In today’s society, we are very aware of the decisions we make. We try to be careful not to offend anyone who may be different than we are. While it is thoughtful to be considerate of other people, we sometimes are so preoccupied by this that we take away from things unnecessarily. I’m going to say something crazy: it’s OK to be proud of things and even to express that! In fact, there are a lot of details about yourself that you SHOULD be proud of and celebrate! I disagree with the notion that one person’s pride about something should take away from someone who doesn’t identify with it. What I am proposing is to celebrate your characteristics AND the characteristics of others as well! Here are a few things that it’s OK to be proud of:

1. Heritage

2. Sports Teams

3. Family

4. Sexual Orientation

5. Race

6. Favorite books/movies/anything

7. Religion

8. Values

9. Hobbies

10. Style

12. School Spirit

When we ignore these aspects or only limit ourselves to only talking about them with others who identify with them, we create a sense of taboo surrounding diversity. That said, by trying to remain “politically correct” or “accepting of differences” we create a problem that ends up doing the opposite. We try to make others feel comfortable in expressing themselves, but end up limiting ourselves doing the same thing! This is wrong because diversity is what makes life exciting and it’s something to be proud of, celebrated, and showcased.