What It Means to Respect Difference

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WHAT IT MEANS TO RESPECT DIFFERENCE
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WHAT IT MEANS TO RESPECT DIFFERENCE 2
WHAT IT MEANS TO RESPECT DIFFERENCE
Introduction
Society is made up of different cultures which result in differences in
the way people perceive other cultures. Majorities and minorities exits as
well as different classes of people hence the need to have a better
understanding of these differences. Apart from this, different identities
have to be recognised in the community. Most importantly, the
differences have to be respected. With the world being a global village,
the community is made up of people from different races, religions,
political affiliations, genders and cultural or ethnical backgrounds. As
such, egalitarianism is created leading to the need to show equality at all
times, (Widener, 2016, 85). Despite the different dimensions and
backgrounds, people come from, it is important to acknowledge the
differences so that harmony is experienced in a community. Over time,
the community has also transformed especially with the advent of
technologies, (Roberts, 2016, 12). The common physical community made
up of neighbours, family members, schools and social amenities has also
been transformed by the internet. Social and virtual communities exist

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because of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and
Skype. With all these factors in mind, it is essential to respect all the
differences that exist within the community.
Defining communities, creating inclusive/exclusive communities,
and the challenges that arise;
Communities can be defined as groups of people living in the same
places and have common characteristics that allow them to be part of the
community. As people continue to interact, cultures change from time to
time. This also applies to communities that have people from a different
region, speaking different languages and taking part in certain activities.
Assimilation is an aspect that comes in leading to cultural exchange in the
community. Conflicts do not fail to arise because of the different ways of
handling life by the different communities, (Merrils, 2017, 213). For
instance, certain communities approve corporal punishment when their
children are on the wrong whole others do not allow corporal punishment.
In addition, certain communities interact with women freely while in some
communities, women are not supposed to interact with other members of
the community freely. In this case, self-defined and self-imposed
communities arise leading to problems during the representation.
Inclusive communities have shared common interests that benefit
all members of the community. As such, there is a sense of fulfilment and
integration that leads to creating benefits in raising the community’s
status. There is a need to promote inclusivity in the community so that
differences and discrimination do not rise, (Teravainen, 2019, 411). In