Inherited Beliefs

• The diversity seen in some schools provides an opportunity for students to gain exposure to individuals who are socially different from themselves. Each student is influenced by the ideas and beliefs that he grew up with and learned from his parents. When students encounter individuals from other social groups, these inherited beliefs can become a source of conflict, leading to violence or coercion in confronting these differences. School bullying has begun attracting parental attention, both parents wanting to keep their children safe and parents questioning why the issue of bullying has never been properly addressed before now. School bullying represents the potential for physical conflict resulting from learned stereotypes.
  
  

Socially Fueled Conflict

• Alongside the outrage that arose from the suggestion that Muslim leaders were building a mosque near ground zero, a wave of protests began throughout the country, with individuals taking protest signs and standing against the building of other Muslim sites. While the demonstrations remained largely civil, the legal push to restrict these sites from continuing represents conflict as a reactionary response to the social differences between two cultures and fueled by inflammatory national rhetoric. Each city where this occurred possessed a diverse subculture containing Muslims and non-Muslims.
  
  

Healthy Conflict Opportunities

• A diverse social group offers the chance for a healthy environment for discussion. The ability to discuss sensitive social issues and share points of view with individuals from other social perspectives is important for your ability to evaluate your world. Often this discussion can become heated, especially when your fundamental ideals or traditions are called into question. By responding with thoughtfulness instead of violence or retreat, you have the opportunity to grow as a person and see your own ideals through a different perspective.
  
  

Repression Creates Resentment

• Within diverse social situations, individuals tend to avoid saying or doing numerous things that could be seen as provocation. Even individuals who are socially accepting can fall prey to the feeling that they have to guard their words more carefully than they would elsewhere. The natural response is to guard your own words while assessing others with the scrutiny necessary for the environment. This repression leads to resentment and the inability to achieve true diversity beyond the attempt to merely display diversity.