important one to consider: As much as we celebrate diversity, does it ironically impede our progress in learning to work together? If so, why is this the case?
I would tend to disagree with the subject who made this statement. I don’t think that the presence of so many different groups is what makes it so hard to find common ground. Rather, I think that what makes finding common ground difficult is the simple, but basic, desire to remain in one’s comfort zone. There is a lot of hard work involved in reaching out to others and choosing not only to identify, but also to celebrate, your similarities, rather than harp on your differences. If the desire to do so is there, though, then it should be no more overwhelming to find such similarities with people of many different ethnicities but a common uniting factor like race or religion than it would be to do so with just a small handful. The real obstacle to establishing common ground with other ethnic groups is not that there are so many different groups, but rather, than each individual group is so big in and of itself. Ethnic groups are essentially self-sufficient and self-contained, and almost do not “need” each other to help create a community—so there is no need to venture outside of your comfort zone, nothing pushing you to do so. In the absence of such a need, the appeal of unity, in and of itself, gets lost in the shadow of the effort required to attain it.