A central theme of the presenter’s talk was recognizing the importance of promoting cultural diversity as a critical social tool for ensuring the future viability of communities. Culture is indeed dynamic, and globalization processes are affecting it. Without assessing these integrative effects, it must be said that they can — and are — responsible for the demise of small cultures. According to the presenter, globalization allows strong cultures to survive and grow stronger by absorbing weaker indigenous cultures (TEDx Talks, 2014). However, the man acknowledges that such an outcome turns out to be a losing option for all of humanity, using several rhetorical arguments.
For example, the first of the arguments in promoting cultural diversity is that indigenous peoples have their rights, which are constantly being infringed upon. Second, each of the communities has developed its own cultural experiences and traditions, which can benefit all of humanity. The presenter proves this with the example of quinine, which has been added to gin and tonic to fight malaria. Finally, Michael Gavin tells the example of a school familiar to each of the listeners to show that the imbalance of power created by overbearing mini-groups is responsible for the destruction of cultural diversity. Thus, due to the decisions and reforms made by the ruling elites, cultural diversity gradually disappears, and nations become unified.
Based on all of the above, it is evident precisely what Gavin’s purpose is. The presenter seeks to impress upon his listeners that preserving cultural diversity is a priority for every individual and especially for those in power, for it is on this that humanity’s confidence in tomorrow ultimately depends. Without diversity, humanity will likely lose the unique experiences, pluralism of opinion, and differentiability that prove incredibly important to every industry. I did not change my mind at the end of the screening because I initially understood the importance of diversity. However, Gavin gave me some critical arguments that I had not been able to use before.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2014). Why cultural diversity matters | Michael Gavin | TEDxCSU. YouTube.