What do I know about being a minority? I suppose that depends on your definition. What I do know however, through leftover cold war stigma and a childhood of being the ostracized Russian girl, is that you don’t have to have different colored skin to be, well, different. What I also know is that, in retrospect, difference is a good thing, even when it involves ESL classes and eating borsch.

A few weeks ago a friend and classmate of mine, Ali Jaafar, wrote an article for this magazine in which he explained his belief that any classification based on race or religion is racist –and therefore unacceptable. Ali claimed that even positive stereotypes, such as Asians being good at math, are bad because they prevent us from viewing people as individuals. Although I value and respect Ali’s opinions, in this case, I completely disagree.

What is racism? Why has it become such a staple of American culture despite our best efforts against it? It is our drive to compliance that is to blame. Mainstream America has become a conformist society; we like to be safe in our houses, watching American Idol while groceries are delivered to us. We are perfectly content with lying low in exchange for a comfortable life. And so it is: we are terrified of difference or anybody who threatens our idyllic, albeit mediocre existence.

Fear breeds hate. The word “different” is so despised in our country that it is often synonymous to the word “bad.” For instance, “different” is how somebody might refer to a bad heavy metal band of a friend’s unfortunate haircut. As a society, we are unable to see differences within various cultures and subcultures as just differences – we can only see them as faults, and as excuses for blind hatred. Ever inventive – we have decided that it would be a good idea to counter this hatred of differences by pretending that the differences don’t exist at all. This would be a perfect solution if not for one minute detail – the differences do exist, it turns out, regardless of whether we acknowledge them or not. A unifying characteristic of Russians, for example, is an abiding skepticism, which can persevere through Disneyland, Homes & Gardens Magazine and all other such manifestations of the American Dream.

What makes people who they are? This is the age-old argument of nature vs. nurture. In my case, however, it is irrelevant to hypothesize about which of the two is dominant, because both factors are directly related to the place a person comes from. Just like the shape of my face and the color of my skin, the certain characteristics of my personality have been predetermined by genes, which have been kindly passed to me from my parents. The rest of my personality was formed while I was growing up around my Russian friends and family in Moscow, where the typical values and opinions of that group slowly wove their way into my sub consciousness. I am, of course, an individual, but many of my traits are similar to other those of other Russian immigrants with like ancestors and experiences. Negative traits include a hot temper, pessimism, and a mistrust of the government, positive traits include loyalty, determination, and a heightened appreciation for techno music. And so it is that fundamental differences tend to be drawn along lines of religion, race, and culture.

Although we may claim to ignore the fact that race is more than just external, certain assumptions based on race are still being made. Only, instead of being healthy and accurate judgments, they are judgments cultivated in secret – the most lethal kind of all.

America is, by nature the famed “melting pot,” or as the new politically correct term puts it – a “tossed salad” of cultures. There are so many different people, and in each difference is an opportunity to learn something, to expand our horizon. Why do we, instead, close up and run away? Yes, these differences are connected to race and religion, but in reality there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that because the differences are not a measure of worthiness or character. In a best case-scenario acknowledging these differences in temperament is constructive, and in a worst case scenario – harmless. We are all human beings — we all desire happiness and have five fingers on each hand (well, most of us anyways). Difference is never an excuse to consider a fellow human being inferior; instead, it is something that should be embraced, because it is these little quirks that weave the delicate tapestry of the human race.

I am not advocating separatism. Differences should not separate people, but should bring them together. Many people are an impressive mix of races and cultures – an interplay of which has created both the way they look and the way they think. Essentially, a “race” is nothing more than a group of people with common ancestors. The characteristics that define that group should be something to be proud of, not something to be feared.

I am tired of tiptoeing around race and religion. Differences exist – on all levels. If we can all learn to celebrate differences instead of fearing them, we can begin to accept others as they really are, not as different colored versions of ourselves. It is only in an honest acceptance of one another that we can truly eradicate racism. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t be so hard to appreciate differences. Can you imagine if we were all the same? We need to erase this ridiculous fear that our society has developed of race, and the association of difference with something negative. Different cultures and races have different strengths and weakness, one group of people picks up where another one falls short. After all, there is a reason that White men shouldn’t dance.