Articles/Essays
What factors influence how individuals are perceived as different within a community, and how does society respond to differences?
What factors influence how individuals are perceived as different within a community, and how does society respond to differences?
Choose at least one of the articles or essays below to read. Located at the bottom of the page is a supplemental activity you can use to take notes as you read.
In this news article, Alexandra Robbins argues that traits that cause students to be outcasts in high school are often traits that will help them succeed after graduation. The high school environment tends to be aggressively conformist—any differences are highlighted and ridiculed. And yet, after graduation, your differences are what give you an edge. Being especially good at something in particular makes you more noticeable and gives you direction. Being creative and having a specialty will provide long-term benefits that simply fitting in cannot.
Tribalism, in its simplest form, refers to strong loyalty to one's own group or tribe, often accompanied by hostility or distrust towards other groups. It can manifest in various ways, including social, cultural, political, or even online communities. Read how leaders can learn to navigate it to help them be more successful.
After Wall Street firms repeatedly had to shell out millions to settle discrimination lawsuits, businesses started to get serious about their efforts to increase diversity. But unfortunately, they don’t seem to be getting results: Women and under-represented groups have not gained much ground in management over the past 20 years.
Ryszard Kapuscinski's lecture "Encountering the Other: The Challenge for the 21st Century" discusses an important challenge of the modern world. In the past, it was very common for groups to isolate themselves from others. As a result, they may have felt afraid, or threatened by people from other cultures. The author calls for people to engage with unfamiliar cultures fairly and equally, rather than with the violent domination that was common in the early twentieth century.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, explores the global refugee experience, how it differs from the typical immigrant experience, and the scars that remain.
The attached activity can be used to help you take notes while reading these articles. Feel free to "make a copy" to fill in on your own.