Diverse Means All Except The Most Diverse

(I work for a large corporation, one that prides itself on doing the right thing for its people and the community. As such, it has a number of initiatives it pushes, including a commitment to diversity. I attend an offsite seminar on the subject. We are asked to state what makes us diverse as individuals. We are in the central valley of California and a lot of the attendees are first and second generation citizens. There are lots of stories about border crossings and odd circumstances, all interesting but not really adding much to the experience. When it is my turn I decide to give them both barrels. My presentation is summarized below, all of which is true:)

Me: “I am a white, straight Protestant male.”

Me: “I have been married for 16 years and have two children.”

Me: “I was raised in an upper middle class background in New England.”

Me: “I attended exclusive private boarding schools for high school and college.”

Me: “I can trace my ancestry back to the Mayflower.”

(When I finished I got some odd looks. Somehow, that wasn’t what they were looking for…)